Blurbs. And chips. And a blurb about chips.

I’ve never had to write a blurb about myself. Blurbs are required of those who write novels or win awards and not of those who count among their proudest achievements things like giving birth and beating their mother in Words with Friends. I’ve been thinking about blurbs since I came across the following at this website the other day:

Jonathan Martin is the lead pastor of Renovatus: A Church for People Under Renovation in Charlotte, NC. He has been married to Amanda Keen for 11 years, and still finds her delightfully mysterious. Jonathan is an avid collector of comic books and is unashamed of his ten-pound shih tzu Cybil, despite the stigma that comes from being a very large man with a very small dog.

I love it! This makes me want to fly to the States just to meet Jon and Mandy (we’re already on nickname basis, that’s how much I like his blurb). Inspired by this golden example, I decided to have a go at my own and quickly discovered that writing a blurb is far trickier than I’d always assumed it would be. Not only do you have to come across as immensely likeable, you have to try to squeeze all of your immensely likeable parts into the fewest number of pithy lines. It forces you to sift through everything you think makes up you and then choose the parts that capture your youness most efficiently. I don’t think I’ve nailed it (it's a bit long, for a start), but I’ve already used up all of the thinking time I allocated to this task, so here's mine:

Belle shares an apartment with her hirsute and hilarious BFF/husband and her cheery and fearless little boy, both of whom make her heart flutter. She spends most of her time keeping said child from seriously injuring himself, which is a full-time job she loves (most of the time).

She could take over a year to get through a small tub of Maggie Beer’s Vanilla Bean and Elderflower ice cream, but open a giant packet of barbecue-flavoured chips in front of her and she’ll finish them before you can say, “Errr... I kind of brought them for everyone to share.” Besides her boys and barbecue-flavoured chips, clever writing, quirky music and fruity pavlovas also make her enormously happy.

The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight – The Bible and Women

I didn’t mention the chapters on women (in the final section of The Blue Parakeet) because I didn’t want to give the false impression that this book was written with an agenda. McKnight includes them as the practical side of the book; the demonstration of how his preceding framework plays out when considering issues in the church today, and the case study he chooses is ‘Women in Church Ministries’. As an aside, I must say how lovely it is to discover that a Christian you respect and admire (as a result of his unrelated thoughts up to that point) is also someone who counts himself among those who believe that roles in church ministries should be filled based on giftedness, calling, godliness and character rather than gender.

Back to the book: One aspect that McKnight covers in this section that I hadn’t come across in my reading on this topic was the roles of actual women in the Bible. He mentions a list including Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Esther, Priscilla, Junia and Phoebe, and then goes on with the following:

What did they do? They led, they prophesied, they taught, they were apostles, and they were local church mentors. At this point, all we need to grant is that there are – at a minimum – women who were exceptions to dominant cultural perception of women as inferior. They were exceptions whom God raised above the norm in order to accomplish his will. I will go beyond the word “exception” in what follows, but for now we can ask if we are permitting women exceptions in our churches. I know many who believe there should be no exceptions – and they are caging and silencing even the exceptional blue parakeet. (Page 164)

These chapters are a brilliant challenge to the limited view that some have of “Biblical womanhood,” and I found them reassuring and inspiring! They’re yet another reason you should read this book.

The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight

I finished reading The Blue Parakeet this morning, and I still feel like skipping around singing praises to my great God who inspired Scot McKnight to write this wonderful book. I didn’t finish it last time I started reading (last year), but now that I’m done and can see how right now was exactly the time I needed to read it, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed by God’s awesomeness and sovereignty and want to start the skipping and singing all over again. (I should mention that I was able to persevere this time around because I told myself it was a transcription of a super long but friendly lecture, which allowed me to forgive some of the writing.)

In this book McKnight points out that all Christians pick and choose (or “adopt and adapt”) which parts of the Bible apply to us today and which don’t. McKnight argues that this approach isn’t new, nor is it necessarily a bad thing:

Adaptability and development are woven into the very fabric of the Bible. From beginning to end there is a pattern of adopting and adapting. It is the attempt to foist one person’s days and ways on everyone’s days and ways that quenches the Holy Spirit. Can we be biblical if we fail to be as adaptable as the Bible itself was – only for our world? Is this messy? Sometimes it is. Was the Jerusalem council messy? Yes, it was. Did they discern what to do for that time? Yes, they did.  Was it permanent, for all time, for everyone, always, everywhere? No. (Page 143)

This book sets up a framework that helps us to read the Bible, know its Story, and trust the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in a way that equips us to listen to God and then pick and choose (“discern”) well.

McKnight does such a good job of (lovingly) challenging the way we read the Bible. I realised that I have a tendency to take a few of the shortcuts he mentions: Viewing the Bible as a stack of individual laws and promises rather than one whole story, which tends to leave me feeling disappointed if the passage I read in the morning doesn’t offer a fresh rebuke or encouragement; Viewing the Bible as a puzzle that can fit together in a neat system (“If I could just chop that piece off, it would be perfect!”); And, less consciously, viewing Paul as a ‘Maestro’, which means that “Jesus’ teaching is either ignored or overwhelmed by Paul’s way of thinking” (page 53). Over the years it’s sometimes been a struggle to remember that Jesus and Paul are on the same team. 

I like McKnight’s biblical theology, or “Story”, of oneness (with God, others, self and creation) - otherness - oneness (you’ll have to read the book for an explanation of this approach!). It’s relational and communal in a way that Graeme Goldsworthy’s ‘God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule’ isn’t, and it makes sense of what I know about God and the world I see. Thinking about humanity’s sinful proclivity for otherness made more sense of my marriage struggles than any marriage book I read last year! And I like that I kinda know what to aim for with ‘oneness’: Forgiveness, grace, healing, unity, equality and trust are the first batch of ‘oneness’ words that come to mind. They’re all concepts tied up with the Kingdom of God (Goldsworthy again), just without the brain freeze that always seems to accompany that phrase (for me).

This book is the first I’ve read that has helped me understand the Hebrews 4:12 description of God’s Word as “living and active”, which has been comforting as I’ve thought through the fact that Spirit-guided discernment will look different for Christians in different contexts; what’s right for a church in Sydney may not be right for a church in Africa, for example. In many ways I feel liberated knowing that our disagreements about what the Bible says aren’t always because one group is wrong and the other’s right. Sometimes both are right for their particular situation, and God’s in control of it all.

I’ve been spit out the other end of this book with a passion for God and His written Word that was lying dormant before I picked it up a couple of days ago. I now want to read my Bible over and over and over and over again so that I’m better able to discern and live out God’s plans for my ways, today. This will sound less weird after you’ve read it, which you should totally do. How many other books make you feel that way?! It’s one I plan to return to, if just for this fire, many, many times in future.

This man cracks me up

Me: I don’t think “impaling yourself in the eye” is a term.

My husband: Yeah, but you don’t think “heart attack doctor” is a term either, so I’m starting to doubt your linguistic abilities.

I've just been looking through all of the silly photos I have of my husband (there are many) and noticed a striking resemblance between one of him from 2007 and Barry Morgan, the hilarious and lovable organist from Spicks and Specks:

Don't you think?!

For the record, I just checked the dictionary and it seems you can ‘impale’ yourself in the eye. Don't tell my husband.

Facebook

I’m going to rejoin Facebook. It’s a tough decision mostly because I link it directly to The Great Depression of 2009; though Facebook wasn’t the cause, it certainly wasn’t a help, and I’m terrified of restarting anything that reminds me of – and could possibly take me back to - those sucky days. Alas, there are three pregnancies that I know of so far whose progress I’d like to keep a virtual eye on and family members residing overseas, plus I’m feeling emotionally strong and less likely to fall to pieces over other peoples’ dramas...

I’ve thought through a few rules to protect myself from the evil side of Facebook and try to preserve some integrity, such as leaving immediately if I catch myself taking multiple selfies in an effort to produce a decent-looking profile picture, or updating my status in a way that makes people think my life is far more interesting than it actually is. I don’t want Facebook to be the lens through which I view my entire life (“This is such a nice moment. I wonder how to best capture it in words for a status update?”). I don’t want to take the “friend” label too seriously for people I’ve had no contact with for over 10 years. I don’t want to waste my time looking at wedding photos of friends of friends whom I know nothing about except that they look pretty in their dress and I like what they’ve done with the flowers.

Here I go... (Is it a bad sign that I’m so nervous?)

*Holds breath*

Psalm 139:1-16

I surprised myself by not only signing up for but then actually giving a talk (vomit-free) at a women's event at beach mission this year. I've copied it below, but feel I must first credit Ben for the questions in case he reads this post and is tempted to report me to the BPP (Blogosphere Plagiarism Police) in a fit of rage and disappointment. I started with an introduction that sounds a little silly here, telling the women who came to enjoy the food and make themselves feel at home, etc. And then I read out the questions in three batches for everyone to chat about with those around them before I started the talk.

When else will I get to use this photo?

1. What was your favourite movie last year?
2. Favourite TV show?
3. Favourite book?
4. What’s something you’re proud of achieving last year?
5. What’s something you’d change about the year if you were able to?
6. How are you different now to the person you were last January?
7. How would you like to be different this December?
8. A hope for this year?
9. Any resolutions?

2011 was a big and difficult year for me. We moved churches, then we decided to leave our beloved apartment and find somewhere closer to my husband’s job, and then I had a miscarriage. And throughout all of this, my husband and I dealt with our stresses separately and marriage felt like really hard work. I’m a little scared to think what 2012 will hold, but I’m hoping that Psalm 139 will help me – and hopefully you too – as I think about the year ahead, so I wanted to share some thoughts on it tonight. The Psalm says:

Psalm 139
 ¹ You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain. 

 ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
   Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
   if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
   if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
   your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
   and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
   the night will shine like the day,
   for darkness is as light to you. 

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.

I love the glimpse we get here of how intimately God knows the Psalmist, and how present God is in the Psalmist’s life. The Psalm says, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” God is behind and before him, up in the heavens and down in the depths. We don’t usually think about God so poetically, but He’s that present in our lives too! And in this Psalm we see that God is present in all of life - not only for the big things like our wedding days or the birth of our children, or our illnesses or the death of a family member, but in the little things as well.

At the beginning of the Psalm, the Psalmist talks about God knowing when he sits and when he gets up, when he goes out and when he lies down. There’s nothing extraordinary about any of these things! God is just as present in our mundane moments as He is in the dramatic or exciting ones. He knows our favourite movie from last year, and why we enjoyed it! He knows how tired we are in the morning, He knows what we’re proud of, He knows how much we love our families, He knows how hard we work. He knows the things that make us laugh, and He knows our disappointments. He is there in every moment of our every day. 

But did you notice that for the Psalmist God’s presence isn’t a sinister, spying presence, nor is it a strict, distrustful “I’m keeping my eye on you young lady” presence; on the contrary, it’s such a beautiful - and almost maternal - picture of God, lovingly knitting us together in the womb of our mothers, weaving us into the women we are, knowing all of the days of our lives way back then, before we’d even taken our first breath. Before our parents knew anything about us, God knew us. God designed us. God created us. And He’s been ever-present in our lives ever since, whether we’ve acknowledged that or not, like a loving parent watching over his wandering toddlers.

It was a long time before I saw God’s continual presence in my life as a good thing. For many years I didn’t want God around; I didn’t want to feel guilty or judged for the decisions I was making, so I ignored Him as best I could. Throughout those years, I knew that on the day I finally came face to face with God, I’d have to give my excuses for shutting Him out of my life, and I knew they would all sound ridiculous. I was terrified of dying and having to go through that horrible meeting.

About 8 years ago now I heard a Christian song that changed everything for me. The song talked about Jesus setting me free by giving His life for me, and in that moment, it clicked: Jesus had faced that horrible meeting with God – the meeting I dreaded – so that I didn’t have to face God with my silly excuses. I didn’t have a good reason for ignoring Him – none of us do! – and Jesus had stood up to face the punishment I deserved, so that I could be free to experience God’s presence with gratitude and peace instead of guilt and shame.

This year, I want us to be aware of God’s continual presence in our lives. But more than that, I want us to experience that presence with peace rather than condemnation. I want us to rejoice and find comfort in God watching over us as the children He designed and created, rather than fear one day meeting Him. Jesus came, died, and rose again so that meeting can be something we look forward to rather than dread.

I wanted to finish up by praying for the year ahead – because we have absolutely no idea what this year will hold, but God knows. And He will be walking through it with us, always present, always caring, every single moment of every single day.

Dear God,

You have searched us and You know us. You know when we sit and when we rise; you know what we’re thinking, you know how we feel. You watch as we go out and as we sleep at night; you are familiar with all our ways. Before a word is on our tongues you, LORD, know it completely. You surround us, and you lay your hand upon us. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us, too lofty for us to attain. 

Where can we go from your Spirit? Where can we flee from your presence? It doesn’t matter where we go, you are there with us. If we rise on the wings of the dawn, if we settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide us, your right hand will hold us fast. 

For you created our inmost beings; you knit us together in our mothers’ wombs. We praise you because we are fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, we know that full well. You wove us together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw our unformed bodies; all the days ordained for us were written in your book before one of them came to be. 

God, we thank You that You know us, that You are with us, and that because of Jesus Your presence brings deep peace rather than guilt.

In His name we pray.

Amen

Hello, blog!

from here

It's been a while. I've missed you!

Just wanted to check in and say a brief howdy. Tonight's for unpacking and washing and recovering from beach mission with a glass of whiskey and an episode or two (or three...) of Brothers and Sisters (Jill, I AM HOOKED), but I may be free tomorrow night?

Looking forward to catching up, friend.

Laters!

Blog posts in 2011 (it's daggy, but I can't help myself)

My two most popular blog posts from last year (I can't believe it's 2012!!) were my book review of Bus Stops and Bicycles by Taryn Rose and my second post in a series on Stereotypes from July.

The three I had the most fun writing were Like, Wow and  two of my 'Stupidest things' posts: Dermalogica and Bega Cheese. The most painful was Goodbye, and the one I thought about for the longest before writing was Slowing Down.

And that was my 2011 in blog posts. I look forward to a blog-filled 2012!