Why Men should not be ordained...

You know, every now and then I get a little tired of the male/female ordination blather. I try to play nice, I really do. But pigheadedness and rudeness, instead of respect and "one-anothering" seem to live on both sides of the argument. I'm not blameless here... just being honest! It's wearying!

Then I found this post on Emerging Women. I decided to re-post it here, with a shout out to Lydia:

Top Ten Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained

10. A man's place is in the army. [Or the navy. Or the air force. Or...]
9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.
8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be "unnatural" for them to do other forms of work.
7. Man was created before woman. It is therefore obvious that man was a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. This is easily demonstrated by their conduct at football games and watching basketball tournaments.
5. Some men are handsome; they will distract women worshipers.
4. To be ordained pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more frequently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes by any means other than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, and maybe even lead the singing on Father's Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.
1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.

Smile... Deep cleansing breath... Keep on serving!

From our home to yours...
Deb

I was tagged!

It seems to be the night for it. Sarah got me...

1. what’s the most fun work you’ve ever done, and why? (two sentences max) Clowning - because I am one. I can be anything I want or need to be and it's cool.

2. (a) Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did? (one sentence max) Write and arrange music.

(b) Name one thing you’ve always wanted to do but keep putting off? (one sentence max) I'll go with Sarah on the health club thang.

3. (a) What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (two sentences max) I'd like to be better at the whole housekeeping thang (because -- well, have you BEEN here lately?) And, I'd like to not panic at the theologi-techno-talk that some polysyllabic seminarians seem to need to throw around, because it makes me feel stupid and I am not.

(b) If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead who would it be and what would you hope to learn? Einstein, give me some math skills, please.

4. (a) What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?
- zany
- outgoing
- energetic
(b) now list two more words that you wish described you?
- peaceful
- graceful

5. What are your top 3 passions?
- family
- God
- music

6. Write and answer one more question that YOU would ask someone? (with answer in three sentences max)

Where would you go tomorrow if your commitments and cost were not a problem? Ireland!


If you have the time and want to play, let me know.

NOW I really can go to bed!
Deb

Now I know my ABCs...

Stolen from Cathy!

The Letter A
Are you available? Nope. Very married!
What is your age? probably older than you
What annoys you? Incorrect use of can/may, dogs who are allowed to poop on my front lawn without clean up and the neighbor's "car alarm symphony"

The Letter B
Do you live in a big house? Big enough that I can't clean it in a morning.
When is your birthday? June 12.
Who is your best friend? Oh my... hard one. Dana, probably.

The Letter C
What's your favorite candy? Hands DOWN - peanut M&Ms
Who's your crush? My Beloved Bearded Spouse (aka BBS)
When was the last time you cried? Sunday - worship and prayer did me in!

The Letter D
Do you daydream? Yes.
What's your favorite kind of dog? Stuffed. (sorry - I'm a cat person!)
What day of the week is it? Wednesday.

The Letter E
How do you like your eggs? In cakes, pies and cookies.
Have you ever been in the emergency room? For me - no. For others - yes.
What's the easiest thing ever to do? Body sounds (you know - the natural kind?)

The Letter F
Have you ever flown in a plane? Yes.
Do you use fly swatters? No.
Have you ever used a foghorn? To do what?

The Letter G
Do you chew gum? Yes. Occasionally
Are you a giver or a taker? Um... dunno. Probably both.
Do you like gummy candies? MMmmmmm Jelly Bellies...

The Letter H
How are you? Groovymus fantabulous!
What color is your hair? Brown, with natural - uh - "variations"!!

The Letter I
What's your favorite ice cream? Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby or Graeter's Peppermint Stick
Have you ever ice skated? As in, balancing and moving across the ice on the blades instead of my butt?? Marginally.
Do you play an instrument? yes, several.

The Letter J
What's your favorite jelly bean brand? Jelly Bellies!
Do you wear jewelry? Some. Not a lot of bling.

The Letter K
Who do you want to kill? Cockroaches. OK, I know that's a what. It's the best I can do!
Do you want kids? Yes and I love them both!
Where did you go for kindergarten? I didn't.

The Letter L
Are you laid back? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No.
Do you lie? no never.

The Letter M
Whats your favorite movie? Princess Bride!
Do watch Disney movies? Not any more!
Do you like mangos? No. I'm allergic to them, actually.

The Letter N
Do you have a nickname? Yes but I am not telling.
What is your real name? Deborah
What's your favorite number? Ones that balance in my checking account.
Do you prefer night over day? Night!

The Letter O
What's your one wish? To have three more wishes! (HA)
Are you an only child? Nope!

The Letter P
What one fear are you most paranoid about? Driving in lousy road conditions because of all of the EEEjits out there.
What are your pet peeves? Actually all the peeves I have are not domesticated.
What's a personality trait you look for in people? Fun and honesty.

The Letter Q
What's your favorite quote? Several, but just to be whimsical: "Have you ever tried to get to your feet with a sprained dignity?" [Mrs. Whatsit in "A Wrinkle in Time"]
Are you quick to judge people? Yes. No. I don't know. Probably Yes.

The Letter R
Do you think you're always right? Of course!
Are you one to cry? When my eyes need to leak, yes.

The Letter S
Do you prefer sun or rain? Um... either.
Do you like snow? Yes.
What's your favorite season? Fall - football season, ya know?

The Letter T
What time is it? 10:37 pm
What time did you wake up? 5:50
When was the last time you slept in a tent? about 5 years ago.

The Letter U
Are you wearing underwear? Yes, I am. See the duckies?
Underwear or boxers? Underwear.

The Letter V
What's the worst veggie? Gag balls aka brussel sprouts!
Where do you want to go on vacation? Nova Scotia

The Letter W
What's your worst habit? That I have so many bad ones.
Where do you live? Maryland
What's your worst fear? Didn't we cover this in paranoia?

The Letter X
Have you ever had an x-ray? yes
Have you seen the x-games? once on TV
Do you own a xylophone? No.

The Letter Y
Do you like the color yellow? Depends on whether or not it's sunshine in-your-face yellow or a nice pastel
What's one thing you yearn for? peace - in me and in the world

The Letter Z
Whats your zodiac sign? Gemini
Do you believe in the zodiac? As much as I do in fortune cookies.
Favorite zoo animal? Tigers!

There. Now I can go to bed. :)

If you play, let me know. It was kinda fun! :)

from our home to yours,
Deb

Freecycled into a new stage...

Time flies...

We just gave our trusty play set to new neighbors (and new friends?) through FreeCycle. It was pretty nice to not have to take the thing to the dump. We were done with using it, and it had become "an attractive nuisance" in liability insurance parlance. Truth be told, I am not sure they got a bargain, even though they're happy. But a piece at a time, they've disassembled it to go to their yard. Their kids are thrilled to pieces. Our kids said, "eh... yeah... whatever..." and don't seem to care. I am a bit bemused...

...wasn't it only yesterday that Beloved Bearded Spouse and I assembled it in our garage (because it was raining) and then carried it out in large pieces to the yard, putting it together while the girls danced and hopped around us in excitement?

...wasn't it just yesterday that they had "trips to the moon" and secret rendezvous in the "clubhouse" and competed in "Olympics" on the hand-over-hand ladder and hanging rings?


...wasn't it just yesterday that kids were swinging and giggling on it on a summer's evening as the adults sat under the arbor, talking and swatting mosquitoes?

There is this funny "space" in our yard. The grass is trampled down with funny U-shaped ruts, and the footprint of the play set is still there. By a year from now, you'll never know what happened in this part of the yard...

But it's OK.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: [Eccl. 3:1]

I am happy it has a new home. I am sad that we are suddenly past play sets.
Sort of...

From our home to yours...
Deb

But seriously...

It's time to take a walk to a thoughtful spot...


After putting up my silly post from yesterday, I found out that a friend and her daughter were in a head-on collision on an icy road. They are fine. The family they slid into all died in the crash. My heart goes out to her.

I didn't mean to be flippant in my last post, and almost deleted it... but decided instead to use it as a marker for prayer... and to ponder... what WOULD I like my last words be??


I think that something I would like to say as my famous last words would be - "I LOVE YOU!"

from our home to yours...
Deb

Famous Last Words...

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"I dunno, press the button and find out."

What Will Your Famous Last Words Be?

I'd rather be...

...reading something other than Brueggemann - I really don't get this guy.
...working on something other than my next marvelously exegeted paper. (That was a joke, in case my professors ever visit this blog!)
...walking with my beloved bearded spouse (even in the rain)
...playing piano, flute or singing (a heavy dose of blues or jazz, please)
...beating my girls in an all-out scrimmage of Scrabble (too bad Greek and Hebrew words don't count!)
...kicking back with a glass of the latest home brew (which is really very good!) and chewing the fat with our buds
...and a nap would be very, very cool (the cats agree!)

.. No more procrastination! Back to work!

...sigh...

Deb

Friday Five: Countdown Edition

From Songbird of RevGalBlogPals :
Last night my TV Boyfriend Keith Olbermann made some comments I really appreciated, and it got me thinking about what makes one person admire another. In the spirit of Keith's show on MSNBC, welcome to the Friday Five Countdown Edition.

Please count down five living people you admire and tell us a little something about why they make your list. These could be famous people or people you know personally.

WELLL.... I am feeling arbitrary and actually quite contrary. I am NOT picking TV personalities, starlets, politicians, or anybody that I have not talked to or known personally. I am also not going to be Politically Correct and join the daily politician-bashing pulpit pounders from either political stripe. PAH!

SOoo... having said that, you might wish to skip my post. A tired, cranky seminarian who can't get her Word plug-in to work for formatting two Turabian- style papers due in less than six hours, AND has PMS to boot can be a real (ahem) brat...

5 Myron Augsburger who is Pastor Emeritus and the founding pastor of Washington Community Fellowship in DC. We were members there for several years. His byline was "The Third Way" which basically said that NEITHER Republicans NOR Democrats have it right. The "Third Way" is the way of Christ. None of us who are on the planet can perfectly imitate and follow Jesus. We just think we do. So --- I am learning to stop the flag waving and peace signs and mantras and slogans... and through his input, am learning to listen to Jesus.

4 Pastor Ruth who is one of my Spiritual Formation mentors. She was a woman pastor when women pastors REALLY weren't cool. She is bright, thoughtful, a mystic, a prayer warrior, and a great sounding board.

3 Dana and Carol, sisters of the heart. Can't explain it in words... I just am blessed.

2 My mom. She's the youngest octogenarian I know. She's computer savvy. She translates and reviews books for a genealogical group (out of old or new German? wow), she encourages, supports and finds ways to let me and my sibs and our families know that we are loved. She loved and lived through the slow demise of my dad with grace and faith. May I do so well.

1 My beloved bearded spouse. A patient, thoughtful, long-suffering man, exhibited with grace as his zany wife re-arranges the furniture, storage areas, garage, whatever (a sign I am in "deep think"), loving, caring and incredibly up for this idea that I would actually go back to school for full-time ministry.

OK, that's it from where I live. Back to these #@#*%& papers which will not edit themselves, blast it...

Deb

Do. Not. Panic.

DO. NOT. PANIC.
YOU. CAN. DO. THIS.
One step at a time.
One assignment at a time.

What's a few more months of lack of sleep, lost family time, no vacation because every professor wants "their" schedule instead of the seminary's... ???

I will hang on to the fact that the One who is FAITHFUL AND TRUE has called me to this...

Walking by faith...
Deb

O-H-I-O

Just received this link from another Buckeye...

"We might not be able to play football, but at least we can spell!"

Ever the fan...
Deb