When I was in college, one of the books making the rounds was Lady In Waiting, a presentation of the book of Ruth as an ideal love story. It encouraged women to become more like Ruth (or at least the author’s toned-down perception of her) in order to attract a Boaz. I read the book once and felt slightly icky. But Carolyn Custis James’ book The Gospel of Ruth (which I finished last night) proves that relegating Ruth to a holy romance novel or dating advice book totally misses the point. CCJ makes a case for Ruth as an ezer-warrior who fearlessly trusted in God’s love for her. Although her culture considered her worthless (she was a barren widow and a foreigner), she stepped out to provide for her beloved mother-in-law. The book also paints Naomi as a female Job, delving into her suffering and and what we can learn from her response. Also, rather than focus on Boaz as the sole hero and star of the show, CCJ proposes that Boaz, Naomi, and Ruth worked together as a team, commissioned by God, to save Naomi’s family line and (unknowingly) give it a place in the lineage of Christ.
I was energized by this book. Having neither husband nor children – having lost a husband – I sometimes feel second-rate in the eyes of the Church. So I never tire of hearing things like:
A woman’s high calling as God’s image bearer renders her incapable of insignificance, no matter what has gone wrong in her life or how much she has lost. Even if her community shoves her aside, turns a deaf ear to the sound of her voice, or regards her as invisible — even if she is forced into a passive role in the community — she remains vital to God’s purposes and is a solid contributor anyway. She simply cannot be stopped.
For most of my adult life, I took the typical Reformed view of women’s roles. That went really badly for me. I know truth is truth no matter what, but my experiences have definitely changed my thinking. I continue to study Christian thought on gender roles and I still haven’t figured out exactly what I believe. I’m not a total complementarian anymore, but I don’t embrace everything about egalitarianism. I’m still sort of taking it all in. What I do know is, I have a desire, maybe even a passion, to encourage and empower other women that wasn’t there before my marriage and divorce. I have felt helpless, hopeless, sidelined, worthless, alone, and like a total failure as a woman of God, and I don’t want any other woman to feel that way. Women and men have equal purpose and worth in the eyes of God, regardless of marital status, or the status of their marriages, or the size of their families. I loved this:
Boaz uses the same Hebrew word (hayil) for Ruth that the narrator used earlier to describe him as a man of valor — “the elite warrior similar to the hero of the Homeric epic.”Some Bible translators downsize the word to “noble character” or “excellence” here in reference to Ruth. Not so fast, say Hebrew experts. “When the term is used of a woman (Ruth 3:11; Prov. 12:4; and 31:10)19 it is translated ‘virtuous’ (ASV, RSV ‘worthy’ or ‘good’) but it may well be that a woman of this caliber had all the attributes of her male counterpart.”
And this:
When Naomi arrived in Bethlehem, she may have felt like a useless piece of driftwood that had washed up on the beach — a relic of a bygone golden era, a woman who had outlived her usefulness. In God’s eyes, she was still on active duty and the treasure of his heart. Her story has purpose written all over it, although the signals she receives from the culture and from her own heart tell her otherwise. She is unaware of the fact that, instead of setting her aside, God is readying her for a strategic kingdom mission.
Obviously this is a huge subject that can’t be summed up in a blog post, but I wanted to share some thoughts. I highly recommend the book. I also appreciated this review, which made me give a few points a second thought.
Oh and a side note: this is the first book I read entirely on my Kindle! I already have another CCJ book (Half The Church) and a Booksneeze selection ready to go. Yay!
3 Comments + Posted in: reading, womanhood
I went to Jacksonville over MLK weekend to visit Bethany! I’d been to the area twice before – once with my sister when she was considering a job there, and one other time to see Bethany. So it’s becoming one of my frequented cities. Jacksonville is on my very short list of places I would consider moving to. It’s far enough north to have seasons, but it’s still Florida! We had a very busy schedule this trip, which included:
Jacksonville Zoo. Bethany’s son turned four on Saturday, so this was his birthday outing! It’s a good zoo and I saw several animals I’d never seen before.
St. Augustine. We spent Sunday afternoon eating gelato (I had tiramisu and blueberry cheesecake) and exploring the historic Castillo San Marcos, which I didn’t get to see when I was there before. It was a beautiful day, perfect for hanging out on the grounds. We saw a girl taking quinceanera photos – at first I thought she worked there and was in period costume! Her dress was a work of art.
The beach, of course. It was freezing, but communing with the ocean is a necessity for me. We saw several stranded starfish and rescued them (with dramatic cries of “It matters to this one!”).
After the beach, we had dinner at The Conch House. I went there with Debra years ago and am still thinking about their roasted pepper calamari. It was just as good as I remembered. I don’t have pictures because I was too busy eating, but I highly recommend the place if you’re in St. Augustine.
Used bookstore and Bethany’s magical thrift store. I didn’t buy any books for myself (gasp!), but I found enough great clothes at thrift that I had to borrow cash. Woo!
It was a great trip! I’m blessed to have several close friends who are very relaxing and easy to be around, and Bethany is one of them. I wish we lived closer.
It’s hard to explain, but I feel a sense of rightness when I’m in Florida that I don’t feel anywhere else. I really hate to quote Twilight (and from memory, ugh), but it’s “like I’d been in pain and that pain had suddenly ceased.” I start asking myself, why exactly do I not live here? Why do I choose not to be near the ocean and eat seafood and see palm trees every day? Of course, I love my life the way it is. But what I really want is to pick up all the people and things I love and transport them to the Atlantic coast. The end.
6 Comments + Posted in: florida, friends
One of my greatest joys in life is creating mixes. As a child I “played DJ” (sometimes hanging over a fence and shouting in hopes that entire neighborhood would hear my “broadcast.” Sorry, neighbors!). Looking back, it’s not too surprising that I chose a broadcasting concentration in college, although my reasons were different by then. Nowadays DJs have little, if any, control over their programs or what they play, but I would have loved the job back in the pre-corporate day. Delilah gets on my last nerve – she has free rein to connect with people through music, yet chooses to play the same ten schlocky selections every night. If I were in front of that mike, I would really find the perfect song, and it wouldn’t be “Because You Loved Me.”
Anyway, I make special mixes for any occasion: road trips, friends’ breakups, gatherings of three people at my house. So I’m going to start posting a topical playlist each month! Since a lot of people focus on exercise in January, here’s my current walking/jogging playlist. I think of it as the Empowerment Mix, although a few of the songs don’t fit the theme. But these are the tunes that get me moving consistently.
I’d love to offer this mix as a zip file, but being arrested by the RIAA is not on my list of New Year’s resolutions.
3 Comments + Posted in: fitness, music
Crafting wasn’t my only reason for wanting a machine. My fashion creativity has exceeded what’s available for my budget and difficult body type. I see something, get inspired, and have an instant, specific mental picture of what I want. Then I waste many hours looking for it, and usually don’t find it at all. I don’t have delusions of making my entire wardrobe, but bringing a few mental pictures to life myself will be easier, cheaper, and more fulfilling.
I read good reviews of The Colette Sewing Handbook, so my mom added that to her gift. After reading it, I’ve concluded that while it is helpful, enjoyable, and beautiful to look at, it ought to be called The Perfectionist Sewing Handbook. The overall message is that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right the first time. Buy top quality supplies. Make several cheap drafts of your garment until the fit is exactly right. Take months to make one item if you need to. While this is how I’ve operated for most of my life, nowadays I’m a little more low-key and don’t mind learning from mistakes. (Plus, if the clothes are that fitted, what happens if you gain a few pounds? That’s a new motivator.) My mom read the book before giving it to me, and told me not to be discouraged or feel pressured by it. She also said that in a lifetime of sewing, she’s never used (or, in some cases, heard of) some of the recommended supplies. In any case, I’m happy to learn from both my mom and the book, and figure out what works for me.
Project #1 was a second fleece cat bed. My two cats have fought over the existing one since I made it. This was the most imperfect beginner project ever – just a square of fleece over a square pillow from Hancock’s. I cut out the fleece using eyeball measurements (Gandalf was laying on it at the time), sewed three sides, flipped it, and put in a zipper. The zipper was backwards the first time, but my mom showed me what I did wrong and I fixed it easily. I felt like I had climbed Everest.
Project #2, completed Tuesday night, was a cover for my new Kindle. This pattern was also very inexact, adapted from a laptop cover pattern I saw on Pinterest. I used a measuring tape and tried to abide by the formula, but the cover came out a tiny bit short. (The mathy aspects of sewing will be my Waterloo.) I also didn’t realize I needed a special tool to apply snaps, so I had to use Velcro dots instead. It’ll do until I can make a better one. Preferably from a pattern meant for a Kindle. I have plenty of this fabric and batting, so I plan to make a camera case from it too.
As you can see, I’m purposely starting with simple, four-sided projects. :) Once I get more comfortable with those, I’ll try basic garments. By spring I should be able to handle an A-line skirt. We’ll see!
5 Comments + Posted in: crafts, family
As soon as Thanksgiving was over last year, I was suddenly obsessed with sparkly, sequiny holiday clothing. I’m mostly over it now, which is for the best. Major sequins during the holidays is festive; major sequins in mid-January is Tina Turner. Then again, I think Tina Turner is pretty awesome.
I only bought two sequin tanks, and don’t have photos of myself wearing either. But I know I’ll want more sparkle when next winter rolls around, so here are some of the items I was longing for:
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| Old Navy |
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| Express |
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| One friend accurately described this as a “Taylor Swift dress” |
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| Business on the top, party on the bottom! :) |
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| J. Crew |
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| Madden Girl. Still regret not buying these at TJ Maxx. |
Next year, my sewing skills should be developed enough to make myself a sequin skirt!
4 Comments + Posted in: fashion