My husband's book group is reading something with an intriguing title: Jesus Wants to Save Christians, a not-recent book by a guy whose viewpoint I always find intriguing. (Rob Bell). I stole the book from my husband on a recent business trip. Poor guy thought he lost it.
The trip was a national conference about ending poverty. One of the keynote speakers was Jeanette Pai-Espinosa, president of the Crittenton Foundation. One of the most inspiring speakers I have heard in awhile. Her organization seeks to reach young girls who have been hurt, usually sexually, and set them on the path to thriving. I was so intrigued by Jeanette's work that I browsed the website at lunch, also casually searching for any Crittenton agencies in oh, say, Philadelphia....
In my browsing, I came across this article.
When the Super Bowl rolled around this year, there was a lot of chatter about the half-time show and commercials that I chose to stay away from. The above article felt like something that was just not a choice to ignore. It may be unpopular to say, but our culture has a deadly side and we are subtly poisoned in so many ways. The Super Bowl is so fun, so All-American - the party of the year! As an American, I continue to unexpectedly find myself connected to things that are oppressing others in propogation of my fun/comfort/etc. And as a Christian, feminist - whatever - whoever I am is not comfortable with that. I don't always know what to do with what I find. Is it because I don't want to know what to do? (Because it might mean looking like a stick-in-the-mud, or being uncomfortable...)
The link between all of the above is that my mind and heart have been radically challenged. Which means, blog readers, that I dump all of this challenging material out for you to help me sort through as well;) Maybe it's because I will be making fresh starts in many ways very soon that causes me to explore. You do not have to explore with me or help me sort anything out. If you find this conversation interesting, I welcome your thoughts.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Soul Groanings
But the Holy Spirit prays for us with
groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Romans 8:26 NLT
This verse pretty much sums up my prayer life. I am not a Biblical scholar and it would not shock anyone if I pulled a verse from Romans out of context, but I think this is one of the most descriptive statements in the Bible about spiritual life. It is very, very soothing to me that I can just throw out feelings, thoughts, or essence of thoughts and feelings in a prayerful way and they will get sorted somehow by Divine power.
This is parallel, to my odd way of thinking, to when someone is trying to express something to me by handing me a favorite book. After reading the book, my soul connects to the other on a plane that words could not capture. My daughter brought me a book by her favorite author, Sharon Creech, called Bloomability shortly after the news broke that we would, once again, be moving.
Reading Sharon Creech novels causes me to want to write a book of my own in very strong ways. Which is probably not relevant. Her characters and settings are so charming, though. Her adolescents' views are precious reminders of an age I forget to remember with fondness. There were no overt messages my daughter was trying to send me. She was simply inviting me to join her in feeling a certain current swirling around her. It swirled around me and I somehow understood something.
There were many ways I thought of writing here about moving from Syracuse, NY to Moorestown, NJ (which is really Philadelphia). Should I talk about the anxiety of making a perfectly wonderful daughter start her sophmore year in a new place? Should I discuss how wonderful the career move is for my husband but how I have to start my career all over again? Should I share the hope that things might be better for my little one in a fabulous school district with a gifted program? Should I whine about the hassle of buying and selling houses? Should I convey anger? worry? excitement?
But in the spirit of Sharon Creech and Molly and Romans and the Holy Ghost, I am just sort of eliciting a soul groan because there is so much that cannot be expressed in words.
This verse pretty much sums up my prayer life. I am not a Biblical scholar and it would not shock anyone if I pulled a verse from Romans out of context, but I think this is one of the most descriptive statements in the Bible about spiritual life. It is very, very soothing to me that I can just throw out feelings, thoughts, or essence of thoughts and feelings in a prayerful way and they will get sorted somehow by Divine power.
This is parallel, to my odd way of thinking, to when someone is trying to express something to me by handing me a favorite book. After reading the book, my soul connects to the other on a plane that words could not capture. My daughter brought me a book by her favorite author, Sharon Creech, called Bloomability shortly after the news broke that we would, once again, be moving.
Reading Sharon Creech novels causes me to want to write a book of my own in very strong ways. Which is probably not relevant. Her characters and settings are so charming, though. Her adolescents' views are precious reminders of an age I forget to remember with fondness. There were no overt messages my daughter was trying to send me. She was simply inviting me to join her in feeling a certain current swirling around her. It swirled around me and I somehow understood something.
There were many ways I thought of writing here about moving from Syracuse, NY to Moorestown, NJ (which is really Philadelphia). Should I talk about the anxiety of making a perfectly wonderful daughter start her sophmore year in a new place? Should I discuss how wonderful the career move is for my husband but how I have to start my career all over again? Should I share the hope that things might be better for my little one in a fabulous school district with a gifted program? Should I whine about the hassle of buying and selling houses? Should I convey anger? worry? excitement?
But in the spirit of Sharon Creech and Molly and Romans and the Holy Ghost, I am just sort of eliciting a soul groan because there is so much that cannot be expressed in words.
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