Perspective

Nature documentaries anyone? It's alright you can say it. This is a safe space. You are in the company of a fellow Planet Earth nerd. I'm a fan. Ok, a huge fan! The other night, I saw Disney's: Oceans for the first time. It was supposed to be one of those watch until you fall asleep movies. Nope, I watched the whole thing, in it's (almost) entirety. This could be due to my Little Mermaid obsession, but I find the Ocean to be amazing. It's like outer space, on earth, what even!?!? I want to live there. No judgment please, I already have a hard enough time making friends.

However fascinating these documentaries are, there is a pattern they all take. A horrible pattern. First, you are bombarded with helicopter shots of the ocean, waves crashing, perhaps a dolphin jumping. And then you get into the ocean and you learn about all these different species of ocean dwelling creatures. There's a segment with the sea lions playing, dolphin families racing, migrating humpback whales. It just makes you think, "oh what fun! The ocean is just such a wonderful place!". And just as you are thinking this, watching the baby sea lions play in the shallow waters... an Orca whale comes and chomps down on one and drags it into the depths....


Jerks. I know that Orcas are smart and fun, and Free Willy, and Shamu. But once you get down to the nitty gritty, realizing that some cute animals eat other cute animals, stuff gets real in the bountiful blue, and you're like "oh, the ocean... crazy." As you may or may not be welling up a bit. Again, no judgment.

Documentaries ALWAYS DO THIS! They pull you in with adorable animals with personalty, and then Pierce Brosnan's voice becomes foreboding and he says something like, "But things in the ocean cannot always be this way." And then it's Penguins for lunch! Hopefully you start to realize that this is the circle of life, and that Sea Lions still have fun, even with the always impending danger of Orca Whales and Great White Sharks.

And then, sadder still, is when the humans show up...


Jerks. The fishing segment. Let me tell you, it is easy to forgive Killer Whales for being hungry for seals, it's a lot harder to do that with humans when you watch a Whale Shark getting caught up in a net, and a Sea Turtle trying to gnaw his way out. And DON'T you dare start with me, I KNOW. People need to eat too! I get it. I have made my peace with it.


There is just something about a suffering animal that tears my heart in pieces. I know it's a casualty that we must face if we want to be able to have fish for dinner. I understand, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch. I was sobbing, I couldn't stop crying during this 2 minute segment. I had to completely skip the part on pollution and the polar ice caps. For anyone who knows me; you get it. For those who don't know me and who haven't read some of my other posts; creation care is big on my heart.

But anyway, back to the whale shark, which by the way is the biggest fish in the world. As I was watching these images of animals caught up in fishing nets, I was convicted. I wanted to save these animals, I wanted to call PETA and say "sign me up for that Whale Shark march!" But soon after, this feeling of even greater sadness came over me, when I realized that this movie was taking away the spotlight from a species in even greater need. I said "What about this whale shark? Who will save it?"

And God said, "It's the girl in the brothel, who doesn't realize her love for the ocean because she's never known what it's like to be loved herself."

"It's the boy in Africa who knows how to create a safe and sustainable way to get food from the ocean, but won't because he can only focus on how to get food for himself."


"It's the kid in the city who has a knack for science, but doesn't have the resources he needs to nurture that talent."

It's the people who can help the earth, the (if I may quote Lewis) " Sons of Adam" and "Daughters of Eve"


It's John, who I met in Africa at an orphanage, he asked if he could borrow my camera and started taking shots of everything, he took this photo of myself...

Maybe he's going to be a photojournalist someday, taking pictures that will drive people to bring about real change in this world. That is if he can get the education and resources he needs.

So, yes, we can help the animals, by helping the people first.

It always gets me, yes even me, when I see that there are people out there who would rather help the stray animals affected by the earthquakes in Japan, when there are PEOPLE who have been displaced and lost loved ones. I was in Seattle not to long ago, and at a shop I was given a token because I did not need a bag for my items. With this token I was able to put it into one of two boxes, it would represent a 5¢ donation that the shop would make to one of the charities. One of the boxes was for AIDs relief, and the other, for a humane animal shelter. Guess which one had the most tokens in it? My friend and I thought "only in Seattle." But really, it's everywhere. Look I know that people can be stupid sometimes, I'm guilty of being so, I know. But we cannot shield people from our compassion and reflect it onto a lesser being. I said it. I love animals, but I also know that they don't matter as much as people.

We want to make the world better, but we think that it's by saving the starving polar bears and being nice to homeless dogs. What about the starving families? Or the homeless man? People first, animals second. If animals are your thing, that's cool. But the only way to create a place where animals can be treated well is by first creating a place where people are treated fairly.

From one animal lover to another, come on, they're just animals.

21

I turn 21 in about 6 hours, and like many (if not all) of you, I have been asked the textbook question for someone turning 21 in the United States, “What are you going to do for your birthday?” A simple question, when asked to a four-year-old. But once 21 rolls around, it’s is one of the world’s most loaded questions. I hate to disappoint but I’m not going to multiple bars tomorrow night. Or even one for that matter.

It’s not because I think drinking alcohol is wrong, although I am profoundly opposed to drinking to get drunk and under-age drinking. I do no think there is anything wrong, however, with someone who is 21 or older enjoying the occasional alcoholic beverage with a meal.

But I think it is extremely cliche and trivial to drink alcohol just because you can. I do not think that it is a valid reason to do so, for myself. If you have taken part in this “rite of passage” as someone who has turned 21, please do not feel that I am judging you. I can not, you are perfectly within your right, as someone who is of age, to drink alcohol.

But I do not think that because I will be allowed to drink, that I will. I want to have a reason, and “just because I can” does not cut it for me.

If I drink alcohol, I want to make sure that my decision is based on a real desire to do so, under responsible circumstances. I do not want to decide to drink out of boredom or under the pressure of my peers. If I drink it will be small, and probably not very exciting for anyone except myself. Therein lies the beauty of this wonderful milestone, my drinking alcohol, whenever I decide to do it, is not really about you. It’s about me, and my choice to do it, because I know that it’s the right time.

You can talk about how much fun your 21 run was, or what you can remember from it. If I drink or when I drink, you might not even hear about it. Maybe I’ll be at a family gathering and someone will offer me a beer with dinner, or maybe I’ll be in a restaurant in the south of France, eating bread and cheese, and decide that a glass of wine sounds lovely and ask the waiter what he recommends. (The latter-mentioned sounds, to me, the ideal circumstance to partake in drinking alcohol.)

Anyone who has offered to take me out for a drink, thank you, but no, I don't want to go out. Not because of the company, but because the thought of drinking does not interest me. Tomorrow, I’m going to get my license renewed in the morning, and go swing dancing later in the evening and enjoy my 21st birthday the way I want to. I will not be drinking alcohol.

At the intersection of heart and mind

Sometimes I feel that I have lost the ability to be inspired. Perhaps I never had it. I just find myself observing the beauty around me and I think: "I should do something! Paint, draw, photograph, write, play, anything! Just do something!" I want to add beauty to this world! I want to be an artist, not simply a viewer of it. I don't want to be a taker. I constantly feel this desire to pick up a pen and write, but when I do, it seems as though the moment has fled. It's as though the connection between the inspiration in my heart and the ideas in my head is not there. I either have a great idea and no inspiration to get me going, or I have tons of inspiration but no ideas with which to execute that feeling.

Right now, I feel inspired, but with nothing to write about, so I ramble. But I suppose that is better than not doing anything.

Maybe that's it. Maybe it's about exercising your inspiration even when you don't know why. Writing those ideas down, even when you don't feel up to it. So that one day when inspiration and idea finally do occur at once, you are able to create something extraordinary.

I cannot wait to be there.

Heigh-ho

It's been a while, sorry about that. But not really, it's a blog, I'll do what I want. (Next blog post should probably be on how to properly write apologies. Whatever. Sorry.) But be thankful that it's been a while. Had I written any sooner you may have thought I was a 16 year old girl who had fallen helplessly (or rather pathetically) in love with a vampire or something. And who in their right mind would want to read that? (BA-ZING! Me: 1, Meyer: 0, Meyer Fans: -1)

Moving on.

Have you ever heard the phrase "I was born in the wrong decade/century/time period/"? I think I should just make that my catchphrase, you know, get a bumper sticker, possibly even a tattoo on my face? But really, it's already tattooed on my brain. It's an idiom that has been consuming my thoughts constantly.

I strongly desire to live in a different time, and I'm not even sure what one. The past seems so lovely right about now. I want to read books for entertainment instead of watching their movie counterparts. I want to learn to play the piano in order to listen to music. I want to write letters to friends and family, and have to wait to hear back from them weeks later. I want to grow food, and harvest it. I crave the peace and quiet that my world today lacks severely. Peace and quiet that requires patience to find the amusement in one's pursuits.

Now please do not take this to be a complaint about the blessing that it is to live in America, in 2011. With luxuries and comforts that make things like communication, entertainment and nourishment so simple, so abundant, and so accessible. I love these things and I take part in them often. So often that I take them for granted.

But when I get the chance to see the person that it has transformed me into, I am horrified. I can't sit still, I'm stuck in a constant restlessness. I need things that no human being should ever actually need. Facebook, iTunes, cell phones, weekly television shows to be watched religiously, my car to go to the nearest cafe whenever want. I am a slave to modern technology. In part because of the convenience (awesome), but mostly because of my laziness (less awesome). I'm restless because I should be working, but I don't because there's no need. I don't have to do it.

There is no effort necessary in speaking to people, in listening to music, in making delicious food anymore! Because of this, there is no substance in the conversations we have (lol!). There is no talent necessary in making some of the most popular songs that people are listening to (what with auto-tune and a good beat there's no lack of "musicians" these days.) There is no appreciation for the food we eat (have you thanked your microwave lately?)

We don't have to truly work for any of these things. And as a result, they mean less. We take them for granted.

What if when you asked someone how their day was you actually let them tell you how their day was? The good, the bad, the funny, the pointless. What if when someone asked you how your day went, you actually told them the truth? Instead of just saying "oh, it was fine."

Music is a bit different, not everyone is musically inclined. We can't all sing or play instruments, some people just don't have the knack for it. But have you tried? How do you know you can't play? Or sing? And when you listen to music, challenge it. Ask yourself, why do you listen to it? What are the lyrics saying? Do you agree with them? Listening to music doesn't always have to be an intellectual monologue, some songs are just great to bob your head up and down to. But some music is, pardon my French, universal crap. It's just bad music, and you know it. I don't judge you for having it on your iPod, but get some other music too. Find artists that create and produce their own music. The kind of music that wouldn't be possible without blood, sweat and tears. The kind of music that never needed a computer program to make it sound good. Expand your horizons a bit. Allow music to inspire you to be better, not to wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy. There's no reward in that.

Food. Cook your food! Know where it comes from! Don't just bring home cans of Spaghetti-O's and granola bars and all the other processed junk that we already eat too much of! Fresh food is truly a gift we take for granted. Take it a step further, grow your food! There is something powerful in growing your own food. I love the summer when I can make salad from the lettuce we grow. Lettuce is foolproof, and it makes you feel all green and stuff! It makes you grateful, it makes you feel good, accomplished even.

The best things in life are only the best because they weren't easy to get. Don't let the fact that we have so many modern conveniences at our disposal prohibit you from doing things the old-fashioned way. There's reward in doing things yourself, it may take extra effort, time, and maybe even a little cash here and there. But it's worth it. I desire a culture that cares about working hard. I desire to care about it myself. I want to see a people that puts their hands to the dirt and sees beautiful and inspiring things come out of it. To see the fruit of your labor is a reward in and of itself.

And if you can find reward in the work itself, well, then your life is blessed.

I'll give you something to talk about.

When it comes to communication, the world is doomed. It does not matter if you are speaking, typing or tweeting, this generation's version of communication is watered-down, it's lazy and it's ugly. Communication is (or should be) a beautiful thing, and believe it or not, it's a wonderful form of self-expression and individuality. But we are so far from being there because we are forgetting simple things; fundamentals. Now I'm no English teacher, and I certainly don't want to claim my literary talents superior to anyone's. (Although, that was a beautiful sentence, no?) I am one of those people that will read a sentence and subconsciously correct it. To me it is similar to a person wearing their shoe on the wrong foot, or their shirt inside out, and in some cases it's as though some people completely forgot to put their pants on! Then my brain over-heats and I consider saying something. But I fear I would sound rude, or overbearing. So I just sit and keep quiet while my eye twitches and smoke starts coming out of my ears.

Here's the point; nowadays the information is more important than the way it's presented. That may be true when your house is on fire, but when you're talking about how "OMG, its saturday and im board."

I wonder if people actually know that, at best, what their sentence conveys is that they are...

... A BOARD!

NO! That is not important. It doesn't make any sense! If you are going to tell me useless information, please be sure to use proper spelling and punctuation. It is very possible to present important, and even unimportant, information and still use the literary tools you learned when you were a child.

Why don't we just start using cave paintings to communicate? Those are pretty hard to mess up. Hold on a minute, we already do. Facebook pictures say more about us than our words do. Hmmm, food for thought.

My least favorite thing is when I see bad grammar from people I hold in high esteem. I know people make mistakes and I would never hold a few small errors against anyone. Auto correct can be a pest sometimes. I probably made some mistakes in this very post. But when things start becoming a pattern, it shows that you just do not care, and that saddens me greatly.

And do NOT give me that "I don't care what you think about me" garbage, because this isn't about that. This is about me knowing that you are better than that, and you are capable of trying to sound like an intelligent human being. I could not care less about how the world perceives you. I care about you using your brain. Because you have one, and it is capable of doing far greater things than you are allowing it to.

Not only is the structure of our sentences garbage, but so is the substance with which we choose to fill those sentences. Small talk is alive and well people, and it has become our primary language. Every time a person asks me "What's up?" and I involuntarily say "Not much!" I die a little inside. It's a conversational black-hole into mediocrity. I'm so used to responding that way because I am so used to asking that question without truly meaning it. My words have decreased in meaning and I no longer say what I truly feel, or care to hear the answer to questions I ask.

I hope that this was interesting, but I hope it was educational as well. My wish is that we will start making not only good grammar a priority, but the expanding of our minds as well. I hope that we can use our education past and future to further ourselves. It's so easy to have the learning done for us, we'll use sparknotes.com for an essay instead of reading a book. We let auto-correct change our sentences without knowing why they need to be changed. We use our calculators for the simplest equations (I'm extremely guilty of this one.) We have cut corners, but in the process we have packed away the knowledge that was so graciously gifted to us by educators who believed we could do something amazing with it.

[Your titles here]

"3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (Romans 12:3)

Think of all the titles that you currently have. Mine? Christ-follower, daughter, sister, friend, barista, actress, etc. Now forget them. Because none of it matters. (I should start off with saying that I've been in the book of Ecclesiastes these past few days and that may or may not be conducive to my current outlook.) You say that you are a photographer? Take your best shot Annie Leibovitz. You say you're an artist? Get to sketching, Michelangelo. Are you a dancer? Bust a move, Anna Pavlova. You say that you are a teacher? School is in session, show me what you've got Mr. Feeny. What your resume says will only be proven by the way you live your life, by how well you live up to those titles.

Our titles are how we shape our identity.

But just like our identity shouldn't be found in the clothes we wear, the people we love, or the money we make. Our identity cannot be found in the titles we hold. Don't get me wrong, I love the titles I have and can't wait to attain the titles that I will someday receive. I love what those titles mean, the responsibilities and the privileges that I have in them. But they are just that, titles. They don't make me any better at the things I do, they can make my resume pop, but they aren't a true representation of the skills that I have. Teachers can have a classroom, but still not know how to teach. Students can go to school, but still not learn anything. Family members can be related, but still not love their family. A title means nothing without the works that back it up

And if that's the case then anytime I don't live up to my titles, my identity suffers. Because when I seek to find my identity in the labels that I have acquired or been given, the minute that I lose the ability to teach others, or to make a mean cup of joe, I lose a part of my identity. Some titles can never be lost, like sister, I will always be a sister. But when I fail to love my brothers in the way that I should, I fall short, I feel this extreme guilt that I am not worthy of the title given to me. Christ-follower would be the title that I fall short of the most.

But that's a good title, I should be proud right? Of course, many of the titles I hold are awesome, they make me feel like a better person. I'm honored to have them. But if I get to hold onto the good titles I have achieved; Christ-follower, sister, helper, teacher, I must also be willing to hold the titles that I'm not so proud of; sarcastic, lazy, complacent, sinner.

The problem with titles is that they are dependent upon my ability to achieve them. Including Christ-follower. Now I'm not saying that holding the title of Christ-follower is bad and that we shouldn't declare ourselves as such. But even Christ-follower is dependent upon my ability to follow Jesus. And I will honestly say that I don't always live up to that title.

Instead, find your identity in a title that you will always live up to. A title that isn't dependent upon your abilities, but completely dependent on an unchanging God. How about Designed by the Creator, Loved by the King, Child of the Heavenly Father, or Saved by Grace?

You will always have these titles.

A letter from your wife, your sister, your daughter, your friend,

This may be timely, or it might be a little early. I just hope that it hasn't reached you too late.

I grew up in the church, but by the time that I was actually old enough to understand the things that they had taught me in Sunday school, my family had let sports come between us and attending church regularly. Eventually we just gave up on our old church and went to churches here and there, when we could, when we didn't have a game or we weren't too tired. I was lucky enough to have a friend who cared enough about me to berate me with invites to her church until many months later I finally relented and went. That church is now my home church, and I spend more time there than I do at my own home. I love it there, I love serving in the many areas of ministry that I am honored to be a part of.

But there's one problem, like I said I spend more time at my church than at my home. Why? Because I am fed at my church. I learn, I grow, I gather together with other Christ followers. My home is a mission field. I often feel drained at home. I'm fired up at church, and then I go home and my passion is snubbed. That doesn't sound right. And it's not. I am the missionary at my home. (There is absolutely no disrespect meant towards my parents or my brothers, but it's the truth, they aren't as close to Jesus as they used to be.)

I need a leader, I need a pastor in my home. I don't have that. I am speaking as a woman/girl/daughter/sister and future wife and mother, who for some of the most formative years of her life has been without a father or brothers who could pastor her. This is my plea to any man reading this, be the pastor of your home. Perhaps you are a young man, still living at home under the authority of your parents. Don't let that stop you. Be the light when perhaps there isn't any. You can still be a pastor to your siblings, and even to your parents. It will serve you. You will know what it's like to lead before you actually have a home of your own to lead.

I'm not here to complain about how you haven't done enough or put you down for not realizing this sooner. I want to encourage you. I speak on behalf of your family, present and future. They need a pastor in their home, now and forever. I wish my father could be "pastor dad", I wish he could disciple my brothers, teaching and showing them what it's like to be a man of God. I wish he could pray with me, teach me things, and encourage me to be the woman of God I should be. I pray that he can be that someday, but currently he isn't. I wish my brothers could be "pastor brothers" who are learning what it means to lead and defend a household that serves God. So that one day, they can be "pastor husbands and dads" too!

Furthermore, I want, I need, I won't settle for anything less than, a pastor husband. I want you to teach me and lead me, and pray with me. I want a man who, when we aren't at church five out of the seven days of the week, can bring to our family the leadership we need. I don't want kids who don't want to come home from church. I want kids who want to go to church, but I want kids who know that home is just as safe as church. That they won't be drained there, that they can grow and learn and serve at home too! I want our house to be a home, a church, a sanctuary. Not just to our family, but any person who walks through our door.

And I promise that I will help you, I will be pastor wife and mom! I will teach when I need to, discipline when I need to, and support you in any other ways that you need me to.

Fathers, husbands, brothers, and friends, please be the men you were made to be. Pastors of your home, teachers who are not above being taught themselves, but are up for the challenge of leading a family in every way possible. You won't be perfect, I'm not asking for perfection. I'm asking for effort. That's what matters. That's what we care about.

Love,
Your family