For the most part, neither Chris nor I have ever lived in a rural area. Urban or suburban, even a retirement island in the Gulf of Mexico, yes, but not rural. Not the country.

This new move to the Fayetteville area has us considering a rural homestead for the first time (Fayetteville would be the “urban” option while a surrounding rural town could also be an option), and in doing so it’s brought a lot of things to the forefront of my mind.

For one thing, I was thinking about how limited I might be in a rural setting to find a “emerging conversation” type of church. Of course, I assume we’ll drive into the city on Sundays if we do settle down outside of “town”. And I got to thinking, But Why?

As I know it, the emerging church has been a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stagnant (among other things) conventional church I had been a part of (where adding drums to “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” was “edgy”). We had some like-minded folks in Lakeland, FL that we could have plugged into, but I don’t believe that we, as a family, were ready to do so. Of course, one isn’t hard pressed to find an “emerging” church in Portland, where you can actually be picky about which emerging church to go to based on who approves of female elders or not! *amused at self*

Let’s get back to my thoughts, which are kinda new and I’m not really sure I can articulate this well, but…

You see, the books I read in college about the emerging church seemed to boast that this new “conversation” was one that would engage culture and participate with deep involvement at the community level. I think I took this to mean, based on all the examples given to me, that this meant that the emerging conversation could now take place with a glass of wine in hand or a clever pipe stuck between the lips of a goateed young pastor. Engaging culture seemed to be limited to POP culture, or in the very least, URBAN culture.

As I began to imagine our family in a rural area outside of the city, my knee-jerk reaction was, I admit, that the part of me that feels its a missional mandate to engage my culture would have to die, lol. Which, I began to realize is so odd because I’m basically saying that the rural setting offers no culture with which to engage. No community? No change is needed or wanted?

Is that really true?

I wonder why all the homestead books and emerging church books speak of the lofty goals of reaching inner city and revitalizing forgotten bungalows without offering the alternate scenario: that small towns could also use brave folks who love Jesus and also care about social issues and environmental issues, who are (gasp!) democrat and also read their Bible? Could we go so far as to engage culture by having an emerging cohort meet at Denny’s (parish the thought! lol) or the Waffle House? Or maybe starting or finding a home church out in an area predominantly occupied by chicken farms just seems like too much of a juxtaposition. I don’t know. But doesn’t it beg the question???

I found this article when I googled this question and I really love this part:

I refuse to believe, as I’m betting many reading this do, that the emerging church is, or can be, only a big-city phenomenon. In fact, I and many others need to refuse this notion because many more of us than are known serve churches that are located on county roads, in the midst of cornfields, or in places with populations under 10,000 people. These local cultures of small-town sports and NASCAR and Harley-Davidson, of garden clubs and heritage festivals and factories and depressed neighborhoods next to new subdivisions, yearn for and are able to receive a genuine incarnation of God’s kingdom just as much as the punk rock kids and ravers in downtown Chicago or Minneapolis.

So let’s hear about the emerging Texas pastor who preaches in cowboy boots. Let’s hear about the group of young people ministering to others in their trailer park. Let’s hear about the church that gathers next to the lakeside cabin in the woods for baptisms. Let’s hear about the work being done with factory workers, miners, and farmers. Let’s hear about relating to attendees of bluegrass festivals and county fairs, of churches started in barns and storefronts, of conversations in taverns and greasy spoon diners and truck stops.

Let’s hear about pastors whose hearts burn for these types of places where postmodernism isn’t the label used, but where people may wonder every bit as much whether Jesus has anything worthwhile to say to them. These are places where there may be less competition by other religious worldviews and more by economics, local or national politics, or “this is just the way it is.”

The opportunity to broaden perceptions about this movement is there. The stories and examples exist.

One doesn’t need a big city to do what emerging churches do. But in these smaller places, we still need to do it.

I don’t know whether we’ll end up in town or outside of town, at this point there are many variables. But I think this has put a little fire in my belly about viewing rural areas with more understanding and desire for ALL people to have a living, loving relationship with Jesus and their community.

Anyway, more of this as things unfold, I’m sure. I might even start a separate blog to continue this journey, as there are SO many things I have to share. This year one of my priorities is to deepen my spiritual life and get to know God better. Anyone ever read any Thich Nhat Hanh?

How do you explain a phrase to your 4 year old that is, afterall, just 90’s slang? Okay, okay, raise your hand if you say the following words and phrases as part of your regular vocabulary (like I do):

• All that and a bag a chips
• Back In The Day
• Beeotch
• The Bomb
• Boo Ya!
• Chica
• Chick-Flick
• Don’t go there!
• Dude!
• F-bomb
• Gettin Jiggy
• Homey
• Junk
• My Bad!
• NOT!
• Nice!
• Not So Much
• Oh snap…
• Score!
• Shiznit
• Straight Edge
• Sweet!
• Talk to the Hand(because the face ain’t listening)
• Trippin’
• Whassup?
• What’s the dillio?
• Who’s your daddy?
• Yadda Yadda Yadda
• Your Mom!
• fugly
• m’kay

(Check out more and their meanings here)

Admittedly, I wasn’t very “hip” in the 90’s since I was pretty much in grade and middle school (LOL) but I never heard this one: “Quit Icing My Grill” – did you?

… but I’m SO using it from now on!

In no order of importance:

- “The Family Guy”

- alarm clocks

What are yours?

Here’s us at the Michael Jackson Remembrance Fest – slash- greatest hits video sing along that was hosted by the gals at our nearby community house (the White House? What are they callin themselves these days?). It was a fun little backyard gathering to honor MJ, filled with, oh, 15-20 Evergreeners primarily. We aren’t really big MJ fans, well, at all, actually! I read somewhere the description that summed it up perfectly; “genius musician – sucked at being a human being.” (Though, well now see, I take that back. One might argue he was great at being a human being, because in many ways we are all pretty much one “bad”, crotch grabbin, skin diseased mess of a species.)

And – yes, okay, FINE… I’ll admit it! I AM trying to dance in this shot…

Speaking of this shot… one of these days I’m going to put together an album of the most random places I have been pictured breastfeeding my daughter. LOL! In front of a waterfall, berry picking, and now THIS!

P.S. We started our 5K Race for the Cure training tonight! Misty, Amy, Lindsey and Vivian: out to heal the world one breast at a time! (Speaking of breasts, this breastfeedin’ mama needs a better sports bra if she plans to do ANYmore running ANYtime soon…)

Only The Boss could make watching any part of the super bowl worth it!

When the men in tights come back out, I go back to cooking dinner and working

I take full responsibility for this:

Men who think that THIS is humorous and harmless, and worthy of a days worth of their pay. Women who think it will not harm their family to have their husbands playing these “harmless” video games where, in their alternate reality, they can pick up prostitutes and pay for three levels of service- handjob, fellatio, or cowgirl sex position.
Wise up, people. While some are out there thinking about how to make this crazy world a better place, it is sick and sad that so much time and money is being devoted to trash like this. I just have no respect for it. Zero. And I could give a crap about whether or not the entire game’s focus is this, or whether or not the players HAVE to partake in this to play this “amazing” game. It’s one thing to be legalistic, and a different thing all together to have absolutely no personal values beyond what other “buddies” are doing.
I will add that I’m not trying to sound as mean as this is coming off. I guess I just don’t get the value, if there is any, of something like this. And every once in a while this little mama has to get a wee bit for realz. But when I use the word “people” it is the generic, universal, rhetorical “people”, not a specific person. So don’t get your panties in a wedge thinking this is personal.
[/rant]

April 21st-27th is National Turn It Off Week, which includes screen time in any form (tv, computer, games, etc.)

Will we be able to do that? I’m not going to kid myself.

As a telecommuter, the computer is my job, so I would have to have a week of vacation saved up just to pull that off! To boot, Hubby and I love movies, we’re Netflix junkies, and we value our movie bonding time. When it comes to Lil’ E, I do the best that I can. As a work-at-home mother with an only child, “Miss Lorie’s Preschool” is a lifesaver sometimes, and an educational one, at that. I swear my kid will be reading by age 3 because of that Super Why show!

I’m not even sure exactly why any one would feel like they have to defend that choice, either. There are lots of studies ready to showcase the latest negative correlation between kids and tv, but I haven’t personally seen any that include active children of stay-at-home parents, who spend more time during their day in a combination of toy play/outdoor play, reading tons of books and listening to children’s music or NPR throughout the day as well. I also think that learning to play educational computer games will only help in preparing children to enter a modern world of technology and media. Maybe that’s a fairly typical approach from a Millennial generation parent (many of whom move far away from family, are prone to micromanage, etc- which is another post for another day!)

That said, I understand and struggle with the opposite arguments. I sometimes think, what if our economy crashes and our obese American children must ration food and learn to grow their own vegetables, etc? Will the average family be able to adapt and survive if a crisis like that happened? But as far as my own family is concerned, I’m not as worried about all that. I mean, we do teach our little guy to compost and garden, to enjoy nature and the outdoors, and, by example, how to live without new furniture; without a vehicle, using our own bodies as modes of transportation (walking, biking); doing what you feel comfortable with in helping build a more sustainable world.

When I lived in Florida, your house pretty much wasn’t one until it had a tv. Playgroup moms knew what you were talking about if you referenced Backyardigans, Dora, Lazy Town, etc etc. There were no sideways glances of judgment. It’s just the culture. Maybe cause it was too damn hot outside most of the time

Not so in the Pac NW, particularly on the east side of metro Portland. I have come across plenty more tv-less families than the latter. (All that Waldorf influence?) Who knows. And like I said, I get it.

I could go into some of the things I learned in college regarding media studies and mass communication theory, but who wants to read about all that? Suffice to say, learning the history of humanity and its relation to and fear of influences (from technology, globalization and new media) forever shifted the way I saw the latest trend either for or against it. I believe innovative minds will continue to evolve and inquisitive learners will continue to search, and those of us who wish to embrace the shifts and work with them as inevitable facets of modern (postmodern?) human life will do so, while those who do not are neither right nor wrong. Whatever floats your boat, right?

On a somewhat related note, I think the importance of reading is imperative, and our family recently signed up for the Every Family Reads program with the county library. Part of the program is pledging that you will read each day, visit the library as a family at least once per week, and also hold a family reading night once each week. Another facet to the program is bi-lingual literacy, which I’m very interested in as a family of mixed ethnicities. It’s purty kewl.

Well I better end this before I go following too many rabbit trails. I’d love to hear some thoughts from you parents, (or non-parents!), how you approach screen time and the health of your kiddo(s). Maybe some of you are doing certain things differently in honor of National Turn-It-Off Week and could share your ideas?

When a MacBook air commercial comes on, I could be in the worst stinkin mood and I will start boppin my head to Yael Naim’s “New Soul” because its just so gosh darn sweet and catchy!

Hubby spent a little of his birthday money on her CD, and I just fell in love with a few songs, the following one in particular.

Reflect and enjoy!

Far Far

Lyrics

(lost and found- this is the macbook air commercial- when the song from the above artist comes on, I start to smile and dance )

Well well well.

There certainly is a knitting craze (that has probably been all the rage for some time, but leave it to me to be the last to find out!). And I’m not the only one who thinks Portland in particular has a knitting fetish. First it was just watching these women knitting up a storm on the bus. Then it was passing all these incredibly posh knitting stores like this one and this one and this one and this one. The bug was starting to itch and now I see Fluffy Flowers creations with a sewing machine and recycled materials and I’m about to jump on the flow of the tide!

I’ve got a sneaky feeling that this little hobby would be a tad time consuming  (relative to the time available for a full-time working stay-at-home mom of a toddler?) and a tad expensive (relative to a full-time working stay-at-home mom of a toddler with about $50 to her name?)… so perhaps embarking on this little venture will have to wait. Seriously, though, check out those links and LOOK me in the eye and TELL me you don’t want a seat on that bandwagon? YEAH, that’s what I thought…