links to make you think

Here are some links to articles that made me think. Hopefully they made me think more rightly and more biblically. Consider for yourself!

Christian Yoga? It’s a Stretch. by Mark Driscoll

What Hath Westminster to Do With Wall Street (And Its Occupiers)? by Kevin DeYoung

How to Serve “The Singles” — Ministry to Unmarried Adults in Your Local Church by Carolyn McCulley

Don’t Adopt!  by Russell Moore

Dads, Your Leadership Role is Inescapable by Doug Wilson

*I do not endorse all the views of all the writers linked to here. I simply found these articles interesting and helpful.

thoughts on the humblebrag

I was intrigued by this post by Justin Taylor, explaining the concept of the humblebrag. Here’s an interview with the originator of the term.

A humble brag, as I understand it, is when you brag about yourself in a way that masquerades as humility or is coupled with self-deprecation. Here are some examples:

‘Ugh. I just pocket dialed spokesperson for Pentagon.’ —Greta Van Susteren

‘If you think getting your house ready for guests is a hassle, try preparing it for HGTV cameras. I am the worst florist ever.’ —Tony Hawk

Here’s the example Justin Taylor gives:

“I remember my first months in Harvard classrooms, gob-smacked by how my contributions, however lame, were invariably treated with respect because my accent framed them.” -Andrew Sullivan

When I read the concept and the examples, my first thoughts went somewhere other than the ugliness of the humblebrag. Instead I thought of the ugliness of envy and how hard it is for us to be happy for someone else’s successes.

So what if Andrew Sullivan mentions that his school was Harvard? I often say what school I went to, it just so happens that it isn’t prestigous. Why shouldn’t Harvard attendees be able to talk about their life just like the rest of us? The fact that it bothers us that he mentions the name of his school is a reflection of insecurity in the listener, not the speaker.

When good things happen to someone else, like winning an award, or having a great job, or writing a book, or [fill in the blank], it’s better for my soul to rejoice in their success, rather than nitpick their statements looking for a hidden braggart.

Being a humble brag is a bad deal. I don’t want to be one; I don’t want my kids to be one. But, I can’t help but feel that the real issue is our inability to be happy for others. Without being able to see into people’s hearts, it’s hard to judge whether they’re bragging or simply stating what’s happening in their life at that moment. After all, I assume that Greta Van Susteran really did accidently pocket dial the Pentagon. How’s that any different than me saying, “Ugh, I just pocket-dialed the babysitter.”

I think having a problem with Greta saying that she pocket-dialed the Pentagon (which is actually pretty funny) is more about being unable to bear anyone who does better than we do. (I could go on here to relate how I think that this envy culture is a result of liberal ideology and the concept of equality of outcome, or how it flows out of our depraved and wicked hearts, but I wouldn’t want to sound too confident or self-important or controversial.)

Here are my take-home lessons: 1)Don’t brag. 2)Don’t envy. 3) Don’t be paralyzingly self-aware. Enough.

my 20′s: the story behind the story

I’ve had an eventful decade.

My 20′s are rapidly coming to a close and here’s my just-the-facts-ma’am recap of them:

age 20: Start dating Tom and get engaged to him. Begin attending BBC.

age 21: Become Mrs. Thomas Dodds, move into the house on Portland Ave.  Encourage Tom to start his own business. Start a small group in our home.

age 22: Graduate from Bethel College and begin (and end) my short stint at a pro-life organization.

Become pregnant and give birth to Eliza Grace. Become a mom to a baby girl. Practice life without an income.

age 23: Practice being a wife and mom. Start to see growth in Tom’s business. Say goodbye to my best friend who moves away.

age 24: Become pregnant. Move to the house on Grouse Hollow. Give birth to Seth Thomas. Become a mom to a baby boy.

age 25: Become pregnant for a third time. Keep practicing the wife and mom thing. Say goodbye to Tom’s Grandma Ione, who passed away.

age 26: Give birth to Elianna Faith. Become a mom to a baby girl, for the second time. Start another small group in our home.

age 27: Tom informs me I’m 90% of the way to 30 yrs old. Keep on keepin’ on with the wife and mom gig. Say goodbye to my Grandpa Rodney, who passed away. Live through a massive hail storm that caused damage to our home, narrowly avoid a tornado.

age 28: Become pregnant for the fourth time. Say goodbye to that little one in the summer due to miscarriage. Become pregnant for a fifth time.

age 29: Give birth to Evangeline Joy. Become a mom to a baby girl, for the third  time.

So, there are the facts of the matter. But there is a hidden story that’s missing from these facts. The story behind the story.

There is truth that is missing from these facts. And this truth is the most important part of my 20′s. It’s the true story that shows how God has kept me during this past decade. He really has kept me. He has hidden me in the shadow of His wing.

Here are a few of the ways He’s kept me, the story behind the story:

The Lord kept me through many great friendships, and, what felt like no friendships. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

The Lord kept me through years of no income and years of plentiful income. He is my Portion forever.

The Lord kept me through times of depression and times of joy. He is my Strength and the Lifter of my Head.

The Lord kept me through days of birth and days of death. He is the Good Giver and the Wise Taker.

The Lord kept me through doubts and confidence. He is my Comfort who is over all and in all and through all.

The Lord kept me through city life and suburb life. Nothing can separate me from His Love. Where can I hide from His presence?

The Lord kept me through single life and married life. He is the God who grants our participation in His mysterious metaphors.

The Lord kept me through mothering magic and mayhem. He gently leads those who are with young.

Ultimately, the Lord has kept me His own. He has caused me to persevere in every circumstance because He is the Good Shepherd and no one can snatch me out of His hand.  I persevere because of His faithfulness, not my own.

So, I have a great many hopes for my 30′s. I hope that I will be less weak. More steady. Less selfish. More selfless. Less fearful. More bold.

And at the core of my hope is Jesus. I hope in Him, because He is the One “who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.” I put my hope in “the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jude 1:24

So long 20′s.  It was a ride.

my 2 cents

Here’s my 2 cents.

Rejecting an extension of Bush’s tax rates-  Lame.  We should all pay our taxes.  But let that be the end of it.  I’m tired of hearing people upset because someone else isn’t paying more.  Face forward students.  Eyes on your own paper.  Let’s quit caring about what someone else is or isn’t getting or paying.

Wikileaks- “I do not think that means what you think it means.”  What a bummer.  But, I actually felt comforted to know that Hillary was spying on other countries.  Bummer the info got out, but hey, good to know she’s in the know.

Childhood Obesity- Here is legislation to curb childhood obesity.  Is obesity good?  No.  But neither is an inordinate emphasis on “healthy” eating.  In my experience, I run into as many people obsessed with “health” as I do obese people.  What’s the difference?  One’s healthy (for now) and one’s (probably) not, but both can’t get their minds off of food.  And one is definitely more self-congratulatory than the other.

The TSA and Santa- Wow.  I mean really, wow.  I don’t plan on flying anytime soon.

Metrodome Roof Collapse- Now I want to see the footage of Ziggy Wilf up there cutting holes in the fabric during the snow storm.  With Favre’s scandals, Childress’s poor coaching, Percy’s migraines, and overall lousy performances, this is the best news he’s had all season.   Finally a chance at a new stadium!

nearing the end

Here are five ways to know a woman is nearing the end of her pregnancy:

1) She’s developed a 5th food group.  It’s called Tums.

2) Her thighs used to touch when she walked.  Now her small children can run between her legs as she waddles.

3) When she sits down on the couch a small cushiony title wave ensues giving everyone else already sitting a little whoosh.  She also realizes that once down, she may never get up.

4) When she takes her socks off at night, the imprint in her lower legs is so deep that a plaster cast could be made to determine the exact brand of sock.

5) She may have strong inklings to sneer at (or punch) anyone who calls her radiant, glowing or beautiful, along with those who call her worn out, tired and, the all time favorite, “about to pop.”

Let’s face it, childbearing is cursed.  We walk a fine line of blessing and curse as we bring little ones into the world.  And for me, a minute after the baby is born, the curse is so overshadowed by blessing that it’s hard to recall what all the fuss was about.

more and Moore on cremation

Russell Moore recently blogged about cremation.  As one who has been largely indifferent about cremation vs. burial I found it very informative and helpful.

He is biblical through and through.  His thoughts in Touchstone were particularly good.

After some comments on my post about funeral planning, I became interested in why Christians might reject cremation.  Dr. Moore answers my questions and then some.

I think I may be amending my funeral plans to include a desire to be buried.  There is something to the beauty of following suit with Christ (namely that we are buried like Christ and resurrected like him on the last day) that is hard to resist.  It’s not that God can’t raise cremated remains.  Of course He can.  But when the opportunity to imitate the biblical model is presented, I think I’ll take it.

Dr. Moore fleshes out his arguments in the Touchstone article very well and in Christianity Today.  Worth reading.

tips for would be writers

I have no authority to write a post giving tips for would be writers.

That’s why I’m re-posting a few of Doug Wilson’s tips that I found particularly good.

1. Know something about the world, and by this I mean the world outside of books. This might require joining the Marines, or working on an oil rig, or as a hashslinger at a truck stop in Kentucky. Know what things smell like out there.

2. Read. Read constantly. Read the kind of stuff you wish you could write. Read until your brain creaks. Tolkien said that his ideas sprang up from the leaf mold of his mind. These are the trees where the leaves come from.

5. Be at peace with being lousy for a while. Chesterton once said that anything worth doing was worth doing badly. He was right. Only an insufferable egoist expects to be brilliant first time out.

I haven’t entered the world of trying to be published.  I write for my own enjoyment, for record-keeping of life, and to be helpful in a God-exalting way to others.  But these are good tips for everyone, and if ever I do endeavor to be published, I’d definitely take these to heart.

And even though I have no authority to give a tip, here’s mine anyway:

1. Be passionate about something.  Have an opinion.  Feel things strongly and let that come through.  It isn’t enough to know a lot, you have to have ideas about what you know.  For Christians this should be easy.

Sidenote: Go Sara G0!

what are you reading?

Here’s what I’ve been reading lately:

1) Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will OR How to Make a Decision without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Etc. by Kevin DeYoung

I finished this about a 2 months ago and thought it was great.  What a breath of fresh air to the frivolous, often ridiculous ways we try to figure out our future before it happens.

2) Middlemarch by George Eliot

I’ve always loved Eliot’s Adam Bede and never took the time to read Middlemarch.  I’m glad I did.  She has an insight into the workings of the mind and heart of her characters that is enlightening and convicting to the reader who identifies with them.  Plus, it was the first book I read on my iPhone via Kindle and just finished.  Very handy.

3) Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I just started this and am only a few chapters in, also being read on my iphone.  So far, it has all the charming markings of an Austen novel.  It was her first book, published after many of her other works.

4) Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell

Sowell is one of my favorite minds on politics and culture.  I’ve just started this book and it examines the influence of intellectuals on society and the often disastrous effects thereof.  Thanks, Tom, for surprising me with it!

5) Home Comforts : The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson

I pulled this one off my bookshelf a month ago and got sucked into re-reading quite a bit.  I use it as reference book and disagree largely with her take on why it’s important to keep house, but nonetheless, you will not find a more thorough book covering every aspect of home management.

6) A Sweet & Bitter Providence: Sex, Race and the Sovereignty of God by John Piper

I loved this look at Ruth, Naomi and Boaz.  The book of Ruth has long been a favorite for me and Pastor John offers his usual poignant understanding of the big picture in relation to this story.  Reading it made me love God’s designs more.

7) The Liars’ Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr

I was assigned to read this in college and did a half-read, half-skim.  I was prompted to remember it when Tim Challies reviewed it a while back.  I’m about a quarter in so far and find it riveting and very gritty.  I probably wouldn’t recommend it.

8) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This book was a gift and I completed it a few months ago and thoroughly enjoyed.  It is a book of fictional letters written just after WWII.  The style is enchanting and the content is sober without being sober.

What are you reading?

*Note: The Bible is the most important reading we can do each day.  I hope that’s understood.  I use our church’s Bible reading plan, in case you were curious.  The reading listed here is my “escape” or nighttime reading.

a blog recommendation: treasure from the junk drawer

A good friend of mine recently started a blog.

I’ve enjoyed every one of her posts, which isn’t surprising because I enjoy any bit of time I get to spend with her and reading her blog is like getting to spend a little time with her.

She calls it Treasure from the Junk Drawer and you’ll definitely find some treasure if you visit there.

What’s your favorite blog to read?  Or, what lesser-known blog would you recommend?

what keeps you up late at night?

I am frequently up late at night.

By late, I mean past 11 or midnight.  I know for some of you, that isn’t late.  And for others that’s very late.

Here are some things that keep me up late at night:

1) The olympics. duh.

2) Laundry. Another duh.

3) Researching baby strollers.  This could be considered an obsession.

4) Planning out homeschool for next year.  This could be a never-ending job if I let it be.  I feel as though I’ve researched every curriculum available to mankind.  I mean humankind.  I actually enjoy learning about them all and getting my hands on them, but at some point, I’ve got to quit and make a decision.

5) Downloading apps for the iphone my husband got me for Valentine’s Day.  Way. too. cool.

6) Reading books, articles and blogs.  I’m an information junkie.  I believe it will soon be recognized as a diagnosable condition.

7) Talking.  Once the kids are in bed and we have put away whatever we’re working on, we talk.  And talk… and talk.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.  I am so glad I married a man who wants to converse about all the stuff of life.

So, what keeps you up late at night?  How late do you stay up?

Anybody else out there watching tonight with a kind of strange fascination at the subculture that is men’s figure skating?