A Worthy Life

weekend worthy

Pancake Art: This weekend, why not bring fun to food by bringing your kids' favorite artwork to life! I found this AMAZING blog of an artist/mama who uses pancakes to delight her children, animate bible stories, and celebrate holidays. We tried the non-artist/mama version this morning with the kids and even without serious skill, we had a blast making fairies, storm troopers, and Micheal Jordan (the kids: "who? oh, yeah the Nike shoe!") going up for a slam-dunk! The kids even got in on the fun by sketching quick outlines of their favorite animal or toy and then tried their hand at 'sketching' with pancake batter. The idea is simple: pour batter (that has all lumps whipped out of it) into squeeze bottles (I got mine at the dollar store), add food coloring and, voila! you're on your way!

Free Holiday Cards: I'm scurrying this week to whip up a family photo decent enough to send off to friends and family for Christmas. Once I have said masterpiece in hand, I'm sending it off to Paper Coterie for my 12 free holiday cards. The beautiful cut-out version in Chevy Stripe-gray or mustard or teal is the one I'm going for!

Cycle-In Cinema: Too far for me to bike to but for those of who are in or planning to travel to the UK, this idea for an audience pedal-powered movie showing is brilliant! Great way to burn calories while indulging in your favorite flicks. Just don't walk or run to see this, arriving on two wheels is a must!

Miss Canada: I stumbled across news of Tara Teng a few months ago and was awe struck at her bold courage to use her platform as beauty queen and voice as daughter of the King to bring freedom to women enslaved to prostitution. On a whim she entered a competition for Miss B.C. when in university and went on to win the provincial and national award. Weeks later I attended a fundraiser hosted by a dear friend for Ratanak House, a place of refuge for girls rescued from sex trafficking, where she was a guest speaker. Her blog is a great resource for learning how to engage with other organizations in bringing healing to others, the story of Timea E. Nagy and the inception of Walk With Me being one inspiring example. This is one beauty queen that is an inspiring example for young girls everywhere.

Untouchable Dalits of India: I first heard of this oppressed caste that is at the bottom of the social system within India through Tara Teng. To know that there are children growing up with the public moniker of "Unborn: it would be better if they had never been born", broke my heart. The good news is that Tara has launched a letter writing campaign that connects the outpouring of our love to these chilren. Simply have your kids (or you) write a letter and/or draw a picture to a child of Dalit and mail to: P.O. Box 45645, RPO Sunnyside  Surrey BC V4A 9N3 Canada.

 

let's talk about sex, shall we?

It was a book a friend gushed over, crafted by one of the best historical writer and this his crowning glory. I'm always on the hunt for a good book so I quickly downloaded it to my iPad and settled in for what I anticipated to be a story bathed in brilliance with enough suspense and drama to keep me hooked.

A few hours in it became the first book that has ever brought crimson to my cheeks while reading, the only book where rather than diving in I felt compelled to turn my head out of respect for the intimacy shared between two characters, out of shame for the cheap sell sex was presented as, and out of concern for innocence lost.

Let's be straight, I'm no prude. Ask my close friends, I'm known to joke about hilarious situations inside the bedroom, mine or others. In fact, one of the funniest stories I've ever heard told was this one recently at a friend's wedding reception held the night after the wedding:

The bride's father shared that, at a house party he hosted, he was chatting with some friends when our friend, his future son-in-law, came up to him and declared, "I'm dating your daughter, what do you think of that?" Later, when they had been dating for some time, he again approached his girlfriend's father and said, "I kissed your daughter, are you ok with that?" When the father of the bride entered the venue the night of the reception (remember, this was just after their first night as a couple), he cringed as he saw his now son-in-law, a frequent over-sharer, walk towards him, not sure of what his question might be this time!

Sex is beautiful and fun and mysteriously interwoven into our very beings, hooking us heart and body with another. Trust me, I understand the biological responses and our natural longing to engage in intimacy and a little about the challenge it is to wait until marriage to fully awaken that desire.

It's just that I worry about the cultural landscape and the views and values with which they, the majority, have endowed to the act of making love. Sex is no longer what you can give to another but what you can get out of it. It has become a symbol of a successful night on the prowl, catching the eye of a stranger in hopes of luring into bed someone who can sufficiently embody the fantasies that we hope to reenact, a dance of lust performed as a mimicry tribute to the smoldering hunks and heroines of our favorite t.v. shows.

No wonder even kids growing up in Christian homes aren't waiting anymore, who is?? With a culture selling sex on enough corners, magazine covers, and prime-time comedies, is it really worth the wait? When sex sells, everything from gym memberships to dieting plans to four door sedans, why not get why the getting's good?

The good news is promiscuity among youth is highly inaccurately over-publicized. Sure, almost one of every two teenagers is having intercourse but it's less than it was a decade ago due, in part, to the fact that our children are engaging in safer, oral sex. Yippee!

The purpose of sharing my thoughts here isn't to post another rant against the world for polluting the minds of our youth. It's rather to challenge us as parents: what can we do differently? Will we heighten our commitment to stem the flow of filth aimed at our children, building below ground bunkers in which to isolate our children until an arranged marriage can be bought with the herd of goats we hope to have within the next ten years? Innocence and virginity seems to have an expiration date, that of 13 or 14 in biblical times, so why not seek out a SWM at your son's next basketball practice?

Or, will we continue to impress on the minds and hearts of our children that God has a better way. Not necessarily one that comes with the guarantee of a rainbow and fireworks when you finally give love, not only one that it will grant your experience all the more meaning when you share it with the one you will share the whole of your life with, and certainly not one that comes with the idea that is is nothing more than an obligation from a dutiful wife. But we can tell them that it is a choice that comes from the heart of one who desires to walk in open unity and unabashed intimacy with their God.

So what hope is there that my kids, our kids don't become one of the 88% who hold their virginity loosely between fingers holding too much temptation? Let's face it, we can't compete with a world that wraps it's packages in glitz and glitter. But what can we do, what will you do? It's just a gander but I'm thinking that telling my children that what I have with their father is hotter than what they'll see on the big screen, because it comes with passion and commitment, is probably not the best preface to our next birds and bees discussion.

On second thought, just the thought of it might so sour their perspective on sex that it'll buy us a few extra years at least just to fatten up those goats a little more. :)

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear!

bit by bit

It's been almost two months since we hosted this party for 31 Bits but I couldn't pass up the chance to share again about this fabulous company! I fell in love with their jewelry awhile back but didn't want to take the plunge into purchasing without being able to roll the beads between my palms and vouch firsthand for the quality of the craftsmanship.

I noticed while perusing their site that there was a number of ways to get involved, one of which was to host a house party. It was simple, request a box of goodies and have a party! Whatever you didn't sell/buy, ship back to the company at no cost to you.

As a perfect back-to-fall celebration, 20 friends joined me at my home to spread the love for 31 Bits and the work they are doing in Uganda to empower change by equipping women. One friend of a friend had just been to Uganda in the spring to help her dad open an orphanage there so she too was able to share about what she had seen and experienced there. Her voice added to the chorus of those at 31 Bits encouraging us that we could make a difference, bit by little bit.

I had so much fun staging the jewelry, using globes from garage sales, old tree branches, a chalkboard clock, and a sweet vintage David Livingstone book from 1905!

So I might have bought a fine chunk of the $1,200 sold but most were for others, the perfect gift to mail or save for upcoming birthdays or hostess gifts.

Right now the company is issuing a challenge for the hostess who sells the mostess! If there are any locals interested, I could be your partner in planning...!

funny, naturally

I'm funny.

And the sooner he admits it the better.

Every single book I've ever read on marriage has always explicitly informed me: You will need your sense of humor in marriage. Coincidence? I think not.

Yesterday, we had a bit of a skirmish. (And, yes, I take literary license with the word bit. In reality, nothing in our life comes in bits but bursts; never diminutive, always dramatic. Which is mostly always hardly ever never his fault.) It threatened the calm between that we had treasured of late. Because we  both had opposite opinions about a looming decision, we were stuck at a stalemate, both aggrieved by the other's choice and secretly hoping he/she would acquiesce.

He/she would not.

We parted ways, him to football, me to sleep on our day of rest, meeting over dinner where furrowed brow still met determined gaze. Even so, I got his scowl upturned over silly banter and goofy faces with the kids.

Point, me.

Later as we cleaned up together, I smothered him in my best bear hug, whispering, "I still love you, I'm sorry, I want to be united with you on this..." I felt him begin to melt a little in my arms, nodding his agreement, resolving to make this right. Until I finished my humble and effusive proclamation with, "...so this is how it's gonna be...!"

He pushed me away then, aware now of the tomfoolery tucked between sincerity, but not before I caught a glimpse of the smile crevicing the same face where too told his unbelief in eyes rolling in exasperation. All the while I pulled him back, laughing in self-congratulatory praise, relieved that the ice had thawed, grateful for the breaking of light over our moments of threatening gray.

That night I teased him with my daily inquiry, wondering aloud if I was getting too strong, what with my recent acquisition of a gym membership and thrice weekly visits there. He answered per his usual, pinning me to my back, challenging me to break free in an impressive show of strength.

As per my usual, I succumbed to him, letting him think I really couldn't release myself from beneath almost 200 pounds of muscle and masculine pride.

That's right, I humored him. Which if I'm not mistaken is almost kind of surely sometimes maybe perhaps like being funny, no?