quotidian mysteries

My sixteen year old daughter hates me right now.

Why is it that so many of our teen daughters seem so determined to hate their mothers?

And why is it that so many mothers hold their daughters in such contempt?

I love my amazing daughter; and even though her unkind anger hurts me, I refuse to behave disrespectfully toward her.

Why then, does it seem so easy for her to do so?

Did you know that the fastest growing demographic for meth use is young teenage girls?

Do you know why?

The most commonly cited reason is weight loss.

I suppose it's worth trading meth sores, rotting teeth and a fried brain for a slim physique?

Seriously now, what kind of world do we live in that our young women would turn to meth in order to pare off a few pounds?

Why does everybody seem to hate tofu?

Do you read the Bible?

If so, have you ever noticed how many of the biblical heroes fail/fell because of their strengths, not because of their weakness?

I find this curious.

What meaning does this have for us, for you and for me?

Perhaps we rely too much on our strengths?

Perhaps there is strength in weakness too?

Or perhaps it's all just an illusion....

Simone Weil once wrote:

To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.

Is your soul rooted?

Is your soul rooted in God's love?

Do you believe that Christ lived, was crucified and died for your sins?

Do you believe in the resurrection?

If so, how is that reflected in your own life?

Once the witnesses in Christ's time saw, and experienced their Risen Lord, life was radically different for them.

Can you say the same?

Where is the Christ?

Is He alive to you?

Are you alive in Him?

The United States of America invaded Iraq looking for weapons of mass destruction.

Amidst fears that Tehran is now bent upon pursuing its own nuclear weaponry I (along with many others) cannot help but wonder, is Iran next?

And if the Bush administration sees fit to begin yet another war (with Iran), is the fear of nuclear proliferation the true impetus, or could it be that President Bush, along with many of America's allies, simply prefers to forcibly instigate an Iranian regime change?

Crapoola! Just thinking about it all is enough to give me a case of nervous diarrhea.

Don't these questions trouble you too?

Now that I am well over 40, I've noticed something interesting.

With every year that passes I find that I have more hair growing on my chin and fewer hairs growing on my head.

What's up with that anyway?

If Jesus appeared in your living room one Sunday morning and asked you to take him to your church for Sunday service, what would he think of your church building(s)?

What would he think of your worship? The lights, the powerpoint production, the sound boards, the choir robes...would those things please him?

Do you think Christ would approve of our "culture of christianity"?

The bumper stickers, the tapes, the videos, the how to be more like Christ in thirty days books....

Would Jesus approve?

Or would Christ be more concerned by those he saw absent in your church?

Would he miss the lost?

Would he miss the homeless?

Would he miss the hungry?

Would he miss the broken?

Somehow, I don't think our pretty sanctuaries, or our dog and pony worship productions would impress Christ, but what do I know?

I'm just an ordinary woman, thinking ordinary thoughts and asking ordinary question.

If you had a personal slogan what would it be?

Did you know that in ancient Hebrew, adamah means "the earth"?

Adam, the first name for first man, is derived from adamah.

The latin words humus and homo, also share a similar derivation...humus means soil/earth and homo, which means human being and each in turn are grounded in the latin root for humility.

Isn't this interesting?

If God formed us from dust, and if God formed the land, the animals, our rivers and streams from that same exact matter, then everything in this world is connected in a very real way, isn't it?

When we pollute our rivers, when we exploit animals for food or sport, when we hurt one another, we damage our own identity, don't we?

Whether you believe that the first man was shaped from dust is beside the point. We all know that our bodies will eventually return to dust, don't we?

It seems to me that this knowledge, if nothing else, would inspire a tad more humility in us..

...but it doesn't, does it? We remain as arrogant as ever.