So, it's my birthday. I read somewhere that celebrating one's birthday is a most selfish act. After all, it's the mother who puts in all the work during birth; we don't even contribute to the labor that goes into our conception. It's what we do while living that's worth celebrating, or not. So this year, I'm asking friends and family to celebrate my 40 plus 1 years by giving to someone else. I've chosen TrafficJam this year; learn more by visiting my birthday campaign at this website. And thanks for your birthday wishes, your love through the years and your heartfelt prayers!

Resurrecting Ophelia

My morning reading these days is Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher, PhD. It was written in 1995 and was a New York Times Bestseller. I'm only in the second chapter and I have to admit my Christ-filled heart drains with each paragraph, and the love is replaced with searing hatred! The truth of what's written on these pages is stirring up the angry adolescent girl in me, and I'm feeling the need to cut somebody! Maybe I need to move this reading to a different time in my day; I will require time to shift into a new mood before entering the world.

Ophelia doesn't just need to be revived, she needs to be brought back to life! She is assassinated daily these days and will not respond to CPR. I knew being a girl was a challenge as a teenager - mine was especially tumultuous for reasons not described in Pipher's book. Her book is "An eye-opening look at the everyday dangers of being young and female..." And that was over 15 years ago! Please pray, today and every day, for the young girls in our world. If you have a girl child, read this book. As you read, quadruple the cultural battering Pipher describes to make it true to our current society. My question in response to what I've read thus far: What it will be like by the time my little girl is a young adolescent? (--------------------------------------------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) No words, just me screaming.....

Growing Character

Purpose. Wisdom. Courage. Perserverance. Gratitude. Honesty. Discipline. Patience. How do you determine a person's character? What traits do you look for? In my position at Metanoia, I am charged with the task of caring for the seeds of character in the children I serve. Each child is in a different stage of growth. Some seeds are growing strong. In others, many seeds have yet to be planted.

What are these seeds? What should they look like when they flower in this rising generation? I pose these questions to my family, friends, and friends of friends. Each week I will plant a seed. For example, "PURPOSE is....." What are the first thoughts that come to your mind? Tell me a story about how the seed has grown in you, or how may be a little wilted and struggling to grow. Post your meditations in the comment area below. With your persmission, some may be used in a character collage I hope to create with the students here at Metanoia.

So, here's the first row in the crop that will be planted for this fall harvest: "COURAGE is....." Thanks for your offering!