Dynamis (doo-na-mis)

The above is the title of the class I am taking at church on Monday nights. Dynamis is Greek for power, and this word shows up 116 times in the New Testament!
Here's a blurb from our church newsletter telling a little more about the class:

"This course has been developed by World Vision International, initially to help their 24,000 staff around the world face the complex challenges in our world with the resources of God and confidence that they are walking in God's ways. Now it is being adapted for churches in the 100 countries where World Vision works. This session with Bethany and University Presbyterian Churches will be the pilot of this, so we'll have the opportunity to shape the program for ourselves—and for others.
It's facilitated by Tim Dearborn, a Presbyterian pastor, former professor for Fuller Seminary and currently the Associate Director for Faith and Development for World Vision International—and a great teaching team of members of Bethany and UPC.

Designed for Christians of all ages—those just starting out and those seeking to more deeply invest the years still before them in God's purposes—this course will result in each participant charting out the next steps in their pilgrimage of following Christ into the world. Our hope is to encourage one another into awareness of the larger world's suffering and into more seriousness about what Christ asks us to do—within our borders as well as beyond."

Tonight was our third (of eight) sessions and this evening centered around Micah 6:8:

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

We took a closer look at the words "justice," "humility," and "mercy." And here's some food for thought:
The word for "mercy" in Hebrew derives from the same Hebrew word for "womb." In fact, the words "mercy" and "womb" are the same in Arabic!

We discussed what a womb is/does:
*nurtures/nourishes
*it's a safe place
*promotes health, growth, well-being
*allows its denizen to flourish and blossom
*and concerning the mother, carrying an infant in her womb is a sacrifice

I think that paints a pretty good picture of what mercy is supposed to look like, then...

There was also this cool image of the Atonement from Julian of Norwich, but I'm not going to post it until I have the reference correct. I'm going to email Tim to find out the exact image she describes, so I can do it justice.

Another thought:
Christian vocation is stewardship of one's life.

119 Years Old and Still Going Strong

The church of which I am a member - Bethany Presbyterian (PCUSA) - is 119 years old this year! We started back in 1888 and are still going strong. Tonight was our annual Congregational Meeting, which is actually kind of a fancy name for a party. Our Congregational Meeting is held at the end of January, about the time Bethany began 119 years ago. The meeting was lots of fun, and if you've ever seen an episode of the "Gilmore Girls" that included a Stars Hollow town meeting, then you have a bit of an idea of what our Congregational Meeting was like! In fact, Meagan and I are going to buy Pastor Dan a gavel to use at future meetings, and next year we're definately bringing food.

The meeting was held in the sanctuary (only place big enough for almost the entire congregation) and the meeting was interspered with singing, times of prayer, remembrances for loved ones who returned to Jesus in 2006, testimonies of praise and thanksgiving from various people, skits from the youth group, and a few "business items", such as budget stuff and a congregational vote on the salaries and compensations for ordained staff. And every year a person or couple is recognized for their outstanding service in our church. This year it's Dianne Ross, our Director of Children's Ministries. She was crowned the "Queen of VBS", as she's been in charge of VBS for the past 25 years! We closed with singing "Happy Birthday" to Bethany, followed by a yummy dinner and birthday cake for dessert.

This evening was just an amazing evening of celebration as a community of faith. Looking back over the evening, our time together could be used as a model for what the Body of Christ is meant to look like every day: we prayed together; we remembered and recalled God's faithfulness together; we sang praises to God together; we rejoiced and celebrated together; we laughed and cried together; we shared a meal together....all in the course of a few hours!

I am so very blessed.

The Mother of all Conflicts: Your Children or Your Career

It's an issue that strikes at the hearts of millions of American women: Can you be a great mother and a successful career woman? Is it possible for women to have it all?

The above quotation was taken from Tuesday's Oprah, which was inspired by the resignation of Elizabeth Vargas from ABC's World News Report Tonight, one of the most prestigious jobs in television news. Vargas stepped down for a couple reasons, the main one being that she was pregnant with her second child and she could not risk travelling around the world at a drop of a hat while pregnant and/or leaving a breastfeeding infant behind. Since her resignation in May of 2006, Vargas and ABC have received a great deal of backlash and the heated argument over mothers staying home with her children versus mothers choosing a career is back on the table. I am very glad that Oprah opened up this can of worms and got more people talking. Two very good points made were that:

1. You need to decide what is right for you, for your family, and for your children, regardless of what others think;
2. Women need to respect what other women decide regarding choosing to stay home or to choose a career;
3. The issue is not black and white, cut and dry.

I have some definite opinions around the whole staying home vs. having a career issue, and to some degree I think I know what my decision will be when I get to that point in my life.
But let me throw out the question:
What do you think? Can women have it all by being moms and working outside the home?

Drum Roll, Please...

You are now reading the blog of the Assistant Stockroom Manager/Shipper-Receiver at the University Village Pottery Barn Kids! Yay! I found out Sunday night and am still pretty excited. My first grown-up job: 40hrs/wk; full benefits including paid vacations and holidays; a set schedule; tuition reimbursement; and a 401K plan!!! These next few days (Thurs-Sat) are my last days on the sales floor and I am hoping that I'm not too antsy to get back to the stockroom. I'll probably be too excited and the days will fly like always, anyhow. I start my new position next Thursday, and will be full-time at PBK beginning-mid February. And then my mom is coming for a visit and my schedule will again be disrupted, so I'm probably not going to have a normal work week until the end of February. Oh, well...

In other news, my reading is slightly behind schedule, as I became violently ill this past Sunday. It was definately the burrito from Taco del Mar that caused all the turmoil Sunday night. Yuck. I am feeling much better now, though am still subsisting on Vernor's and a few solid foods. I am, however, almost finished with Norris' Amazing Grace and am trying to determine out my next read: either Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible or a Jodi Picoult book...we'll see.

Ella is doing well and rapidly approaching her fourth month on February 9th! Yay, Ella! I've spotted two little white dots in the center of her bottom gums, thus explaining all the sucking on her fist/hand/my finger/toys, etc. that she's been doing. I bought her an Infantino teething toy at work last week and she LOVES it. It's one of those ones you can put in the fridge so it's nice and cool on baby's gums. She looks so funny when she's gnawing on it! I'm thinking of picking up another teether at work, as Chad and Jina will probably need a back-up in the months to come. Ella is also doing better with the bottle this week, which made my days a little quieter, to say the least. That girl has got a good set of lungs on her and a whole load of opinions to go with them! Jina and I joke about how Ella may end up being somewhat sassy when she's older. Too funny!

Exciting News!

This past week has been crazy and I feel like I have been on a roller coaster for most of it. Let's begin with Tuesday evening, when Tara and I got dinner and played Dutch Blitz. She and I were in the middle of a hand - me kicking her butt - when she said something like, "Wait! Stop! I just thought of something!" I stopped playing and looked at her confused, not knowing at all what she was talking about. She then went on to inform me that Ben had stepped down from the Shipper/Receiver/Assistant Stock Room Manager position at PBK and that I should apply for it. "I can't see anyone else from our store in that position, other than you. You really should go for it." My initial response was something along the lines of, "I've got Ella to nanny for - thanks, though." I heard Tara out though, and my ears pricked up when she mentioned it being 40hrs/wk, set hours, a pay raise, having some leadership responsibilities, and coming with full benefits. "It's interesting that you're mentioning this to me now, Tara, because just four days ago, my health care fell through." So that was Tuesday, the night that Tara dropped this into my lap and threw a monkey wrench into my life...
Moving on to Wednesday:
I call Ericka, the General Manager of our store, and let her know that I would be interested in sitting down with her this week to discuss the Shipper/Receiver position. Ericka's response: ::gasp:: "Really?!" She sets up a time to take me out to lunch on Friday (today).
This afternoon:
Ericka takes me out to lunch, where we discuss this for two hours and I have an informal interview. Everything we discussed went very well and she asked me some really good questions. She came out and told me that she sees me as a leader, which I never really have considered myself a natural born leader. "That's interesting you say that, because I see you as a leader in that you do not follow the crowd. You have an amazing work ethic and go above and beyond every day. It's also obvious that you have set standards and beliefs that you stick to, even if everyone else chooses to go another way, and because you stick to your beliefs, I see nothing but integrity in all that you do. That's why I am confident you'd be successful at this job."
I have a formal interview this coming Thursday, with both Ericka and Ryan (stock room manager), and possibly Jackie, our District Manager. Ericka came out and told me that I am not jumping the gun by assuming I have this job, and to go ahead and assume that I have it, as she cannot officially offer it to me until this week. Oh, protocol. So, I should be signing the paperwork this week, and tomorrow is more than likely my last Saturday on the sales floor :)

And another perk that Tara forgot to mention to me Tuesday night:
paid vacation time! Two weeks paid vacation each year, along with one floating paid holiday each quarter, which means I can take one day off each quarter and have it paid for, AND paid holidays :)

Sad news, however....I have to break it to Ella's family that I am pursuing this. I'm definitely going to help them find a new nanny, though, and so now I am praying that the perfect person will show up. Everything on the PBK end has fallen into place perfectly so far, and I am trusting that it will all work out with Ella's family, even though I'm probably going to cry when I tell them. I just can't pass up health care and job security right now....

Off to bed....as if I can sleep! I'm too excited! (and nervous, and sad...)

Back to Blogging/Life in 2007

Yes, I realize that it has been well over a month since I last posted, so my apologies go out to you (mainly Carrie, who I was able to see Christmas Eve! Yay!!!)

So, it's 2007. Tara and I hung out the other night and played Dutch Blitz (her Christmas present from me, as I got her hooked on it last month) and we discussed New Year resolutions and stuff. I don't normally make "resolutions" every year, but this year I do have some definite goals that I plan on accomplishing.
First, one goal is to read at least 50 books this year. Tara's reply to this was, "I thought resolutions were supposed to be hard!" No, reading is not hard for me by any means, but 50 books is a lot! That's a little over a book a week! Truth be told, I have already finished my first book of 2007. I read Barbara Kingsolver's Pigs in Heaven. It's the sequel to The Bean Trees, and I highly recommend anything by Kingsolver. I also think that 2007 will be the year of re-reads, as I have this hunger to snuggle up with good, familiar books. I'll throw some new ones in here and there, but so far, these are the books I plan on re-reading (in no particular order):

1. Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, by Kathleen Norris - I'm almost half way though this book already, and I am cherishing it. Norris writes clearly, honestly, and is an amazing theologian. I last read this book in 2001, when I was a baby Christian, so re-reading it now, six years later, is like I'm reading it for the very first time. I have been loving the new connections I'm making with it, as well as seeing the ways and paths my spiritual formation has taken over the past six years. I'm taking a pencil to it this time, too, and marking it up! So thank you to my dear friend, Karin, who first told me to read anything and everything by Kathleen Norris. :)

2. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver - her bestselling book, and one of my favorites. I first read this 600+ page tome for my Women in Christianity class at SPU, and had to write a paper on one of the characters. I am always amazed at the thematic elements she weaves throughout her works, and Kingsolver's character and plot development astound me. Her books are just so good!!

3. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Series - I haven't read these books in a long time, and have been eyeing them on my shelf as of late. They should all be quick reads, and relaxing. I always wanted to be Laura Ingalls when I was little :)

4. The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky - I first read this book for my World Lit class at SPU, and we had to read all 600+ pages in two weeks and then write a 10-12 page paper on it. Funny, I remember getting very little sleep that month...
This is a really amazing book, however, and I look forward to reading it for pure enjoyment, rather than for anything remotely related to academia.

Hmm, I'm blanking on the moment regarding titles of other books to read. Oh, I do want to read the new Jodi Picoult book that is coming out in March, and of course I'll re-read the last two Harry Potter books in time for the new movie in July.

My other major goals for 2007:
I am going to learn to knit socks! There's a class I'm looking at taking, called Magic Loop Socks, where you knit socks on circular needles, so you can knit two identical socks at the exact same time. Yay! Everyone will be getting socks for Christmas this year!

Another knitting goal is to become more proficient with double-pointed needles, as I could use some more practice with them. I have some good knitting books with fun patterns I want to try, thus forcing me to become better with double-pointed needles.

Begin teaching this fall. I'm officially ready and eager to begin teaching this fall, hopefully in a district north of Seattle, so I can still live her and commute. Thankfully, I have some time before embarking on this goal...

My time in MI for Christmas was hectic, yet fun. I did find myself missing Seattle and my church quite a bit, though. Let me begin by saying that it was wonderful to see people at Faith Reformed (Carrie!!!!) and to sit with my dear second mom, Julie. Those events in themselves were more than enough for me. The service, however, was pretty....well, let's face it - it was a really cheesy church service.
There was a skit. For those of you who know me well, you already know that skits in church annoy me. Really annoy me. Beside there being a skit in church (there normally is at Faith, so I wasn't totally surprised, but still annoyed), the skit itself wasn't very good. And it had the exact same message that every Christmas Eve skit at Faith Reformed has ever had: "Christmas is not about presents, but about Jesus."
Granted, I completely, totally agree that Christmas is 100% about Jesus Christ. Why do you think working retail during the holidays was often frustrating for me?! However, I was disappointed that the church service didn't even begin to skim the surface of the Incarnation. The Word made flesh. Jesus, the Son of God, appears on earth as Good News…but encounters the doubt of many, the loneliness of homelessness, the scandal of a rumor-filled birth, the celebration of only a group of poor people and the enmity of a political king who forced him to become a refugee. Christ's birth fulfilled age-old prophecy and completely turned the political world upside-down.
Ok, I'll step down from my "skits in church annoy me" soap box now....
Oh, and we clapped to an electric base and synthesizer on all songs, including the Christmas carols. Sorry, but when it comes to Charles Wesley, Martin Luther, and the other infamous hymn writes/arrangers, I'm a purest. So I found myself missing Sylvia, the pipe organ, and four-part harmony, as well.

The journey to and from Michigan was hectic, with delays on every single leg of the trip. The whole blizzard in Denver + storms in Chicago + Gerald R. Ford passing away were really bad combos when it came to flying this Christmas. I've decided that Christmas of 2007 will be spent here, in Seattle, at my home church, and with good friends. Bethany PC already has me booked to play my flute at Christmas Eve services, and I look forward to spending Christmas day in the company of dear friends, where we'll play Dutch Blitz and Scrabble, eat yummy Thai green chicken curry, and imbibe in amazing wine. Ahh, I can feel the care-free-ness of it all as I type...

Time for me to sign-off. I'm knitting a pair of leg warmers for my sister that I need to continue working on, and then the little knitted drawstring bag I'm making to put the leg warmers in, so it's time to pull myself away from the computer. And I want to read a few more chapters of my book before I go to bed.

Happy 2007!