March 2010

Lenten Reflections: Little Idolatries

It's such a mundane decision. Such a paltry "sacrifice." Don't drink alcohol, except on Sundays, for the next seven weeks. What on earth does that have to do with Jesus' death and resurrection? With sin and salvation? With fullness of life and God's glory?

I remember reading ...

Forgetting Yourself, Finding Yourself

I'm in the home stretch of writing my thesis for Seminary (for those of you who play close attention, I got an extension and it is now due this Saturday. Long story.) on Flannery O'Connor's Theology of Disability. I've learned a lot about theology, disability, and O'Connor, ...

They Cheered For Me

As readers of this blog already know, Penny attends an inclusive preschool. There are about 14 kids in the class–eight who are "typically-developing" and six with special needs. On Sunday, it was Sarah's (I've changed her name) birthday, and she had a "pony party" with all the ...

Christian Impressions

Somewhat related to today's earlier post, I have a new post on 843 Acres: What do your neighbors think about Christianity?

It begins:

"They will know we are Christians by our love." At least in my neck of the woods, Christianity is seen as oppressive, intolerant, anti-intellectual ...

Brother Born Again: The Tolerance of the Intolerant

What do a Jewish bisexual woman and a born-again Christian man living on a farm in Alaska have in common? They're brother and sister. Brother Born Again (available on Netflix) is the documentary film that Julia makes as she tries to understand her brother Marc and his decision ...

My Sister's Name is Doha

About once a month, Penny and I take a special trip to Panera for lunch. Tuesday was the day. "Let's go out to lunch," I said.

"At a restaurant?" she asked. "I like a restaurant!"

We stood in line, and I picked Penny up so she could see over the counter. The woman taking our order ...

Lenten Reflections: Lenten Lapses

On Ash Wednesday, we knew that March would bring with it vacation. Nearly two weeks of vacation, in fact. A week in Virginia with old friends, and then a long weekend in California. And on Ash Wednesday, we made the decision to abstain from alcohol as a Lenten discipline, including ...

What does God have to say about disability?

A while ago, I read a scholarly book called Disability in the Hebrew Bible, by Saul Olyan. I have a review of the book right now with Books and Culture. It begins...

If I had a nickel for every time Saul Olyan uses the word "stigmatize" and its cognates in Disability in the Hebrew ...

What do you think about Birth Control?

I've been reading a lot of Flannery O'Connor recently, and I came across her thoughts (as a devout Roman Catholic) on birth control. In a letter to a friend, she writes:

"The Church's stand on birth control is the most absolutely spiritual of all her stands and with all of us ...

Finding the Right Words to Talk About Disability

I have a new piece at her.meneutics, the Christianity Today blog. Regular readers of this blog will recognize some of the ideas, although it does contain new material as well. It begins:

The word retarded has made the news lately. The Special Olympics designated March 3rd as ...

Lenten Reflections: From Me to Y’all

I met a Wycliffe Bible translator a few years ago. He described the cultural differences he encountered upon living on an island in the Philippines. In a community meeting, people argued vociferously and passionately against one another. The room seemed split almost down the ...

What Wasn't Said: Language, Assumptions, and Special Education

We're moving next year. Just for the year while Peter goes back to school. But it still means packing our things and finding new doctors and new friends and, most worrisome to me, a new school for Penny.

So I went online and looked at the website for the school system where ...

Cities of Refuge

A few years back, I came across a passage in which God instructs the Israelites to set apart six cities as "cities of refuge," places where people may flee if they unintentionally kill another person. (See Deuteronomy 19 for a fuller explanation.) And it struck me then that ...

A few updates...

First, I have a new post on 843 Acres discussing euthanasia: "Euthanasia and the Right to be a Burden." 

Second, two years ago, I went out to Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Writing, and I'm headed back in April. I'll be leading a "circle" on Writing as Ministry, and I ...

Lent: Is Self-Denial Worth It?

As readers of this blog know, my husband and I have given up alcohol for Lent. In my initial post on the topic ("Considering Lent: Disruptive Grace"), I wrote about my hope that deliberately changing a habit would open my eyes to see more of God's work in the world. I hoped ...

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