THANK YOU INDIA

... Back from cultural immersion...
Back from layers
of pray-ers
wrapped up in rainbow colors draped across coffee-and-cream skin.
Back from peering eyes
deep set
heads bent
They look up
to look at
plain white me.

...Back
and forth...
to carry the curry taste like a passport
as if one stamp, like one taste, will cure the India addiction....
but one stamp is not enough...
one taste makes waste...
of all the more times i must go
..... back.


.

Sarah Palin: the Greek connection

craziness.
just in time for my recent plunge (back) into the Greek language and amidst the recent swirl of the politcal debates comes a clever, quirky article from the National Review that ties Greek and the Repubican party together.

Or Greek and the Palin Party together.

Greek and Palin.

Apparently, the Greek word for re-birth in New Testament Greek is "Palingensia."

The article goes on to joke: Is this perhaps a prophecy in Bible code? Could it be a favorable omen for the Republican party? (These days it is probably wise to explicitly state that I’m kidding . . .)”

well, there u go. a laugh-out-loud connection.
I laughed, at least.

wireless wisdom.

First of all, wi-fi at Mc Donald’s is not free.

$3.11 for 2 hours.

Just so ya know. if you were hoping to duck in for a mocha and a quick, free visit to the web. Perhaps the first is still enjoyable (yes, they have good Mochas! Do not judge me), but you can check the latter off your list.

Also, check off getting your wisdom teeth pulled out.

With their removal came just more holes in my life. Needing to be filled. And so, with the ever-slow, pain-killer-filled process followed by nausea and puking from the couch, awakens the new me. Fresh off the ‘ole couch. And realizing that with the loss of my wisdom comes the promise of much more to gain. At year #2 in seminary. Woo hoo!

Some may argue that I was under the influence of meds when I chose to accept the teaching position at my local WI high school just a few weeks ago. Yes, the very high school which I graduated from not many light years ago. I accepted the teaching position via the phone from my finishing-up weeks in Hawaii. A real passionate, exciting idea it was in my mind. But alas, I hit the ground running from the moment my plane hit the ocean-less, mountain-less WI ground.

And I felt the force of revelation hit me like I ran into a tree: an awakening. I was not prepared to teach. And, as I realized, passion for something is not a substitute for proper preparation.

It was humbling, disappointing, and challenging to admit that I made the wrong decision. But as I seem to travel through life in a mad series of circles (and dashes), I soon found myself back-tracking, reversing, or, u might say, propelling ahead once again to plan A. Back to seminary in Holland, MI with the subject I love. With the friends that have helped form, free, and find me in so many ways, and a lot of stories to share straight from the island of Kauai.

It’s now been a week since I lost my wisdom (teeth).

But, with the promise of inspiring classes on the way, and a new language (Hebrew) to add to my in-the-process body art, I take a deep breath. and smile. The smile a mixture of pain meds, mocha latte, and more tattoos to come. And the reminder from the Beloved today that He has made me glorious. Not sure that I see the latter, but hey, I now have more space to let Him work His magic.

And I have a GPS now.

So, maybe I can stop traveling in circles. For a while.

Let’s remember the words of our late friend: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “One lives but once in the world.”

Is It WORTH IT?!

Along the way to hiking to the most amazing falls E*V*E*R, me and the youth group ( pretty huge, scott and rach):) nearly didn't make it due to hunger. i mean really. no joke. a 7 hour hike, folks. think about it.










But....we found: dun dun dun: MOUNTAIN APPLES! yayaaah!
So...here is us...trying to get them down from the very high trees!
And then,-- it paid off. the waterfall cascading down from, I don't know, maybe 1,000 feet?!! I mean, HOW BIG IS GOD, people? that's what i'm saying.

It was, by the way, worth it.

Saturday night, July 12 ~ Enjoying the Obon season festivities -- the dancers of all ages, sizes, and race make their moves in the bon dance ring, easing into the movement in time with the slowly fading sun. Lights, drums, food, laughs, action!

Glenn, Mary, and I enjoy the Japanese food (aka, corn dog?!) and excitement of observing a much-esteemed tradition. This Buddhist tradition comes from the legend of a man dancing for joy holding a bon (aka, round tray piled with food) after he set his mother free from hell due to his penitence on her behalf...

But I wonder how many people actually know that story.

I also enjoyed the really beautiful temple; beautiful people; beautiful costumes and rich display of the many cultures of which the Hawaiian island wears like its heart on its sleeve! Like Joseph and the "coat of many colors," I find that Kaua'i is indeed draped with a coat of many cultures -- each shade and hue highlighted by different ethnic groups, island locations, and rich heritage that drapes the island in mysterious beauty. Enjoy!

room for thought...with Rumi

always an inspiration, I came across this poem by the Persian poet, Rumi:
...who is "You"? well, You tell me.

Only You

Only you
I choose among the entire world.
Is it fair of you
letting me be unhappy?

My heart is a pen in your hand.
It is all up to you
to write me happy or sad.

I see only what you reveal
and live as you say.
All my feelings have the color
you desire to paint.

From the beginning to the end,
no one but you.

Please make my future
better than the past.

When you hide I change
to a Godless person,
and when you appear,
I find my faith.

Don't expect to find
any more in me
than what you give.

Don't search for
hidden pockets because
I've shown you that
all I have is all you gave.

Preach it sista!

~ As I wrestle with whether I am indeed being called to preach, and as i wonder about my feelings of women preaching that shift inside me like a fault line and hesitate like a teeter totter, I embrace this hilarious little forward that one of my extremely gifted and spirit-led chicas sent to me...
Feel free to laugh out loud. I did. And still am.

(if you are in a more conservative circle, perhaps read it on your own time -- heh heh).

Ten Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained For Ministry
10. A man's place is in the army.
9. The pastoral duties of men who have children might distract them from the responsibility of being a parent.
8. The physique of men indicates that they are more suited to such tasks as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be "unnatural"for them to do ministerial tasks.
7. Man was created before woman, obviously as a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. Their conduct at football and basketball games demonstrates this.
5. Some men are handsome, and this will distract women worshipers.
4. Pastors need to nurture their congregations. But this is not a traditional male role. Throughout history, women have been recognized as not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more fervently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are prone to violence. No really masculine man wants to settle disputes except by fighting about them. Thus they would be poor role models as well as dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. The New Testament tells us that Jesus was betrayed by a man. His lack of faith and ensuing punishment remind us of the subordinated position that all men should take.
1. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep sidewalks, repair the church roof, and perhaps even lead the song service on Father's Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the church.