this is our gypsy camp

Tidbits: Catacombs & Cathedrals, Swim Lessons, Joel Osteen, 10 Gadgets, Photo Prompts

A little Engrish for your reading pleasure...

Yep. Three tidbits installments in a row. I'm definitely doing more consuming than producing on the Intraweb these days; Tidbits is my way of making up for that. I blame Numero Due, 100%. Well, and lack of caffeine. OK it might be 50/50. Also I've been busy and the weather has been beautiful. Looks like it's supposed to hold for this long weekend, as we go to another island to be beach bums; our group has rented out an entire hotel (sounds impressive, but there are about 10 of us).

• Catacomb Christianity and Cathedral Christianity - Russell Moore writes an interesting reflection on paradox in church history. "The kingdom of God is vast and tiny, universal and exclusive. Our story is that of a little flock and of an army awesome of banners*. It's a Christianity of persecution and proliferation, of catacombs and cathedrals."

• Swim lessons help minority children break cycle - "As [Wanda] Butts tried to make sense of her son's tragedy, she realized that she had passed her own inexperience to her son. Her father had witnessed a drowning when he was young and instilled in her a fear of drowning." The Josh Project (and others popping up like it) is a non-profit that provides low-cost swim lessons for kids, in an attempt to reduce drownings among populations that don't have affordable access to pools or lessons. Something like that would make a cool Eagle Scout project!

• Joel Osteen Worships Himself - I came across this on Rage Against the Minivan, and it so perfectly sums up my suspicions of him that I had to share here. (Despite its glaring misrepresentation of Puritans the first time it mentions them. Seriously. Read Valley of Vision, people.)

• 10 Gadgets You'd Be a Fool to Buy Right Now - For those of us not techy enough to hear these rumors in our social circles.

• In a Photography Rut? (Have kids?**) My friend Courtney has put out a 30-day creativity challenge with an idea for taking a picture of your kid every day. People always credit things like this for helping them move forward in leaps and bounds with their manual mode skills. (I wouldn't know--I've never stuck with one. Remember p52?) Looks like we're going to share the photos on Facebook starting June 1st. 

*Proof I'll never be Baptist: "Banners" just really don't get me that excited. (So rest easy, Mom ;-)

**Actually, this could be pretty amusing if you did it with cats or dogs.

Tidbits: Mother's Day recap: for the motherless, the childless, the afraid, and the hurting

I'm still at that stage in life where it seems a little ludicrous to be thanked and made much of for doing something I love intensely. I had a lovely day, thanks to my little family and chapel friends. I am so blessed in this area, although I have to say I am still travelling this pregnancy with cautious prayers--the gift of children can seem to good to be true sometimes. But this year I couldn't let go of the thought of those for whom the day is painful, and neither could the blogosphere. Here are some of my favorite reflections:

• Mother's Day for the motherless daughter - "You are your mother's daughter, created in your Father God's image. And nothing can break that."

• When I become a mother - another motherless daughter, thinking about the day she has a child

• Mother's Day for the Infertile - Russell D. Moore writes, "Regardless of how you do it, remember the infertile as the world around us celebrates motherhood. The Proverbs 31 woman deserves attention, but the 1 Samuel 1 woman does too."

• When Mother's Day hurts - "In recognition of the loss so many feel on Mother's Day, what if we reached out to another who carries that pain?" A mother who has lost a child suggests sponsoring a child who has lost a parent through an organization like World Vision (or, I'd suggest, Compassion, which always receives incredibly high financial accountability ratings).

And two bonus links for moms:

• The Habit of a Mother who Changes the World - Ever wonder where the mother goose gets the feathers to line the nest with (No? Well, have you now?) (Be warned--this blog contains the dreaded automatic music when you visit it.)

• Christ takes the preeminence, even in motherhood - A great reminder that motherhood is not the end-all and be-all of our existence.

Tidbits: Caramelized Onions, Reading, Pet Tip, HemLoft, Julia

• The lie of caramelized onions: It's a lie devious enough to bring about some strong language in this article, and to make me think (until I read this) that I'm just incapable of caramalizing onions. Well, here's the secret: it takes 10 times longer than recipes say it does.

• Why Christians should read literature (and even...::gasp::...fiction!). Why, oh why can't Russell Moore be the posterchild for contemporary American evangelicalism (whatever that means anymore)? I know some of you will get hung up on his comment about Fifty Shades of Gray, but please read on. It's worth it.

• Practical Pet Tip: Teach it to say your address.

• A very cool little building: The HemLoft 

• The Party of Julia:  A great analysis of that faceless cartoon woman lucky enough to have Obama's plan for her life inserting itself into every stage. (If you haven't seen the original, see it here. Prepare to be creeped out.)

 

Paddleboarding & Drinking: A Story in Pictures (With a Moral)

Hope you had a fun Cinco de Mayo. This guy obviously did.