Books are my love

Seems like every spring I rediscover my love of classic lit. Winter is spent doing the crochet things - blanket making keeps one much warmer than the pages of a novel.

As the spring winds start blowing once more, my mind begins to dream once more of sprawling English gardens, budding trees, blooming flowers, long strolls with nothing better to do than find a great patch of sun (or a handy bench) and just sit.

Sure its yet another form of escapism - and I love every minute of it.

So what makes a good novel? A story that's engrossing, characters that are engaging, and has at least a few notes of unpredictability. The best novels are the ones where I'm pretty sure I know how it will end - but I keep reading because I just have to know how characters get from point A to point B.

This week that meant A Room with a View. I love Lucy Honeychurch - she's such a typical girl! Her struggle between what her culture desires and what her heart cries out for is beautifully written, creating a sympathy within the reader that understands her "muddle". The book describes numerous views - and Forester writes so vividly that I can perfectly picture Lucy standing in a field of violets, watching George Emerson enjoy the Italian countryside.

The book gently urges its reader to examine the "why" - to not simply accept what has always been done, but to search for what truly makes them happy and go for it. What a great way to begin my spring/summer rediscovery.

bring on the sun

Okay, so these hints of spring are making me a bit crazy. Midwestern weather has a rep of swinging to the extremes, but you have to admit that there's also a bit of pendulum-ness too. These last couple weeks we've had gorgeous warm weather followed by chills and even snow.

what the heck.

This winter I realized more than ever that I run on solar power. I spend as much time as possible soaking up the summer sun. Pool time, lunches in the park, swinging in the hammock. Its very much like charging a battery against the coming cold and gloom of winter. Snow - ugh.

This year it seems like cold/gloom have dragged on longer than in recent memory. I'm sooo ready for summer sun and all that comes with it. Outdoor theatre, bbqs, playing in the yard, pool, wadering around th Plaza - just the joy of being outside. Bring on the sun, baby!!

About that dissertation

In the last few weeks I've had several people ask me what I wrote my Shepherd School dissertation about. How this became the hot topic at work is beyond me - thought I must confess I'm a bit curious. Its odd to think that people talk about me/what I think when I'm not around. I mean, obviously we do - i just never think about it. Am I really that interesting?

Apparently so . . . or at least the way that I think seems to be.

My dissertation is called Biblical Feminism. The title was obviously designed to get people think, and I received two very distinct reactions when it was mentioned. 1 - There's no such thing; that's an oxymoron. 2 - Interesting; can I read it?

Feminism has gotten a bad rap - especially in religious circles. If you were to truly study the concept, however, you would discover that God was the first feminist. The Bible is chock full of examples, illustrations, and real life situations where women were given positions of power and authority within God's structure.

Anyway.

So why is it (me?) a topic of current conversation? I propose that it is because our church is in an time of transition.

The question is not if women fit - the question is how/where women fit.

Not only is this an important topic - its a culturally relevant topic.

I'm convinced that one of the greatest reasons for a decline in my generation's attendance and participation in the local church is that there are limited opportunities for their involvement outside specific parameters (historically childcare is a women's best option). The world offers - and encourages - women to pursue a variety of interests.

The church should be leading that change - just as it has historically fought for change in a myriad of social structures.