Out of Bounds

She has been in these bonds long enough. 

There are no borders thick enough

to keep Him away.

He had to go through Samaria.

There are no borders she will cross

except to transgress with a man—5 men. 6.

Cast outside the town

she sees—all too clearly—

the border between Mount Gerizim and Jerusalem

the times when she can—and can’t—draw water.

The bounds hem her in.

The grip is suffocating.

She thirsts.

Crossing borders, he thirsts.

Offered living water

she puts down her jar

and runs into town.

Captivated by Christ,

she is free to run.

She is no longer bound. 

Quotable: with Friends

1.  Sarah: "Marriage is hard, but worth it at the end of the day. Just like life."

2. Ingrid to Sarah: "You say a lot of quotable things."
Sarah: "Oh, just stick with me a little longer and I'll say lots of quotable things."
Ingrid: "Like that one."

3. Ingrid: "Charisma! Do you have the magical ability to not make a total mess when you're eating a peach?"
Charisma: "No! Do you?"
Ingrid: "Oh, no! I don't know how some people do it."
Charisma: "Me too! If you were on a date and had to choose between eating three peaches and spaghetti, what would you choose?"
Ingrid: "Hmmmm, which date is this?"
Charisma: "Third date. In a mediumly nice restaurant--let's say BJ's."
Ingrid: "What color shirt am I wearing? Is it white?"
Charisma: "It's taupe."
Ingrid: "That's a tough call. What would you pick?"
Charisma: "Peaches, because I like peaches more than spaghetti."

4. Ingrid: "We should make that our tagline: Ingrid and Natalie: keeping each from becoming psychopaths. Since 2003."

5. Ingrid: "I'm trying to not analyze as much and take action more quickly. Like, I was standing at Trader Joe's agonizing for five minutes over which dried mango slices to buy."

6. Friend: "It was the first time I felt convicted to flirt. I had to get out of there!" referring to reading How to Get a Date Worth Keeping at Barnes and Noble.

Forgive Me for Not Trespassing: a Confession

Lord—
save us from our adversaries
ourselves, who want
more than we were made for—
nay, not more, but less.
We believe Twinkies are what we crave.
We believe mud pies are better than holidays by the sea.

But why pray for Your kingdom?
Thy kingdom is already here—
At least the part that matters:
Assurance of eternity with You
And all the comforts of modern existence.
Insta-Internet, the portal to near complete fulfillment.
Why venture outside my bubble?
It would pop.

Earth is already close enough to heaven.
If it isn’t, we can always access a virtual version in the here and now.
The then becomes the now
And now it doesn’t matter what is real.

It’s much easier to flit through pixel and page
To another world—anywhere but here.

Forgive me for not trespassing—
I have stayed in my fort and made it a cottage—
Snug, secure, cozy.
Just perfect for me.
My neighbor I do not know, let alone hate enough to possibly love.

Lord—why hast Thou given us our body and our blood?
The flesh that reminds us all too clearly—
We are here?
For this is where we need You.

Take and Eat

Christ—
the Son became flesh—
how can we eat You?
Why should we—
if our bodies are to be despised,
castigated?

Who are You
in this moment of screaming agony
writhing limbs
seared flesh?

If not one of us,
then what are we?
Our bodies, merely matter?
Or spiritual...bodies?
If this, why eat
You?

Relentless Grace

A relentless pursuit
she has never known
to the arms of another
she runs

Here,
he comes
breathless
fingers lifting his skirt from the dust
his arms,
an embrace
a welcome home
for her cheatin’ heart.

With morsels and sweet words
he woos her to his side
draws her to the baptismal waters
though her sins are as scarlet
they will be white as snow.

His delight in her will be unending
his love for her will never fail
and on that fateful wedded day,
consummation
will unite bride and groom forever.

She will never leave his side
he has purchased her with his life
and as she descends from heaven
all he sees
is gleaming white dress
and radiant face
reflecting his.

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”

Sex and money: worth talkin' about

Lauren Winner, Real Sex

Too often the church, rather than giving unmarried Christians useful tools and t hick theologies to help us live chastely, instead tosses off a few bromides—“True love waits” is not that compelling when you’re twenty-nine and have been waiting, and wonder what, really, you’re waiting for.

Indeed, the instruction to just zip perhaps fails to recognize that one resists strong bodily urges like sexual desire not primarily through willpower, but through grace.

But if we see scripture not merely as a code of behavior but as a map of God’s reality, and if we take seriously the pastoral task of helping unmarried Christians live chastely, the church needs not merely to recite decontextualized Bible verses, but to ground our ethics in the faithful living of the fullness of the gospel.

Perhaps the revelatory thing for me about money is that I have the power. I could, work a couple hours and baby sit on Friday’s and use that money to donate to providing after-care for young women rescued from trafficking in Cebu.

What am I willing to go without so I can have more to give, to save, to spend if necessary?

Can I understand money? For most of my life—frankly, until now—I thought it was some esoteric entity comprehensible only by an elite few. Certainly not lower-middle-class moi. Money is mysterious in some ways, but still understandable.

I could buy x, or I could not buy x. Having the option to buy something was revelatory to me, almost as much as the option of not having to buy x.

Goliaths

So, in conjunction with my roommate Linell yesterday at the fortuitous location of our neighborhood Panera, I pretty much finished my 2010 taxes. E-filed California, and just need to paper-file fed taxes. It wasn't so bad, all things considered. Maybe taxes aren't the Leviathan I thought.

Now, on to my 2009 Canadian taxes!