bekahcubed

Categories Reflections

Clothing Impressions

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I was looking at some photos from an independent Baptist youth camp and was struck with sudden terror.

“Is that what my clothing makes me look like?” I wondered.

I thought back to my mid-teenage years, when my clothing “style” was at its most “independent Baptist.” I’m sure I was quite a sight in the preppy high school I attended for a couple of classes. In sharp contrast to the jeans and barely there tops my classmates were sporting, I wore formless mid-calf-length skirts and equally formless t-shirts. Bleh!

A fellow hall-wanderer once approached me to ask a personal question. “I hope you’re not offended, but I was just wondering…What religion are you?”

I answered briefly, said that I was a Christian. She gave a hmm and mentioned something about the way I dressed. I don’t remember exactly what I said, except to say that the way I dressed had nothing to do with my religion.

Later that year, I saw that same girl walking through the halls wearing an Islamic head scarf–and I wondered if I’d missed my chance. Clearly, she had been searching for an identity–and thought she’d found it in Islam. But what if I’d better used that opening question and her comment about my clothing? What if I’d used that opening as an opportunity to share with her about an identity that goes far deeper than the clothes we wear–an identity that can only be found in Jesus Christ? I still regret not taking that opportunity–and whenever I think of it, I pray for that girl, wherever she is.

It’s amazing how powerfully clothing can influence people’s perceptions.

Looking at the independent Baptist pictures, I worried that my clothing might make people perceive me as such. I do, after all, have very long hair and more than my share of below-the-knee skirts.

See for yourself: Me at my independent Baptist best.

Me in long skirtMe in long skirtMe in long skirtMe in long skirt

Then again, I also wear shorter skirts:

Me in short skirtMe in short skirtMe in short skirtMe in short skirt

And sometimes I wear pants:

Me in pantsMe in pantsMe in pantsMe in pantsMe in pants

And then there are those times when I completely defy stereotypes:

Me in costumeMe in costumeMe in costumeMe in costume

So tell me–what do YOU think my clothing says about me? What about yourself–have you ever had someone comment on your clothing and the impressions they have of you based on your clothing?

Categories Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: A Sovereign God

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Last night, I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest with my sister-in-law. It reminded me how thankful I am that my life’s course is not determined by the capriciousness of my heart’s desires (or of others’ heart’s desires), but by the sovereign design of a loving God.

Today I’m thankful…

…that unlike Jack Sparrow’s compass, my compass does not change directions according to my heart’s whim.

…that I can always find true north in the cross of Christ: the finished work of God on my behalf.

… that “a man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

…that God “know[s] the thoughts that [He] think[s] toward me…thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give [me] a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

…that “My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26)

I am thankful that my story is not authorless, subject to the whims of fate.
I am thankful that my story is not authored by man, subject to his favor or displeasure.
I am thankful that my story is not authored by myself, subject to my heart’s wild gyrations.
I am thankful that my story is authored by God, subject to His eternal, unchangeable, holy, and good will.

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Categories Book Notes, Theology

Unsatisfactory Satisfaction (Part 3)

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Notes on John Stott’s
The Cross of Christ
Chapter 5: Satisfaction for Sin

Check out the first and second parts of this chapter if you haven’t already.

At the end of part 2, I issued the question:

What is satisfied at the cross if not the devil?
What is satisfied at the cross if not the law?
What is satisfied at the cross if not God’s honor and justice?

The answer is almost painfully simple.

4. The cross satisfied God Himself.

Yes, the cross satisfied the law–but only because the law is an expression of God Himself. Yes, the cross satisfied God’s honor and justice–but only because those are attributes of God Himself. Those statements can only be true inasmuch as we recognize that what must be satisfied is God’s own character.

God is not bound by some external being or concept, whether by satan or by law or by justice. He is bound to one thing and one thing only–He is bound to ever be Himself. God must always act as Himself, in a way that is consistent with His own unchanging nature.

God judges sin, not because He is bound by the law, but because it is His nature to be holy and absolutely intolerant of sin. He acts for His name’s sake, for His own sake.

Stott summarizes his thesis in these words:

“…The way God chooses to forgive sinners and reconcile them to himself must, first and foremost, be fully consistent with his own character. It is not only that he must overthrow and disarm the devil in order to rescue his captives. It is not even only that he must satisfy his law, his honour, his justice, or the moral order: it is that he must satisfy himself. Those other formulations rightly insist that at least one expression of himself must be satisfied, either his law or honour or justice or moral order; the merit of this further formulation is that it insists on the satisfaction of God himself in every aspect of his being, including both his justice and his love.
~John Stott, The Cross of Christ

Too often, we think of God’s justice and His love as being two opposing forces held in tension. Yet this is not so:

“For God is not at odds with himself, however much it may appear to us that he is….True, we find it difficult to hold in our minds simultaneously the images of God as the Judge who must punish evil-doers and of the Lover who must find a way to forgive them. Yet he is both, and at the same time. In the words of G.C. Berkouwer, ‘in the cross of Christ God’s justice and love are simultaneously revealed,’ while Calvin, echoing Augustine, was even bolder. He wrote of God that ‘in a marvelous and divine way he loved us even when he hated us.’ Indeed, the two are more than simultaneous, they are identical, or at least alternative expressions of the same reality. For ‘the wrath of God is the love of God‘ Brunner wrote in a daring sentence, ‘in the form in which the man who has turned away from God and turned against God experiences it.'”
~John Stott, The Cross of Christ

(See more notes on The Cross of Christ here.)

Categories Memes

I’m going to lose all my followers…

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if I don’t give you something a bit lighter than all this theological fare (Sorry, I’m currently living a boring life. Thesis, thesis, and more thesis with the occasional craft project or backed up sink thrown in.)

Thankfully, whenever I see a nice little meme that someone else has done, I’ll copy it and keep it in reserve for one of those days when I really don’t have much to say (but haven’t the discipline to just ignore the lure of the gray and white WordPress screen!)

This meme, held in reserve for a week and a half, is brought to you by Joanne of The Simple Wife.

What color are your socks right now?
I’m not wearing socks. It’s summer and I’m not working. Instead of my work-day loafers or pumps, I’m wearing slip-ons without socks.

What are you listening to right now?
The ceiling fan and my computer humming.

What was the last thing you ate?
Grapes and a bing cherry.

Can you drive a stick?
Nope. Never learned.

Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My landlady’s machine :-)

How old are you today?
25

What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
I don’t do tv. Or sports. But when I have access to a tv, I enjoy watching figure skating (if that can be considered a sport). And watching a Nebraska football game with a whole crew of family and friends at my folks’ house is always nice.

What is your favorite drink?
Water

Have you ever dyed your hair?
Once, in order to be “Posh Spice” for a costume party. I dyed it a darker version of itself.

Rebekah with dyed hair

Favorite food?
Oh my. Too many to count. My mom’s Swedish meatballs. Lasagna. Spaghetti with Mom’s sauce. Cornbread and Chip-beef gravy. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Anna’s BBQ pizza. Green beans fresh from the garden. Sweet potatoes, baked with nothing on them. Homegrown tomatoes, sliced and eaten plain. I love food in general–and all of it in particular :-)

What is the last movie you watched?
Good question. Whatever it was, I didn’t so much WATCH it as I crocheted through it. (It was on Saturday the third. We pretty much had a marathon of movie watching. I can’t remember what any of the 3? movies we watched were. But I got a washcloth crocheted and half of a tea towel embroidered!)

Favorite day of the year?
Christmas

How do you vent anger?
Dunno. It’s been a while since I got to the “need-a-vent” point with anger. (Knock on wood :-P) I find it much easier to experience provocation, pray, and let God release the anger.

What was your favorite toy as a child?
My little siblings. Books. My bicycle.

Favorite Season?
Spring, when the green grass pokes through the winter-moistened earth with stunning contrast. And when I can put my bare feet in said earth as I plant a vegetable garden.

Cherries or Blueberries?
Cherries if it’s in homemade (Mom-made) cherry pie using cherries from her tree.
Blueberries if I’m not footing the bill.
Bing cherries when I’m feeling like luxury.

Living situation?
Rent a townhouse. Have a roommate. Am hoping the landlord’s jimmying managed to get the kitchen sink draining properly.

When was the last time you cried?
Yesterday.

What is on the floor of your closet right now?
A crate of professional paperwork.
A shelf of shoes. A laundry basket.
Same as always.

What are you most afraid of?
Being hung by my belly-button :-P
And other things I can’t mention so glibly. My brothers dying. That I’ll mope and pout my way through God’s plan instead of trusting and enjoying His provision. That I’ll squander my life on the temporal instead of investing in the eternal.

Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Not a big burger fan, but I guess I like many things spicy.

Favorite dog breed?
Big. And outdoor, if at all possible.

Favorite day of the week?
Do people really have favorite days of the week?

How many states have you lived in?
One.

Diamonds or pearls?
I’d love for that to be my dilemma, but I don’t have high hopes of it being so anytime soon (or anytime ever, for that matter.)

What is your favorite flower?
Well, ranunculus is my favorite flower NAME
And TULIPs are John Calvin approved :-)
I can’t really say. I like flowers, period, but don’t have a favorite.

Did you get an H1N1 vaccine?
Nope. I was poor and busy. But I do try to get the seasonal flu vaccine every year. Flu is nasty stuff, and since I have been known to work in institutions (hospitals and residence halls) and among immuno-compromised individuals (hospitals and nursing homes), I don’t like to risk it.

Please play along with one or all of the questions in the comments. I’d love to learn more about you!

Categories Book Notes, Theology

Unsatisfactory Satisfaction (Part 2)

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Notes on John Stott’s
The Cross of Christ
Chapter 5: Satisfaction for Sin

If you haven’t read the first part yet, I recommend that you take a look. This post is a direct continuation of the previous.

2. The cross satisfied the law

This view is also suggested in the Witch’s conversation with Aslan:

“‘Fool,’ said the Witch with a savage smile that was almost a snarl, ‘do you really think your master can rob me of my rights by mere force? He knows the Deep Magic better than that. He knows that unless I have blood as the Law says all Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water.'”
~C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

Sin is violation of the law–and to fail to punish it would be to fail to satisfy the law. Stott gives a human example of this in the law that had Daniel thrown into the lion’s den. Even though King Darius really didn’t want to throw Daniel into the den, he had no choice but to do it. Even he was not above the law he had created.

This view has some utility and some Scriptural support. The Bible makes clear that the wages of sin are death. That price had to be paid. Sin has a curse associated with it. Jesus bore that curse.

Yet this view fails in that it subjects God to the law, as though God were “caught in a technical legal muddle.” Stott quotes R.W. Dale in saying that “God’s connection with the law is ‘not a relation of subjection but of identity….In God the law is alive; it reigns on his throe, sways his sceptre, is crowned with his glory.’ For the law is the expression of his own moral being, and his moral being is always self-consistent.”

3. The cross satisfied God’s honour and justice.

This view is likely to hold great appeal to Piper fans. It suggests that our sin is a dishonoring of God’s name, taking away the honor that is due Him, and that “God upholds nothing more justly than he doth the honour of his own dignity.”

Quoting Anselm (an early proponent of this view):

“Man the sinner owes to God, on account of sin, what he cannot repay, and unless he repays it he cannot be saved….There is no one who can make this satisfaction except God himself…But no one ought to make it except man; otherwise man does not make satisfaction….It is necessary that one who is God-man should make it.”
~from The Cross of Christ

C.S. Lewis takes a similar tack to explain the necessity of the Incarnation in Mere Christianity.

The reformers took on this view and the former, claiming that Christ’s death provided a double satisfaction: of God’s law and of God’s justice.

Again, this view has utility and Biblical support–but it has the same flaw as the second view. It suggests that somehow God is subservient to justice.

While the first view (discussed yesterday) was mostly wrong, these two views are mostly right. Yet none of the models that have been mentioned so far are satisfactory to Stott (or to me as Stott leads me along.) They’re missing something, some vital element.

What is satisfied at the cross if not the devil?
What is satisfied at the cross if not the law?
What is satisfied at the cross if not God’s honor and justice?

I’m getting long again, so this chapter will spill into another day. I promise you, though–only ONE more day! :-)

(See more notes on The Cross of Christ here.)

Categories Book Notes, Theology

Unsatisfactory satisfaction (Part 1)

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Notes on John Stott’s
The Cross of Christ
Chapter 5: Satisfaction for Sin

Satisfaction is a frankly theological term–and one it is hard to come to grips with. Stott writes:

“How, people ask, can we possibly believe that God needed some kind of ‘satisfaction’ before he was prepared to forgive, and that Jesus Christ provided it by enduring as our ‘substitute’ the punishment we sinners deserved? Are not such notions unworthy of the God of the biblical revelation, a hangover from primitive superstitions, indeed frankly immoral?”
~John Stott, The Cross of Christ

Merriam-Webster’s entry for satisfaction gives me little satisfaction.

Satisfaction
1 a : the payment through penance of the temporal punishment incurred by a sin b : reparation for sin that meets the demands of divine justice
2 a : fulfillment of a need or want b : the quality or state of being satisfied : contentment c : a source or means of enjoyment : gratification
3 a : compensation for a loss or injury : atonement, restitution b : the discharge of a legal obligation or claim c : vindication
4 : convinced assurance or certainty

Okay, so it mentions a theological meaning–but still, this seems difficult. Who’s doing the satisfying? Who or what is being satisfied? This definition doesn’t really cut it.

Stott describes four historical and contemporary views on satisfaction.

1. The cross satisfied the devil’s demands

This view suggests that humans, having sold themselves into slavery to the devil, are satan’s property, and can only be ransomed (bought back) if the devil’s conditions are met. I find a bit of this view in C.S. Lewis’ description of Aslan’s conversation with the White Witch regarding Edmund:

“‘Tell you?’ said the Witch, her voice growing suddenly shriller. ‘…You at least know the Magic which the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning. You know that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and the for every treachery I have a right to a kill.’

‘And so,’ continued the witch, ‘that human creature is mine. His life is forfeit to me. His blood is my property.’

‘Come and take it then,’ said the Bull with the man’s head in a great bellowing voice.

‘Fool,’ said the Witch with a savage smile that was almost a snarl, ‘do you really think your master can rob me of my rights by mere force? He knows the Deep Magic better than that. He knows that unless I have blood as the Law says all Narnia will be overturned and perish in fire and water.’

‘It is very true,’ said Aslan, ‘I do not deny it.'”
~C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Here the Witch (the devil) stakes her claim on the lives of all traitors (sinners). Aslan (God) does not deny it. Instead, he dies in the traitor’s place to satisfy the witch’s demand for blood while satisfying his own love for Edmund the traitor.

There is certainly appeal to this view. It lets the devil be the “bad guy”, the one responsible for the particularly grotesque display that is the cross.

Yet there is a profound problem with this view as well. It gives the devil too much power. It gives him power over even God Himself. It makes God subject to satan’s demands.

No, the satisfaction obtained at the cross was not a satisfaction of the devil’s demands.

Since I’m getting a bit long-winded here and still have three more views to discuss, I’ll be stretching this chapter into a couple of posts. Check back tomorrow for the rest.

(See more notes on The Cross of Christ here.)

Categories Faith, Politics, The Week in Words

WiW: Patriotism and the Christian

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The Week in Words

I’ve been reading and discussing Greg Boyd’s The Myth of a Christian Nation with a book group here in town. The reading–and the discussion–has been intellectually and spiritually stimulating. Some of my assumptions have been confirmed–but far more have been challenged, forcing me to think through how being “in but not of” the world informs a Christian’s political involvement.

Boyd on the calling of the church to be “set apart”

“We utterly trivialize this profound biblical teaching if we associate our peculiar holiness with a pet list of religious taboos…No, the holiness the New Testament is concerned with is centered on being Christlike, living in outrageous, self-sacrificial love. If you make this your life aspiration, you will certainly be peculiar–about as peculiar as a Messiah dying on a cursed tree! You will be a ‘resident alien.'”

Although I might disagree with Boyd over how involved a Christian can be in politics, I sincerely appreciate Boyd’s emphasis that the kingdom of God is not about promoting a certain political or social agenda but about being Christ-like (the culmination of course, of Christ-likeness being exemplified in the cross.)

Boyd on Patriotism, at Relevant Magazine via Becky S. on Facebook

“So over the Fourth of July weekend—and all year—be appreciative of your country. Be patriotic. But make sure your patriotism pales in comparison to your sacrifice, commitment and allegiance to the Kingdom of God.”

I was glad I saw this article linked by a friend on Facebook. From where I’m at in The Myth of a Christian Nation (Chapter 4), Boyd appears to be bashing any “proud to be an American” sentiment. I’ve been relatively cautious about making conclusions based on just these few chapters, but I’m glad to have this notice that Boyd doesn’t have a problem with patriotism in general, just overemphasis on patriotism at the expense of the Kingdom of God. :-)

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

Categories Family & Friends

The Infamous “Talk”

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I was 20 years old before I got “the talk”.

When I was going through puberty, my parents were still finishing up going through newborns–and somehow “the talk” escaped them.

They decided to do better for my brothers, so they purchased Barbara and Dennis Rainey’s Passport 2 Purity weekend retreat kit and Dad started preparing for a guys weekend retreat.

They rented a cabin at one of our state parks and purchased massive amounts of meat and “bellywash” (soda). And they headed off for a weekend of manly pursuits (fire building, mountain biking, and copious amounts of meat.)

And, of course, they had “the talk”.

Joshua and Daniel got theirs. John and Timothy got theirs.

Then Mom started talking of preparing for Grace’s weekend retreat and Anna and I got jealous.

It wasn’t fair, we said. We’d never gotten “the talk”. We’d never enjoyed a weekend retreat with our mother, doing girlie things. We’d never listened to the Rainey audio-cassette tapes that my brothers rolled their eyes and shook their heads at.

So at last, when I was 20 years old, my parents decided to backtrack. They’d do the right thing by their eldest daughters. They’d give us “the talk.” Better late than never, right?

We got a hotel room at a hotel with a pool. We ate Macaroni Grill for dinner. We explored craft boutiques during the day and had lunch at The Green Gateau, a fancy little Lincoln restaurant. And when we weren’t doing other things, we listened to the Raineys talk about purity.

Not surprisingly, “the talk” was geared towards a younger audience. The content was good, but nothing we hadn’t managed to discuss already in much less formal conversations. The official “birds and the bees” segment passed so quickly that we had to stop and comment to each other. “Was that it? Was that all they were going to say about the mechanics?” Apparently so.

Yes, “the talk” was a bit belated–and therefore rather comical.

But we came away from our weekend talk having joined the fraternity of Passport 2 Purity graduates, proudly bearing our badge of membership: a musical rendition of Colossians 1:18.

Now all the Menter children can proudly sing:

“He is also head of the body, the church. And He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself may come to have first place in everything…” YE-AH-AH

And sing it we do, whether needling one another with a “private” reminder of the weekends we shared or enjoying a moment of family togetherness around the Fourth of July dinner table.

Ah, fond memories of “the talk”.

Categories Technology

In which Rebekah rolls out a new layout…

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and stays up way too late.

Introducing bekahcubed version 10.

This is my first design adjustment since I switched to using WordPress and reformatted all my static pages to use php for ease of reformatting.

I have to say that I’m LOVING how easy php makes the design process (and how my design skills might actually be reaching passable levels.)

It took me somewhere between 12 and 48 hours to create each template for my first half-dozen or so designs. Thanks to finally reaching some level of proficiency with CSS and HTML, it took me about four hours to create and troubleshoot this design.

Pre-PHP, it took me at least an hour a day for several months to completely switch over my site to a new design. Today, thanks to PHP, it took me three minutes.

Yep, I’m definitely liking the PHP.

Now, had I just started the process a bit earlier, I might be in good shape. As it is, I had REALLY better get to bed. I’ve got nursery duty at church and I best not be late!

Please let me know what you think of the new layout–and give me suggestions for how I might make bekahcubed even more user-friendly. I’d also appreciate your letting me know if you find any bugs. I vetted the site fairly thoroughly in Firefox, cursorily in IE, and not at all in Safari. So I covet your feedback!

Categories Recap

Recap (June 27-July 3)

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On bekahcubed

Book Reviews:

  • Stardust by Neil Gaiman

    “I loved the movie Stardust when I saw it several years back–and when I discovered that it was based on a book, I rapidly added the book to my “To be read” list. I checked the library and discovered that they owned a copy, so every time I went to the library, I’d faithfully check for books by Neil Gaiman in the YA fiction section. After six months or so of checking during my almost weekly library visits, I had not once seen a copy of the elusive title.”

    Read the rest of my review.

On the web

Books for the TBR list:

  • The Checklist Manifesto by Atule Gawande
    I am a checklist girl. I have lists for my morning routines, for my evening routines, for my daily tasks, for the tasks that deviate from my daily routines. I have lists for packing, for traveling, for reading, for last-minute-wedding-details (imagine that!) Lisa’s review suggests that this title is all about checklists and their power to transform how we do things. It sounds like more of a sociological-type book than a “how-to” book (But since I’m a fan of either, I wouldn’t mind if it turned out either way.) Thankfully, my library has a copy, so I’ll be looking this one up.
  • Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe by Mark Driscoll
    According to Tim Challies, “this is not abstract theology, but theology in motion, theology in practice.” I enjoy reading theology and doctrine–and my resolution this year has been to exercise my mind towards the things of God. It sounds like this might be a good introduction to basic (baptistic) reformed theology (although certainly with Driscoll’s unique voice.)

Videos worth seeing:

  • A fantastic commentary and animation on how time perspectives affect nations.

    HT: Challies.com