April, 2005 | bekahcubed

Made great by each other

April 26, 2005 Leave a comment by bekahcubed

I’m a woman. I love stories of strong women, of brave women, of women who made a difference, of women who achieved some level of fame. Occasionally, the question enters my head–Would any of
these women have reached the status they have if it weren’t for their husbands? Maybe they just married into fame. Their marriage made the difference.

Now, before you get scared that my espoused feminism has gone down the drain, let me describe a few truths that I have come to when thinking about this question.

After God made Eve from Adam’s rib in the Garden of Eden, Adam woke up. Just as he had named every other living creature, he now named Eve–“She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” (Genesis 2:23) There is no doubt in my mind about the implications of this Scripture. No woman can claim that she does not need man. No, in the beginning, we were named by a man–called
Woman, because we came from man. We cannot forget our origins. In the same way, man can never claim that he does not need woman. He must remember our origins. “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.'” (Genesis 2:18) God saw that man was incomplete, lacking a helper. And so God made a helper–not the same as him but comparable to him, his partner but not his head.

A woman I have admired for years, studying her life and yearning for her influence, is the Proverbs 31 woman. But listen to what the Bible says about her and her husband. “The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” (Proverbs 31:11-12) And again: “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.” (Proverbs 31:23) This woman is not great because of her husband–not to say that her husband isn’t great. Instead, these verses seem to say that her husband is great, at least in part, because she is trustworthy and she does good. “They” say that behind every good man is a great woman–and I have little doubt. The Proverbs 31 woman by her actions and words has made her husband great and respected. I find it almost ironic to read the last few verses: “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also and he praises her: ‘Many daughters have done
well, but you excel them all.’ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her
in the gates.” (Proverbs 31:28-31) This woman who by her deeds has paved the way for her husband to have a place in the city gates, now is praised in the city gates by her husband. “Let her own
works praise her in the gates.

Great men and great women, they go together hand in hand. Which one creates the other I cannot say. But I must say that the greatness of a great woman brings her husband honor, and the greatness of a great man gives his wife praise. That’s the way God made it.

Faith, Reflections

The beauty of the church

April 20, 2005 Leave a comment by bekahcubed

I know, I know. I didn’t actually post this on the 20th. But I wrote it then with the intention of posting it. That’s got to count for something.

Walking through campus today, I saw two young boys following their dad, looking about with amazement at the wonders of a college campus. I was struck by the amazing way God put this world together.

A college campus is a fun place to be. Students walking about, milling, talking. Parties and concerts and benefit bashes. Gatherings, projects, classes. But the college campus isn’t complete. It’s too homogeneous to be so.

The majority of college students are single, childless people in their late teens or early twenties. There is very little variation. It’s understandable that a college campus should be so; but if
college is the extent of your relationships and involvement, you are missing out.

I think the same thing when I visit nursing homes. There’s something missing here. It’s too homogeneous. Yes, there are younger workers in addition to the older residents, but just like professors and students on a university campus, they are separated. They belong to different classes, different positions, and very few meaningful relationships are formed across these barriers.

This is one of the reasons that I so love the church. Church is a family affair. It encompasses a wide variety of ages and roles. Everyone has their “position” but this does not limit their relationships.
Elders hang out with those who clean the church building, teachers with pray-ers. Young children relate to retired members and young adults to 40 somethings.

Go onto any college campus and observe the modes of teaching and learning–lectures, projects, papers, reading, discussion. But the teaching method most universities lack is relationship. Life on life.
Discipleship. This is a great strength of the church. Walk into any nursing home and you will see a variety of ways the nurses and service staff help their patients. But the serving method many nursing homes lack is relationship. Life on life. Iron sharpens iron. Listening and encouraging. Serving out of relationship. This is a great strength of the church.

You see, friendships within the college campus are good. There’s nothing wrong with having relationships with people who are the same as you–going through the same life experiences. But if your only relationships are with a group of people homogeneous with yourself, you miss something powerful.

If you aren’t already connected with a local church, I encourage you to do so. And don’t just get involved with their college groups–get to know the families: children and parents; introduce yourself to the young couples; become friends with those who are “older and wiser.” Take the opportunity to experience the power of the church through relationship.

Faith

Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat in sempiterna saecula

April 16, 2005 Leave a comment by bekahcubed

I realize I’ve already written today. Forgive me.

I have just had one of the most deeply religious moments of my life. Some may speak of goosebumps and shivers–I had all that and more, when a chorus of over 200 voices joined with a full orchestra to sing forth “Christ conquers, Christ rules, Christ commands all eternity.” Amen and amen.

I cannot get it out of my head. Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat in sempiterna saecula. Again and again and again. Christ conquers, Christ rules, Christ commands all eternity. Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat in sempiterna saecula.
Christ conquers, Christ rules, Christ commands all eternity.

Majestic Lord and only Saviour, You who conquered death and the grave, rule my heart, command my destiny, and come quickly Lord Jesus!

Reflections

Heroes

April 16, 2005 Leave a comment by bekahcubed

Despite all its obvious defects, Perfect Princess did get me thinking. What are the things that I use in defining my heroes? Why do I consider some people worth emulating and others not?

Sometimes I fear that my heroes and role models are based more on a fascination with greatness than anything else. When I look back over the course of history, what makes me admire the people I admire? I have long been interested in First Ladies–my favorites are Abigail Adams, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Laura Bush. Yet they couldn’t be more different, could they? I love Abigail Adams for her deep devotion to her husband, their beautiful correspondence. I love her for how she managed her family’s estate in her husband’s absence, how she begged her husband to remember the ladies, how she encouraged her nephew in his education. I love Jacqueline Kennedy for her PR, her ability to make everything look perfect. I envy her ability to make people love her, her innate sense of how to be different, to be beautiful, to be fashionable. I love her for her public life, and the privacy she clung to. I love Laura Bush for her gentleness, her deep care for what she really cares about–the children. I love her for being a good wife to President Bush, for caring for him, for their daughters, for the nation. I love her for taking delight in cloroxing bookcases, her love for reading, her personal decision to take the path of traditional womanhood. I love her for not lobbying, choosing instead to earn respect.

The great heroes of my reading life are so varied, I wonder if they can meet up. Since I first read Emily Dickensen in sixth grade, I have been infatuated with her grasp of poetry. I want to someday see with such keen sight. Walt Whitman, I adore for changing the face of poetry in the nineteenth century. I admire him for his brilliance, yet I sorrow at his lostness.

Book characters also have their role on my list of heroes. Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice has always been a favorite. She had a scathing tongue, a ready wit, and the ability to laugh at everything. I love Sara from A Little Princess because she insisted on being a “beautiful person” whatever her circumstances–something I fail miserably at. Sam in The Lord of the Rings encourages me with his faithfulness as a friend.

Bible Characters? Priscilla is a favorite. We don’t know much about her except that she and her husband Aquilla worked together tentmaking with Paul. They brought Apollo under their wing when he was teaching false doctrine. They are regarded as fellow workers with Paul.

Enter into the current world, my real world, and again, the people vary widely. Malinda Hinrichs, a woman from my church, is skilled in just about everything–she paints, she does calligraphy, she bakes, she gardens, she quilts, she travels the world on mission trips, she’s learning to play the piano by chords–despite being over 65. Cindy Slocum, our church’s women’s ministry director, is wonderful at making things beautiful–tea sandwiches, a table setting, a bathroom cabinet. She is also one of the most amazing prayer warriors I know. Paula Welter, who disciples me, is marvelous. Two years in a row, she welcomed 3-4 College students into her home. She’s down to earth, not fussy–but she is welcoming and always encourages me in my walk. Barb Calcara always has somebody visiting–missionaries for the missions conference, college students on break, friends of her daughters’ (even though the daughters aren’t there), a family from the mission that her husband brought home. She welcomes people eagerly into her home, truly seeing it as an opportunity to serve God. The LCPC ladies with their fancy outfits and time to serve drive me nuts. How I wish I could be them–classy, friendly, laughing and serving.

And then there’s my most recent hero-crush. Condoleeza Rice is amazing. She is easily the most powerful woman in our nation–but no one deserves it more than she. Excelling in everything she does, fighting for her rights from early on. Concert pianist. Expert on Soviet Union Politics. Graduated with honors. Provost of Stanford for six years. This woman is astounding. I hated when the media jumped over her boots in Germany. They were trying to reduce her to Madelyn Albright’s level. But she doesn’t even fit into that sphere. Condoleeza Rice is a capable, intelligent, amazing woman. I love her.

As you can see, I have quite a few heroes (and these are just a few–mostly just the female ones.) But is there a common thread in my chain of heroes? I don’t know. And perhaps it doesn’t matter.

Reflections

On Book Reports and Learningbo

April 10, 2005 Leave a comment by bekahcubed

Why do they make kids write book reports? I had to write at least one a year for the first six to eight years of my academic life–and I’ve never written one since. They’re useless, pointless, an exercise devised by sadistic teachers trying to impose petty rules on defenseless children, stifling their creativity. Or is that what book reports are all about?

On further reflection, I can see some good in book reports. They forced me to read–a skill that serves me well now, both at school and in leisure. They gave me practice with grammar and spelling and sentence formation–skills I use every day while writing notes, e-mails, and letters. And, those book reports tried to teach me the concept of a short summary, and not giving away the end of the story–skills I appreciate the most when someone who doesn’t have them tries to recommend a movie.

The seemingly pointless book report apparently does have a point–not in and of itself, but as a tool to develop students as people.

There are a lot of things in life that I think of as pointless–many of my classes, group projects, certain deadlines. But perhaps, like my book reports as a child, these too have their purpose. I am learning promptness, patience, “interpersonal skills”, communication skills,
problem solving skills.

I begin to think that the subject matter might be the least important part of the college experience. Intrinsically, it has little value–unless, of course, the “real world” is consumed by equations without applications, five minute PowerPoint presentations, and interviewing your grandparents to learn about your food heritage. Rather than those things, the skills that college teaches are not taught in a classroom–at least not by being lectured in the classroom. Instead the skills that college teaches are the skills that can only come through trials.

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)

Speaking of Book Reports–check out my “Book Reviews and Notes” section

Poetry

It ends at Your feet

April 5, 2005 Leave a comment by bekahcubed

A million things to do
My heart races–
And stops
My brain is filled
With a thousand questions
Too many processes–
Shut down.
Running all the time
Up against a wall
Weights on my back–
I collapse.
It ends at Your feet
On my knees
Not a thought in my head
Not a beat in my heart
No strength to move
It ends at Your feet
And You’re more than enough