I decided to do something new this year and randomly give fun and interesting things away all month to celebrate my birthday. The first item is a leather bound journal, for prayers, or whatever you enjoy journaling. To join in the fun, you can follow me on Twitter, or go to my website which will post details on that day.

It might help beat the winter blues too.

Life is a gift.
Best wishes.
-Lisa

Results
We have strong indicators that http://emergingwomen.blogspot.com is written by a man (91%).

okay… apparently we are all men. what????

I’ve been thinking about this and I wanted to get input. You gals have great insights. Will you share your ideas/stories/thoughts.

Do you have many experiences with it or are they rare? What is the nature of your experiences? What do you personally think deja vu is? Does it have a spiritual dimension? Has it served a spiritual purpose for you?

So, what will be changing for you in 2008?

In the book, the authors argue that anthropologists have been reading far too much of our culture into what little we know of prehistoric ones, especially as it relates to the role(s) of women in each culture. It’s fascinating stuff….or at least it is to this social science geek.

While reading the article, I started to wonder what anthropologists of the future might infer about the world we live in today.

For the purpose of this exercise, assume that the majority of their primary, written sources (that is, sources that were written now, not sources that will be written about us in a thousand years) on the fabric of our lives come from the church: some of the more modern translations of the bible, books that were written for and about Christians, etc etc. The ruins of secular buildings are accessible in this scenario, but for some reason they have very limited access to anything written outside of Christianity.

I have two questions for you:

1) What do you think the anthropologists will completely misunderstand about women living in our time?

2) What things do you think they’ll get right?

Quilt of Holes

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles; an angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in every day life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.

My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air. Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose; each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn’t had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and wealth, I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to God in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, “Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.”

May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through!

If you figure out how to win, let me know. I haven’t been able to beat the system yet.

Edited to add:

I found another game with a similar message: 3rd World Farmer.

3rd World Farmer was more interactive and interesting in my opinion, although I’d suggest trying both games if you have the time and patience to do so.

(Psst … do not do the math … I’m hiding my age )

Fortunately for me that was my one and only experience of not quite belonging. I have spent the rest of my life being pleasantly surprised by the capacity of people to incorporate new friends into their midst. I went to college and blew out my horizons by studying political science and international studies. So I went to Washington DC to change the world or become a foreign services employee. Instead I met my husband … became ADD and have done some very different things over the course of our 20 year marriage (do not do the math).

I was raised in a family where God was not that important. We didn’t go to church and my parents still tend to believe that faith is a crutch for those who are mentally weak in some manner. I’m the oldest of three children and fight my bossy-big-sister tendencies all the time. And I know there are some who might say that this faith of mine began in some sense as a rebellion against my parents. Sobeit. God takes our sacrifices no matter how meager and uses them to change us.

I began my journey of faith in an Evangelical Free Church in the very early 90′s. I’ve been a Sunday School teacher, a youth worker, a Bible Study teacher, a small group leader, and house church leader. We left that church 2003 for many different reasons that are all too lengthy to list here. It’s an unhealthy church. We now refer to it as the Church we Left Behind (CLB).

We’re now part of an emerging community of faith. I’m part of the group that plans and organizes our worship experience each Sunday. I get to teach and lead worship every so often, which is to say, when it’s a subject that I’m passionate about. Being a part of this community takes so much more intentionality, transparency and basically hard work … but the reward is occasional glimpses of the Kingdom. That makes it all worthwhile.

Yes, I have a blog which you’re welcome to visit as you wish. I write there under the penname aBhantiarna Solas, which means Lady of Light in Celtic. I’m looking forward to listening more here, and chiming in occasionally. I’ve promised some book reviews on women in ministry and those will begin popping up here and there. You may promptly beat them down in a virtual game of Whack-A-Mole. But … enough about me …

So if you want to play and get to know one another better join in. Post your type and any parts of the description that you think best describe you. If you want share how your personality has affected your faith/ministry or how you approach the gender issue.

If anyone else has played send me the links!