Into the Desert – Fasting for Lent

Do you fast during Lent? Here’s an idea. Instead of fasting from favorite foods, chocolate and other physical indulgences, why not fast from those things that destroy our hearts and minds?

Deep spirituality is about becoming whole. This is what it means to be “holy.” With this in mind why not –

  • Fast from gossiping about others.
  • Fast from self-talk that is self deprecating.
  • Fast from comparisons with others.
  • Fast from the “victim” mentality.
  • Fast from emotionally abusive relationships.
  • Fast from people who lower your self-esteem.
  • Fast from telling yourself that you’re not good enough, smart enough, capable enough.
  • Fast from thinking you need more _______ (fill in the blank).
  • Fast from negative thinking of any kind.

I’m fasting this Lent.  40 days is all it takes to re-train my mind to think differently!

You may also like Lent – Into the Desert, Visio Divina Reflection, and Other Ways to Simplify.

Simple Wardrobe

A previous post listed ways to move toward Simple Living. One way I simplified my life last year was to stop buying clothes.

After a year of not buying clothes I have a good sense of the clothes that I wear on a regular basis. It’s not very many, about 15 items in all.

It turns out that these pieces work because they are multi-functional, multi-seasonal, easy-care, no-iron and except for the shoes and coats, fit in a pilot carry-on bag.

Basically this selection of clothes requires no dry cleaning, no hosiery, no iron, no belts, no heels, no blazers, no skirts, no dresses and no purses. These items work in hot weather or can be layered for winter. They all travel well too – an added bonus. Here’s the list:

3 Pants – denim, grey, black

2 No-iron shirts – white cotton oxford, blue denim

5 T-shirts – white, black, three brightly colored

1 Red(ish) crew neck sweater, 1 red tank top

2 Turtleneck sweaters

2 Cardigans – one black, one grey

Add scarves – use as a bandanna, in place of a necklace or as a wrap, small evening purse (see furoshiki post), shopping bag, belt, or sarong over pants.

Footwear – dark brown casual shoes, black slip-ons, tennis shoes, slippers, boots (winter), sandals (summer).

Outerwear – navy wool pea coat, trench raincoat and brown felt jacket.

Everything goes with everything else. Most of the pieces are basic styles. Easy wash – one load. Natural fabrics. It would be ideal if everything was fair trade – though not everything is. Add socks & underwear. Include gloves and a hat or swimsuit as needed.

So, about just under 20 items, depending on the season. However, there are probably about 40-45 items in my closet in total. But now I see that 20-25 items I almost never use. Time to lighten up, wash them up . . . pass them forward . . . let someone else enjoy and use them.

Of course this is still waaay too much considering the wardrobes of those in the Two-thirds World. What I have in excess doesn’t belong to me – it belongs to those who have nothing. If you knew that having  a few less clothes would help someone in your neighborhood have one meal a day to survive you wouldn’t hesitate, right? Does it matter that this person is farther away? Of course not! People have a right to food, even if they can’t pay for it – by virtue of being human.

Even as a secular society we know this because we don’t charge children or those who are sick for their food. Human beings have a right to the basic necessities of life, regardless of their financial situation.

Paring back my wardrobe, then, isn’t about sending my excess clothes to another country. That’s a bad idea for many reasons, one of which is that sending lots of used clothing to poor countries puts local used clothing businesses out of business.

Instead, donating my clothing to organizations like Good Will helps those who need it locally. It also reminds me to use this money, not for clothes, but to directly help organizations that are working successfully to change the underlying causes of poverty – like Mary’s Pence does with their ESPERA Funds – community lending funds for women.

Most of what I have is, in fact, not only excess – but excessive. I’ll continue to pare back as I go. It’s a process.

What items do you wear most of the time? What would your ideal simple wardrobe be?

Write it down. Work toward making it happen.

Coming soon – Simple Furniture

You may also like The Jewelry We Keep, Closet Check, Fabulous Furoshiki and Simplifying My Wardrobe

Half the Church or Half a Mind?

Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women, Carolyn Custis James, Zondervan, 2010.

The title sounded promising. According to the inside back cover, Carolyn Custis James has an M.A. in Biblical Studies – but you would never know it from reading her book. I want to ask, “Does she have half a mind?” If this is a book about the subjugation of women in culture and in the church, this author reinforces all the stereotypes that subjugate women. To be fair, she writes from a patriarchal, privileged perspective herself, although she doesn’t acknowledged this in her book. From the non-gender inclusive language for God to the militaristic images she proposes for women, this woman is moving full speed ahead to make sure that women never experience equality, never mind respect or mutuality.

Her limited interpretation of Genesis leads the reader to believe that she has never read a single feminist interpretation of Genesis. Why not? How did this woman get her college degree much less a master in biblical studies????

Her biblical interpretation reads like an eighth grader’s. Really, if women and men are image bearers – as she writes –  why does she insist on using only masculine language for God? There’s an obvious contradiction here and a huge gap in her own training and understanding.

With militaristic imagery throughout – she perpetuates an oppressive, patriarchal agenda; “God created his daughters to be kingdom builders” (76). 

To her credit, she rightly notes that the Church’s focus on women as married and mothers only looks at thirty years of a woman’s life and ignores younger & older women, single women – half the population of women (103). A message of virginity and “purity” (whatever that means) for women leaves out women who are abused sexually (104). Here she demonstrates that she actually had access to statistics on women. Why then didn’t she reference statistics on American women’s pay inequality or lack of health care and health insurance compared to men doing the same job? This is pretty selective editing.

She notes early on that women suffering is a global phenomena, “The conversation about God’s vision isn’t American or Western or middle class. It is global. I knew that going in” (19). But evidently “global” doesn’t include Western European or U.S. cultures. For the remainder of the book she focuses on examples of discrimination against women from other cultures – not her own. This is because she is mistakenly convinced that our culture already treats women fairly. She writes, “What makes navigating life for women even more confusing is the fact that we don’t live in a patriarchal culture. The West is egalitarian. Women enjoy the same freedoms, education, career opportunities and potential for success as men.” (158). Wow. What country or culture is she living in?

She actually says this: “Does the gospel’s countercultural message only overturn degrading cultures like those of Reem and Meena, or does it also overturn our own more civilized but equally fallen culture . . .?” (Italics, author’s. 123) Hmmm . . . other cultures are “degrading,” ours is “more civilized”? Sorry, but other cultures are not failed versions of our own culture. Our culture is degrading to women in many ways. However, if possibly, James believes our own culture discriminates against women in numerous ways, she fails to list what they may be.

What has inspired her is Kristoff’s and WuDunn’s book Half the Sky highlighting the abuse of women around the world. Yet her own subjugation to patriarchy is evident and real (although she can’t see it) in the very questions she asked regarding her own life; “Do I plan to use my college degree or set it aside?” Really? Parents who work at home raising their children are not using their education?? She asks, “Should I be a stay-at-home mom or work outside the home?” (36). These questions are VERY life limiting. Very few men ever ask them and those who do are considered different from the culture. No one living in a non-discriminatory culture should have to choose between work and family. Children are the responsibility of both parents and the community. Society should support the work of caring for and nurturing children.

Similar to Half the Sky, James never goes any deeper in trying to understand the systemic issues at stake. On p.40 she clearly realizes that it is women’s own fathers, brothers and uncles who oppress and even murder women but she can’t see this for the systemic genocide that it is. This same genocide is at work in this country too.

The fact is that women earn less than men and are  more likely to live in poverty in our country – a country that refuses adequate safety nets for women and their children. Women are impregnated and raped against their will every day of the week right here in the USA. Violence against women in the U.S. – women are killed at the rate of at least 5,000 per year – seems to have escape her.  She isn’t safe going into a dark parking ramp at night any more than I am.

Lastly, her proposal of the “Blessed Alliance” is about everyone working together for God’s purposes (146-147). But here it reads more like an alliance with patriarchy, militarism and Western empire. She is aware of her “blessings” in life within her “civilized” culture – but completely unaware that these are actually unearned privileges (not really blessings) caused by benefiting unfairly on the coat tails of patriarchy, white privilege and imperialism. In reality these privileges come at a huge cost – one she refuses to acknowledge. Yet illuminating cultural injustice is the very task of the Christian theologian. The gospel preached by Jesus is subversive for every culture. Ours is not exempt.

However, those of you reading this can learn more about the unearned benefits and ongoing wealth transfer of white privilege here.

Yes, Carolyn is a fully subjugated, oppressed, product of her patriarchal culture. With this shallow, tiny, limited and oppressive view the reader will never capture God’s global vision for women.

I recommend that you read or watch something more worthwhile like The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, World Class Theologians at Your Fingertips and How Much is Enough?. Then learn more about White Privilege.

Girl Forward

GirlForward.org

As women we have a right not to be inculturated in a view of women that limits life opportunities and options (e.g. only marriage and motherhood). We have a right to live lives not defined by men, corporations or those in power – arguably the same.

When women do better children and whole communities do better. That’s why the Chicago mentoring non-profit GirlForward is such a wonderful idea!

This non-profit can give us an idea of what we are meant to do in the world – especially those of us with education who don’t struggle everyday with poverty.

Here’s their mission and vision:

“Mission – GirlForward provides adolescent refugee girls with individual mentorship, educational programs and leadership opportunities, creating a community of support that serves as a resource and empowers girls to be strong, confident, and independent.

Vision – A strong, empowered, confident girl today will become an independent woman who can successfully support herself, her family, and her community.”

This is a another way to continue the formation of women who can work to change the laws and systems that discriminate against women.

Until women share equally in the leadership and opportunities of the world none of the human family can truly flourish.

Because national laws are always and everywhere created by men, Catharine MacKinnon writes in her book Are Women Human?

“State behavior that promotes and institutionalizes male dominance has been found to distinguish public from private, naturalize dominance as difference, hide coercion behind consent, and obscure sexual politics behind morality” (4). Stated another way “Men violently dominating other men for control of states is called war; men violently dominating women within states is relegated to peace” (5).

Reframe: the abuse of women, physically, emotionally, economically or socially is violence against women.

You may also like InnerPeace – Ending Emotional Abuse, Other Options: Alternative Living Choices and Solving the Problem of Poverty.

 

“On the Side” Casual Dining

Vegetarian chili treehugger.com

With New Year’s visiting and celebrations just around the corner – how do you put together a fun meal that takes various diet considerations into account? Why, “on the side” of course!

Byerly’s Real Food magazine (Winter 2011) offered some terrific chili recipes, but in every case, the Chorizo sausage, turkey or seasoned, cooked ground beef is served on the side. This is an excellent idea for many reasons:

1. It encourages guests to stop and think about how they will incorporate meat into their meal, or even if they will add it.

2. The meat is used as a flavoring, rather than the main course. This is a very healthy and planet-friendly way to eat.

3. It’s respectful of those who don’t eat meat or would rather not eat meat at the moment.

4. Guests can control the amount of meat so there is less waste and overall less meat consumed.

This can be done with chilis, with casseroles like chili mac or tuna casserole, fajitas, burritos, Asian stir-fried dinners and with salads.

Allowing guests to create their own meal combination means less work for the host. Simply place the ingredients on the coffee table or buffet – ready to go. Guests grab a low bowl or plate and take what they need. You enjoy your guests. Everyone wins.

For other fun and easy meal ideas you may also like Another Fabulous Friday, Chocolate Eclair Dessert, Super Easy Crock Pot Lasagna and No Cook Marinara & Pasta.