does not enjoy prayer.”
-Romano Guardini
Why is it, I wonder, did I gravitate towards the above quote as soon as I read it? Why don't I enjoy prayer? When I saw a book on prayer at the local library by one of my favorite Christian authors, I leaped for it. It's called Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?, and it's written by Philip Yancey, who is a fantastic writer (he's editor-at-large, by the way, at Christianity Today, the link to which I have to the left of this post under favorite links). I'll admit, I struggle with prayer; Yancey says that, "To some people prayer seems, as George Buttrick put it, 'a spasm of words lost in a cosmic indifference'..." and in my darker moments, I'm one of those people (15). However, there's something about his words on prayer that motivate me and make me feel more open to what can ultimately be, at times, such a frustrating exercise:
On why prayer is necessary:
"Prayer helps correct myopia, calling to mind a perspective I daily forget. I keep reversing roles, thinking of ways in which God should serve me, rather than vice versa. As God fiercely reminded Job, the Lord of the universe has many things to manage, and in the midst of my self-pity I would do well to contemplate for a moment God's own point of view." (pg 21-22)
On society's condemnation of religion:
"How odd, that prayer seems foolish to some people who base their lives on media trends, superstition, instinct, hormones, social propriety, or even astrology." (pg 22)
"Prayer is a subversive act performed in a world that constantly calls faith into question." (51)
On persisting in prayer:
"We pray in faith that our words somehow cross a bridge between visible and invisible worlds, penetrating a reality of which we have no proof. We enter God's milieu, the realm of spirit, which seems much less real to us than it did to Adam." (22-23)
On why we should pray, if God already knows all:
"We are completely known to God, said C.S. Lewis...We can assent with all our will to be so known; we can unveil before God; we can offer ourselves to view. We can invite God into our lives and ourselves into God's. When we do that, putting ourselves on a personal footing with God, so to speak, relationship heats up and a potential for extraordinary friendship stirs to life. For God is a Person, too, and though a person unlike ourselves, One who surely fulfills more of what that word means, not less." (62)
"When I shift direction, I realize that God already cares about my concerns...more than I do. Grace, like water, descends to the lowest part." (23)
I hope you find these quotes as inspiring as I did...and I'll post more later!
Here are some lyrics from two of my favorite musical prayers:
Gratitude by Nichole Nordeman
So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case . . .
We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace
Indescribable by Chris Tomlin
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
"I discovered the spirituality in being diligent, in creating a home in which faith could find firm footing.
I saw the devotion in Hannah’s eyes as she washed her hands or cleaned the dishes, following rituals that our people had kept for so many generations…women formed the filament of continuity, and my soul spun itself out on that holy thread.”
-from Song of the Magdalene, by Donna Jo Napoli
When, throughout the tumultuous course of the women's movement, did marriage become a scorned choice, and independence so praised? I was reading What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us, by Danielle Crittenden, today, and it struck me that this society we live in now is abnormal. Crittenden writes, "Even religious conservatives, who disapprove of sex outside of marriage, accept the now-common wisdom that it is better to put off marriage than do it too early." (60) Why??? I kept asking myself as I read. And that's really the topic of this post- no insight to offer, just discussion to encourage. Why has such a negative view of one of the greatest goods on earth-marriage and family, a home, love- prevailed? We must reclaim a positive view of marriage and family, not just for women, but for everyone. Sure, that's great if Miss So-and-So wants to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a journalist, and put off marriage...but those who chose to marry shouldn't be scorned by society for doing so!
Crittenden writes, "A twenty-year-old bride is considered as pitiable as a thirty-year-old spinster used to be." (60) I saw this disdain first-hand at the wedding I attended the past weekend. One of the women who worked at the hotel, as she was seating the (mostly college age) bridal party, said, "Men sit on this side- or perhaps I should say boys?" It was not amusing- I found it offensive, and perhaps it was offensive to the bride and groom and to the many other college students attending, as well.
Crittenden points out that women have not, for the most part, benefited from this new arrangement of delayed marriage and childbearing and casual sex- men have. Obviously. As women get older, men their age aren't interested anymore, they're focused on the younger women. And, biologically speaking, a man can have a child indefinitely. Women cannot; "I often think that moderately attractive bachelors in their thirties now possess the sexual power that once belonged only to models and millionaires. They have their pick of companions, and may callously disregard the increasingly desperate thirtyish single women around them or move on when their current love becomes too cloying. As for the single woman over thirty, she may be in every other aspect of her life a paragon of female achievement; but in her romantic life, she must force herself to be as eager to please and accommodate male desire as any 1920s cotillion debutante." (68)
When did marriage become such a dirty word?
“Maybe our grandmothers weren't as stupid as we thought. The family, volunteer work, religion, shaping the hearts and minds of the next generation-maybe all that can't be reduced to just 'shining floors and wiping noses.’” -Myriam Miedzian, describing the lives of mothers who don’t have careers, in Wendy Shalit's A Return to Modesty, page 216.
-from Song of the Magdalene, by Donna Jo Napoli
When, throughout the tumultuous course of the women's movement, did marriage become a scorned choice, and independence so praised? I was reading What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us, by Danielle Crittenden, today, and it struck me that this society we live in now is abnormal. Crittenden writes, "Even religious conservatives, who disapprove of sex outside of marriage, accept the now-common wisdom that it is better to put off marriage than do it too early." (60) Why??? I kept asking myself as I read. And that's really the topic of this post- no insight to offer, just discussion to encourage. Why has such a negative view of one of the greatest goods on earth-marriage and family, a home, love- prevailed? We must reclaim a positive view of marriage and family, not just for women, but for everyone. Sure, that's great if Miss So-and-So wants to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a journalist, and put off marriage...but those who chose to marry shouldn't be scorned by society for doing so!
Crittenden writes, "A twenty-year-old bride is considered as pitiable as a thirty-year-old spinster used to be." (60) I saw this disdain first-hand at the wedding I attended the past weekend. One of the women who worked at the hotel, as she was seating the (mostly college age) bridal party, said, "Men sit on this side- or perhaps I should say boys?" It was not amusing- I found it offensive, and perhaps it was offensive to the bride and groom and to the many other college students attending, as well.
Crittenden points out that women have not, for the most part, benefited from this new arrangement of delayed marriage and childbearing and casual sex- men have. Obviously. As women get older, men their age aren't interested anymore, they're focused on the younger women. And, biologically speaking, a man can have a child indefinitely. Women cannot; "I often think that moderately attractive bachelors in their thirties now possess the sexual power that once belonged only to models and millionaires. They have their pick of companions, and may callously disregard the increasingly desperate thirtyish single women around them or move on when their current love becomes too cloying. As for the single woman over thirty, she may be in every other aspect of her life a paragon of female achievement; but in her romantic life, she must force herself to be as eager to please and accommodate male desire as any 1920s cotillion debutante." (68)
When did marriage become such a dirty word?
“Maybe our grandmothers weren't as stupid as we thought. The family, volunteer work, religion, shaping the hearts and minds of the next generation-maybe all that can't be reduced to just 'shining floors and wiping noses.’” -Myriam Miedzian, describing the lives of mothers who don’t have careers, in Wendy Shalit's A Return to Modesty, page 216.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Lulla, lulla, lullaby...
Never harm
Nor spell nor charm
Come our lovely lady nigh
So goodnight, with lullaby.
-A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare
Quite a weekend! Things that made me glad to be alive recently...
1)I attended the beautiful wedding of two very dear friends of mine, and it was an honor to witness their vows, and to take part in their happiness. The reception was a blast, as well...nothing like dancing with your friends!
2)Today I was able to go to the library again and get out some pretty sweet books, which always makes me happy.
3) Getting ready for above-mentioned wedding with my sister, Sarah...painting our nails, doing our hair, etc. It was so much fun to primp and enjoy being girly together! (Ok, not biological sister, but close enough. Sometimes, it's just not about blood ties, you know?)
4) Our early-morning (ok, not so early, but early by my standards!) chat, just enjoying being in each other's company.
5) Giggling with Sarah and Jules like a maniac Friday night.
6) Listening to crazy student-teacher stories from Jules.
7) Loving and being loved by my sweetheart, Paul <3
8) Cranking out a paper on philosophy and Harry Potter way before it's due! (Really, it's amazing how Harry Potter can be applied to every subject to make an awesome term paper/project/etc)
9) The fact that when I sign off here, I will have a delicious Kit-Kat to enjoy! What simple bliss!
10) Books books books- I am delighting in my abundance of books! Currently reading:
Nor spell nor charm
Come our lovely lady nigh
So goodnight, with lullaby.
-A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare
Quite a weekend! Things that made me glad to be alive recently...
1)I attended the beautiful wedding of two very dear friends of mine, and it was an honor to witness their vows, and to take part in their happiness. The reception was a blast, as well...nothing like dancing with your friends!
2)Today I was able to go to the library again and get out some pretty sweet books, which always makes me happy.
3) Getting ready for above-mentioned wedding with my sister, Sarah...painting our nails, doing our hair, etc. It was so much fun to primp and enjoy being girly together! (Ok, not biological sister, but close enough. Sometimes, it's just not about blood ties, you know?)
4) Our early-morning (ok, not so early, but early by my standards!) chat, just enjoying being in each other's company.
5) Giggling with Sarah and Jules like a maniac Friday night.
6) Listening to crazy student-teacher stories from Jules.
7) Loving and being loved by my sweetheart, Paul <3
8) Cranking out a paper on philosophy and Harry Potter way before it's due! (Really, it's amazing how Harry Potter can be applied to every subject to make an awesome term paper/project/etc)
9) The fact that when I sign off here, I will have a delicious Kit-Kat to enjoy! What simple bliss!
10) Books books books- I am delighting in my abundance of books! Currently reading:
- The Miseducation of Women: A spirited assault on the hidden curriculum that works to women's disadvantage by James Tooley (hat-tip to my lovely kindred, Sara!)
- Prayer:Does it make any Difference? by Philip Yancey (His books are always chockful of great quotes, references, insights, etc.
- Spin Sisters: How the Women of the Media Sell Unhappiness and Liberalism to the Women of America by Myrna Blyth (read before...but I felt the need to reread it. It's a solid, informative read that has you nodding in agreement with it)
11) Also, I am eagerly awaiting two books in the mail: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, and What our Mothers Didn't Tell Us by Danielle Crittenden.
Off to eat my Kit-Kat, read, and sleep. "and perchance, to dream...."- goodnight!
"Neither let your effort be shortened for fear of failure, nor your confession silenced for fear of shame." ~John Ruskin, "The Stones of Venice"
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Baby, it's cold outside!
Today was a cozy kind of day, the first truly chilly day in October, and it was most delicious. This morning was rainy, and cold, but it was nice to be cozily ensconced in my history classroom as the rain poured down, knowing all I had to worry about was the slave trade in colonial Brazil (not the most uplifting topic, to be honest). From our classroom as well, we could hear in the distance the strains of a saxophone playing something jazzy- it made my world feel even smaller and cozier.
Lunch was wonderful, too (which is a rare occurrence indeed!). It was more than the food, although the hearty soups and mashed potatoes did contribute to the general feeling of warmth. EVERYONE was there- Ellie, Sara, Paul, Sarah, Amanda, other Sarah, Renae, Catherine- and it was so homey to gather around the table and eat and talk and laugh. Plus- the dining room is officially decorated for Halloween- very snazzy. And what lunch could go wrong that offers caramel apples?
Now, the wind is swirling through the trees and the outdoors, on the way back to my room from the library, seemed positively enchanted. The air tonight smells like...Halloween! Falling leaves, snuggling, apple cider, pumpkin pies, mittens and scarves- yes, one can't help but think of those happy things when walking through a crisp October evening. I just love the autumn!
Now- off to snuggle with my sweetheart, and later enjoy a movie. Life is blissful, indeed.
Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, "sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends." I know I am very fortunate in that respect.- C.S. Lewis
"My friend approaches, lantern bobbing. Smoke curls above the stove; I call for tea." -
-Cheng Pan-Ch'Iao's A Visitor
Lunch was wonderful, too (which is a rare occurrence indeed!). It was more than the food, although the hearty soups and mashed potatoes did contribute to the general feeling of warmth. EVERYONE was there- Ellie, Sara, Paul, Sarah, Amanda, other Sarah, Renae, Catherine- and it was so homey to gather around the table and eat and talk and laugh. Plus- the dining room is officially decorated for Halloween- very snazzy. And what lunch could go wrong that offers caramel apples?
Now, the wind is swirling through the trees and the outdoors, on the way back to my room from the library, seemed positively enchanted. The air tonight smells like...Halloween! Falling leaves, snuggling, apple cider, pumpkin pies, mittens and scarves- yes, one can't help but think of those happy things when walking through a crisp October evening. I just love the autumn!
Now- off to snuggle with my sweetheart, and later enjoy a movie. Life is blissful, indeed.
Friendship is the greatest of worldly goods. Certainly to me it is the chief happiness of life. If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, "sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends." I know I am very fortunate in that respect.- C.S. Lewis
"My friend approaches, lantern bobbing. Smoke curls above the stove; I call for tea." -
-Cheng Pan-Ch'Iao's A Visitor
"Glory to women! They weave and entwine...
... heavenly roses into an earthly life.”
-Friedrich Schiller
Wendy Shalit's Girls Gone Mild is Generation Y's counter-cultural answer to The Feminine Mystique, written by Betty Friedan. In this setting alone, the library's sole copy is eagerly snatched up and passed around from girl to girl, inspiring fervent discussions over what it means to live as a woman today. Passages are quoted, read aloud, cited in conversation; ideas are disseminated. For a generation of women reared in a time so accusatory of and derogatory toward traditional womanhood, Shalit's words bring hope and inspiration, and a new feeling of solidarity with a sisterhood most of us didn't even know existed. And by "traditional womanhood", at least how I have understood it from Shalit's books, is meant women who are vibrantly proud to be women; who delight in God-given gender differences; who eagerly embrace, or wish to embrace, the roles of wife and mother; who would rather cultivate their minds, souls, relationships, and faith than cultivate miles of exposed, flawless flesh.
Girls Gone Mild is, in the opinion of this humble blogger, a generational milestone.
“Every woman shares in Mary's sublime dignity.”
-Pope John Paul II
-Friedrich Schiller
Wendy Shalit's Girls Gone Mild is Generation Y's counter-cultural answer to The Feminine Mystique, written by Betty Friedan. In this setting alone, the library's sole copy is eagerly snatched up and passed around from girl to girl, inspiring fervent discussions over what it means to live as a woman today. Passages are quoted, read aloud, cited in conversation; ideas are disseminated. For a generation of women reared in a time so accusatory of and derogatory toward traditional womanhood, Shalit's words bring hope and inspiration, and a new feeling of solidarity with a sisterhood most of us didn't even know existed. And by "traditional womanhood", at least how I have understood it from Shalit's books, is meant women who are vibrantly proud to be women; who delight in God-given gender differences; who eagerly embrace, or wish to embrace, the roles of wife and mother; who would rather cultivate their minds, souls, relationships, and faith than cultivate miles of exposed, flawless flesh.
Girls Gone Mild is, in the opinion of this humble blogger, a generational milestone.
“Every woman shares in Mary's sublime dignity.”
-Pope John Paul II
Be thee well! May the Lord Who watches all watch over thee...
May God's heaven be your blanket as you softly sleep...
-The Proposal/The Night Was Alive, Titanic the Musical
So before I go to sleep, things that made me smile and grateful for life today:
My sweet Paul, whom I adore.
My lovely kindred Sara.
My delightful Ellie
My one and only Jules
My beautiful Sarah (she's beautiful inside AND out)
Finding wonderful library books (with my Sara)
Starbucks coffee
talking to people I don't normally talk with
compliments on my articles!
delicious soup in the cafe
my lovely family
my wonderful priest
intellectual discussions with people who feel as I do!
cozy sheets and blankets
comfy jeans
giggling with Paul's friends- who are now my friends too :-)
the love of Christ
loving and being loved :-)
And let this be my prayer- that I may always recognize that whatever sorrow has happened, I am rich in faith, hope, and love. That life is good, God has graces to bestow, and even the smallest things can point to the divine.
"Pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you."
-St. Augustine
-The Proposal/The Night Was Alive, Titanic the Musical
So before I go to sleep, things that made me smile and grateful for life today:
My sweet Paul, whom I adore.
My lovely kindred Sara.
My delightful Ellie
My one and only Jules
My beautiful Sarah (she's beautiful inside AND out)
Finding wonderful library books (with my Sara)
Starbucks coffee
talking to people I don't normally talk with
compliments on my articles!
delicious soup in the cafe
my lovely family
my wonderful priest
intellectual discussions with people who feel as I do!
cozy sheets and blankets
comfy jeans
giggling with Paul's friends- who are now my friends too :-)
the love of Christ
loving and being loved :-)
And let this be my prayer- that I may always recognize that whatever sorrow has happened, I am rich in faith, hope, and love. That life is good, God has graces to bestow, and even the smallest things can point to the divine.
"Pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you."
-St. Augustine
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Maybe this weight was a gift...
like I had to see what I could lift.
-Nada Surf, Do It Again
Interesting song lyric, isn't it? It always tends to reverberate around my mind, especially recently, with the death of one of my closest friends. It feels like everyday, every moment, is a choice to be crushed by events I can't control, or let them shape me into someone strong, someone who lives the serenity of knowing God is in control.
What does it mean to be strong? That's the topic of this post. What does it really mean, when people tell you how strong you are? I've come to conclude it means exactly this: waking up, every morning, taking a deep breath, and living- giving life everything we've got, holding nothing back, and not being broken by what happens to us. Maybe strength is there even when we don't feel strong...after all, dum spiro, spero- while I breathe, I hope. Maybe true strength is letting Our Lord carry what we cannot control- life.
Maybe no matter how many times I feel I've failed Him with my lack of faith, my fear, my stubborn refusal to let Him comfort and guide me, strength is turning back, again and again.
Maybe that's what it means to be strong. I reflect on how far I've come and how I have not been broken, however dangerously close I've been. Maybe this weight was a gift-to propel me, and others in similar situations, to the Lord who loves us more than we could ever know. And no matter how heavy it is- He is always there.
In "pastures green"? Not always; sometimes He who knowest best, in kindness leadeth me in weary ways, where heavy shadows be. So, whether on the hill-tops high and fair I dwell, or in the sunless valleys, where the shadows lie, what matter? He is there.
-Anonymous
-Nada Surf, Do It Again
Interesting song lyric, isn't it? It always tends to reverberate around my mind, especially recently, with the death of one of my closest friends. It feels like everyday, every moment, is a choice to be crushed by events I can't control, or let them shape me into someone strong, someone who lives the serenity of knowing God is in control.
What does it mean to be strong? That's the topic of this post. What does it really mean, when people tell you how strong you are? I've come to conclude it means exactly this: waking up, every morning, taking a deep breath, and living- giving life everything we've got, holding nothing back, and not being broken by what happens to us. Maybe strength is there even when we don't feel strong...after all, dum spiro, spero- while I breathe, I hope. Maybe true strength is letting Our Lord carry what we cannot control- life.
Maybe no matter how many times I feel I've failed Him with my lack of faith, my fear, my stubborn refusal to let Him comfort and guide me, strength is turning back, again and again.
Maybe that's what it means to be strong. I reflect on how far I've come and how I have not been broken, however dangerously close I've been. Maybe this weight was a gift-to propel me, and others in similar situations, to the Lord who loves us more than we could ever know. And no matter how heavy it is- He is always there.
In "pastures green"? Not always; sometimes He who knowest best, in kindness leadeth me in weary ways, where heavy shadows be. So, whether on the hill-tops high and fair I dwell, or in the sunless valleys, where the shadows lie, what matter? He is there.
-Anonymous
welcome to my blog :-)
So basically, the point of this blog is to have a place to share all the wonderful quotes, lyrics, poems, etc, I find in everyday life. The title comes from one of my favorite songs, Small Enough, by Nichole Nordeman. Part of the lyrics are:
All praise and all honor be
To the God of ancient mysteries
Whose every sign and wonder turns the pages of our history
But tonight, my heart is heavy
And I cannot keep from whispering this prayer:
"Are You there?"
And I know You could leave writing on the wall
That's just for me
Or send wisdom while I'm sleeping
Like in Solomon's sweet dreams
But I don't need the strength of Sampson,
or a chariot in the end
Just want to know that you still know
How many hairs are on my head
Oh, great God
Be small enough to hear me now
So I want the point of this blog, as well, to be to point out all the times when God is small enough to be seen and heard and noticed in every little detail in everyday life. Not that He's small, or not powerful, oh no...but just that he can reach us in even the tiniest of ways. :-)
By the way, a link for the full lyrics: http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/nichole-nordeman/small-enough.html
All praise and all honor be
To the God of ancient mysteries
Whose every sign and wonder turns the pages of our history
But tonight, my heart is heavy
And I cannot keep from whispering this prayer:
"Are You there?"
And I know You could leave writing on the wall
That's just for me
Or send wisdom while I'm sleeping
Like in Solomon's sweet dreams
But I don't need the strength of Sampson,
or a chariot in the end
Just want to know that you still know
How many hairs are on my head
Oh, great God
Be small enough to hear me now
So I want the point of this blog, as well, to be to point out all the times when God is small enough to be seen and heard and noticed in every little detail in everyday life. Not that He's small, or not powerful, oh no...but just that he can reach us in even the tiniest of ways. :-)
By the way, a link for the full lyrics: http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/nichole-nordeman/small-enough.html
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