bekahcubed

Categories Memes

40 (Not so secret) Secrets

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The instructions on this little meme stolen from my little sis are as follows: “40 Secrets about yourself. Be honest no matter what. Answer these 40 questions. Have fun. DON’T SEND THIS BACK TO ME!!”

Not sure what that last bit was about. But just in case, I won’t be sending this back to Grace :-)

1. Have you ever been asked out?
Yes

2. Where was your profile picture taken?
The photo of me in the sidebar was taken at my internship graduation on the UNL campus.

3. What’s your middle name?
Marie (or Jane or Jo–as in Becky J. Mentner)

5. Does your crush like you back?
N/A

6. What is your current mood?
Thankful

7. What color socks are you wearing?
Not wearing socks

8. What color shirt are you wearing?
Blue (but only ’cause I haven’t dressed for the day–I’ll soon be trying to find my red in order to participate in the Husker “Red Out Around the World”)

9. Missing something?
My voice. It’s a good thing next week is the University’s fall break–because I currently couldn’t lecture.

10. If you could go back in time and change something, what would you do?
Oh man–I’d stop the Holocaust, or rewrite the Constitution to emancipate the slaves from the foundation of our country, or prevent the Twin Towers from falling or… There’s so much in history that I’d LIKE to see changed–but I have to believe that God had a purpose even in these horrific events in the past, and that any attempt of mine to change history would only result in bungling it. However, the pages that are still to be written are currently up for grabs–and I’m willing to let God make me an instrument for affecting how the story turns out from here.

11. If you must be an animal for one day what would you be?
A duck

12. Ever had a near death experience?
Almost falling asleep while driving.

13. Something you do a lot?
Read (Go figure)

14. The song stuck in your head?
None

15. Who did you copy and paste this from?
Gracebug

16. Name someone with the same birthday as you:
Albert Einstein (March 14 is the day for geniuses)

17. When was the last time you cried?
Wednesday night, probably

18. Have you ever sung in front of a large audience?
Depends on how you define large audience. And how you define “sung in front of”. I’ve sung on my church’s worship team in the past–but my church is relatively small (80-120 people over the time I’ve been there).

19. If you could have one super power what would it be?
That’s no secret. To be able to multitask while still gaining maximum in-the-moment-ness with each activity. I have too many goals and not enough time in which to do them. That’s why I plan on living at least to age 120.

20. What’s the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
I don’t really think about it–I guess it depends on the person. Some people have certain attributes or features that demand first notice. (Unusual hair, large nose, pretty eyelashes, whatever)

21. What do you usually order from Starbucks?
If I’m going to go to a coffee shop, Lincoln has plenty of non-chain local shops with lovely ambience that I’d much rather spend time at. Even then, I generally either buy a steamer or an Italian soda. Unless it’s early enough in the day that I can afford the caffeine.

22. What’s your biggest secret?
I once weighed 165 pounds, and thought I was gorgeous at that weight.

23. Favorite color?[s]
Don’t really have one

24. Do you still watch kiddie shows on tv?
That implies that I ever did.

25. What’s on your walls in your room?
Renoir and Monet prints from calendars. Miscellaneous quotes. Framed verses in calligraphy (done by my childhood pastor’s wife). Sticky notes with various passwords on them (I know, I shouldn’t do that.) A cartoon drawn by my roommate’s little brother.

26. What are you?
Physically, I am a collection of organic and inorganic compounds, mostly carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. These make up the many components of thousands of cells, each of which possess my own unique DNA but which express that DNA in hundreds of different ways. But the physical is the least of what I am, for God, in His great love, breathed into this bag of cells, tissues, and organs the breath of life–something of His very self. And though my image-bearing capacity was marred by the fall, God graciously redeemed this thing called myself and is in the process of remaking me to reflect His Self.

27. Do you speak any other languages?
Like Grace said, not really.

28. What’s your favorite smell?
Food.

29. Describe your life in one word.
Blessed

30. Have you ever been kissed in the rain?
No

31. What are you thinking about right now?
Not much

33. What should you be doing?
Not much !!!!

34. Who was the last person that made you upset/angry?
Someone at work. I got over it.

35. How often do you talk to God?
Mmm–sometimes we talk, sometimes we just spend time together. But pretty much constantly.

36. Do you like working in the yard?
Until I start sneezing and my nose starts running and my eyes get itchy. If it weren’t for allergies, I’d adore yard work.

37. If you could have any last name in the world, what would you want?
I don’t know. Perhaps some day I will meet a man whose name I would delight to take as my own and who would invite me to do so. Should that time come, I’ll let you know.

38. Do you act differently around the person you like?
Not sure how to respond to this one.

39. What is your natural hair color?
What you see is what you get. Somewhere between blonde and brown (although I’ve always claimed brown). Depending on the lighting and what else I’m wearing, it may appear to have reddish glints.

40. Who was the last person to make you cry?
God, through His amazing gift of sisters in Christ

Anybody got any other SECRETS to share? I’m ALL about secrets here :-)

Categories Flashback Friday

Flashback: Money Talks

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Yesterday, I collected my pay stub from work and opened it up to see how much had been deposited into my bank account. Let me tell you, it was a far cry from what I earned as a child in my parents’ home. Today Linda’s asking us about money…

Flashback Friday buttonPrompt: How was money handled in your family when you were growing up? …Did you have an allowance? Whether received as an allowance or through other means such as gifts, when you had your “own” money, were there restrictions on how you spent it? … Did your parents tithe or give money to the church on a regular basis?

We children were responsible for doing the dishes in our home (My dad cracked that he had no need for a dishwasher–“Why, I have seven dishwashers,” he’d say.) In return for our work, if well done, we received a dime a day.

Which meant that every week, we could earn a maximum of $0.70. Ten percent was automatically deducted for tithe and ten percent was automatically deducted for savings, leaving us with a net pay of $0.56 per week. If our work performance was unsatisfactory, of course, we would earn less.

Now, even in my day (which wasn’t THAT long ago), $0.56 didn’t go far. In those days, you could still find off-brand soda for a quarter a can, but that was pretty much all we could have purchased. My parents recognized this and developed a workable solution. They purchased candy and novelties in bulk and resold them to us at cost.

A dark gray toolbox was both the store and the bank. Locked within its dark plastic walls were tubs of candy, an organizer with change, and printed off spreadsheets that itemized who had been paid what when.

We were supposed to be paid every Saturday, but we were far from consistent. Usually we’d beg Dad to open the store after several weeks and he’d open it up and pay out with quarters and dimes and pennies.

Most of the time, I promptly re-spent everything I’d earned on candy. Dum-Dum pops and Nuclear Warheads were three cents each–but the wrapped candy was never my favorite. What I really loved to get was Skittles or Runts or Boston Baked Beans, a bargain at 10 cents per 1/8 cup.

We’d bring out a cup and Dad would scoop our candy in, careful to fill each scoop exactly the same amount, lest any of us cry foul. Then we’d spend the next several hours wandering about with our cups of candy–going about our days as normal, but eating candy while we did it.

When I was in seventh grade and my sister was in eighth we asked for a raise. Actually, we wanted an allowance like the other kids we knew. My parents acquiesced and asked us to write up a budget of our needs and to submit a proposal for an allowance to them.

Anna and I carefully worked up our budget, considering the cost of makeup and movies and the occasional fast food splurge. We settled on $25 a month. 25% was for short term savings, 25% for long term savings, 10% for tithe, 5% for offerings, 35% for immediate expenses.

Mom and Dad accepted our proposal and, from then on out until we graduated high school, Anna and I received $12.50 direct deposited into our (interest bearing) checking accounts and $12.50 in cash.

Of course, we liberally supplemented our allowance all the way through with jobs done for friends and neighbors: babysitting, washing dishes, mowing lawns, cleaning houses. We actually ended up having plenty of money, considering that we really had very few expenses.

Wanna hear how other families handled money? Visit Linda and follow the links to hear some more money talk.

Categories Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: A day at a time

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Remember how I said today was going to be a long day? If I’d only known how long…

I probably would have just rolled over and died right there.

But I didn’t–and here I am at the end still alive.

Today I’m thankful…

…for a joyful encounter with an elderly resident who supposed me to be his sister–but who was unfortunately shocked when he got a closer look at me to discover that I was going to the office dressed like THIS (THIS being in a “man’s” suit–i.e. a pantsuit)

…for a relatively uninterrupted workday, something that I haven’t had yet since my hire–and have been desperately craving

…for trail mix and cold water, absolutely necessary to keep sane during an everlasting day of work

…for a painless shot and a direct-deposited check

…for lots of new admissions–even when they mean a busy day for me!

…for families that care, even when it makes my job as a dietitian difficult

…for a faithful God who grants grace for every day, one moment at a time

…for the wonderful advice a dear sister gave me yesterday–to take the next couple of months one day at a time

Thankful Thursday banner

Categories None

I Got Nothin’

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When someone doesn’t have anything to say (or has something to say but not the time to say it) do you prefer that they tell you via a blog post that they have nothing to say (or no time in which to say it), or would you prefer that they just remain silent?

Discuss.

(I should be back with a Thankful Thursday for later on today. But today is my long day and I’ll soon be leaving for a 12 hour work day.)

Categories Book Notes

The Heretic Hunter Strikes Again

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I’ve told you my book club is reading Leo Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God is Within You, right? I mentioned how interesting the conversation was likely to be given our group’s differing political viewpoints.

What I didn’t realize was how interesting the discussion would end up being due to our shared religious viewpoint.

And how Tolstoy is clearly a heretic.

We had hints that Tolstoy’s beliefs might be less than orthodox from the very beginning–but none of us would have guessed at the revelation that would be unfolded in chapter 3.

Tolstoy denies the inspiration of the Old Testament.

“The man who believes in the inspiration of the Old Testament and the sacred character of David, who commanded on his deathbed the murder of an old man who had cursed him…and similar atrocities of which the Old Testament is full, cannot believe in the holy love of Christ.”

Tolstoy denies the Nicene Creed.

“The Sermon on the Mount, or the Creed. One cannot believe in both….The churches are placed in a dilemma: the Sermon on the Mount or the Nicene Creed–the one excludes the other.”

He denies that the basic doctrines of Christianity have any utility for men nowadays.

“Truly, we need only imagine ourselves in the position of any grown-up man…who has picked up the ideas…of geology, physics, chemistry…when he…consciously compares them with the articles of belief instilled into him in childhood, and maintained by the churches–that God created the world in six days, and light before the sun; that Noah shut up all the animals in his ark, and so on; that Jesus is also God the Son, who created all before time was; that this God came down upon earth to atone for Adam’s sin; that he rose again, ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father, and will come in the clouds to judge the world, and so on. All these propositions, elaborated by men of the fourth century, had a certain meaning for men of that time, but for men of today they have no meaning whatever.“

Tolstoy consider the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith to be a profane doctrine.

“And what is most important of all–the man who believes in salvation through faith in the redemption or the sacraments cannot devote all his powers to realizing Christ’s moral teaching in his life. The man who has been instructed by the church in the profane doctrine that a man cannot be saved by his own powers, but that there is another means of salvation, will infallibly rely upon this means and not on his own powers, which, they assure him, it is sinful to trust in.”

In short, Tolstoy is a heretic.

One of those within our discussion posed the question, “Is Tolstoy even a Christian?” My answer was, “No. He’s not. He has denied every essential doctrine of the orthodox Christian faith. He is not a Christian. He’s a heretic.”

Am I too harsh? I think not.

Then comes the dilemma we faced last night. Should we continue to read the work of a clearly heretical man? Is it worth our time or glorifying to God that we read and discuss Tolstoy’s ideas on nonresistance to evil by force as articulated in the Sermon on the Mount, knowing that Tolstoy rejects the divinity of Christ and every other central tenet of the Christian faith?

What do you think? Would you keep reading?

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “Dreaming of Dior” by Charlotte Smith

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Clothes horse. Fashion plate. Trendy. Style watcher.

Words you won’t hear used to describe me.

I’m a classic dresser, a fairly formal sort, with just a touch of whimsy. Unlike many women, I don’t generally take pleasure in clothes shopping and couldn’t care less about the latest styles.

But vintage clothing is one of my weaknesses.

I have dozens of dresses culled from used stores that I proudly wear. A 1940s gown, which I rarely have occasion to wear, not being used to formal dinners. A 1950s housewife’s dress. A 1960s Jackie O sheath. A shirt dress from the fifties or sixties. A maxi (that doesn’t quite make maxi status on me and is therefore slated for conversion to a modest “mini”) from the sixties/seventies. I just adore vintage.

So when I read Bermuda Onion’s review of Dreaming of Dior, I knew I wanted to take a look. Thankfully, my library had a copy and I snatched it right up.

The book contains illustrations of the stunning gowns from Doris Darnell’s collection–along with anecdotes about the former owners of each outfit. The illustrations alone are worth looking at–but the stories only make it better.

The stories feature a jet-setting crowd, traveling the world, meeting foreign dignitaries, dropping names left and right. It’s a world completely foreign to me, but one that I enjoy reading about nonetheless.

Many of the anecdotes reminded me of a favorite memoir of mine–Letitia Baldridge’s A Lady, First. I love those stories of diplomacy and etiquette and dinners that require fancy dress. Dreaming of Dior is just the sort of book for a story-loving, vintage-clothes-obsessed dreamer like myself.

Rating: 4 stars
Category: Fashion History
Synopsis: Charlotte Smith displays the fabulous collection of vintage outfits she inherited from her godmother–and tells the stories that go along with the gowns.
Recommendation: Lovely illustrations of lovely gowns with entertaining anecdotes to go along. This was a beautiful little book.

Visit my books page for more reviews and notes.

Categories Reflections

Gratituitous Solidarity

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Last week was National Healthcare Foodservice Week, or as they called it at my facility, “Dietary Week.”

Our dietary services manager did a great job of organizing activities for her staff. She arranged games, a scavenger hunt, special snacks, and multiple prize giveaways for dietary staff.

And she had some t-shirts made up for the dietary staff to wear on “casual Friday.”

I was given one of these t-shirts and invited to wear it on Friday as well.

I’ll admit that the shirts were cute.

But that didn’t keep it from being a t-shirt.

I don’t wear t-shirts.

Ever.

Okay–I wear them to bed and to change my oil.

Definitely not to work.

What was I to do?

I’d been offered the t-shirt as a show of solidarity. Even though I am not really a part of the “dietary staff” per se, I was invited to celebrate as though I were.

So I took the t-shirt home and modified it, only confirming the gratuitous nature of my solidarity.

Modified t-shirt

Not that tapering the waist and redoing the sleeves and the neckline of the shirt was necessary to prove that I wasn’t quite the same as the others wearing the shirt. The skirt and hose I wore with it, and the white coat worn over top probably were sufficient to make that clear.

But the shirt became an object lesson of the nature of gratuitous solidarity. “See, I’m just like you. Look how hard I’ve tried to be just like you. We’re all in this together. Can’t you see how I’m in this together with you?”

The chasm widens as the attempts at solidarity grow.

Gratuitous, a half-hearted attempt to prove I’m one of the gang when all of us know I’m not.

I realize this end bit sounds rather melancholy and depressed–it’s not. I have no problem with my “station” at the facility as member of the clinical staff. I just realized as I was modding my t-shirt how false the idea of showing “solidarity” with a group that you don’t actually belong to can be–and decided it was worth blogging :-)

Categories Book Reviews

Book Review: “C.S. Lewis: The Chronicler of Narnia” by Mary Dodson Wade

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I consider juvenile nonfiction as my own personal version of Cliffs Notes (for those of you too young to remember the once ubiquitous yellow and black covered pamphlets, think a printed Spark Notes.) Whenever I want to get a general outline of a topic, a basic overview of an idea, or some interesting facts about something, I turn to the juvenile nonfiction section at my local library.

I was excited to see C.S. Lewis: The Chronicler of Narnia in the children’s nonfiction section when I was working on the Chronicles of Narnia reading challenge (all the way back in July!)

I generally enjoy biographies written for younger people because they tend to focus on the highlights rather than getting bogged down in the minutiae (as some adult biographies can.)

I discovered that Mary Dodson Wade’s biography did a good job at giving a classic overview of Lewis’s life. The author begins at the beginning with young Clive Staples renaming himself “Jacksie” and concludes with some of Lewis’ legacy. In a concise 83 pages, it offers an efficient, comprehensive biography.

My only peeve with the book is its title. With a subtitle like The Chronicler of Narnia, I would have expected the narrative to focus on events and ideas that specifically relate to the Chronicles of Narnia. It did no such thing.

Sure, the book opens with a quote from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader–but from there it gives no mention of Narnia until the second to last chapter (Chapter 13). While many other authors would discuss similarities and differences between Lewis’s childhood imaginary world Boxen and Narnia, Wade remains silent. While many other authors would muse on how Lewis’s love for myth or experience in the Great War or training in philosophy or comaraderie with the Inklings affected his writing of Narnia, this author does not. She does not mention Narnia until after she has told almost all of Lewis’ story and discussed all his other writings. Then and only then, she states “Lewis wrote seven fantasies for children” and begins to speak of the Chronicles.

This is where I find it hard to review this title. How can I assess such a book? It was well suited for the purpose for which I read it–that is, to give me a Cliff Notes on Lewis’s life so I wouldn’t have to work so hard while reading a more in-depth adult biography (I’m currently working on The Narnian by Alan Jacobs.) But as a biography in and of itself? It gets the job done. It tells the facts. But it has little artistry of form to recommend. Wade’s writing doesn’t pull me into Lewis’s world, it doesn’t fascinate me by establishing a meta-narrative in which to read his life, it doesn’t make any interpretations about who Lewis was. It’s just…the facts, nothing more.

Rating: 2 stars
Category: Children’s biography
Synopsis: Wade summarizes the major events in C.S. Lewis’ life, including his many writings.
Recommendation: The facts are there, the treatment pretty comprehensive–but this title lacks soul. If you want an encyclopedia entry-type coverage of Lewis, go ahead and read this. Otherwise, look elsewhere to learn who Lewis really was.

Visit my books page for more reviews and notes.

Categories Family & Friends

When Johnny comes marching…

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home again, “Hurrah, Hurrah!”

Or so the song goes.

Except our Johnny won’t be marching home again for quite a while.

Today, as this posts, my brother John is on his way to Omaha. From there, he will fly to San Diego, where he will be trained as a United States Marine.

John kissing Dad

He’s the first of our family to leave Nebraska. The first (of the immediate family) to join the military. The first to miss Christmas.

He’ll be gone for thirteen weeks at boot camp–and after that? No one knows.

It’ll be a big change for our family. Pray for us all, please.

And we will be praying for John.

Praying that he will grow in the strength and knowledge of Jesus Christ even as he’s trained in the strength and knowledge of the United States Marine Corps. Praying that he’ll fix his eyes on his Supreme Commander, Jesus Christ, and walk in step with HIM; even as he barks out “Yes, sir” to an earthly commander. Praying that even as he takes an oath of fealty to this country, to uphold its constitution, he will remain strong in a much higher oath–to do homage to the King above all kings, to faithfully serve Him, to die if necessary for His name and His glory.

And I pray that when Johnny comes marching home again, he’ll come marching not as a warrior of this world, but as a faithful warrior of Christ who can say

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
~2 Timothy 4:7-8

Categories The Week in Words

WiW: Self-deprecating humour

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The Week in Words

I haven’t read or retained a lot this week–but I guess I still have a couple of quotes to share. Some self-deprecating humour from here and there.

“When we’re not working, we’re driving the kids to non-stop activities to ensure that they become “well-rounded.” Let me tell you, I was a complete square as a kid, and I turned out fine.”
~Matthew Paul Turner, from a blog post that I don’t remember being particularly impressed with, except for that quote :-)

“[I have always sat in the pews among you while we worship] except for the first ten years when I sat up here in my big throne like a king over his minions.”
~John Piper, from a post of Pastor Piper’s witticisms (Say that ten times fast!)

Unfortunately, I can’t make fun of myself on demand, or I’d try to emulate these two. Self-deprecating humor is an art form–but one that I am utterly unskilled in. Maybe I should put it on my list of goals.

Collect more quotes from throughout the week with Barbara H’s meme “The Week in Words”.

Addendum: So I started getting all these unusual hits sent from (what appeared in my stat software to be) nowhere and was thinking “what on earth?” This morning (10/12), I discovered the problem that was sending visitors my way. A tweet from Matt Appling: “Reader linked to me on her blog, but only to say my post wasn’t great. But at least she confused me w/ @jesusneedsnewpr” The dangers of quickly scanning through my Diigo account looking for quotes on a Monday morning when I’ve got nothing.

So, to clear up the confusion, the first quote is NOT from Matthew Paul Turner but from Matt Appling of The Church of No People. And, just for the record, “don’t remember being particularly impressed with” is not the same as “not great”. It just means it wasn’t particularly memorable to me (either in a positive or negative way.) If that’s any consolation :-)

Sorry, Matt, and thanks for sending traffic my way despite my gaffe!