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Monday, May 7, 2012

Multiply Your Mother’s Love

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Mother’s Day gives us a chance to look back on all that our moms have done for us. We can see the years of help, encouragement, guidance, and sacrifice—all done in love.

This Mother’s Day, you can give your mom a gift that multiplies the blessing she has been in your life. Your honorary gift to Thanks, Mom! through As Our Own sends her strength to girls in India.

Many girls in India have been robbed of this vital support system. They do not have the sort of care that we received. And many are in great danger of exploitation and slavery.

But we have the opportunity to stand in the gap on behalf of these girls.

Today, your honorary donation sends the strength you’ve received to them, restoring what they’ve lost. Your partnership will help raise a generation of daughters who will take their place in a faithful lineage in India. Generations will one day look back and see the legacy that began with the investment you made.

Honor your mom today!

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Don’t miss any of the Thanks, Mom! buzz! An amazing team of bloggers are scheduled to launch inspiring posts all week. Watch here for updated links.

Christ and Pop Culture writers inspire with Honoring the Difference Our Moms Made.

Lindsee from Living Proof Ministries shares You Don’t Have to Be Called a Mom to Be a Mother.

 

Friday, May 4, 2012

Beach Retreat 2012 Reading Synopsis

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My reading jaunt at Beach Retreat 2012 is coming to a close. [sigh.] It’s been thoroughly enjoyable and greatly filling!

New friends found at Beach Retreat 2012.

At the end of a Beach Retreat, I like to reflect a bit on the books I’ve consumed and how each has nourished me. A theme or thread often emerges between the seemingly random books selected. It’s like they’ve become friends after a week at the beach, discovering little pieces of commonality in their personalities and characters. Here’s the treasure from this year’s stack.

I once wrote a poem with this line: “Let my life be a stage where Your glory is displayed for all to see.” I was reminded of this line while reading Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story. He challenged me to live a life that is a story worth reading about. For me, this includes developing a better awareness of how I spend my moments, because each day has only so many. I want to spend mine wisely, on projects and writing that will make my life story something of a grand play where God’s glory is magnified.

Awareness and focus on the important things such as these are slippery. Anchors keep them moored. Ann Voskamp taught me that gratitude for all the little gifts in everyday life serves as a tether for keeping my eyes fixed on the meaningful. The act of writing down the lovely in life unwraps these important God-gifts, making them tangible. (Also, her poetic writing style fed my writer’s heart.)

Story pops up again in Brian Godwa’s Word Pictures: Knowing God through Story & Imagination. Here I learned how God is the master storyteller, using plenty of examples and parables and characters to tell of who He is. Seeing life through the story lens places the everyday in a different light, making it more of an adventure to unwrap than a day to plod through.

In the midst of stories and gifts, A. W. Tozer tells me not to be a sloth. If it’s gratitude I want, then I will have to purposely unwrap God’s gifts. If it’s a better life story, then I will have to actually live a better life story. If it’s knowing God more intimately, then I will have to actually pursue Him. Sounds practical and easy enough, but I needed to hear it.

The subtitles of these four books say much: How I Learned to Live a Better Story. A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. Knowing God through Story & Inspiration. Expect God to Interrupt Your Life. I would love for my life to be shaped by the richness from these reads!

I also read The Hunger Games, which I enjoyed (made the movie much more understandable). I walk away from that thinking of the girls I met in India. I don’t want to be the clueless Capitol, gussied up and filled with self while all around me there are people starving, brutalized, and neglected. If I’m going to just live life for my own comfort and amusement, I may as well have pink hair and crazy clothing. It’s as ridiculous as it looked in the film.

Finally, I’ve just started Robert Lane Greene’s You Are What You Speak: Grammar Grouches, Language Laws, and the Politics of Identity. It is a commentary on language covering everything from history to usage to common misconceptions. The message so far? What people are saying—the words and phrases they use and misuse—are windows to their very souls. Haughty judgment of how someone speaks is never appropriate, and Greene reminds me that the heart is what is being said rather than how they are saying it.

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Sources
1. Donald Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story(Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson 2009).
2. Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan 2010).
3. Brian Godwa, Word Pictures: Knowing God through Story & Imagination
4. A. W. Tozer,  A Disruptive Faith: Expect God to Interrupt Your Life (Ventura, Cal.: Regal 2011).
5. Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (New York, NY: Scholastic 2008).
6. Robert Lane Greene, You Are What You Speak: Grammar Grouches, Language Laws, and the Politics of Identity (New York, NY: Delacorte Press 2011).

 

Thursday, May 3, 2012

A Confident Hope

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Live life long enough, and you come to realize that suffering cannot be avoided. There are betrayals and disappointments and trials and more. They wear us down, turn us inside out.

Hope in Shadow

If we aren’t careful, the sorrow will steal everything from us, even our hope. And we cannot make it without hope. It is oxygen for the soul, even in heartache—especially in heartache. Without it, we suffocate.

Any hope I have that’s true is found in God. He has demonstrated His love and care for us in His Son, who came to conquer the sin-mess of this world and all that works to bring us down.

But we have to keep reminding ourselves of the truth, of the hope, of Christ. When we are knee-deep in sorrow, we forget.

My artist friend Angel is hosting a show this weekend titled A Confident HOPE in conjunction with the DBA F1rst Fr1day Artist Showcase. There she will showcase art of all kinds that point us to the only hope that is sure: Jesus. Visit Angel’s gallery (101 W. Monroe, Suite 201, Bloomington) Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to see the collection.

Here is my word art for the show. Enjoy and may you be inspired to yield to this confident hope in Christ.

Gold from Shadows
Inspired by Romans 8:18–39

this dark day heartaches ebb and flow
in the shadows gathering
as a cocoon

so lament, groan with all of creation
your Maker collects it
as golden thread

with which to weave Redemption’s Story
and hand-hewn protective love
as a shield

birthed in the Son, proven cross-death true
now raised, seated, alive forevermore
as glory Divine

pouring out as Many Waters
filling the throne room with your name
as tenderness true

nothing in all creation can silence or thwart
the confident Christ-hope that bursts
as dawn

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Photo Credit
“Hope in Shadow.” Anna Maria Island, Florida. Personal photograph by Erin Straza. May 2012.

 

Monday, April 30, 2012

Beach Therapy (aka Beach Retreat 2012)

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The ocean speaks to me. It tells me great mysteries of God and the world and my place in relation to both.

The ocean awaits.

My heart gobbles up every word, hungry for the nourishment. It’s like therapy.

This is why I love coming to this beach bungalow, where the ocean spreads herself out before us beckoning for us to stop and stare and simply be in her presence. She is God’s instrument, playing a song that my ears strain to hear. It is a melody that sets my insides straight again.

I’ve been here before—this is the fourth time I’ve been blessed to steal away a week at this house, with these friends. Although I typically tire of routine, this one is a joy. We know the house, the streets, the restaurants, the stores. We drop into this place easily so that all our time and attention can be fixed on the retreating.

An explanation of this beach retreat can be found in this post, but in sum it is about three things:

  • time with God
  • time with friends
  • time with words (reading them and writing them)

Three of my very favorite things! As always, the only thing that would make it better is to have my hubby here. He selflessly encourages me to come and get refreshed. He loves me well. I want to bottle up the sunshine and ocean air and give it to him as a thank-you gift. I know it doesn’t work that way, but certainly traces of being here will remain in me forever. I can’t wait to see how God uses this time away to fill me with His presence and shape me into His likeness. This is the essence of beach therapy.

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Photo Credit
“Discover.” Anna Maria Island, Florida. Personal photograph by Erin Straza. April 2012.

 

Friday, April 20, 2012

2012 Quarter 1 Bible Reading Report

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Sounds so official, doesn’t it?

One of the benefits of a blog is the perception of accountability it provides: If I post something I’m praying about or dedicating my time to, it’s out there for the world to see.

Perhaps accountability is too strong a descriptor—it’s rare to have anyone press me for a report on my progress—but I will take these nudges even if they are imagined. I remember the goals I’ve tossed out even if no one else does.

So I’m reporting today on my first quarter’s progress in the Daily Drink and the Sabbath Soak, the Bible reading challenge I set for myself this year.

The Daily Drink
I developed the Daily Drink after discovering that it supposedly takes the average reader 75 hours to read through the entire Bible. That’s 4,500 minutes or 12 minutes a day. So I decided to read for 12 minutes each day, moving through the books of the Bible in alphabetical order. I’ve read Acts, Amos, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Colossians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and Daniel. I’m currently in Deuteronomy.

So far, I’ve truly enjoyed the reading and the pondering, spending time in God’s Word. I have not, however, read for 12 minutes every day. But I’m keeping at it, and I’ll just see how far down the alpha list I get by December 31.

The Sabbath Soak
To complement the Daily Drink, I developed the Sabbath Soak. I wanted to dig a bit deeper into a chunk of Scripture each Sunday. The goal would be to read a selected passage each Sunday for that month, consulting various translations and doing some extra study on words and cross references.

My progress here has been pretty sad. I read Ephesians a few times in January, but got thrown off in February (India wiped me out, in such a good way!) and I haven’t recovered (yet). I would like to come back to this soaking for the second quarter, so I’ll let you know if things improve.

So that’s my 2012 Quarter 1 report! Not as steady as I would like, but still engaged and excited about the plan. Ultimately, it’s not really about the plan but about knowing the Lord better. The plan simply keeps me focused. It reminds me of the training plans I develop for running half marathons. Rarely do I follow them perfectly, but without the plan, I am at a total loss. Plans give me the structure that my personality lacks.

Did you embark on a 2012 Bible reading plan? I’d love to hear of your progress! Let’s encourage each other to press on.

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Photo Credit
“Tucked Within.” Bloomington, Illinois. Personal photograph of original art by Erin Straza. October 2011.

 

Monday, April 16, 2012

Better than a Fairy Tale

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Happily ever after.

These are the words I thought of during yesterday’s message at church on Ephesians 5.

What stories could be told by this tree's scars?

“Happily ever after” evokes images of blushing brides and awestruck grooms pledging their love to one another before a cloud of witnesses. These are the words of fairy tales, the ones popularized by Disney, in which young love must be fought for and pursued to the point of death and self-sacrifice. The characters arrive at the altar certain of the power of their love to conquer every obstacle. They are pronounced man and wife, walk the aisle, and that’s that.

Everything is happily ever after.

Or not.

It’s not that happiness in marriage is impossible. It’s not that marriage itself is impossible.

The problem with happiness in marriage is that we don’t live in a fairy-tale world. Marriage happens in real life with plenty of occurrences that aren’t so happy.

And marriage happens between two people who are not fairy-tale lovely. We are all broken, and when God fuses two people into one, their broken places line up just right to grate upon each other, to sharpen each other, to refine each other. In time, this produces a beautiful result—but it takes time, and that is something difficult to withstand.

In real life, we get tired and our feelings get hurt and our words come out sideways to inflict pain on our beloved. Fairy tales don’t grapple with betrayals and forgetfulness or loss of income and mental capacity.

The truth is, fairy tales are too wimpy to hold up under the reality of living life in this world-gone-awry. We need something stronger. And more lovely.

We need the same gumption after we say I do that we have before. We need to fight for our love and pursue it to the point of death and self-sacrifice. It calls for the death of self and that’s where true happiness—joy—is found.

Where do we find such gumption? Only in Jesus and from Jesus, the one who died for His beloved—for us. This is the sort of love that is redemptive, making something beautiful out of the broken.

This is the sort of beauty you have to fight for. So strap on your armor, people! This is way better than a fairy tale. It’s real life. And it’s beautiful.

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Photo Credit
“Life Scars.” India. Personal photograph by Erin Straza. February 2012.

 

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Are Some Comm Tools Morally Superior?

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There are lots of options for communicating today: Facebook, Skype, Twitter, SMS, Phone, Smoke Signals, Morse Code, and more. Skype has a new campaign that claims using Skype is a morally superior choice, because it doesn’t use lowly text-speak and it brings a closer connection to those you are talking to.

I explore the validity of that claim in this week’s Mixed Signals over at Christ and Pop Culture. I’m thinking that no matter which comm tool you use, it’s the words that make all the difference in building up a relationship or tearing it down.

Click over to read my analysis, Mixed Signals: Skype’s Campaign Wants to Bring Back Social Graces. And get leave your thoughts in the comments.

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Mixed Signals is my weekly musing about marketing miscellany in advertising, branding, and messaging hosted each Thursday at Christ and Pop Culture.

 

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Your Inner Ugly Is Calling

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For today’s Mixed Signals column, titled “Fast Phones Expose Your Inner Ugly,” I discuss the messaging of the AT&T commercials that use the line, “That’s so 42 seconds ago.” People who have AT&T phones get their information faster than people who have other phones. The result? The right to be really ugly to people who are 42 seconds behind you in learning the latest and greatest. hmmm . . . is that really the sort of person we would want to be? The messaging strategy is hard to tease out.

Read more over at Christ and Pop Culture, and join the discussion by posting your take on the matter.

 

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Chocolate Crosses at Easter

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I love chocolate. But I can’t stomach it in cross form. Read my take on marketing chocolate crosses to Christians in my column this week at Christ and Pop Culture.

Mixed Signals: Sanctify Your Easter Bunny Basket with a Chocolate Cross

 

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

My 2012 Running Challenge

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There are some children who have moved into the depths of my heart. As my care for them deepens, the smallness of who I am—my thoughts, my concerns, my priorities—must break to accommodate their presence.

I am glad for the breaking.

Would you like to meet these girls who are changing my heart?

They live halfway around the world, in India. As Our Own has rescued them from the treacherous situations that were leading them to certain futures of bonded labor, either in organized begging or the sex trade. Now they live in the As Our Own family, doing what most young people we know get to do: They go to school. They play. They dream. They hope.

I got to meet them in February when I traveled with As Our Own staff for a visit. Thinking of these girls brings me the sort of joy that is heart-bursting. Because of these precious girls, I’ve joined the As Our Own racing team for I WILL RUN to raise funds and awareness so they will have all the love and care they need. Catch the I WILL RUN vision in this video:

On June 9, Team Chicago will run the 13.1 Chicago Half Marathon in honor of Avishi. All of you who know me know that only love could compel me to run 13.1 miles, in Chicago, in the June heat! But after hearing Avishi’s story (and meeting her in person), I am willing to endure a few hours of discomfort to honor this precious girl who was rescued from the red-light district where she was born. You can read her story in full here, but from Avishi’s profile snapshot, you can see she is 8 years old and is already dreaming big dreams for her future, just like all kids do. And she loves to write poems—a girl after my own heart!

Chicago will be the final race of the I WILL RUN circuit—I can’t wait to see all the As Our Own jerseys gathered together on race day! My fund-raising goal for the race is $1,310. If you are a number cruncher, that’s just $100/mile or $10 per 1/10 mile . . . or 25 people giving $52 . . . or 52 people giving $25.19. Stated like that, $1,310 doesn’t seem too hard to raise!

Would you consider supporting my running efforts and loving girls like Avishi through a gift to As Our Own? Gifts of $10, $25, $50, or more will make a lasting difference, enabling the As Our Own daughters to live lives to the fullest potential.

To help me reach my goal, you can:

1. Give via my secure online fund-raising page (click MAKE A DONATION from the right-side menu).

OR

2. Give via check made payable to As Our Own (note ERIN STRAZA / I WILL RUN), mailed to P.O. Box 101282, Chicago, IL 60610.

Thank you for considering a gift for my girls in India! Together, we can love these children as our own.

 

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