Interview with Michael Landon Jr.

I interviewed Michael Landon Jr. this week as part of his media blitz for "The Velveteen Rabbit" (one of my all-time favorite stories), which releases on DVD this month--March 17. The film features the vocal talents of Golden Globe® winner Jane Seymour (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” Somewhere in Time) as the mom, with Emmy Award® winner Tom Skerritt (Top Gun, "Picket Fences") as the skin horse, and Oscar® winner Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Requiem for a Dream) as the swan. (You can watch the trailer here.)

I love the way Landon did this film in that part of it takes place in the “real” world and some is animated. My fourteen-year-old daughter watched the review copy with me to the very end--a good sign!

During our interview, I asked Landon, "If you were to speak to artists about how to communicate faith effectively, what would you tell them?"

His answer: "Use metaphors. Allegory. You do try not to just hit spiritual things right on the nose--that's why you go to church. But even a good preacher tells stories. Jesus told stories. Otherwise, you only speak to the person’s mind and not his or her heart. Good story telling does both."

Eight is Enough?

So...what do you think about an unmarried woman who already has six kids giving birth to octuplets through the help of in vitro fertilization? Do you think her doctor should have refused to help her get there, or was that her call? Does it matter that she's unmarried? Do you resent that tax dollars will help her? Do you respect that once the eggs were fertilized, she didn't want any to die? Got an opinion? Let's hear it!

Wordless Wednesday

Shrove Tuesday

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent--a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Sometimes people give up something for Lent. This helps them stay mindful of what the Second Person of the Trinity gave up in leaving heaven to enter time and space. So let's say someone gives up chocolate for Lent. Every time someone offers them chocolate or they pass up a Godiva truffle, they remember and give thanks for the great sacrifice of our Lord. Then on Easter Sunday they have a melting chocolate cake or a they snarf a chocolate bunny. It totally adds to the celebration!

Many evangelicals do not celebrate Ash Wedesday. Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Lutherans do. The Anglican and Episcopal churches do, as well. And the mainline Protestant denominations do, too. Individual Christ-followers may wish to observe Ash Wednesday and Lent. The Book of Common Prayer can provide the structure for meditations preceding and including Holy Week.

Here's a link to my post last year on Shrove Tuesday in which I provide more detail.

Role of Women: Recommended Resources

Today's my day to post over on bible.org's Tapestry blog. So I provided my recommended resources for those exploring what the Bible says about the role of women in ministry. Head on over if that's a subject of interest to you.

The World Gets Flatter

In the past decade or so an estimated 5.4 million people have died in D. R. Congo as a result of what some describe as “Africa’s first world war.” Add to that another million refugees. Most casualties of war happened not because of direct conflict, but from the slower deaths of malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia. And try this on for a truly horrifying statistic: forty-seven percent of the dead were children.

Providing an eye-witness account is my indigenous pastor friend who runs an orphan ministry there:

"The crisis we face here has cause a great damage. Many people have been killed, women are treated very badly, many of them are raped, one woman to be raped with more than 7-10 men, women with pregnant have been maltreated very badly in the way that you can’t explain, this has brought a great shame, many children have left orphans. Please, keep praying for all these, also it has caused the price of food to get very high."

In the weeks that followed he didn't mention it again. He spoke only of his sick child who recovered leaving a hospital bill of $48. But he was thankful his girl didn't die. Then I received this late last week:

"Hello, dear faithful in the Lord, a friend of mine in His holy name. Thank you so very much for your prayers for me, family and the ministry.

"Your message has encouraged my heart a lot to know that somewhere the Lord has placed His saints like to be praying for me.

"Yes, the Holy Spirit led you well, for I am facing hardship of life. And the problem is this: the Lord blessed me with a faithful friend that was committed himself to be paying my house rent every month and also sending me every month some amount for food, medical care, etc. But this friend of mine now is two month, he is very seriously sick and it seems that there is no hope for his living. Now I have not yet paid my house rent for two months, and again getting food for my children this also is very very difficult, so all these has made my heart feel life is so difficult, especially when I saw my kids crying for hungry, this is hurting my heart a lot.

"So please keep praying for God's provision in this situation.

"Thank you again and God bless you for your love and concern with me and my family."

We have tried to find aid organizations near Pastor Fred to help him, but so far with no success. Will you please say a prayer for him and his family and their work? And for the peace of D. R. Congo?

Join the Next SoulPerSuit Study

SoulPerSuit is hitting the books and art supplies again this spring. If you a) want a community Bible study that b) includes an aesthetic element, you've come to the right place.

Through March, April and May, my friends and I over at SoulPerSuit (SPS) will host a cybergroup venturing through the Book of Judges using Java with the Judges, from my Coffee Cup Bible Study Series.

I’d love for you to join us. All you need is your imagination, a copy of Java with the Judges, and Internet access. (The Bible text comes included in the study.)

We've chosen to host the Judges SPS group, hitting the blogosphere again, because our Christmas SPS escapade seemed to work so well. As my friend Erin describes it, “SoulPerBlog serves as a quasi-art studio/coffee house/bean bag laden discussion room. We'll brew up some cyber cafe mochas and green tea over there so everyone can enjoy the dialogue in the comments section.”

Get your study by typing "Java with the Judges" in the Amazon box in the right column. (A portion of the proceeds benefit East-West’s East Africa ministry). We’ll kick off March 3.

You can read the intro to Judges that I posted today by going to the SPS blog.

ASPIRE Interview

Listen to InContext, the audio program with Michael Easley, former president of Moody Bible Institute. Today he interviewed me about infertility, reproductive ethics, my Bible studies, and medical fiction. We cover it all in about 20 minutes!

The House of Mourning

Yesterday afternoon a crowd gathered to remember the life of Dr. Harold Hoehner. What a life well lived! An amazing scholar with two doctorates--one from Dallas Seminary and another from Cambridge. A mentor to hundreds if not thousands. A man whose colleagues, friends, wife, children, and grandchildren described him in the most endearing terms ... door always open, teller of Aggie jokes, sensitive to the downtrodden, dinner-table debater, friend to international students, "there," available, humble, affirming, hard-working, firm in his convictions, fair-minded. I left wanting to be a better wife, mother, friend, student, teacher, citizen of the world.

And that desire reminded me of the wisdom in Ecclesiastes that tells us it's better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of celebration. Though that may sound a little depressing, it's so true. How often do I leave a party with the overwhelming desire to aspire to a higher standard?

Volunteer for Free Admission/Schmooze Access

Christian Book Expo (CBE), sponsored by the Evangelical Christian Publisher’s Association (ECPA), is the first-of-its-kind event, featuring more than 180 authors and 60 publishers.

Where? The Dallas Convention Center
When? March 19-22, 2009
Web? http://www.christianbookexpo.com/
Expected Attendance: 12,000 - 20,000 (open to the public)

Event organizers need about 50 volunteers to do a variety of tasks such as greet, serve as directional staff, work kid’s activities, serve as door monitors, ushers for the evening events, and runners. Also, all day Wednesday the 18th they need people to assemble/stuff the bags for those attending, including children's bags to be handed out at registration.

Requirement: Must attend the orientation and walk-through on Wednesday,March 18, 2009 from 1:00-2:30 PM. Parking is available at the center and two concession stands will remain open throughout the day. You'll receive a staff shirt (color of slacks/pants will be determined soon). Once confirmed, they will send you details on your specific schedule, attire, duties, location to meet.

Email me through my blogger profile if you want to volunteer, and I'll get you connected with the right folks.

Wordless Wednesday

Mark Your Calendar

A major book/ministry event is coming to the Dallas Convention Center March 19-22. It's called Christian Book Expo, and organizers expect it to be the first of many. In past years book trade shows were closed to the public. But this year publishers are going straight to the end users.

The event features lots of well known authors like Randy Alcorn, Janette Oke, Don Piper, Max Lucado, Donald Miller, and Stormie Omartian. It also includes some folks nobody has ever heard of, like me. You can find the schedule and featured authors at http://www.christianbookexpo.com/. Some of the panel discussions on the schedule look especially good.

I'm scheduled to participate in a panel discussion on Friday 3/20 at 2 PM, and at 6 PM I'm doing a book signing (ACFW booth 428). I would love to see you there!

As mentioned in a previous post, you can use a discount code for $5 off the registration fee: church5off.

Got People Problems?

Every year one in four ministers either get fired or are asked to resign. The main reason: interpersonal conflict.

When you try to help the wounded, sometimes--like injured animals--they bite. That's why Sue Edwards and Kelley Mathews have recently released a book titled Leading Women Who Wound. It focuses specifically on helping women in leadership help women who injure others emotionally and spiritually.

Kelley interviewed people with stories to share, expecting to have trouble finding anecdotes. But she said, “When women asked what I was working on and I told them, many said, ‘Let me tell you what happened to me!’”

The authors advocate assuming an offensive position to prepare for personal attacks and conflict as well as encouraging leaders to take a more direct communication style.

In the book they explain the process Jesus laid out for handling interpersonal conflict (Matthew 18). We are first to go privately to the offending party. If that doesn't help, we take a couple of witnesses with us. If the person still doesn't listen, the injured party takes the matter to the church. Following this order is not always easy, but I know from working with both of these women that they practice what they "share" when it comes to this issue. And as a result, they have excellent interpersonal skills.

It is estimated that there are 19,000 conflicts in churches every year. The authors' goal in writing this book, they say, is to lower the turnover stats as well as to reduce the heartache that results from mismanaged conflict.

For more, you can check out these links:

Buy from Amazon: Leading Women Who Wound

Kelley and Sue's Website

Kelley's Blog

Kelley's Facebook Profile

Other bloggers who will be talking about the book this week

Sue, Kelley, Claudia McGuire and I will be doing a panel discussion, "When People Problems Invade Your Ministry" at Book Expo in Dallas on March 20 from 2-3 PM. When you register for EXPO, use this discount code for $5 off: cbe5off

Harold Hoehner 1935-2009

Dallas Seminary lost a beloved professor today when Dr. Harold Hoehner passed into glory after his morning jog at the age of 74. His legacy at the school spanned more than forty years.

Though he earned two doctorates--one from DTS and one from Cambridge--he was ever full of good humor and totally approachable. About five years ago in an interview about life at Cambridge he told of how "students read Greek or Latin like we would read a newspaper" and an undergrad acquaintance of his would translate French poetry into Hebrew on the weekends for fun. Of course he was totally in their league, but he didn't perceive of himself that way.

My funniest memory of Dr. Hoehner was his appearance in one of the school's famous "senior chapels," an annual tradition when the graduating class usually performs a spoof on a movie or musical. (We've had "Greece" for "Grease"; "Fiddler at His Desk" for "Fiddler on the Roof"; "Preaches with Notes" for "Dances with Wolves," etc.) That year the theme was "The Miserables" (i.e., the miserable, overworked students, as I recall) based on "Les Miserables." In a reworked version of "Master of the House," many of the senior professors, including Dr. Hoehner, appeared dressed in their flowing regalia and sang "Masters of the Word" during which they recited (from memory) forms of the Greek verb luo.

Dr. Hoehner appears here leaning on the stack of books he helped "birth," including his work on Herod Antipas which gained him the nickname of "Herod Hoehner." For more about Dr. Hoehner's life and legacy, go to the DTS web site. Also, in December Dr. Dan Wallace wrote a touching tribute to Dr. Hoehner which appears here.

Where's Lincoln?

Today marks the 200th birthday of our fourteenth president.

I receive a daily summary of New York Times headlines by email every morning, and today's news included the following:

Darwin at 200: The Ongoing Force of His Unconventional Idea
By VERLYN KLINKENBORG
Charles Darwin’s writings were not intended to be scriptural. They were meant to be tested.

The Origin of Darwin
By OLIVIA JUDSON
A look back at the life of Charles Darwin, who was born 200 years ago today. His work transformed our understanding of the planet and of ourselves.

ON THIS DAY
On Feb. 12, 1973, the first release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict took place.

Um, does it seem to you as it does to me that something's missing here?

Wordless Wednesday

Redeem Darwin's Day

Every other Tuesday I post something on the bible.org women's blog, Tapestry. It's my day today, so I wrote about Darwin's Day. In forty-eight hours the world will note the 200th birthdays of Darwin and Lincoln, and I think even the non-geeks among us need to know enough about modern evolutionary theory and its weaknesses to talk with some degree of intelligence. BTW, the topic is not going away on February 13. In November we mark the 150th anniversary of Origin of Species. And these milestones provide us with a great opportunity. You can read my entry here.

We Need Each Other

If you read Genesis, you don't have to read far before you discover that humanity--male and female--are made in God's image and designed for co-rulership and co-creation. As I read the ancient story, I see that men and women need to work in partnership to "rule the earth," which includes global environmental, economic, relational, and spiritual problems.

Today in his New York Times column, "Mistresses of the Universe," Nicholas Kristof considers how Wall Street might look different if board rooms were to add more estrogen to the mix. And while he didn't mention it, I couldn't help but think of that story in Genesis. More than Democratic and Republican solutions, methinks those of us who believe in divine design should advocate gender inclusivity as crucial to the decision-making process.

The Occasional Update

Frappé with Philippians: Sent to the publisher this week. We have a cover now. Pub date: July.

Kona with Jonah: Almost ready to send to the publisher. Pub date: also July.

I have some options for what to write next, but I can't think about that right now! I'm up to my eyebrows in translation work and reading for my PhD. As mentioned earlier this week, I'm taking six hours in Greek translation via independent study. My project focuses on Artemis of the Ephesians and the affect she had on the city of Ephesus. I'm finding her in the New Testament and Ignatius and Pausanias (early Greek travel writer), and all over Asia Minor, really. Not "Artemis," mind you, but "Artemis of the Ephesians," an apparently unique personality (at least that's what I've concluded from my work so far). I have no idea where I'll end up. I'm just seeing where the ride takes me.

At Kindred Spirit we focused the last issue on the environment and God's creation. The next one, headed to the print shop soon, focuses on Darwin. Brace yourself--the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth will make headlines more than it already has this year when he celebrates his two-hundredth birthday next week. And we'll hit the 150th anniversary of his famous book later in '09...

On Wednesday nights I teach a journalism class. Normally we have twelve students. This semester we have twenty-three. Fortunately I have some help in the form of a former intern, Kelli. Whew! The close editing that students' papers deserve demands more than just "grading." But I came away from class this week so encouraged by the relevant topics my students have chosen and the degree of vulnerability they embrace--topics ranging from self-injury to the death of an unbelieving parent. Their interactions with each other also blessed me as they exhibited humility and grace with gentle suggestions for improvement.

Occasionally someone asks about my shoulder injury. I have an appointment with a trainer on Monday through my DTS-benefit membership at the Landry Fitness Center. I feel good in the ninety percentile. But it's time to take it back to 100 and return to my trimmer self.

Our pastor resigned and we're in transition at church. Bummer.

My husband is now full-time with East-West Ministries working stateside doing administrative work for a group of indigenous pastors in Kenya. They don't need him to live there, but they want his expertise to help accomplish their goal of building schools and orphanages, and planting churches (crunch numbers, run spread sheets, make a site visit a few times a year, calculate the need for lumber, find someone who digs wells...). If you've read Three Cups of Tea, their vision is sort of like that only with Christ at the center. They can't afford to pay him, and I'll tell you what I'd love... Rather than asking 50 people to support us at $100/month (salary plus expenses), I'd rather have about 650 people give $7/month. Is that crazy?

Have a great weekend!

Listen to the WeEngage Podcast

The WeEngage discussion from the panel discussion I did this week is now available via podcast: WeEngage discussion

Also, here's a brief reflection about the event from Carolyn Custis James. Check out the two-minute video they ran. Hilarious!

Go Red!

Today is National Wear Red Day. Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Wear red today to show your support for Go Red for Women.

Wordless Wednesday

Meaningful Work

Last night and this morning I had the pleasure of serving on a panel. We discussed big ideas like God, Jesus, what He meant when He said He was the way, what truth is, and what it means to have eternal life. You know--the easy stuff! I've been thinking a lot on these topics of late and exploring some of our misconceptions.

For example, when Jesus said "I am the way," he was talking about going to the Father. So often we think of Jesus as the way to heaven (a place), but our focus should be on the One who fills that place. And we tend to think of eternal life as "eternity in heaven" (a place, again) when Jesus presents eternal life as starting at the moment we receive the Holy Spirit and continuing forever: "I will be with you." Eternal life is about a person and a presence, not so much a place.

The cool women I got to hang out and discuss these topics with were Jonalyn Grace Fincher, author of Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home; Carolyn Custis James, author of The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules, Lost Women of the Bible, and When Life and Beliefs Collide (required reading in the Role of Women class I teach); and Jackie Roese, teaching pastor to women at Irving Bible Church (IBC).

IBC will post a podcast of our discussion in English and Spanish, and I'll post a link when they appear. So stay tuned for more.

I'm off to do my homework...reading The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius. I'm taking six credit hours in translation toward my PhD requirements this semester. And as part of that, this book is providing some background for me on first-century culture. The PhD work is not of a religious nature, but I'm including some texts on my reading list that explore the religious environment at the time. And though the book is a big, fat door stopper, I'm also loving the background info it's giving me about the seven churches in the Book of Revelation. I'm thinking once I wrap Kona with Jonah, I might have to consider penning Sumatra with the Seven Churches.