Culture + Arts + Faith + Education

Friday, June 30

Charmed again

He has verbally expressed he isn't so hot on text messaging.
Usually only short responses; I always text first.

Texted me this morning.
Unprompted.


*sigh*

Tuesday, June 27

I love culture?

I found this book:

Pomosexuals: Challenging Assumptions About Gender and Sexuality ed. by Carol Quenn and Lawrence Schimel

The book was obviously kindly and carefully written to those of the lesbian/gay lifestyle who are seeking to understand their sexuality in relation to other lesbian/gay people. I am an outsider. I feel like I stumbled upon some beautifully dangerous Portrait-of-Dorian-Grey-esqe opium pit. (I am Dorian Grey btw.) I am shocked and a bit embarrassed by my reaction to picking up this book.
The most wonderfully surprising thing about this book is the strange commradery that I feel with the different writers. This quote, hopefully, we example that to you:

"There are derogatory words, like queer and slut and whore and the notorious N-word, that some people want to reclaim, even wear as a badge of honor, a Purple Heart for survivors of intolerance. There are words like Christian or lesbian, that carry a different value judgement depending on who is speaking and who is listening. And there are words like sex and power and anger and pride, words that carry mixed judgements in themselves almost regardless of who says or hears them."

Mostly the book is about loaded language. I suppose you could read Telford Work or someone more "Christiany" (not that Telford Work is X-y, just that he is way more intellectual about it and therefore more boring) and get the same gist, but perhaps stepping really, really far out of our comfort zones will make this soup spicier. And hey! It's about sex! You all know how much I am fascinated by the way we (especially X's!) view sex!

Love that the title is Pomosexuals. Totally took postmodernism to another level. It made me think of Barry and Craig's Matrix of Meanings book. We are truly post-sexual.

Not much more to say about that... maybe more as the book unfolds.

Friday, June 23

Uh-oh...

Last night and the night before I had the distinct pleasure of conversing with an extrememly intelligent (and might I say handsome) young man on the various impacts the current United States theology makes on both local and global churches.
Words that nary have graced some ears, such as "hermanutic" and "theological sophistication" were copiously used.
As we pondered the solutions to such matters as the problem of upper-middle-class disconnect with the reality of the Old Testament prophetic speeches on financial justice and the issue of localized ethics being more necessary than general "Christian Ethics" (note: as said young man put it: "What has happened when a pastor finds himself repenting to his congregation for an affair? Which small choices led to that?" to which I responded, in agreement, "It's the little foxes that spoil the vine.") I was charmed to the core. Even though our topics grim, my heart smiled and my face showed it. I know because I immediately headed to Community Group! after the conversation, where it was quickly and loudly announced that I was "glowing."
I insisted it was the sticky summer sweat, but inside I knew I had been caught.

Then it hit me, like a ton of bricks: I am totalty enamored by men who can talk practical theology and politics and philosophy and interpretation and church history and, well, all things intelligencia.
To charm me, just mention Pinnock with a whisper or contextual ministry with a smile.
Discuss the meaning of life as a person of powerlessness in a traditionalist society.
Talk dirty politics to me.

Dang.
That means I am dork.

Wednesday, June 21

grrrrr.....

Why do we have to loose a freaking 10 game winning streak to the freaking Rockies?

Saturday, June 17

Oh my gosh......

Ok - exactly 5 hours long.....
the bases are loaded with two outs and Crosby is up...
come on come on.....
WE CAN DO THIS!!!!!
Crowd on thier feet Crosby is hitting 253

ball two!!!!
*biting my nails!!!!!****
ball three!!!!!!
if he walks him then the A's WIN!!!!!
how anti-climactic!
3-1 (grrrr)
YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
Ball FOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE OAKLAND A'S HAVE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS THE NINTH GAME IN A ROW!!!!!!!!!!

FINAL SCORE: 5-4

YESYESYESYESYESYESYES

btw.... Mark Lovers - kiss my toe baby!

wow

It is 10:50pm on Saturday PM and the Dodgers and A's are in bottom of the 17th inning - score is 4-4. Yup, that is what I said - the SEVENTEENTH!!!!!!! INNING!!!!!!! The last time the Dodgers went 16 innings was like four years ago, but I can't remember against who. The last time the A's went 16 was.... I dunno. Five hour game so far friends. They must be really tired. I am tired just watching it for goodness sake!
The longest game in history was 8 hours and 6 minutes and was freaking 25 innings long! I believe it was in '84, and I believe it was Chicago White Sox and Milwakee Brewers with Chicago taking it 7-6. Look it up on www.MLB.com to check me. I also see to recall that the most innings played was 26, but the game was still less than 8h6m - and I think that was like in 1920 in Boston or something. Again...check me on that.

I think we should win.

And by the way, "we" means the A's.

Friday, June 16

I did it with help


JennMich
Originally uploaded by Princess Babydoll.
Here is Jenn and I right after the graduation ceremony. I am not sure what we are so happy about. Maybe the fact that I will no longer annoy her with boring drivel about classes and irritations about having to study. Or maybe we just love each other.
Jenn is at GA ( it's a Presby thing that I don't really understand.)
I really, really miss her. She is very important to me.
Actually...I am missing a lot of people lately. My Family, Sara and BeeGee and Uriah, Jenn, Paul.... today is kind of a sad day... but I will certainly get over it.
I like that about myself. I get over things pretty quickly. Paul had a good word for this the other day: Resilient. I am gonna own that description. It feels good to be able to say I am resilient.
Just give me the space to feel my stuff and then I am A-OK. I really do think that generally this is a good quality... sometimes people hold stuff in forever and never feel it out - I have learned that this reaction isn't so good.
I would rather feel it and then be free to release it then hold on to it and have it run me over like a truck later.
SOOOO - this morning I am missing people and my heart hurts. BUT - I am resilient, durable and flexible.
"I like it! That's my new philosophy!" (Sally Brown - Charlie's sister)

Wednesday, June 14

On being twitterpayted....

I graduated last Saturday and I now work at Wild Oats and love it - but I don't really want to talk about that right now. Right now, I wanna talk about love (the romantic kind - not the happy Jesus kind - although I do take issue with separating the two... but that is for another day).

So, here are some questions.... based on recent conversations with the women-folk and the interesting "love life" issues that have popped up for us in the past six months... I am curious to all your responses.

1. If you like someone but then they don't like you, should you stick in there or should you bail?
2. For how long should you pine/when should you bail?
which leads to:
2. Is unrequited love from God?
3. Should you get back with ex's? Pros and Cons?
4. Should we as Christians try to take romantic relationships into our own hands?
meaning:
5. How much imput do we/should we have in our own love lives?
6. Why is it so damn scary to fall in love?
7. What happens when you fall in love and you are too scared to act on it?
which brings up:
8. How much work and pain and risk is too much work and pain and risk?

All of these things have been swimming about in my gray matter for awhile. Mostly because of a great couple-friend of mine who worked their ASSES off to be in relationship and are now getting married - I am so touched by their story.
Also, because another little missy sister has been in love with this guy for like 2 years and he is not so much and she can't pull away.... she is not a crazy woman!!! She is sane and sure and beautiful and spirit-led... but this love for this man has her ravished.
AND, I have been on my own saga (drama!?) of romance over the past 8 months or so and I am not sure how to proceed because I am full of wonderment and excitment and fear and joy and trepidation all at once.

Internal monologue alert!!! Internal monologue alert!!
I feel like this love thing is much harder than I thought it should be. At first I thought that it was hard because I had not "found the right person." But ya know what? As of late, EVERY SINGLE RELATIONSHIP that I have spoken with friends about, heard about, been in, tried out, learned about - has been HARD.
DAMN! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN EASY RELATIONSHIP!!!!!!
But, hey, ya know what else? Every one of those relationships that I know have been super-hard have come out on the other side being super-amazing. Maybe it has to do with our age... we are too experienced and life educated to happ-hazzardly "fall" in love anymore. We know too much. We have hurt and been hurt too often. We have been stupid ass idiot heads far too many times.... Simply put... I know better than to "fall" in love.

Oh no, my friends... we no longer "fall" in love:

We walk, heads held somewhat high -
tied to the arm of God -
bound up in our issues, fears, assumptions, fantasies and hopes -
as Shadrach/Meshach/Abednego -
into the raging seven-times-hotter fire -
and we burn
and trust
and fear
and trust
and cry
and trust
and fear some more.
We penetrate, totally aware of the heat that flickers at our toes
into - oh my goodness/help me Jesus - love.
Yet somewhere deep down we know

even though terrified by it,
even though hating it,
even though called "stupidfoolishcrazy - walk yourself/your lover/together like that in a fire on purpose?"
That when we come out, we will stand free of all which bound us.
We will not reek of smoke.
We will not die in what should have killed us.
We will stand tall, completely aware of our foolish faith.
And those around us will see the extra figure in the fire.... and our stories will testify... our stories will encourage... our stories will be those that make up a diary of the best kind of love story there is:
the intentional, unconditional, broken, beaten, resurrected, fought for, valuable love story that is most closely akin
to the love story that is us and God.


.................

I guess I answered my own questions.
Bring it on.

Monday, June 5

For Rachel...

Rach is irritated with me about not talking about dates:

The best story up until now is this:

I went on a fabulous date to San Diego. I think it was the best first-date experience I have ever had. The man made PLANS for goodness sake! We went to a baseball game (OH YEAH!!!!) and went to Seaport(?) Village and Coronado and La Jolla and his place to cook together (another OH YEAH!!!!!).
The best part was when I cut the very tippy tip of my finger off. And passed out in his living room.

Classic.

Lucklily, he is a doctor. Interstingly, he is not THAT kind of doctor, but he did really well acting like one. And damn if dessert wasn't awesome.

At Sara and Uriah and LUCY'S!! AHHHH

So, the realization that I am really going to be an auntie is hitting me pretty hard. This, on top of the whole graduation thing, has catapulted me into the "ah-ha" of the next stage of life. Sara's baby shower came quickly on the heals of the Master's Project finishing. She is big and round and beautiful. Her shower was exquisite- there was so much wonderful gourmet food and drink (only one veggie option, but that helped with the calorie counting!) and her mom made a cute cake that looked like a hot air balloon with a little baby in it.
The baby's name is Lucy. I am happy because that is the name I voted for. The choice was between Lucy and Emma. Don't get me wrong, I really love the name Emma, but so does everyone else lately, so, of course, I couldn't be like everyone else, and so I voted for Lucy. Wahoo! I won!
I think I should get a prize. Like a T-shirt that says "I picked my neice's name and you didn't. Ha." Maybe that is too rude. I dunno.
I am writing this from their computer - we are off to Napa today to buy some good Pine Ridge Charmstone (you can only get it here) - one of the best varital reds I have ever had for the price (only like 30 bucks!) We just got back from doing a favorite AM activity of mine: walking to a local coffee house, sitting and reading and people watching and talking. Embracing the day... and boy oh boy...Phillipians is doing a number on me.
Yesterday was SHOPPING (duh! I'm with Sara!) and church at my old co-pastors.... that was interesting. I love them so much... I also realized how much I love CHURCH! too and that we are all part of this worldwide faith in Christ. (WARNING: THEOLOGY TALK APPROACHING!!!)
So here we are - in this SUPER fired-up, loud, amazingly excellent music service. We are singing and laughing and some are dancing and kneeling and shouting. I'm thinking, "wow. I miss this." But then I remember my church in Pasadena and I start to cry. I am thinking,"wow. I miss them."
I did not feel removed, I felt apart, but attached. I think I may have actually felt what Paul felt when he told the church in Phillipi "I thank my God everytime I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now."
I was loving the arms of God that held me during that Emeryville service - yet I was missing the feet of God that walk with me in Pasadena.
The beauty was in the connection I felt to the worldwide church. I knew that I was grafted to this huge, cross-cultural, cross-boundaried, diverse, expansive, timeless thing called the kingdom of God. I had, in the truest sense of the word, a catholic moment.
More on that later I suppose....
I am still ruminating.... still marinating....