Tag Archives: women

femfest…what I learned

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Yesterday was supposed to be the final day of FemFest, but as usual, I’m a little late to the party.  Oh well…I can live with it.  One thing I’m learning…slowly but surely…is that if I’m going to make this blogging-thing work, I have to control it, and it cannot control me.  The world will not implode without my measly little post being published…I get that…believe me, I *so* get that.

So, better late than never, here it is…

feminisms-fest-badgeToday’s conversation starter is this:

What surprised you this week? What did you take away from the discussion? What blog posts did you find particularly helpful? What questions do you still have?

One thing that surprised me is that there are so many tentative feminists like myself.  So many who are completely sold out to the the idea of equality, as set forth and promoted by Jesus and the Bible, and yet still feel the need to ‘clarify’.  (Yes, I realize some disagree with that very basic premise, that Jesus and the Bible set forth equality.  That’s okay.  I absolutely believe it to be true and will write here from the standpoint of it as a given.)  I was encouraged that plenty of others, like myself, still cringe and pull away from the militancy of extremists…be they feminist extremists or christian extremists.

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Jesus…a feminist??

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These are the questions being posed today, for the second day of the Feminisms Fest synchroblog…

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What is at stake in this discussion? Why is feminism important to you? Are you thinking about your children or your sisters or the people that have come before you? Or, why do you not like the term? What are you concerned we’re not focusing on or we’re losing sight of when we talk about feminism? Why do you feel passionately about this topic?

“Why is feminism important to you?”

Feminism, in and of itself, is not important to me.  We can call it whatever we want.  People are important to me.  If a word trips you up, then toss it and focus on the concept.  PEOPLE are important.  Feminism is a tool to correct an injustice.  Women have been treated wrongly, and suffered injustice.  Incorrect thinking, misunderstanding and plain old sin have too long held back all the goodness that God intended life to have, coming through the contributions of male and female.  Feminism is merely a tool to bring about a change…a correction toward  God’s original intent…absolute equality as male and female, together reflecting the Image of the Creator. 

So when we ask what is at stake…I would say…in a word (okay, two words)- redemption and restoration.  It’s bigger than my feelings, goals or ambitions.  It’s more than wanting to see the next generation of girls thriving in their gifts and talents (though that is certainly part of it).  I believe it’s about God’s heart…God’s design.

It’s about returning to Plan A.

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feminisms fest, day 1

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No new post for today…too much ‘real life’ crowding my brain at the moment.

However, I did throw my post about feminism from a few weeks ago into a conversational link-up about the topic over at the blog “Love Is What You Do”.  It’s part of the “Feminisms Fest” series this week being hosted by J.R. Goudeau, Danielle Vermeer, and Preston Yancey.

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I definitely recommend heading over and checking out what folks from all sorts of perspectives are saying about this vital and timely topic.

Here’s the framework for the series:

Prompts and links:

  • {Day 1} Feminism and Me: On Tuesday, February 26, link up at J.R. Goudeau’s blog, loveiswhatyoudo.com, and write about these questions: What is your experience with feminism? What’s a story or a memory or a person that you associate with that word? Why does it have negative or positive connotations for you? How do you define the term, either academically or personally? What writers have you read whose definitions you want to bring out? Or, if you don’t have a definition, what are some big questions you have?
  • {Day 2} Why It Matters: On Wednesday, February 27, link up at Danielle Vermeer’s blog, fromtwotoone.com, and write about these questions: What is at stake in this discussion? Why is feminism important to you? Are you thinking about your children or your sisters or the people that have come before you? Or, why do you not like the term? What are you concerned we’re not focusing on or we’re losing sight of when we talk about feminism? Why do you feel passionately about this topic?
  • {Day 3} What You Learned: On Thursday, February 28, link up at Preston Yancey’s blog, seeprestonblog.om, and write about these questions: What surprised you this week? What did you take away from the discussion? What blog posts did you find particularly helpful? What questions do you still have?

You can also get in on the action at Twitter, using the hashtag #femfest.

I’m really looking forward to hearing other voices and joining in this discussion.  Let me know in the comments what you think of the series, or if you yourself have linked up!! 

love well

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Valentine’s Day.

A holiday that is cherished by some, despised by others.  It can elicit a giddy, gleeful sound at the mere mention, or a sighing, eye-rolling, groan.  When in a season of blissful romance, nothing feels more right than a national holiday to amp up your euphoria.  When in a season of loneliness, enduring the seemingly never-ending day can feel like salt being ground mercilessly into a wound.

It can be a day filled with heightened expectations…and also crashing disappointment.

In my estimation, the only way to avoid the rollercoaster ride of the yearly Valentine traditions is to make the day truly, purely about…Love.

I know, I know…seems obvious.  Duh.  That’s exactly what makes it so good…and so bad, right?

Well, let me clarify.  I’m saying don’t make the day about romance.  Make it about love…and loving well.

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why I’m a feminist, and why I’m not

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“Feminist”.

Quite a scary word to some.  Especially those within the church.  Or at least, within the church circles I have been familiar with.  Most of my family and friends would still consider it a dirty word.

A word synonymous with man-haters, with ‘dominant’, strong-willed women, who are on a vicious, angry quest.  A word that demands women leave the duties of children and home and join the work force.  A word that conjures bra-burning, protesting and all manner of impropriety.

And in some cases, that assessment would be correct.

But not in all cases.

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