Dreams

What is your dream? Is it something that you gave up on a long time ago? Is it the voice that nags at the back of your mind to try something? Is it a desire that is so overwhelming you can't breath? At some-point  did your dream become a nightmare?

I have spent a good deal of my adult life chasing dreams. I was unsettled, I couldn't even figure out what my dream for one day was much less a life defining one. I would find something that seemed good for a while then I would become uninterested then I would chase the next thing. For fifteen years I was a tumbleweed and went where the wind blew me.

I chased rainbows, then I would write about them. I would have a revelation from the Lord then I would write it down so I wouldn't forget. So maybe this was my dream- to write.

So I am chasing a rainbow. I am settled, I even kinda sorta know what I want to write about.

Women. Awesome women. Women who make a difference. Everyday women. Women whose biggest accomplishment may be getting out bed for the day.

A book I read recently spoke a lot about women and the pressure we put on ourselves. The beginning of Proverbs 31talks about a woman . In the Greek (or Hebrew) it is eshet chayil - woman of valor. I want to honor these women of valor.

Women have such an awesome influence on the world. When Charles Manson was arrestted I bet someone's asked, "Where's his mother?" When atheletes get on camera they say "Hi Mom" It ispwomen who teach us gentleness and love and caring and empathy.

God has placed strong women in my life. I have been blessed to have two wonderful sister-in-laws. Their influence on my life is great and awesome. It has been life changing.

I have had several women who have stepped up and become mentors to me.

These are the women I want to write about. I want to share their stories. The women who are not famous but make a difference in everyday lives of people around them.

The problem is where do I start? So many women.

What I just read

The last book I read was A Year of Biblical Womanhood   is a book by Rachel Held Evans.
 
Evans is a Christian, independent, liberated, modern woman. She decided to take "biblical womanhood literally. From the beginning to the end. From the rules in the Old Testament to the standard in the New Testament.
 
If I had read the hard copy of this book I would have not all through it. (One of the drawbacks of an e-reader.) When I get through I felt Evans was a friend, one I could people watch with, that would understand my sarcasm, that would laugh at with me at inappropriate moments.

She had ten things (commandments) that she followed each day: be submissive to her husband, do all the household work, dress modestly, not cut her hair, no gossip, et al. Each month she then took a different virtue that she focused on.
 
She takes the reader on her journey with her from learning how sew a button to proclaiming her husband at the city gate. She shares her triumphs and her fails. In the process she learns, she teaches. She does it all without being whiney or preachy. Which is more than I could do.
 
I find her relatable. She's a Christian but admits to saying bad words, especially at the television on Saturday game days. She asks questions, she questions what she was taught in her sixth grade Sunday School class. I like her because this is a process that I have been going through the last several years.

She questions Christians bickering about a couple of  verses  while women in other countries are being tortured just because they are women. She made me realize that there is a world outside of the United States and how fortunate I am to live here.

The most important thing she taught me was that the whole Proverbs 31 woman DOES NOT exist. Proverbs 31 was not meant to be standard by which woman should live up to but it was intended as a way for men to praise their wives, a poem to recite to her.

I would recommend this book to anyone. You need to realize that if you are ultra conservative that you might get upset. If you are not at a point to look at your beliefs this is not for you. If you are ready to grow, to find answers for yourself then read this book.

Here is a link to her site; http://rachelheldevans.com/  Check her out, you might be surprised.

So now that I shared what book are you reading? What book have you just finished?

ETA:

Being grateful- today I am grateful for comfy pajamas that I can all day on a cold rainy day.

Passion

Passion is a funny word. It brings up all sorts of vision to ones mind. I have heard a lot about passion lately. My pastor preached about it, I read a book about it, and right now there is a conference happening called Passion 2013.

My Pastor described passion as having zeal, being obsessed, it is what drives us. (I bet he didn't think I was paying attention) So for the last month I have been trying to figure out what my passion is. What is it that drives me? You would think that would be easy to find out. But you would be wrong.

I have thought about what I like: I like to write, I like to take pictures, I like to be around kids, I like to learn, I like chocolate (ok I may be passionate about chocolate,) I like to read. Which one of these things drives me? I can write about learning to take pictures of children eating chocolate. That would be awesome!!!!

For real though, what is it that drives me? I would love to write the stories of everyday women who made a difference in their world. Those women inspire me. To find a problem and find a solution for it. I want to help kids. The innocent, they should stay innocent as long as they can. So many kids in our world are unloved, passed off to grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends. I want to help girls understand that God loves them, no matter what. They don't have to be a size two, dressed like a thirty year old stripper. Young teenage girls need to understand that they are princesses because they have a King for a Father.

These are the things that are important to me. I want people to know about my awesome sister-in-law because she is a wonderful example to me. She has loved my brother through better or worse. She has been on more missions than most of us ever dreamed about. She taught me that it's okay to ask questions. She is changing her neighborhood one day at a time. (She is also one of like three people who can call me a nick name.)

If Christians and churches don't make a stand and love the unlovable who will do it? These children who are being passed around must feel the love of Christ. Who is going to teach them that? Maybe for them the love of Christ looks a hot meal or a warm coat. Maybe the love of Christ is a hug, hearing someone tell them that they are loved, no matter what.

And girls, young teenage girls make so many life alternating decisions in those years. No they don't wake up one day and say "I think I will experiment with drugs today" but in a thousand of little decisions they get there. They need to be taught early to make the right decisions, to make the right turns so when they are faced with the big decision they won't have to think about what the decision will be.

Maybe I can spend four months doing each of these things and see where it gets me. Maybe I can have three passions. You know like some trains have more than one engine.

My last thing for today- to be grateful. I am not grateful enough and remembering to be grateful just once during the year doesn't cut it. Sooooo- today I am grateful for the Creator. He created the world but he created me and cares for me. How awesome is that?

I pray that this is the basis for my passion-

 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’   Matthew 22:37