the view from her

The Exponent, a blog for and about Mormon women, had a very interesting post last week called “Women Judges, Women’s Presence: How the Inclusion of Women Changes Things,” which discussed Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, the subtle influence of a woman’s presence, and the potential correlation to women in a faith community.
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Referring to an NPR article, How Women Changed The High Court … And Didn’t, the writer pulls out a remarkable observation:

“But the point I wanted to focus on was this: the reporter addresses the question of whether female judges judge differently than male judges. A study of more than 7000 decisions shows that men and women do not judge differently – except in one area: sex discrimination. Women judges are 10% more likely to rule in favor of the plaintiff.

Likewise, in three judge panels which contain at least one women, the men were 15% more likely to rule in favor of the sex discrimination plaintiff than on three judge panels which contain only men.

That last statistic was the most startling to me. A woman judge’s mere presence – just her presence – influences the male judges decisions in this area.”

Apparently, a woman’s mere presence is enough to encourage the consideration of decisions in a different way. The author goes on to wonder how this might affect the administrative meetings of her church, an interesting consideration for the Evangelical church as well, in which women are frequently excluded from key leadership decisions. We’ve already noticed how that played out on Wall Street. Culture is recognizing the value of gender balance. Isn’t it about time the Church - men and women sharing the image of God - did too?

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but people are pretty darn serious about using chopsticks. Why is that, exactly? I was recently reminded of a post I previously wrote on this topic and decided to give it a little re:view.
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The other day at work I was in a meeting that went a little long. So they brought in lunch - some nice Chinese food. Passed out napkins and those little packets of soy sauce, and…chopsticks. What the heck is the deal with people and chopsticks?

Everyone so casually snaps them apart and begins whisking them back and forth, brushing off - what? Splinters? This from people who would send back a restaurant fork because it had a bent tine. They continue with whatever they were talking about, while oh so casually poking around their food and gesturing with their chopsticks. Casualness that verges on indifference seems to be very important in the flaunting of chopstick proficiency. Of course, that’s only my perspective, and I grew up in Iowa where the utensils of choice were the little plastic ears of corn with the prongs that you stuck in the ends of your corn-on-the-cob. So it’s very possible I’m just uncultured. And bitter.

ME: Are there any forks?
CHORUS: Ohhhh… don’t you use chopsticks? (This, very sympathetically, while deftly tweezing a glob of rice into their mouths.) The answer of course, is, “No.” (Because I live in America where we’ve used forks and knives and corn cob prongs for more than 200 years.)

I have, however, been to Africa, where they eat everything with their fingers. I notice that particular cultural custom hasn’t particularly gone mainstream here. But it may be possible I’m not the only one suffering from chopstick insecurity.

ME: Excuse me… I’ll be right back. I’m going to go get a fork.
CHORUS (well, 3 others): Ooooh… would you bring me one?

For those of you who, like me, are at present journeying through an unmapped valley toward an unknown destination, I share this encouragement. A friend gave me a book of Puritan prayers and devotions by the above title this weekend. And while “vision” is a word that gets thrown about in all sorts of leadership contexts, I thought the following was a different and very moving perspective.

The Valley of Vision
LORD, high and holy, meek and lowly,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
. . . that the way down is the way up,
. . . that to be low is to be high
. . . that the broken heart is the healed heart,
. . . that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
. . . that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
. . . that to have nothing is to possess all,
. . . that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
. . . that to give is to receive,
. . . that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter thy stars shine;
Let me find thy light in my darkness,
thy life in my death,
thy joy in my sorrow,
thy grace in my sin,
thy riches in my poverty,
thy glory in my valley.

It’s been a tough year here in America - a great recession, wacky politicians, and an epic oil “spill.” I repost and update this list every year because I think it’s easy to forget many of the simple, yet important reasons why America is still a great place to live. So here you go - reasons I love living in the U.S.A. on our 234th birthday:

1. The 4th of July. Barbecue, parades, sparklers, fireworks.
2. We have the prettiest flag.
3. You can drive anywhere without asking permission. Even across state lines. And stay as long as you want.
4. Blue jeans.
5. You can love or hate books like The Shack, or The God Delusion, but they’re not forbidden.
6. We have real cowboys.
7. And Indians.
8. You can freely mock the President. I think we take that for granted.
9. The Freedom of Information Act. Our government will voluntarily give you information about itself.
10. You can send a letter to any one of over 111 million homes, and it will be delivered to precisely the right one in only about two days, for just 44 cents.
11. New England clam chowder.
12. Alaska and Hawaii.
13. You can have as many children as you want.
14. Libraries. All the books you can read - 6 at a time - for free.
15. Thanksgiving Day.
16. The Bill of Rights.
17. You can paint your house any color you want. (Unless of course you live in a California homeowner’s association.)
18. Baseball.
19. An efficient sewage system. Pretty sure we take that for granted.
20. Microsoft and Apple. (Um… you’re welcome.)
22. Jazz.
23. Gospel music.
24. Rock ‘n Roll.
25. Water you can drink right out of the faucet.
26. An orderly election process and the peaceful transfer of power.
27. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”

Last weekend, Andrew Marin and friends from the Marin Foundation intentionally spent time at the Chicago 2010 Gay Pride Parade. You might not guess it but Andrew, author of Love is an Orientation, is a conservative Christian determined to build a bridge between Christians and the gay community. The team wore t-shirts that simply said, “I’m sorry,” and carried posters with variations on the message “I’m sorry for how the church has hurt you.”

Andrew says, “The point was to talk, engage, apologize, demonstrate what true reconciliation looks like amongst our diverse group all the way to the broader community.”

I admit, this picture made me a little uncomfortable. Until I read the story about how it happened. Nathan, Director of Pastoral Care at the Marin Foundation, wrote I hugged a man in his underwear. And I am proud. that tells the amazing story.

These stories happen over and over. They’re the stories of men and women loved by God who are moved when his love is demonstrated as an action by real people. Not a conditional love. Not a “love the sinner/hate the sin” abstract, impersonal “love.” But a real, caring, engaged love demonstrated in something as simple as a hug.

It’s irresistible.

Photo Credit: Michelle at maladjustedmedia.com

Ironically, I have a new addition to last week’s list. While visiting a church recently, (I’ll not say when or where) I heard a message in which the pastor spoke from Ephesians 3:20.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,”…

The pastor said this was personally a favorite verse of his, and possibly one of the most profound verses in the Bible. Clearly God wants to do more that we can ever imagine!

Umm… what? That verse is not even a complete sentence. (Please note that it ends in a comma, not a period - a dead giveaway.) Okay, I apologize for the sarcasm, though I suggest the continued need to bring your Bible to church with you.

The context is Paul’s excitement that the Gentiles are heirs with Israel, sharing in the promise of Christ. He then prays that out of God’s incredible riches we will be strengthened through his Spirit. That we’ll be rooted and established in love, and know how wide and long and high and deep Christ’s love is, and overflow with the fullness of God. And when that happens - in ways we can’t imagine or foresee - we will acknowledge it is his power within us and give him the glory.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

I think humans in general have a habit of condensing thoughts into little catchy phrases. It makes them easier to remember if we can fit them on, say… a bumper sticker. “Christians aren’t perfect… just forgiven.” So, I suppose it’s understandable that we can do the same with Scripture. But much like the secret to real estate is supposedly “Location. Location. Location,” the secret to understanding the Bible is “Context. Context. Context.”

While the following wouldn’t all fit on a bumper sticker, I think sometimes we throw them around - often out of context - in much the same way. Here are a few of my favorites.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
This is one of my favorites. Because it’s written to the thousands of people who have been deported to exile in Babylon. And Jeremiah is actually telling them to get used to it - they’ll be there 70 years. Thaaaat’s great. It’s miserable, and it’s not getting better, at least not for awhile. Yes, this verse is still full of the comfort of God’s promise today, but His planning is often more long-range than ours.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
I’m almost afraid to mention this one for fear of incurring the wrath of the National Day of Prayer folk. This verse comes right after the construction and dedication of the temple. And the glory of the Lord fills the temple. The next verse continues, “Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” “This place” being the Temple. The land is Israel, and while we should always pray for our country and its leaders, God is not talking about America here.

“They’ll know we are christians by our love.”
Great. Be more generally loving - easy. I think this must come from John 13:35. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Technically, the saying should be: “They’ll know we are Christians by our love for each other.” Which, being so specific, is much harder. An interesting distinction that seems especially relevant to many of the discussions happening in the Church today.

“Love the sinner - hate the sin.”
Okay, technically this isn’t a verse, it’s more of bumper sticker. But if you look carefully, Jesus never said to “love the sinner but hate the sin.” He did say to love the sinner. But he was pretty clear you should hate your own sin.

Are there others?

While television tends to portray Dads as bumbling goofs, occasionally the movies get it right. In honor of Father’s Day, here’s a list of my top 10 personal favorites among movie Dads.

10. The Pursuit of Happyness. You have to admire a film that shows a dad willing to go to any and all lengths to provide for his son.

9. The Incredibles. It’s a well-known fact that Dads have super-powers. And who doesn’t love one who encourages you to use yours?

8. Hook. Okay, so Robin Williams exemplifies more of a bad dad at the beginning, but he makes it all right by crossing over to Neverland and taking on Captain Hook to get his kids back - “You’re my happy thought.”

7. Cheaper by the Dozen. Diapers, dinners, discipline, driving, dating - a penultimate Dad. But twelve kids… was he crazy!?

6. Mr. Mom. Michael Keaton took on the kids and the house dad-style, making it crazy and a little adventurous. “One-twenty, one-twenty-one… whatever it takes.”

5. The Ultimate Gift. Technically, it’s the grandfather who leaves his grandson a gigantic inheritance - with strict, and unusual stipulations before transfer. But his wisdom and insight help his grandson become the man he was meant to be. Isn’t that what dads do?

4. Father of the bride. Yes, Steve Martin is kind of a bumbling goof. But his love for his daughter through the years is unmistakable.

3. Signs. Okay, I just love this movie, period. Mostly because of its deep, spiritual messages. And because of Mel Gibson. Who happens to be great as a dad with faltering faith and tremendous love for his children.

2. Finding Nemo. The story of a dad who will go to any length to find his son, Nemo’s dad swims oceans, battles jellyfish and treacherous currents to bring his son home. And, like any good dad, he worried a lot.

1. Parenthood. Steve Martin plays an authentically human dad with all the frustration, insecurity and heart-warming moments inherent therein, while wrestling in relationship with his own dad (the curmudgeonly Jason Robards).

A few weeks ago I was really struggling with where I am in this uncertain season of life. I wrote a post called “I go back and forth” that detailed how my personal fears had seeped into questions about my faith.

I was flooded with comments, Facebook messages, and emails. All were encouraging. Most shared about the times others had wrestled with the exact same doubts.

I can’t tell you what a relief it was to simply be assured that what I was feeling was normal. And that empathetic encouragement was just enough to keep me going.

A couple of insightful blog posts also helped. Randy Elrod described his spiritual experience to a reporter as a “questioning faith.” He received “quite a few concerned and well-meaning questions about my ‘questioning.’” Why are we uncomfortable with questions?

Pete Wilson, a pastor at Cross Point Church in Nashville, wrote an article for Relevant Magazine titled Where is God When Things Fall Apart? He says:

“It makes me feel petty and immature, but it’s true—I questioned if God was with me. I think most of us tend to base our plans, dreams and desires on our concept of God’s presence. Then, when things don’t turn out the way we planned, we assume God’s just not there anymore…

Psychologists describe it as ‘languishing.’ It’s not depression or anxiety, but rather a failure to thrive—a loss of hope and meaning. I know those feelings. And I’m hardly alone. It’s a common experience in today’s culture.”

So I have to ask: In my experience, these “languishing” times of dark doubts and questions, a “common experience in today’s culture,” are rarely - if ever - frankly addressed by the Church in more than a simplistic way. Are we afraid to acknowledge that believers question their faith? Do leaders fear losing esteem by admitting they’ve questioned at some point? Clearly, a time of languishing is when someone especially needs the understanding and encouragement of Christ’s Body.

In Romans 15-16 Paul gives lots of instructions about how believers should behave towards each other. The Message makes it clear: “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’”

I’m very proud to let you know that my sister has recently started a new blog called Lawless Grace. She’s passionate and really knows her Bible. We don’t always agree on all points, but we do agree that we love wrestling with theological ideas.

As pesky younger sister I’m compelled to point out that she lists some of her interests as “Studying the Bible, praying, and playing the accordion.” Three things you probably never saw in the same sentence until now. Heh. Fact is, she’s really good at all three.

Anyway, I hope you’ll go stop by and say hello.