"Get Your Butts Down Ladies!"

The above command resonated across the soccer field as my 9 year old daughter and her teammates tried to follow the coach's instructions. It was an attempt to get them to block the ball from opposing players during practice. During the games, we heard and still hear (from different coaches now) "Come on ladies, be aggressive! " "Who wants the ball!!!???" "Go After It!!!"

My question is this: What is this doing to our girls? Are we teaching them to be...well, boys?

The larger question is this of course: What does "feminine" and "masuculine" mean anymore? Certainly, feminism has influenced our culture drastically, like it our not. It is now a given in secular culture that girls should play as much sports, shoot as many deer,have as many corporate management jobs, and fly as many jet fighters as boys. There is no distinction.

So what does it mean to be a woman, other than a few anatomical differences?

Ok, for us Christians, here is another question. As I have discussed here before, the Bible teaches us throughout that wives should submit to their husbands (again, it never tell husbands this, not even in Ephesians ,if you read the passage carefully-see the discussion on this blog on May 17 2006 "Death of Marriage II"), not to teach in church over men, etc. So, how can we expect our girls to grow up to be nurturing, supportive, or even submissive, when we are telling them to be aggressive on the court, soccerfield, office or military unit? Can a woman who has slugged the ball out of the park or shot an antelope through the heart be a successful, tender mother of a baby and love her husband with respect?

Well, frankly, I don't know.

But I doubt it.

This matters a lot to me. You see, I want my daughter to be the woman God meant her to be, not a product of current societal trends-nor do I want her to be a clone of myself or my wife. I pray for her to grow up to be a Godly woman, not a stereotype of my past -nor a product of post-modern theology. Sadly,there are precious few role models out there to look at.

I would love to hear people weigh in on this, especially you parents or women who were involved in sports, hunting, etc.

What say you?

Kids are Great

There used to be a TV show called "Kids Say the Darndest Things" or something like that. It was in the 50's and later Bill Cosby did it again in the 80's or so. I love it when my kids say things only a kid would say. Here are some recent memorable quotes from our 9 year old boy:


While on vacation: "Mom, aren't tourists really bad, I mean, you know, dangerous? You know, like the ones who blew up those buildings in New York"!

Saying Grace before dinner: "Lord, thank you for such a beeewwwwuuuutiful day and that I have such wonderful parents and we have all this great food. Amen" (I especially liked this one, although he fails to mention his sister.........)

"Something's wrong with my inside eating thingy....I am always hungry!"

After being in the sun a long time: "You know Dad, I really need to stay out of the sun to save my complexion."


"I wish girls didn't like me so much!"



You gotta love it.

Vince

"Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How many hours are there in a mile? Is yellow square or round? Probably half the questions we ask-half our great theological and metaphysical problems-are like that." -C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

Regular readers of this esteemed site know my friend Vince, at least know of his comments. Indeed, he is the most frequent commenter and sets off the longest discussions! But for those of you who don't know him personally, let me tell you about him.

Vince is a dedicated father and husband. Sincerity oozes from every pore. I have admired he and his wife's lifestyle for some time and believe that in many ways, they are great examples to the Christian community. As you can tell, he is very intelligent, a physicist by training. He is also a dedicated Christian.

Now, one problem of writing, be it letters or blogs, is that you can't tell things like this just from opinions on things like politics or theology. Some of you just think of him as a flaming liberal. It just isn't so.

We had lunch the other day. We talked about things like truth and the problems within the body of Christ, and yes, a little politics. He made a statement I have been thinking about, that we all live in our "mythologies", be it left or right, conservative or liberal. I like that and I agree it is true. Many things we think we know turn out to be wrong, or at least, exaggerated. So it is useful to dialogue,to discuss, even debate. It helps us see our mythologies.

So Vince, thank you. I hope you will comment again soon.

After all, if everyone thought like me, who would read this anyway?

Is Paris Learning?*

Well, a picture really is worth a thousand words! I have received many comments about my last post, mostly verbal ones from people who read this. I was a little surprised, but since I don't usually post pictures I guess it caught people off-gaurd. But once again, it is encouraging to know how many people are interested in my efforts!

Now, some of the responses here betray a cursary reading of my last post. I did not critisize blondes in any way and meant no disrespect of i-pods or their listeners. After all, my beloved Pastor has one! No, I simply meant that many YOUNG people, especially the really good lo0king ones, do not read or think much anymore. I am not the only one saying this of course. Many articles have been written (I know this because I read alot, on airplanes and in doctor's offices ) suggesting that the current college age generation is the most illiterate in American History. My experience of 30 years on campus would support that. I can't tell you how many students in our ministry admit they do not read-some have read the first book in their lives in the last year!

My fourth grade son came home with his reading folder this week-at the top it says "Readers are Thinkers". Thus, I think it is safe to say that 20 year old Paris Hilton wanna-bes are not praying or listening to thoughtful speakers on their ipods-but I will ask one sometime, as awkward as that might be. ("Excuse me, but I think most men would find you very attractive. Can I ask what you are listening to or what you are thinking about? I am doing a study for my blog")

But I might get slapped.

By the way, Paris Hilton is an airhead. If you have ever seen her talk, it is quite obvious. She merely has good handlers who tell her how to be a star and how to look good and what to do next, like record a CD, her latest effort. If you doubt this, well, as the saying goes, I have a car I would like to sell you.......


*Note: Does anybody get the title puns regarding movies ? If so, tell me what the last two are and you will win a prize!!