Photo Fun!

My husband and I did a photo scavenger hunt a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be a black and white shoot, but I cheated and took some color shots too. :)  I'm an amateur hobby photographer and photoshop user, but I hope to keep learning.  Here are a few of my favorites that I shot and did post processing on. Enjoy!

This one is my favorite.

Looks like something from a magic show!

Lamp through Stair Rail. So cool!

Gorgeous Door! I love the design.

Looks like something from Dr. Who :)

I know, its a repeat. I just liked it.

 

State of the... Union?

This is a little late coming, but I wanted to open discussion about it. I listened to the State of the Union address and took notes of statements that were either repeated or emphasized. Below is the list:

- Wherever and whenever I can take steps to help Americans without legislation, I’m gonna do it. (Quote from our president)

- We need congress to start creating jobs  (several shots at congress)

- But I’ll work on my own (President)

- America lead the world (Mentioned about many different things)

- Global leader (consistently, never a joint effort)

- I’m gonna do everything in my power (President)

- On every issue the world turns to us (How did the world survive before us?)

I hope you notice a couple of shocking themes. The first one being the President talking about moving forward with or without and sometimes in spite of the other two branches of our three part government system. Our government was structured with a system of checks and balances on purpose, all American kids learn that in school. Suddenly our President is talking more like an authoritarian. He mentioned during the speech that he wanted bipartisanship within the government, but then took repeated shots at Congress and how it wasn't doing enough. That doesn't seem to encourage a unified government working together. It seemed more like he wanted to make his name known and leave office as a recognized successful president. Sounds a little too dictator for me.

The second shocking theme was the leadership and global power of the U.S. I kept thinking, "no wonder the rest of the world hates Americans." We're making ourselves out to be that know-it-all kid in school who nobody likes because he is sugary sweet to the teacher while spiting everyone else. The American government could learn some humility. Compared to other large countries, we're still the new kid on the block. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from other countries who have been around much longer than we have. Humility has never real been the American style, but maybe it should be. 

I was angry and sad after I listened to the speech. Granted, I'm not politically involved, but maybe I should be. Maybe more of us should be. Maybe if more of us got involved then we could see the government be "by the people and for the people" as it was originally intended to be. Instead of by the few and for the few. Something to think about.

Something to Ponder

Book Review

"Author Jim Wallis has astutely observed what happened. 'On September 11 American joined the world'. Our membership was long overdue. Painful as the process has been for us, the benefits of widening our perspective to include the rest of the world are earthshaking, especially the relevance of this development to the conversation we are about to commence concerning God's vision for his daughters."
Carolyn Custis James in Half the Church

I picked up this book because a group of women at my work are reading it and will be discussing it at the end of this month. Having grown up in church, and grown up reading all sorts of books for women in the church, I have to be honest that I was skeptical about reading this book. I was intrigued, but also wary. I have read too many books that tell women what their place is and is not. At the end of the book, there is a sense of declared destiny that is not encouraging or hopeful but more like a life sentence. I was afraid this book was going to be another of those.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The global perspective of this book is very refreshing. She doesn't focus on American Christians and the American church, but focuses on the church worldwide and the struggles of woman across the world. That was my first clue that this wasn't a typical book. The discussion begins with how the church's message to woman might not relate to woman across the world who are feeling trapped and suppressed through cultural traditions, sex trafficking, and the like. The meat of the book comes from a long discussion of what it means that man and woman are both made in the image of God and are therefore his image bearers in this world. She spends much of the book talking about what is means for woman to be his image bearers in particular, but never reduces the importance of both men and woman.

For those of use who have heard the term "ezer kenegdo" and have tried to understand how it applies to us, both in and out of marriage, James gives us a good description that brings strength and help to the term poorly translated "help meet." She reminders woman that ezer is a term most often applied to God himself in the Old Testament and it isn't a lesser term of any kind. At this point, some woman may be rolling their eyes with a "not again..." type reaction. I almost did too, but her presentation of the ezer concept was good and Biblical.

If you are looking for a book to define the role of women in the church or to continue the complementarian vs egalitarian debate, this is the not the book for you.  If you are looking for some encouraging insight about women's role from a Biblical stance, then you will find this book a good read.

In Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places wild be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh will see it together." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

We recently celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday which serves as a remembrance of what a great man did during a dark time in American history. We remember him as an activist and as a voice of justice and change in a time of deep injustice and chaos. We often forget that he was also a follower of Christ and a Pastor. 

For the first time, I actually sat down and read the famous "I have a dream" speak that is quoted above. We are all pretty familiar with it and probably have a passage from it that we can quote by heart. Familiarity is good, but reading it is better. I read it and was moved again by his powerful words. His words are for justice and freedom; he strongly addresses the sins of man and asks that they be corrected. He doesn't, however, slander the people who he sees are driving the injustice. He doesn't call names. He actually encourages people who favor racial equality to value their character and not be dragged down into the gutters. He speaks with power and influence but he also speaks truth and integrity. It's a beautifully crafted speech that I would say is Holy Spirit inspired. I am moved by his passion for his cause and also his passion that his movement stay non-violent. He encourages his people not to give in to the violence that has come against them. Wow. 

The line I quoted above was moving to me. In the midst of racial segregation that was tearing lives and our nation apart, stands one man who longs to see the glory of God be revealed through people uniting and treating each other as equals. He doesn't write this hope as a fleeting desire that might happen. He writes this hope as a solid guarantee that one day, the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all will see it. The certainty is inspiring. 

So, what's the point? My point is to challenge all of us to see opposition the way Martin Luther King Jr. saw it. As an opportunity to for the glory of the Lord to be revealed. Jesus told us in Matthew 5 that we are to love our enemies and be kind to those who hurt us;
Martin Luther King Jr. is echoing the words of Jesus. There is much conflict in our world today and Christians are some of the first to get nasty and become violent whether in word or deed. We should be challenging ourselves to keep our character and not stoop to violence. We should stand together with anticipation that the glory of the Lord will be revealed. 

If you are interested in reading the speech, click here

Reflections on the New Year- better late than never :)

It's a new year which seems like the promise for a fresh start and new things. I usually get a funny feeling that things are different when the calendar turns to January 1st. Sometimes it does indicate that the Lord has changed my spiritual season, and something new is about to begin. This year was a bit different though. I felt like our new year actually started in October, when we moved across the country for a new opportunity. When the year changed to 2014, it didn't feel different, but it was still new. We have only been in our current city for about 4 months and so we are still settling in. We traveled over the holidays and didn't have plans for the new  year, so we went out to dinner just the two of us, talked about what we wanted in our new place in the new year, and went to bed while it was still 2013. I did start my new job on January 2nd, so that was a new thing specifically for 2014, but it was another new thing in a long string of new things.

Honestly, I love moving and changing environments. Moving to a different state provides an opportunity for growth and self-learning that doesn't happen with many other experiences. This being my second time, I knew a little of what to expect, but this is the first time I moved as a married woman. It was easier on some levels to move with a spouse. There wasn't that initial overwhelming sense of loneliness. The loneliness did come however, and that continues to be something we are taking a day at a time. Once you have friends and community, you quickly forgot how long it took to get to that point. Then once that group is gone, you are slowly reminded of how long it takes to build relationships again. I feel like my sense of loneliness is a reminder that my dependence should be on the Lord more than on people. I am guilty of spending more time reading the word and praying when I'm lonely and hurting then making it less of a priority when I'm feeling good. Silly me.

All of that to say, we have been given a fresh start that came a bit earlier than January 1, 2014. I am excited for the new things that God is and will do in our lives as we continue to pursue him. My prayer this year it to always remember that He is the vine and I am the branches and apart from him, I can do nothing.

In His Love,
 Andrea