Half Way Done

Five down and five to go - my applications to Chicago, Yale, Princeton, Toronto, and Fordham are complete and in the mail (or, since some of them were submitted online, in cyberspace).

Five more to go, but they are not due till February, so they are being put off until after the holiday. And meanwhile, Sarah is here!!!

More after the holiday. Merry Christmas to everyone.

We're Moving to Wordpress

Kindly adjust your links, as our blog is headed over to: http://voxvendsel.wordpress.com

C.S. Lewis Sundays --Affection

Thank you to everyone who left encouraging comments on the last few posts. You have no idea how much they mean to me!

I have applied for several jobs already and am exploring different leads and opportunities in the human services/mental health field. I am excited about what God will do and very much appreciate your prayers! I had one great interview last week; will keep you posted.

And now, as promised, a Sunday quote from Lewis, a little pithy bit for today.

"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of

whatever solid and durable happiness

there is in our natural lives."

--The Four Loves, chap. 3, para. 43

What do you think: agree/disagree?

apology to our readers

I want to apologize (to any readers we have left) for how utterly uninspired our blog has been of late. Vox has been languishing in a perpetual state of "blah" for far too long, what amounts to an age, an era, an epoch in blogland. I'm afraid that this State of Blah is indicative of the general state of my soul lately.

Leave it to the Lord to shake things up by kicking the supports out from beneath my feet.

But this is really a good thing. Really, it is. I'm already feeling my soul begin to wake up a bit. I spent the afternoon finishing a book in hopes that I can overcome my irrational terror of writing book reviews (graphophobia?) and actually submit something to my writing friend for our friendly writing exchange which was conceived of in January and may actually commence for real in July. I have until midnight tonight. If I'm successful, you'll soon see a post resembling something thoughtful and not having to do with personal news or pictures of our cat. Promise.

Oh, and C.S. Lewis Sundays is coming back soon, too.

Job Hunting

Late in the day on Friday I received a phone call from my employer. It seems the business has been struggling financially for some time and they have been forced to eliminate positions, including mine. He indicated that this decision had nothing to do with job performance as he has been pleased with my work and that he is very sorry to have to let me go. He will graciously keep me on payroll for one more month to give me time to find something new.

This was surprising and difficult news to take, but I believe that it is from the Lord, who wants me to move on and invest my time and energy in pursuits that more closely match my calling. We would appreciate your prayers as I seek to find new employment by July 30!

Vocational Ramblings

Around this time last summer, I believe, I was in utter despair that I had not been selected for the CCEF internship. And then I went to visit a professor friend who helped set me up with the counseling gig in Elmer, NJ, which commenced last August and has been almost one full year of marvelous experience, even better, I think, then the internship for which I had applied. But the 3-hour round trip commute combined with the whole "volunteer" aspect of this job is taking its toll on me and I am really ready to move on to some paid work, preferrably in my neighborhood or at least in my state! I had applied for something that sounded perfect, but the employer just never called back. So I am waiting... hoping... that something similar will happen this year and that there will be an even better opportunity for me. Meanwhile, my calendar in Elmer keeps filling up and I am having a hard time disentagling myself from that committment.

As well, I realize that the next step in my professional career won't just fall in my lap without some effort. I really need to get motivated and creative and start looking for something new. It is hard, knowing that we are not settled here in PA. I want to get licensed but am really unsure about starting the licensure process when we may be moving in a year. I would love to be paid for my work but lack the experience to command a decent salary. I would like to quit my at-home administrative job, but appreciate the flexibility it affords to look for other opportunities in the meantime. I could use your prayers for guidance.

So what I do I envision long-term? Some sort of professional credential that would allow me to bless other people in practical ways with wisdom, truth, love. I have always envisioned counseling but recently I have been thinking in terms of mentoring and pastoral care. The shape of my counseling at Elmer has fallen more along these lines and I find that it comes quite naturally. I am, I think, by nature, a shepherd and a nurturer -- I may not know all there is to know about eating disorders, for example, but I know how to be a sister, or mother. I would have perhaps made a good nun. But then, I am not Catholic and I did get married. So the question now is how to turn my calling into a vocation.

Recently I heard that a friend of a friend is becoming a "life coach" with sort of a spiritual direction emphasis. I thought, that sounds great!! Have you seen these reality shows like Starting Over and The Ex-Wives Club? It seems like there is a real hunger and need for mentorship and spiritual direction in our culture today. These shows feature "life coaches" who help individuals overcome obstacles and move foward in life-- kind of like a priest, therapist, parent, and cheer-leader in one care-giving role. Sort of a Super Friend. To me it is an indication of how little community, mentorship, and spiritual guidance people have these days. What church membership used to provide- namely, pastoral care and an extended spiritual family-- the world is seeking in places like The Starting Over House, sans any gospel-centered theology or really anything resembling substance at all. Makeovers and anger management classes cannot reform the affections. At any rate, I think there is a professional credential for "life-coach." What would it be like to do this with the glory of God in mind? I think this is what Eugene Peterson might call "Subversive Spirituality."

Meet Philo

Thanks to everyone who voted in the "name our kitty" poll. Kevin, we especially liked your suggestions, and will probably be incorporating 'Klatu, Destroyer of Worlds' as a sweet nickname. Although Ambrose and Benedict were tied for first place, we have decided on something completely different-- Philo (rhymes with "eye-low"), from the Greek word for love, found in both "Philadelphia" and "Philosophy." Also, my last cat's name was Sophie, and Philo+Sophie = philosophy, which is what my husband teaches, so, it all makes sense.

We brought him home in a wee little kitty carrying case, not much bigger than a make-up bag, and he was calm and mellow all the way back from New Jersey, sleeping most of the way. He remained content whilst we shopped for all the kitty necessaries (litter box, food bowls, catnip toys, etc.) at Petsmart on the way home. Philo even took his first shopping trip with us to the beer distributer so we could pick up a case of Yuengling for our church choir party tomorrow (yes, we drink beer at church parties on Sunday... hey, we're Presbyterian). Tonight we've been bonding and playing and, as I type this post, he and Mike have fallen asleep together on the couch, which is really the cutest thing ever. We managed to snap a few pictures, though he was being pretty squirmy so I had a hard time getting his face in.






He already seems at home in our family and we really love him.

Happiness is...

A new kitten! One of my counselees called today to ask if we would like to adopt a kitten. To my delight, Mike said yes. She sent me a picture on my cell phone (above, with my friend's daughter) and as you can see he is the cutest little orange and white guy, only 6 weeks old. We are going to pick him up tomorrow and I am so excited! I have wanted a cat ever since my sweet Sophie died and this just seems like the right time.

Mike and I have been coming up with names... help us choose by voting in the sidebar for your favorite.

Pictures are forthcoming- stay tuned.

C.S. Lewis Sundays: Hints of our Future

In my counseling this year, I have encountered so much suffering that accompanies physical pain and the grief associated with death. In my effort to minister comfort and hope, I find myself returning again and again to the powerful truth that heaven is the destiny for believers in Christ and that Christians can expect a glorious resurrection and perfection of our earthly bodies. When there is nothing on this earth that can soothe the loss of a long beloved spouse or reverse the effects of degenerative multiple sclerosis, the good news that Christ has triumphed gloriously over death and that our bodies will be re-created in perfection is a mighty antidote to despair. Suffering, pain, and death create fresh gratitude for resurrection and the ability to bless someone in prayer with the promise of "every tear wiped away."

My selection for this week is from a sermon Lewis preached in 1944 entitled "Transposition." In it, Lewis meditates on the idea of resurrection as glorification; that our future life in heaven is something greater than a mere recovery of life on earth, but a transformation into something far better.

"We know not what we shall be"; but we may be sure we shall be more, not less, than we were on earth. Our natural experiences (sensory, emotional, imaginative) are only like the drawing, like pencilled lines on flat paper. If they vanish in the risen life, they will vanish only as pencil lines vanish from the real landscape, not as a candle flame that is put out but as a candle flame which becomes invisible because someone has pulled up the blind, thrown open the shutters, and let in the blaze of the risen sun.

springtime salutations

hello, hydrangea
blooming bright
hello, swallows
sweeping low in flight
hello, clover
soft and sweet
growing green beneath my feet

hello, springtime!

Classic Films We've Watched Recently

It's been a while since my post about some of the classic flicks we've been watching. Here's a little update:

1) Lawrence of Arabia - a 1962 film starring Peter O'Toole. T.E. Laurence was a military officer in WWI who was sent to assist British efforts to recruit Arab tribes in fighting the Turks, who at that time were allied with Germany. He manages to unite the Arab people and leads them against the Turks, but his loyalites begin to be divided as he realizes that the British will most likely try to retain Arabia as a colony. A truly epic film, the photography is stunning and O'Toole's performance is stellar. For a film that takes place during wartime, however, the plot and dialogue seemed to move rather slowly to me. There are certainly battle sequences, but the film seems more interested in the landscape of Arabia and the enigmatic aspects of Lawrence's personality. In addition to winning 7 Oscars, this is the film that persuaded Spielberg to pursue moviemaking (at least according to a few writeups I read afterward). Also, at this year's Academy Awards there were a few Oscar recipients who commented on how honored they were to be at the same ceremony with O'Toole because his performance in this film was what inspired them to pursue acting and/or filmmaking.

2) The Graduate - I have to say that I didn't like this very much and am somewhat at a loss as to why it is so highly acclaimed. By the end the plot seemed extremely implausible on several levels and the motives of both Mrs. Robinson and her daughter were lost on me at points. I wonder if this is so acclaimed simply because its characters flaunt social conventions at a time when the youth culture was doing just that? Roger Ebert seems to say something like that: "It is a good topical movie whose time has passed, leaving it stranded in an earlier age. I give it three stars out of delight for the material it contains; to watch it today is like opening a time capsule. To know that the movie once spoke strongly to a generation is to understand how deep the generation gap ran during that extraordinary time in the late 1960s." On a separate note, it contains quite a bit of classic and highly enjoyable Simon and Garfunkel music. (in fact, was it this film that made those songs famous?)

3) On the Waterfront - long before "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" there was "I coulda been a contender!" In this film Marlon Brando plays Terry Malloy, a boxer-turned-longshoreman on the mob-controlled docks of New Jersey. When he unwittingly participates in the murder of a young man who was going to expose what was going on in the docks, his conscience slowly begins to get the better of him and he faces the dilemma of risking his own life to stand up to the mob. The line above is spoken to Charlie, Terry's brother who had been sent to shut him up or kill him, and refers to the fact that while the mob had allowed him to have a career as a fighter, they had also created a glass ceiling for him, demanding that he lose pivotal fights that he thinks, in retrospect, he could have won. Almost as interesting as the film itself is the backstory of its director, Elia Kazan. Kazan gave several names over the House Un-American Activities Committee, and as a result he became a pariah in film circles. Many people view this film as his answer to his critics - a bold defense of the ethics of exposing corruption at great personal cost. Interestingly, he was a friend of playwright Arthur Miller, whose The Crucible presents a completely opposite perspective on cooperation with the HUAC. Another interesting feature of the film is that religion is a major force in Terry's decision making process. A priest (played by the same actor who played the priest in Pollyana!) is a key player in motivating Terry and others to resist the mob. This is another way in which Kazan and Miller differ - far from presenting religion favorably, Miller's The Crucible has probably done as much to demonize Puritans in the past several decades as Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter did a few centuries ago. And I think it could be argued that more recent films tend to follow Miller.

4) Singin' in the Rain - I had seen this before, but it had been years and years. And what can I say? With so many wonderful dance sequences and memorable songs what's not to like?

5) Sunset Boulevard - a classic of film-noir, a French term for a collection of darker American movies released after WWII. As IMDB summarizes the story, "a hack screenwriter [Joe] writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star [Norma Desmond] who has faded into Hollywood obscurity." Norma so lives in the past, however, that her grip on reality is tenuous at best. As Joe continues to work for her, that grip continues to weaken. At the same time, she begins to fall in love with Joe and tries to use her wealth and his economic difficulties to maintain an attachment to him. The plot bears certain resemblances to Psycho, and raises some fairly thought-provoking questions. There is an appearance by Cecil B. DeMille, which was fun - I hadn't seen him since I watched the preface to the Ten Commandments when I was around 11. There are also cameos by several silent film stars (including Buster Keaton), and one of the characters is played by Jack Webb, who would go on to play Sgt. Friday on Dragnet.

6) Bridge on the River Kwai - starring Alec Guinness (who also played in Lawrence of Arabia and, of course, was Obi Wan Kenobi) and William Holden (who actually played Joe in Sunset Boulevard), the story is of an army of British soldiers being held captive in a Japanese labor camp. Their task is to build a bridge over the river, while at the same time (and unknown to them) there are Allied plans brewing to destroy the bridge with the help of one of the POWs who manages to escape (Holden's character). While the characters are interesting from an ethical perspective (Guinness's character is quite clearly a man of principle while Holden's is nearly a complete foil), the plot confuses me. Guinness's character makes mention early on of being "ordered to surrender" and offers that as justification for full compliance with the enemy's orders. The reason they were ordered to surrender, however, is never explained. Was it simply so they could build the bridge? But if the bridge was strategic to the Allies, why would the Allies send soliders in an effort to destroy it? Was the surrender for the sake of getting inside information about the Japanese? But you would think someone would have to escape for the information to be relayed, and yet because there was an order to surrender they do not attempt escape. It is suggested at one time that their compliance with the Japanese could be seen as treacherous, and this is dismissed out of hand. At this point, though, I can't see why. Help from anyone who has seen this film would be appreciated.

Four years and counting

My beloved is mine, and I am his. ~ Song of Solomon 2.16

We love because he first loved us.~ I John 4.19

Birthday Love

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday yesterday. It was a really special day and I felt very blessed and appreciated by my sweet friends and loved ones. So many loving gifts and messages that I feel truly overwhelmed with gratitude! I have forgotten the source now, but somewhere I read that Henri Nouwen said Christians should always celebrate birthdays because it is like saying, "It is good that you exist. It is good that God made you and I love that you are alive and in this world." It is such a perfect expression of love.

I woke up to some great e-cards in my inbox from Will and Cynthia and my dear Mother-in-love. Angie sent me a gift certificate to spend at my favorite crafty store, eHandcrafts. I am going to love using that! Karen and Dave had already blessed me with a generous Amazon gift certificate on Monday (thanks again, you two!). As if that were not enough I had an email stating that I had WON a drawing I entered at a British stitchy magazine for this fabulous needlework kit! Imagine that! I don't think I've ever won anything, and to win on my birthday was such a delightful surprise!

I spent most of the day in New Jersey as Tuesdays are my counseling day. Mike said, "Treat yourself to some Starbucks on the way in," so I ordered an Orange Mocha and got a bran muffin for the drive. My mum called on the way and sang a jazzy happy birthday to me. :) I also received phone calls from my brothers and sister-in-law Sarah. Mom and Sarah say they have some special treats on the way. :)

My first counselee of the day, a dear woman named Michelle that I care for very much, had very thoughtfully remembered the day and gave me two beautiful jar candles, in Black Cherry and Lily of the Valley. Yum! She also spoiled me terribly by making the most delicious homemade bruchetta and a cheesecake for me to take home.

I spent my lunch hour with Greta, a Mennonite woman I've been counseling for several months. She took me to their Mennonite market which was stocked with beautiful Garden State produce: fat tomatoes, gorgeous strawberries, fresh asparagus and greens, and the most amazing hanging baskets of begonias and all sorts of flowers. I could not resist bringing home a tray full of fresh potted herbs, which now line my windowsill: Sweet Marjoram, Thyme, Basil, Rosemary, Sage, and Lavender. This may have been the highlight of my day!

Check out this lavender!

Upon arriving home, I was greeted by all sorts of messages in my email and a few lovely packages. My kind friend Mindy had sent the sweetest sterling silver brooch in the shape of a lovely pair of scissors. Our best buds the Nielsens, who unfailingly remember our birthdays, had selected a book from my wishlist: The Forgotten Sayings of the Desert Mothers. Thanks, guys! I am really looking forward to reading this one.

Dad Vendsel sent another Amazon gift certificate, so I will really have fun selecting some books from my wishlist. All my dear friends in the online stitching groups I belong to had posted messages to say happy birthday, which was very touching. I also loved reading the comments here from Mike's post.

We got changed and went to my favorite neighborhood restaurant where we had a delicious meal. I ordered my favorite bottle of beer, Newcastle, and fried asparagus with lemon horseradish sauce for an appetizer. Karen told me I should "eat something fattening" for my birthday, so there you go, Karen! We also got my all time fav-o tuscan bruchetta salad and I had garlic-herb cream cheese stuffed chicken breast with rosemary mashed potatoes and green beans! By the time dinner arrived I could only eat a few bites so I have most of that left over for today.
We then walked around Barnes and Noble and I picked out a couple of bargain books I have admired by Susan Branch. One is a pretty book of days, and I thought it would be an appropriate birthday activity to start a private journal about the next year of my life. My mum said this morning that she predicted "29" would be one of the most fulfilling years of my life ... so, we will see, Mom!

Mike's very special birthday gift to me was two tickets to see Harry Connick, Jr. in concert here in Philadelphia. He is coming next month and I am so thrilled. I adore his music and saw him in concert years ago at A&M and he gives a wonderful show. For those who might not be familiar with him, he is an amazing jazz musician from New Orleans. I belive this concert helps to benefit Hurricane Katrina rebuilding.

We came home and watched a movie, and I put the final stitches into a project I have been working on since January.

I received my last birthday greeting of the day at 11:30 pm by my friend Mignon, shortly before turning in to sleep soundly. What a day. Thank you for ALL the love!!!!!!!

It's Rachel's Birthday!

If you would like to wish her a happy bday, please do so in the comments.

C.S. Lewis Sundays: Love & Happy Mother's Day

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish
for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained."
--C.S. Lewis

I think this quote by Lewis expresses one aspect of what makes a mother's love so unique.

My mother definitely specializes in that "steady wish" for our ultimate good. (As does my Papa!) To be loved this way by even one human being is to have a strong footing in life. Having spent some time counseling troubled people over the last year, I have seen the effects of children who do not grow up with parents who love them this way. It is no small thing to have a parent who is for you. Mom, thank you for your constant way of believing in me and always wishing and praying good things for us. And to my wonderful mother-in-law Angie, thank you for the same kind of love!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there and especially to our moms and grandmas: Carol, Angie, Bonnie and Nan.

We love you!

Sunday Meal Plan

Monday: Beef Burgundy (8 points/serving)

Tuesday: Dinner Out (birthday celebration!)

Wednesday/Thursday: Pad Thai (10 points/serving)

Friday: Mandarin Salmon Wraps (3 points/wrap)

Saturday/Sunday: Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage (6 points/serving)

I thought it might be fun to begin archiving the meal plans I make on Sunday afternoons. Our week goes so much more smoothly when I don't have to ask that question, "What's for dinner?" :)

on my Nightstand & home from Netflix

Reading:
The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene Peterson








Counseling Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Diane Langberg










The Skull Beneath the Skin by P.D. James














The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg




















Watching:

Singing in the Rain


















Il Postino


















Prime Suspect

dear diary

This morning I am preparing the commissions payable report for Barrington (still in my bathrobe and jammies at 10:49 am) and when I am finished with that I will straighten up and put dinner in the slow cooker. Mike and I prepared a meal plan for the week and we're attempting to count our (Weight Watchers) points this week. I'm feeling the need to shed a few pounds before summer arrives.

Mike is admininstering a final in his ethics class this morning (I think I can hear the students groaning from here). We are both thinking of our friend Brandon who is defending his dissertation as I type and crossing over the great divide from "PhD candidate" to "Dr. Withrow." We are so proud of him! We enjoyed catching up with him and Mindy after church yesterday. I made my salmon chowder, rye muffins, and cinnamon sweet tea. It is always good to be with the Withrows -- one thing I love about their friendship is that when we get together, we always laugh.

Speaking of laughter, check out this picture of our very own squirrel contortionist. He loves to visit our windowsill bird feeder and actually manages to get his little squirrel body completely inside the small space where he happily feasts away on our birdseed.

As I type, I am freezing. I need to go get a blanket, because our radiators are turned off (it is May after all) but we sure enough had a frost advisory last night! It is supposed to get up into the mid-60's but right now it's down right chilly.

Mike and I really enjoyed seeing Spidy 3 on opening night this Friday, which ushered in the long anticipated summer movie season. I must confess that we love us some summer movie-goin'. We are really looking forward to a summer full of sequals: Pirates 3, Bourne Ultimatum, and Harry Potter 5. Soapbox moment; I was a bit distressed by how many young children (I mean young) were in attendance at Spiderman ... I thought the PG-13 movie was way too adult and violent for the (4 or 5?) year old girl sitting near us. What are parents thinking these days??

Back to work now. That is all.

*UPDATE: I just got a phone call from Mike, and Brandon's defense was a success! We can now start calling him "Dr. Withrow." Congratulations, Brandon!

C.S. Lewis Sundays: On Friendship

"Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a fire?" --Letters of C.S. Lewis (21 December 1941), para. 3, p. 197

"The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are." --Selected Literary Essays, "Hamlet: The Prince or the Poem"
(1942), para. 15, p.99

Saturday in Rittenhouse Square

Today was absolutely gorgeous, glorious weather, the first real sunny and warm spring day we have had this year. I happy to report that Mike and I donned short sleeves and hopped on the train to downtown to spend the whole day outside in beautiful Rittenhouse Square.

I took these pictures early in the day when the park was not too crowded. By late afternoon it was brimming with a diverse group of Philadelphians eager to soak up the sun. We lounged on our bench, watched the public stroll by, and communed with the pigeons, puppies and baby carriages. The drone of a marimba and steel drums enlived the time spent in leisurely reading. Some sandwiches from Cosi served for a bite of lunch and a cup of coffee at Barnes and Noble was nice when the sun became a bit warm on our faces.

Here is William Penn atop his tower midday,


and enclosed by the darkness on our way home. Lovely, lovely day.

Thank You

We wanted to thank everybody who stopped by to leave a word of encouragement for us on Mike's last post, emailed, and called ... we cherish each and every comment and are so thankful for the support of our family and friends. We are coping well with the disappointment and our spirits are in good shape. We are trying to plan and think creatively about next steps as we trust God for direction.

Now, just for fun, I leave you with something that made me laugh out loud. My zany brother Victor found these photos and added the captions as only he could do.

4 Strikes and You're Out

After a very hard year of finishing seminary, persevering through the GRE, and working overtime to save money to pay for application fees, I was disappointed yesterday to receive a rejection letter from the last of the four school I applied to, St. Louis. Valiantly as I may have swung, it appears I've struck out this time around.

The plan is, of course, to step up to the plate again next year. We have already begun strategizing about things we could do to augment my application and ways Rachel could begin to move through the licensure process in the meantime. So rest assured that we have not given up. And too, we are thrilled that we will have another year to live in Philadelphia. Still, it is incredibly disappointing to think that a year will go by before we will be able to begin doctoral studies, a year that is difficult to envision as anything but time wasted. And that has a way of making one's goals seem a very long way off.

We're Off!

The photograph above is of the city of Chattanooga - the bridge to the right is a pedestrian bridge, and the green lawns in the foreground of the picture are a public park. A few blocks away from the far end of the bridge is Greyfriars Coffee House, which sits on Broad Street, the main street running through downtown. Many a Friday night in my college days was spent talking with friends at Greyfriars and walking around Broad Street and the pedestrian bridge. The mountain in the background is Lookout Mountain. There are places in the city where you can make out Covenant on the mountain, but not from where this picture is taken.

Anyway, I post all this because we are on our way there! We leave this evening at about 5:30 to spend a few days with Sarah. Then we'll rendezvous with the Withrows in Birmingham for a few more days, and then head home. We're excited - it will be good to get away, and nice to spend Easter with family and good friends.

Before logging off, a wonderful quote from Geerhardus Vos, capturing the glory of Easter as well, I suppose, as it can be captured.

“by raising Christ from death, God as the supreme Judge set his seal to the absolute perfection and completeness of his atoning work. The resurrection is a public announcement to the world that the penalty of death has been borne by Christ to its bitter end and that in consequence the dominion of guilt has been broken, the curse annihilated forevermore.”

A blessed weekend to you all.

God's gift of life

Zoe Catherine Wong
daughter of Brian and Cathy Wong and sister of Emelie Wong
born March 30, 2007
7 pounds, 2 ounces

Welcome to the world, baby girl.

Here's Lookin' At You, Kid...

For a long time I've wanted to go back and watch some of the great films that I've always heard about but never seen. That's hard to do at your local Blockbuster - there is never the same demand for them as for more recent releases, so there is never a wide selection. Netflix, however, has an incredible assortment of classic films, both domestic and foreign, including all the Oscar winners in the history of the Oscars and all the titles on the AFI's list of the 100 Greatest Films (released around 2000).

So recently I created a Netflix queue loaded with some of the above and Rach and I have been sitting back to view some of the great pictures of yesteryear. So far we have seen: Casablanca (believe it or not, this was the first time I'd ever seen it), Citizen Kane (we'd both seen it before, but it had been a really long time), An American In Paris (I've never seen Singing in the Rain, so this was my first exposure to Gene Kelly's dancing - incredible), You Were Never Lovelier (one of the two films Fred Astaire did with Rita Hayworth - my first time to see a picture with either of them), Rear Window and Dr. Strangelove. Right now we are in the middle of Lawrence of Arabia, and next we are scheduled to get The Graduate. We've had a lot of fun so far, and it makes me wish I'd taken some film history courses in college (the closest I came to this was in my Shakespeare class, where we were made to view movie versions of several of the plays. I saw some Laurence Olivier films and a 1930s version of A Midsummer Night's Dream starring a very young Mickey Rooney).

I've decided to start putting up some short reviews as we go along, so I'll be back from time to time. I'll be grateful for comments from those who have seen the movies as well as recommendations as to what else we should think about seeing.

Back when we're done with Lawrence of Arabia...

Happy Birthday, Jordan

Watch over thy child, O Lord, as his days increase; bless and guide him wherever he may be. Strengthen him when he stands; comfort him when discouraged or sorrowful; raise him up if he fall; and in his heart may thy peace which passeth understanding abide all the days of his life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.*

Jordy, you have always been and will always be my big brother-- strong, protective, supportive, my hero! You have both strength and gentleness and I deeply admire your heart of fierce loyalty. You are now a devoted husband to a beautiful wife and the father of a precious daughter; you are the consummate professional, successful in your career, a leader in your community, and such a blessing to everyone you meet.

We love you!

*birthday blessing from the Book of Common Prayer

C.S. Lewis Sundays: Spiritual Cancer

Lewis treats the subject of human pride in Mere Christianity with a great deal of wisdom. My last post was a little snippet on humility, which is the foundation for love, and the opposite of pride. Without humility, there is no way to even begin to love, because love is essentially other-centered. Love--for neighbor and for God--is the whole of the Christian life. Therefore it is essential that we identify and root out pride. In this quote, Lewis shows us how pride can infiltrate our hearts in (apparent) morality.

It is a terible thing that the worst of all the vices [Pride] can smuggle itselfinto the very centre of our religious life. But you can see why. The other, and less bad, vices come from the devil working on us through our animal nature. But this does notcome through our animal nature at all. It comes direct from Hell. It is purely spiritual: consequently it is far more subtle and deadly. For the same reason, Pride can often be used to beat down the simpler vices. Teachers, in fact, often appeal to a boy's Pride, or, as they call it, his self-respect, to makehim behave decently: many a man has overcome cowardice, or lust, or ill-temper, by learning to think that they are beneath his dignity--that is, by Pride. The devil laughs. He is perfectly content to see you becoming chaste and brave and self-controlled provided, all the time, he is setting up in you the Dictatorship of Pride--just as he would be quite content to see your chillblains cured if he was allowed, in return, to give you cancer. For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love,or contentment, or even common sense.

More Easter Reflections

Mike is summarizing Richard Gaffin's classic work, Resurrection and Redemption, here.

Joyce Meyer

Dear Readers, your participation is requested!

I have a counselee, a dear Christian woman, who loves the Lord, reads Scripture, and is eager to grow in her faith. She consistently listens to Joyce Meyer on TV, attends her conferences, and reads her books. I am unfamiliar with Meyer but know that she is from the charismatic tradition and have a vague sense that she blends a sort of self-help/health and wealth gospel with her teaching. Can anyone help me out? General information, critiques, main points to be aware of, etc. ...

I would love to put some basic good theology in the hands of my counselee. What would be your top recomendations, either in book form or CD recordings (I was thinking something from Ligonier Ministries?). It must be accessible on a lay level. Ideas??

Thanks, and hope you are all having a good weekend. We are doing not much around here ... I have been battling fatigue (not sure why) and am currently typing this in my bathrobe. :) Please pray for my strength to return.

snowstorms, sleepwalking, & squaredancing

This morning the Philadelphia region was plunged back into an unwelcome winter after a few days of gloriously warm spring weather. The view out my windows this morning reveals an ice-pelted, frozen landscape. My poor husband was a bit unprepared for the sudden drop in temperatures yesterday. Having been too warm in a sweater the day before, with Wednesday’s high in the 70’s, he wore short sleeves yesterday, no coat, and emerged from his afternoon class to discover that the temperatures had dropped 30 degrees in a matter of hours. On top of this, his bus from the college to the train station was forty-five minutes off schedule, and the poor man was stuck outside in the cold with short sleeves! When he finally made it home at 7:00 pm, it had started to rain, and he came in our doors soaked and chilled to the bone. Fortunately I hot a hot supper in the slow cooker and candles lit all over the apartment and our radiators back on to warm him up. I suppose the old adage “In like a lion, out like a lamb” is true of March in the northeast.

I must share a funny moment from earlier in the week. All of my immediate family members know that growing up, I was a sleepwalker, and would often say nonsensical and hilarious things if you encountered me in the midst of my sleepwalking. This can be a very disconcerting experience because I am upright, eyes wide open, but quite asleep and usually in the midst of an odd dream. One night this week, I had gone to bed before Mike. About 1:00 a.m., Mike was preparing to come to bed himself and I got up and met him at the door. He tells me that I stared at him intently and cocked my head to one side and said, “I need to ask you something really important.” He reports that by the look on my face, his heart leapt and he was immediately worried that I had heard an intruder or something very frightening. Then I said, “Have you been rolling easter eggs under the door?” As soon as I said this, he began laughing and I started to wake up and realized I had been dreaming, but it still took several minutes to convince me that our bedroom was not filled with mysterious easter eggs which had been rolled in under the door.

This week Mike had a really nice compliment in the World Religions class he began teaching at Delaware County Community College. A student raised her hand and asked if the class could take a break, as she needed to use the restroom. Mike said, “Go right ahead, you don’t need to ask me,” and she said, “But I don’t want to miss anything, this is really good stuff!” Now if that’s not enough to put a smile on a teacher’s face, I don’t know what is.

Tomorrow evening we are planning to go contra dancing on a double date with Melissa and Brian Taggart. Melissa is our wonderful choir director at church and they are avid dancers. Contra dancing derives from English line dancing and a little bit like square dancing (think of the country dance scene in the new Pride and Prejudice... yes, I will be living out my Elizabeth Bennett fantasies). There will be live music for St. Patrick’s Day and we hope to work up a sweat to beat the chill outside.

To our friends and family far away, we miss you.... hope you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend, and drink a pint of Guinness in honor of St. Patrick for us!

C.S. Lewis Sundays - on Humility

"If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed."

--Mere Christianity, bk. III, chap. 8, paragraph 14

1 Peter 3. 8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

Reflections on the changing season

"In the midst of Lent I am made aware that Easter is coming again: the days are becoming longer, the snow is withdrawing, the sun is bringing new warmth, and a bird is singing. Yesterday, during the night prayers, a cat was crying! Indeed, spring announces itself. And tonight, O Lord, I heard you speak to the Samaritan woman. You said: "Anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again; the water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life." What words! They are worth many hours, days, and weeks of reflection. I will carry them with me in my preparation for Easter. The water that you give turns into a spring. Therefore, I do not have to be stingy with your gift, O Lord. I can freely let the water come from my center and let anyone who desires drink from it. Perhaps I will even see this spring in myself when others come to it to quench their thirst."

--from Show Me the Way, Readings for Each Day of Lent, Third Sunday in Lent, by Henri J.M. Nouwen

The passage above is from my favorite little book of Lenten readings, and it was so perfect this morning as I did awaken to birds calling for the first time in many weeks. And the snow which has been lingering on the cold ground had melted away in the night. And our days do lengthen with Daylight Savings Time here and the spring equinox only ten days away.

Spring is a time of new life and resurrection. Easter is the more joyous for having to wait through winter. When the sun begins to shine and we no longer need our sweaters, we feel alive again, alive to the God of all creation.

"In you is the source of life; by your light we see light" (Psalm 36:9). Thank you, O God, that you are the Living Spring, the true fount of refreshment and eternal life. Help me to abide in You and to share your resurrection life with all the weak and weary that you put in my path, never fearing that my own vitality will be depleted or that you will not replenish and restore Your life in me. You are inexhaustible in your goodnesss and grace, O God, and we praise you.
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For more Easter reflections, see a series of posts that Mike is writing here.

Warm Wishes from our Snow Bunker

Happy St. Valentine's Day!
A winter blanket is covering our world this morning. Here are a few pictures we snapped on our walk:

The creek behind our apartments --iced over.

My eskimo hood came in handy to ward off little ice pellets and blustery winds!

Wishing you an abundance of love and affection today, time to be with family, and an early spring!

2007 Reading List

I've been meaning to share with you the list of books I'd like to read in the upcoming months. Here they are with a few notes as to why I selected each one. If you have a must-read that I have overlooked, do mention it!

1. Simply Christian by N.T. Wright
An introduction to our faith by the Bishop of Durham. I am always looking for nice intro/apologetic type books to put into the hands of new believers, and have heard really good things about this one. The controversies surrounding N.T. Wright aside, I found The Lord and His Prayer, Wright's exposition of The Lord's Prayer, to be a wonderfully edifying devotional work, and anticipate that this volume will be no different.

2. Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? by James K.A. Smith
Mike received this a birthday gift last fall and I've been wanting to get my hands on it ever since!

3. Personal Identity in Theological Perspective ed., Richard Lints
I heard about this book on the latest volume of Mars Hill. It is a theological anthropology, which is an area of utmost importance to me as I grow as a counselor.

4. Leslie Newbigin, Missionary Theologian, A Reader compiled by Paul Weston
Newbigin is a name that keeps cropping up everywhere I go, and I haven't read a single thing by him. This volume sounded like an nice introduction to some of his works and was also featured on Vol. 83 of the Mars Hill Journal.

5. Are Women Human? by Dorothy Sayers
I adore Sayers, and this book is a classic in reprint. I am continuing a long journey of thinking through issues concerning women in ministry and would love to rely on Sayers' wisdom on this subject.

6. Finally Feminist by John Stackhouse
I read Susan Wise Bauer's now infamous Books and Culture review of this book. Before all the hub-bub started, I was already intrigued. It sounds like his exegesis is truly worth considering.

7. What the Land Already Knows by Phyllis Tickle
I love Phyllis Tickle for her Divine Hours series, and when I read about this book here, it had to go on my list.

8. A Short Day Dying by Peter Hobbs
Dear Mindy had high praise for this novel. Good enough for me!

9. The Contented Soul by Lisa Graham McMinn
This was a Christmas present from my sister-in-law Karen from my Amazon wishlist. The author is a sociology professor and Christian and invites her readers to consider how to cultivate contentment in our lives.

10. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
I have started reading this as my church's book club selection. It is a recently published "story within a story" about an eccentric author named Vida Winter who is ready to tell her real life's story to a young biographer.