banned books
In Honor of Banned Book Week: A question I often ask people. The WHY is fascinating
I asked my husband it years ago…here is the conversation (back when the obvious choices were 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and Handmaiden Tale)
Which Dystopic society scares you the most?
Me: Fahrenheit 451….There are NO BOOKS!!!
Anthony: Handmaiden Tale…its the most realistic…
Me: that’s sad, and scary with the patriarchy stuff….but….still…..no books…nope still Fahrenheit 451
Churches feel like lonely places. It is clear to me that one of the reasons that big churches do so well is because they don’t feel lonely, at least not immediately
•I have no doubt there are many reasons to explore about why churches are having trouble…therefore I am only tackling this one
But walking into an empty-ish church of mostly older age feels…lonely….
The loneliness is everywhere; and worse its palpable.
Here is the thing, pastors talk about this a lot…pastors tend to be lonely but little is talked about the layperson’s loneliness. The feeling that “we aren’t in this religion thing together” any more–we are in it alone.
Perhaps that is why the Spiritual but not religious label hits so hard….What do you mean you can do your religious thing by yourself? Where does that leave us…and me?
Religion can be a lonely place to be right now
I just watched Breuggeman’s Prophetic Preaching on the Old Testament which is wonderful
And he talks about how Prophetic Preaching is the breaking of the totalism (or hegemony), which is a SILENCE that leads to VIOLENCE with an outside voice
Good News is so important
Hope is so important
God is not a God who wants us to have to live and die and do everything alone.
Don’t let the emptiness of the church trick you.
Aren’t we the people of the empty tomb?
Aren’t we the people of the empty cross?
Didn’t God make the world out of the emptiness?
Didn’t God create space within God’s very self to give birth to us?
Didn’t God empty out her very self in the personhood of Jesus Christ to give us new and better life?
Churches don’t have to be lonely…don’t buy into it. The lie of death, the lie of not changing, the lie of security and worries about looks and judgements…..don’t believe these lies
God creates…we are called to create and be CREATIVE with God
To me that work is fulfilling, not lonely at all…
Christianity is about love and grace, about finding and defining yourself and the world in relation to God and their love.
My Sister preaches, preach sister
she is the 1 in purple. Feel free to skip to min 4
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=722264261177435
She also said on fb ““also says A reminder that that is NOT what christianity usually means. Christianity is about love and grace, about finding and defining yourself and the world in relation to God and their love. Christianity does not have to mean hatred, exclusivity, or fear of retribution. In fact, the people for whom that is what Christianity means are generally the fringe minority.
Please do not judge this religion on its extremists.”“
Ok, so maybe cooking wasn’t the best idea…but cooking has always been fairly therapeutic for me. Granted at home its usually cookies that I am making, but there is something about working out an entire recipe that feels peaceful.
Maybe I’m just thinking about food all the time because here I feel like I’m being eaten.
The silence swallows me, the darkness drinks my personality….
I must do something, because I feel utterly lost….
I turn the page and look at the recipe for bread
Look, there are lots of posts about extroverts and introverts, and they are (mostly) true, and I find the (noncondenscending) ones very informative/helpful. (extroverts don’t mean to interrupt/be rude and introverts aren’t really being standoffish/antisocial, etc).
In my profession, pastoring, I have met a lot of introverts-(wait don’t you have to preach on a regular basis? you ask)
The answer is, its because of introverts super-cool-awesome listing super-powers…which are very pastoral and help a lot.
Note: this is also why pastors take Monday off, they are recovering from the preaching/being large groups/expended lots of energy thing
Usually I take Friday off, after a week of only interacting with small one-on-ones or just small groups of people, I’m drained.
Church has time for both of these types: That passing of the peace time? thats for the extroverts, that silent prayer time? That’s for the introverts…(per usual, you prob should only like about 3/4 of the service, because you want people who aren’t like you to find meaning in the worship too)
Here is, what I find, to be a helpful metaphor for introverts and extraverts
When introverts interact, they are like a balloon that is slowly deflating….and in order to regain energy, they need to go and have some down time to re-inflate…..
When extroverts DON’T interact: its like a balloon that is being filled with more and more air…and if they don’t get a change to deflate (by interacting) they will “pop”
I tend to refer to this phenomena in my own life as “emotionally throwing up” where suddenly I burst out with all of my feelings in one long-winded moment, and I don’t have the energy to pare down or be quiet (help! I’m talking and I can’t shut up)
Respect the balloon…and whatever you need to do to keep your balloon at a manageable level…do so…
and go in peace!!
Wizard of Oz Canon-ish stuff
This flow chart shows connections between the authors & illustrators and the inspirations that have created a universe that is over 100 years old.
This is done in different ways, first there are four different groups that are not only charted by illustrator and/or author, but also chronologically when they were published.
The second way is to show the connection between authors & illustrators (who worked with who). The third way is the highlighting of inspiration. For example Alexander Volkov, a Russian author, translated Wizard of Oz and titled the novel “The Wizard of Emerald City.” He also wrote five other squeals, which spawned over thirty other novels, and they inspired American translations and adaptations.
Through the years there were authors devoted to the writings…
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Name: Katy Stenta
Quest: To talk about God in a cool, non condescending way that includes many witticisms and as many nerdy fantasy refs as possible
Favorite Color: Blue and Green (I know, my husband hates that I have 2, but I love the water so…)
If I Entitled My Job it would be: God’s HR rep–I handle staff, complaints, and communication between all parties in and outside the company (of saints), (God is in Operations)
The Real World Calls it: Pastor
Favorite Fairy Tale: Beauty and the Beast (also really love Donkeyskin)
Things I do for fun: Theater, Yoga, draw Disney characters, Board Games: Cataan, Carcassan, Dominion & of course read (mostly fantasy now that I’m busy with children)
Bio: Married for 9yrs, to high school sweetheart from 2000, 3 children, 3 cats and my husband says we are done “No more creatures” for this family, “no more children, cats or wives” Went to Oberlin for undergrad (loved it) hung out with the Christian Ed people at Princeton Seminary,
Interesting Fact: 9/11 happened my first week of college making me just barely a millennial (entire childhood pre-9/11 entire adulthood post 9/11), also I’m a double pastor’s kid but I pretty much existed in the nerdy version of the real world…I have 3 kids and am Christian but am well-ed. intellectual. I lose count of how many “realities” I live between.
What angers me: Preaching hate as the word of God (UGGGGHHHH!)
In my Dream World: I have time to write a fantasy series & do some community theater
Self-Descriptors include (and are not limited to): Exuberant, Leader, Christian, Fantasy-Nerd, Easy-Going, Mom of Three Boys, Straightforward, Extrovert, Extremely Hard Worker, Goal-Oriented, Encourager, All About Family
Favorite Books as a Grade Schooler: Oz, Narnia, The Hobbit, Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Madeline L’Engle Time Quartet
Favorite Book in Jr. High: Robin McKinley, Patricia C. Wrede Tamora Pierce, L’Engle’s Austin series, Gail Carson Levine, Just Ella, Most Rewritten Fairy Tale Novels of that era (Jack Zipes, Jane Yolen, Terri Windling, etc)
High School: J. K. Rowling, Anne Bishop, Dave Duncan, Robert Asprin,
Things I Read Now (in addition to the above list): Hunger Games, Pretties/Uglies/Specials/Extras, Laurie King’s Mary Russell Series, Gail Carriger,
Favorite Pastoral Characters: Shepherd Book from Firefly, Pastor from The Princess Bride….
learning and trying new things…and living into God’s love
“Don’t become too narrow. Live fully. Meet all kinds of people. You’ll learn something from everyone. Follow what you feel in your heart.” -Yuri Kochiyama
Lunch with a friend that I love and admire so much – we caught up as we don’t spend nearly enough time together. She’s in academic and intellectual circles, church and other social circles, and just well-connected. We shifted to remembering the #nmos14 vigil back in August and I realized I hadn’t blogged or reflected much on it.
When Michael Brown was murdered in cold blood by police on the streets of his neighborhood I knew I needed space to confront, to reflect, to mourn, to confess, to process everything. Twitter came out with ideas for mobilizing people for local protests and vigils and I jumped on the opportunity to help organize one for Bloomington. I assumed that in a university town someone or some…
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We like to limit God
to say God only believes in one kind of love
two kinds of genders
and sexuality is easy to define–
placing all those who don’t fit into these “normal” parameters into a category of…
“sorry God just messed up when God was making you”
“God only believes that these aspects are valid in a human being”
“You are an invalid human being”
Don’t even get me started on ethnicity and differently abled folk
Seriously…what kind of mediocre God are you preaching about…
My God has way more flexibility, creativity and love
My God is so good that I fall to my knees before the Trinity–overwhelmed with a need to love & accept people for who they are in the way that God’s Wild Love can….
and if you say your God is very different from mine…I’m inclined to agree with you….Your God is a lot tamer than mine!
Christianity<–straight up!
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
You see, Aslan is not just a lion, but he’s a great Lion. He’s the King of the Beasts, and the real ruler of Narnia. Now, Susan asks the beavers, “Is he safe?”
Mrs. Beaver says, “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
Lucy asks, “Then he isn’t safe?”
And Mr. Beaver says this famous line about Aslan: “’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Why do we want to limit love anyway?
katyandtheword 