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Categories Memes

Family Feud

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My family doesn’t feud. We prefer fun and food.

But as I’m incredibly busy preparing for this upcoming family wedding–I’m gonna play along with a little meme found on Facebook (via Gracebug, of course.)

Feel free to play along–in the comments or otherwise!

1. Name something you use in the shower .
shower gel

2. Name something a football player wears as his uniform.
pants

3. Name something people hate to find on their windshield.
bird poop

4. Name something a man might buy before a date.
antiperspirant

5. What’s another word for blemish
error

6. Something you ‘d cook in the microwave
nachos

7. Name a piece of furniture people need help moving
refrigerator

8. Name a reason a younger man might like an older woman.
wisdom?

9. Name something a dog does that embarrasses its owner.
humps a couch

10. Name a kind of test you can not study for .
SAT (He, he, he!)

11. Name something a boy scout gets a badge for
Cooking (!)

12. Name a phrase with the word ‘Home’ in it
Home sweet home

13. Name a sport where players lose teeth
Rugby

14. Name something a teacher can do to ruin a student’s day
give them an F

15. What is a way you can tell someone has been crying
red eyes

16. Name something found under a car
oil spill (that’s not cheating if Grace said oil, is it?)

17. Name a bird you wouldn’t want to eat
buzzard vulture

18. Name something that gets folded
paper airplanes

19. Name something that gets smaller the more you use it
bar of soap

20. Name something you might do first thing in the morning
eat breakfast :-)

Categories Faith

Fruits Worthy of Repentance

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When the people of Israel come out to John to be baptized (Luke 3:7-14), he rebukes them sharply:

“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance…Therefore, every tree which does not bear good fruit and thrown into the fire.”

It’s obvious that John is not pleased with whatever the people had been doing–but his command is a bit…vague. What are “fruits worthy of repentance”?

The people, understandably, want some more specifics:

“What shall we do then?”

John’s answers came as a bit of a surprise, to me, at least.

If I were forced to name some “fruits worthy of repentance”, I don’t know what I’d come up with.

I can guess at what the most popular responses might be if I queried members of my church.

Religious acts: Going to church. Reading the Bible. Praying. Tithing.
Avoiding “worldliness”: Not cussing. Not drinking. Not watching R-rated movies.
Intangibles: Being at peace. Being joyful. Loving people.

There’s nothing wrong with these things. There is certainly Biblical support for doing the items on the first list. There’s some Biblical support for not doing the things on the second list. And the third list includes items that are described in Scripture as “fruit of the Spirit.”

But what does John think of when he thinks of “fruits worthy of repentance”? What does he have to say to the questioning masses?

To the general public, he says:

“He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food let him do likewise.”

To the tax collectors, who used extortion to pad their own coffers, he commanded:

“Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”

To the soldiers, who used their positions to bully and cheat, he directed:

“Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

John’s “fruits worthy of repentance” look oddly…societal.

Could it be that the proper display of the “fruits of repentance” is not simply found in internal, private acts?

John seems to suggest that the fruits worthy of repentance are what we might call “social justice.”

It’s clothing the beggar, feeding the homeless, not exercising our personal privilege at others’ expense. It’s not defaming others, not exacting personal grudges.

Ephesians 4 (v. 25-32) supports this view that repentance results in changed actions and attitudes towards our fellow man.

“Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor’ for we are all members of one another. ‘Be angry and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place for the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearer…And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

What do fruits worthy of repentance look like in my life? What do they look like in yours?

It means being silent when someone misuses me. It means speaking only what brings life to the hearer. It means working diligently and giving freely.

It means putting off my SELF-love and demonstrating love for OTHERS.

Categories Books, The Week in Words

WiW: On Reading

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The Week in Words

C.J. Mahaney, on forgetting what we read

Read, but not to remember everything. Read because that 1% that you remember has to potential to change your life.

HT: Tim Challies

Some people, like my father, are capable of remembering the details of everything they’ve ever learned (although my dad is more an auditory than a written-word sort of learner). I am not one of those people. I am modestly well-read–but you wouldn’t necessarily know it to talk to me. I have a tendency to forget the gross majority of what I’ve read, leaving me with an actual knowledge base that sometimes feels only slightly higher than that of a elementary student.

This article gave me some hope that maybe I don’t HAVE to remember everything I read, that the thousands of books I’ve read and forgotten still aren’t wasted.

Doug Wilson, on how reading shapes us

Go for total tonnage, and read like someone who will forget most of it. You have my permission to forget most of it, which may or may not be reassuring, but you will forget most of it in either case. Most of what is shaping you in the course of your reading, you will not be able to remember…At the same time, mark everything striking that you read — you won’t remember everything you read, and you won’t even remember everything you mark. Nevertheless, it is not a sin to remember some things, or to mark them in a way to be able to find them again.

Another hope-inspiring message along the same lines as the first. It’s okay to forget. What I’ve read will mark my life, even if it does not enter my consciousness. On the other hand, it is worthwhile to keep a record–to make it easy to find what you’ve read.

Enter my book reviews and notes. A little secret about me. I don’t write book reviews and book notes for your benefit–I write them for mine. I find that I better remember what I’ve read if I write about it–if I engage with the material on paper. So that’s what I do. I share some of those notes with you via bekahcubed–and others I “blog” about but never post publicly. For instance, I’m currently reading Are Miraculous Gifts for Today?: Four Views. I got the book on Interlibrary Loan, so I can’t write in the book, but I want to interact with it as much as possible. At the same time, I don’t feel that the internet is the best forum for discussing those theological issues that have a tendency to cause breaks in fellowship. So I’m writing my notes as normal–I’m just not posting them.

Read some quotes other bloggers have collected with Barbara H’s meme “The Week in Words”.

Categories Family & Friends

Dance Party

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My family is rather fond of MGM’s classic musical “7 Brides for 7 Brothers”–and some of our favorite parts are the dances.

Unfortunately, we are all about as couth as the Pontipee brothers were when it comes to dancing (at least of the couples variety.)

Well, with a wedding coming up in less than a week, this big sister decided that something needed to be done. Our boys would be able to dance at this wedding. Maybe they won’t be perfect, but they’ll at least be able to give it a go on the dance floor.

So, like Millie, I gathered together a group for a little living room dance action.

Joanna (my soon-to-be-outlaw) got some instructional videos from the library she works at. I arranged to have enough girls to be partners to all my strapping brothers (4 plus a soon-to-be-outlaw plus an almost family member made six). We cleared all the furniture out of my parents’ family room and scooted the sofas aside in the adjacent living room (with windows that look into the family room.) We put the instructional video in and got to dancing.

Joanna and John dancingDebbie and Daniel dancing
Lynette and John dancingRebekah and John dancing
Mom and John dancing

While I only have pictures of a few dancers, we ended up having seven couples (including my mom and dad) dancing along. We got some basic ballroom dancing down (waltzish stuff) so that those of us who won’t have romantic partners present can have something to do during those slow songs when the couples are clutching and holding (Gag!) And, of course, we took some breaks for hilarious renditions of the hokey-pokey, a can-can kick line, and the electric slide.

All in all, it was a great time.

Bummer we had to wait ’til so late to discover our family’s innate love of dancing! :-)

Categories Recap

Recap (June 6-12)

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On bekahcubed

Book Reviews:

  • The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller

    “This is a teensy book–but it packs a big punch. In it, Tim Keller explicates the parable of the Prodigal Son from a completely different perspective than most of us are used to hearing.

    While we generally hear the story told from the perspective of the lost younger brother who is welcomed back into the family without any expectation of compensation, Keller urges us to look a bit deeper and see the reality of TWO lost sons–a younger lost to his father by his profligacy and an older lost to his father by his self-righteousness.”

Recipes:

  • Innocent Passion Drink
    I served this at Debbie’s bachelorette party–to rave reviews. It’s definitely worth trying.

On the web

It’s a short week for the Recap as I’ve been busy thinking of other things this week. Sorry–sometimes I need to be preoccupied with something other than the internet :-) (Imagine that!)

Books for the TBR list:

  • Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart
    I’m a sucker for memoir, for “the olden days”, and for slightly glamorous encounters. This memoir of a woman who worked as a page for Tiffany’s in the 1940s sounds just up my alley.

Videos worth seeing:

  • I really, really, REALLY, REALLY want to go to this conference. I’m a big Piper fan and one of my big pushes this year has been exercising my mind towards the things of God. This sounds…amazing.

    HT: Vitamin Z
Categories Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: Family

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Today I’m thankful…

…for the sister-in-law my brother will bring into the family in just over a week (I enjoyed going out with her to the reception place last night to figure out our decorating plan!)

…for the outlaws the self-same event will bring into the family (It’s been fun making candles with John and Joanna…and Kayla and Nellie and Tim)

…for the sisters who are currently enjoying themselves together far away from me :-( (In truth, I’m glad Anna and Grace are having a chance to hang out together for this week or so between school getting out and the wedding.)

…for the brothers who let me set the pace on my bicycle, who offer me a “complimentary” water cup at McDonalds, who tell me their ridiculously misogynist stories about falling in Love, and who give me rides in their cars.

…for the Mama who lets me quote my memory verses to her as she irons the hem on a dress, who hears my blather and prays for me.

…for the Papa who puts up with my incessant linking and comments back on this issue or the other.

…for the God who has adopted me into His family, making me a child of God and joint heir with Christ (Rom 8:14-17)… and who has given me this family, bonded by blood and faith.

I am blessed beyond measure.

Thankful Thursday banner

Categories Memes

Gracie’s Little Quiz

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My sister did this little meme on Facebook–and I decided to save it for one of those uninspired blogging days.

That would be days like…

today.

SIX NAMES YOU GO BY:

1. Rebekah
2. Bekah
3. Bekah-Bekah-Bekah
4. bekahcubed (imagine that!)
5. Becky-Jo or Becky-Jane (only my dad can call me that)
6. Miss Bekah
Unimaginative, I know. What can I say?

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:

1. Long strand of black beads
2. Pink knit shirt
3. Black print skirt

Me in today's outfit

THREE THINGS YOU WANT VERY BADLY AT THE MOMENT

Erm…I’ll keep those between me and God.
So far as the necessities–I just ate. I have a wonderful home, more clothes than I know what to do with, great friends, a fantastic family… God has supplied beyond just sufficiency.

TWO THINGS YOU DID LAST NIGHT?

1. Mocked up part of my new swimsuit pattern
2. Talked with my roommate :-)

TWO THINGS YOU DISLIKE TODAY :

1. A kitchen drain that drains VERY slowly
2. That I don’t know who the shirts sitting on my dresser belong to (Grace? Joanna? anyone?)

TWO PEOPLE YOU LAST TALKED TO ON THE PHONE:

1. My dad
2. Grace

THREE THINGS YOU ARE GOING TO DO TOMORROW :

1. Work on thesis
2. Return some books to the library
3. Finish up the candles some of the youth group kids and I started yesterday

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE DRINKS:

1. Water
2. Good Earth Original Sweet and Spicy Tea and Herb Blend
3. Hot Cocoa made with skim milk and Nesquick (my only brand loyalty)

Categories Books, Everyday Life

Impromptu Pleasures

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Several weeks ago, a general announcement of an upcoming book club showed up on my Facebook news feed. I read through the announcement, and while I was not a particular invitee, the book looked interesting and the announcement stated that anyone was welcome–so I clicked the “maybe attending” button.

I nearly forgot all about it in the intervening weeks, what with preparing for Tim’s graduation and Debbie’s bachelorette party, and working on my thesis and the like.

But on Sunday night, the book club made its way onto my “coming events” sidebar and I realized I had to make a decision. I read through the announcement again and decided that yes, I really did want to attend this book club.

Problem was, it was much too late to try to purchase the book online.

So I searched around all of Lincoln’s stores, trying to find the book. The next morning, I searched again. No luck. None of Lincoln’s booksellers had a copy of Gregory Boyd’s The Myth of a Christian Nation.

When I searched at Barnes and Noble, however, I discovered that there was a copy at one of the Omaha stores.

And thus began my wild hare.

“Rebekah Menter is contemplating driving to Omaha today to pick up a book. Am I crazy?” my Facebook status read.

A friend directed me to a discussion of Evangelical politics featuring three panelists, including Greg Boyd.

I watched a few clips of the event and decided that I was DEFINITELY interested in reading this book.

My next Facebook status? “Rebekah Menter is taking a spur-of-the-moment trip to Omaha. (What I will do for a book…)”

My trip was uneventful, quiet, nice. I got the book and returned home.

What turned this into an impromptu pleasure was that, having spent an extra couple of hours of my day tracking down the book, I HAD to go to the book discussion.

And so I did.

I didn’t know anyone who was going to be there (at least I didn’t think I knew anyone)–so I wasn’t really sure how I was going to find the group in the midst of one of Lincoln’s busiest coffee shops. Thankfully, someone had the book out, so I was able to introduce myself.

“I don’t know anyone here,” I said, “but I’m here for the book club.”

At which the fellow facing away from me looked up and gave a “What are you talking about?” expression.

I guess I was wrong. I did know someone.

“Sorry, Jake. I didn’t realize you were here.”

It turned out to be a wonderful night. I enjoyed meeting new people, getting bit of an intro to the book. But most of all, I enjoyed the passionate discussion that I found myself embroiled in after the “formal” book club portion ended.

It’s been so long since I had a real, honest-to-goodness, face-to-face passionate discussion about the issues of our day. It was refreshing, energizing, invigorating (let’s see how many more synonyms I can come up with :-P).

Needless to say, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I’m so glad I made that impromptu decision to lock myself into going.

Categories The Week in Words

WiW: Marriage, Modesty, Memories…a mish-mash

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The Week in Words

Kevin DeYoung, speaking of the notion of “churchless Christianity”:

“It’s immaturity actually, like the newly engaged couple who think romance preserves the marriage, when the couple celebrating their golden anniversary know it’s the institution of marriage that preserves the romance.”

From the same article:

“Until we are content with being one of the million nameless, faceless church members and not the next globe-trotting rock star, we aren’t ready to be a part of the church.”

Stuart Schneiderman on modesty:

“Intimacy is not very intimate, it’s not even yours, when you offer it to everyone.”

and…

“I hate to use the word, but micro-minis seem to disempower women while maxi skirts seem to produce heightened self-respect. As the Times suggests, they seem to give women back their swagger.”

I can certainly attest to that. It seems that women have an innate desire for modesty–and when they wear clothing that flaunts it, they are supremely uncomfortable. At least among my students, the girls who are dressed in what I consider a completely inappropriate manner are just as prone (and more likely, in fact) to be self-conscious of the amount they’re exposing. These girls contort their bodies, fruitlessly attempting to not give the whole world a view up their skirt as they pick up a dropped pencil; they yank and pull at the backs of their shirts, trying not to show their backs and butt-cracks in the short tees and uber-low-rise pants. The modestly dressed girls, on the other hand, have a confidence that lets them do whatever they want. They’re not afraid of exposure–they know that they’re covered.

Billy Sunday, from Tim Challies:

“I’m against sin. I’ll kick it as long as I’ve got a foot, and I’ll fight it as long as I’ve got a fist. I’ll butt it as long as I’ve got a head. I’ll bite it as long as I’ve got a tooth. And when I’m old and fistless and footless and tootheless, I’ll gum it till I go home to Glory and it goes home to perdition!”

Oh to be so gloriously…unrefined…about the fight against sin. Too often, I think I choose a more “debonair” approach–I’ll reason with sin, maybe even argue against it–but rarely do I fight sin with the intensity of a street-fight.

Tim Challies on longing for the immediate (without a mediator):

“We rejoice that God has accepted the mediation of his Son. We rejoice that we can approach the throne of God. But still we realize that there is a mediator. To speak to the Father, we speak through the Son. To hear from the Father, we rely on the Spirit. Still we need someone to stand between. Still we long for the im-mediate. We long to see God as he is. We long to approach him directly. We long to have the relationship fully and finally restored. We look in that dim mirror, always wishing we might see face-to-face.”

Oh, how I long for that day when I shall know fully even as I am fully known, when the mirror that illuminates but still obscures is taken away and I have opportunity to see Him face to face (I Cor 13:12). And the Spirit and the bride cry, “Come!”… Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Rev 22:17, 20)

From Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest:

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”

I’ll admit that I didn’t just “come across” this quote in my reading. Instead, I’ve been thinking of it as I come to the end of a journal I’ve been using for about 5 months. I deliberately looked up the quote in order to include it here. But it does reflect where I’m at. Unlike Cecily Cardew, I don’t fabricate incidents for my journals, but sometimes I still manage to look back in amazement at the “sensational” stories they tell. This last five months has certainly been an adventure–trying, testing, trusting–but I must say I’ve had little time to read it as I’ve had few boring train trips. Instead, I am still amidst my adventure, still learning, and just about ready to start filling the pages of a new journal with the next installment of this thrilling story God is writing with my life.

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

Categories Recap

Recap (May 30-June 5)

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On bekahcubed

Book Reviews:

  • The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin

    “The 2004 tornado that destroyed the nearby village of Hallam, Nebraska is the worst storm I can remember. The tornado was 2.5 miles wide, the largest tornado on record. Thankfully, most villagers were either in town (Lincoln) working or had a chance to get to safety. While at least 95% of residences experienced some degree of damage, only one person was killed in the Hallam tornado.

    Contrast this with the “Children’s Blizzard” that swept across the Great Plains in January of 1888. Homesteaders everywhere were in schoolhouses or out working their farms, enjoying the first warm day after weeks of frigid weather, when a fast-moving blizzard accompanied by the coldest weather yet descended on the plains. The next morning, at least a hundred children across Dakota and Nebraska were dead, frozen trying to find their way home from school.”

On the web

I held off on putting together my recap until the end of the week this week instead of compiling it as I read throughout the week. Yeah. I discovered that even with my awesome Diigo account that lets me bookmark, highlight, and comment on articles as I read them (and then saves them for further perusal), I still can’t be lax on writing my recaps–especially not when I have busy weekends like this one (Debbie’s bachelorette party at my house last night, Timothy’s graduation party today–lots of prep for both, not much time for writing.)

Laugh out loud funnies:

  • On responding to iffy prayer requests:

    “If your friend says, “I need prayer about my habit of over volunteering and helping too many homeless people,” respond with your own request. Say, “I need help too, I’ve been too loving to my wife lately. I have literally lain too many of my own needs down in order to love her like Christ loved the church. It’s a problem.” It’s kind of a mutant version of what counselor’s call “reflective listening” where you reflect back what someone just said so that they can hear how they are sounding.”

Books for the TBR list:

  • Let Go and Let God? by Andrew David Naselli
    I’d never heard of Keswick theology until reading Justin Taylor’s comments on this book–but now I’m REALLY curious. I guess Keswick theology is basically summed up in the title of the book “Let go and let God.” A number of prominent Christians have been influenced by this strain of theology. This title (a really thick tome) explores the history of Keswick theology and attempts to make a case that it is NOT Biblical. I’m quite fascinated (but a little intimidated by the length of this sucker–at 459 pages, it is not for the faint at heart.)

Projects to try:

Thought-provoking posts:

  • What’s the difference between analyzing and criticizing?

    “Critical thinking helps us discern right from wrong, better from best, ways to improve, etc.

    But when does it cross over into unnecessary criticism, fault-finding, etc.?”

    Barbara H’s musings on the topic definitely made me think.