Seen on Main

I noticed this bumper sticker on a rusty, delipadated old Dodge:

Honk if something falls off.

Too bad bumper stickers are passe, now. I miss those little bits of wit and wisdom.

What's your favorite?

The difficulty of the pro-choice position

I was reminded in a meeting today how difficult it must be for pro-choice people to be consistent on what they believe. Someone was describing an FASD conference she had been at. Discussion turned to the 1996 case in Manitoba of the pregnant woman who had already had several FASD children and how the law tried to force her into treatment. The supreme court overturned this, as the law does not recognize a baby as a person until after birth.

But most people, no matter what their views on abortion, do not want FASD children born into the world. So it is a really hard line to say that a woman should have the right to do whatever she wants with her own body when what she does impacts her child for the rest of that child's life. Many people in the FASD world seem to be turning to the notion that both a mother and baby should be supported, that you don't have to sacrifice one for the other.

Bingo. Pro-lifers have been saying that for years.

I'm also amazed that pro-choice people seem incredibly ignorant about the realities of what they claim to support (e.g. that a child can legally be aborted far past the age where s/he could survive outside the womb, what is involved in abortion at that stage). It seems to be a position that is best upheld through the motto "ignorance is bliss".

Ten reasons men should not be ordained.

Saw this little beauty over at Rebecca's blog, who credits it to someone else who credits it to someone else and on it goes. If you think I'm spending the next two hours finding the orginator you're crazy.

So here it is

Top ten reasons why men should not be ordained
10. A man's place is in the army.

9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.

8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be "unnatural" for them to do other forms of work.

7. Man was created before woman. It is therefore obvious that man was a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowning achievement of creation.

6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. This is easily demonstrated by their conduct at football games and watching basketball tournaments.

5. Some men are handsome; they will distract women worshipers.

4. To be ordained pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more frequently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.

3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes by any means other than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.

2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, and maybe even lead the singing on Father's Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.

1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.


I really should go back to being a raving biblical feminist. That was fun.

Hubby's blog

Rob started a blog. Be prepared to be dazzled. And confused. And amused.

Here's a link to Rob's blog.

Visit if you dare.

whose story?

Tonight I finally finished reading Rob M's Post-Charismatic article/online book. I'll say again that I think this is an an important writing. To know that I'm not alone in my disappointment is heartening. To be encouraged to regain balance in Word, Spirit and community is vital.

One particular thought has been sticking with me all day. Rob writes about how we think that we have added Jesus to our story, when in reality, we become part of the story of Jesus.

Thinking about this changed something in me. While I have said for many years that God is the centre of my life, it has still been much about my life. I don't think I've ever felt like part of something bigger than myself. I have been connected to things bigger than me, but not part of them. Memories of hurts and fear of same have breeded distrust and distance.

I am, however, a part of Jesus' story. And he has not delivered those hurts, or given me reason for distrust. I can be a part of his story without the same reservations. In fact, it is necessary that I do be a part of it. Being a part of Jesus' story cannot help but change the way I pray and what I value. It is an automatic impetus to seek community, to relate to those who are also a part of the story.

Tonight we got a couple of calls. The first was about the farm, and it was not good news. It's a complex situation and I don't feel like writing all the details now. Suffice it to say that a wrench has been thrown in, and our being able to buy another house which would better suit our family size depends on the sale of the farm. So to add any complexity to the sale really sucks.

I was not off the phone 10 minutes before Rob's sister called to say that Rob's dad has cancer. Up until now we were all under the impression that whatever had been in his colon was not cancerous. Apparently we were misinformed. It is T3, whatever that means, and it has spread to his lymph nodes, which doesn't sound good, and he is not likely to be able to withstand chemo because his heart is so bad.

Things I don't like to think about

I had an REM song going through my head and when I googled for the lyrics I came across Losing My Religion, done by a couple of ex-fundies. Here's a quote from their FAQs.

Why do you say God is immoral, unfair and cruel?
First, the Bible and Christians say this about God, not us. We merely point out how they do. The best way to see this is to read some of our essays on things like heaven and hell, and salvation. Briefly, however, here are a few reasons.

Immoral and cruel: turning someone into a pillar of salt, killing 50,000+ bystanders because a few looked into the Ark of the Covenant, ordering the genocide of an entire race, including all the infants and animals, and tormenting people forever because of their religion. Christianity makes God to be worse than any human dictator.

Unfair: punishing people infinitely for finite crimes, punishing people eternally and sadistically (there is no remedial value to hell, so its purpose is merely to inflict pain), holding people equally accountable to the Gospel message once they've heard it, regardless of their situation or background (or lifespan), and healing a teary-eyed believer at a Benny Hinn crusade, while ignoring the pleas of starving children who die by the thousands every day.

These are the kinds of things that I only allow in my mind momentarily, before I either apply a pat answer, assume that it's just beyond our human understanding, or forcefully change topics internally. The idea of a loving God just doesn't seem to gel with the OT. What am I missing? Or am I missing anything?

Amazing chalk drawings

Check out more of Julian Beever's art

Heredity is just strange

This article - Black and white twins the Daily Mail - is about twin girls who were born black and white.

Healthy changes

We've made a lot of good changes in our life over the last couple of years. Let me tell you about a few of them.

1. Going organic. Things that kill other living organisms can't possibly be good for our bodies. Yes, I know they've done safety studies. Have they done safety studies of exposing an entire planet to all sorts fo chemicals for decades on end until all living organisms and all our water supply is infiltrated with them? No? I didn't think so. I also think the best way to increase the supply of organic foods is to support the industry. I think of the extra $ as a charitable donation and a way of exercising responsibility for the earth that I think God has given us. An extra bonus is that organic and fair trade can often be found together, so it's also a way to help ensure that people are not exploited in the process. What helps is buying direct where possible, finding Eat It and taking advantage of Superstore's new offerings (like the great salsa).

2. We're letting go of non-stick cookware. Although it hasn't been confirmed as a carcinogenic, I don't want to hear 20 years from now that we upped the risk of getting cancer throughout that period because we didn't take precautions, not when there are other options. Cast Iron is really great cookware if it's properly seasoned and not washed with soaps. Adding a bit of oil is not a biggy. Only thing that I haven't figured out is how to make a good omelette.

3. We're going decaf. That was a choice Rob made without me. When I looked for the regular coffee, he let me know that we didn't have any, and that I hadn't had regular coffee yesterday and that that was proably why I had the headache. A couple of days later we both noticed that we were waking up feeling refreshed instead of feeling worn out and feeling like we needed a cup of joe. I wouldn't have believed dropping caffeine could make that much of a difference if I hadn't experienced it. I still like coffee, and Kicking Horse makes a great decaf (which is organic and fair trade).

tagged

No, Cindy, there was no doubt.

Intro: there is a new "getting to know you" internet game going on. I am now among the chosen.
A couple of these were very thought-provoking for me. The answers didn't always come easy.

Here we go.

Four Jobs I've Had:
1. Youth Care Worker
2. Cemetary receptionist and office administrator
3. Cake decorator of ice cream cakes for DQ (guess how many panda cakes I made because the Wpg Zoo had pandas that year. Guess! I'll tell you - too freaking many.)
4. Roadside fruit seller.

Four Movies/Shows I've Been Addicted To:
1. Gilmore Girls is the current must see.
2. Law and Order was a major addiction for a time, then it dropped off the radar
3. What Not to Wear
4. Family Plots

Four Places I've Lived:
If places means at least a different town or city, I've actually only ever lived in 3:
1. Waldheim, SK
2. Otterburne, MB
3. Winnipeg (at 9 different addresses, though, including Langside Street)
Now I feel pathetic.

Four Countries I Would Like To Visit:
1. Australia
2. Great Britain
3. Japan
4. A country in Africa

Four Popular False Assumptions About Me:
I don't know about "popular", but here are the only things I can think of
1. That I was so brave to have a home birth. Bravery wasn't a factor. With my first birth, the research I did revealed that women with midwives had healthier births because doctors intervene unnecessarily way too often. With my first kid, I couldn't have a midwife assisted birth in hospital. Therefore it was just common sense to birth at home for the best possible outcomes.
2. This one applies to people who knew me up to age 20 who I run into - they assume I must be very involved in music at my present church (when I had a present church) and are surprised that I am not (can't make people like me or what I do).
3. That I am becoming isolated now that I don't have a home church. On the contrary, I have grown deeper into some relationships and feel less isolated now than when I was attending.
4. That I am a very good person/mother. What I'm very good at is keeping up appearances. Family knows different. I'm not horrible, but I do get the impression people think I'm at a different level than I am.

Four People I Look Like:
1. A woman that walked into Eat It just as I was coming out - it was freaky, she had on the exact pair of jeans as me (from Rickis), we both had black jackets and long, brunette, curly hair.
2. My sister, Sharon
3. Joyska
4. A Hottentot

Four Things (I Hope) To Do Before I Die:
1. Get a masters degree
2. Buy an RV or motor home and travel with the kids lots while they are still home with us.
3. Attain a healthy weight and healthy lifestyle and keep consistent at it
4. Teach at a college or university.

Four People I Tag Next:
1. Rob- I challenge him to start a blog so he can do this.
2. Bev
3. Mel
4. Joyska

I could use that...

Post-Charismatics

Post-Charismatic -- Introduction
This article says so much so well. I feel like I began in the charismatic movement as a post-charismatic.

The growing obesity epidemic on Sympatico / MSN Powered by MediResource

The growing obesity epidemic on Sympatico / MSN Powered by MediResource

Quote: "So how can we counter these increasing obesity rates? The answer appears to be two-fold. It involves the food we eat and the amount of energy we spend."

No Way!!! Who knew??

Advice, anyone?

Ever feel like you know so much but nobody ever asks you? Well, I'm asking.

Issue #1 This house
Hopefully we will be able to sell/buy/move soon. This house could use some work. Specifically: interior painting, exterior – paint bubbles, not sure what it needs, 2nd floor insulation, LR window needs replacing, tub surround and drywall beneath need to be redone. What’s worth doing before selling? How do we find someone who could do a quality job for a fair price?

Issue #2 Next house
The housing market sucks. We would love a bedroom for each kid, we need an office and a guestroom would be nice so I can remain sane when my mother visits. Apparently people generally stick to 1.7 kids, work in a regular office and stick their overnight guests in a hotel. Is building even remotely realistic (or desirable?). Can people do renovations and leave their marriages intact? Am I just too picky?

Issue #3 Spring Break
We’ve never had a family vacation. We might be able to get away this spring break. How does one have a fun family time with kids 22 mo, 4 and 6? Is the Mall of America a good idea? What would you do?

Issue #4 Future travel
In the next year or so we would like to get an RV. Trailer or motor home – what makes more sense?

Issue #5 My face
I’m 37 and since I quit breastfeeding my face is constantly breaking out!!! What’s with this? And how do I get my great skin back?

Issue #6 Music lessons
I told Taryn I thought we should get her a real piano teacher and she started crying. She really wants me to teach her. I suck at teaching and she doesn’t respond well to my direction. Should I push it or just keep on teaching her for awhile and hope we can both grow into it a bit?

Where are all the secret Ann Landers out there?

Moms at home

Apparently there is a lot of hubbub about a recent Michael Coren column, which is no surprise. Coren likes to be an SD and that is what makes an interesting column.

I have no problem with much of his thought - there are benefits for some children (some children actually have better outcomes in child care than similar children who are at home) and the role of a parent should be more revered in our society.It's the "should" that gets me. Should implies that one decision is right for all people. Should ignores the subtle differences between situations that can lead to various decisions.

Lip service is, as is usual for these types of columns, given to the necessity of some mothers to be in the work force.And then the usual argument that other people are just too materialistic and they could afford to have mom home if they just gave up some luxuries.

Yes, moms used to do this all the time. And Dads used to be able to get adequate wages with just high school diplomas. Income has dropped for most Canadians relative to inflation. I don't know that mom at home is as realistic as many proponents make it out to be. I honestly don't think a 2nd SUV is the motivation for most people.

But even Mom as full time mom is not really the norm that it is made out to be. Women have always worked to support their families. Our image of the full time mom is more a product of 50s and 60s TV shows than what has been reality throught the ages.The other reality is our economy as a whole. If tomorrow, all moms decided to stay at home with their children our society could not function. Consider just one area: health care. The shortage of nurses could only be worsened if all the nurses who are also moms dropped out.

Discussion of pros and cons is appropriate. Applying a should delivers a rhetoric that doesn't gel with real situations.