Is it possible to lust for a Bible? If so, I am currently in the throes of an intense Bible lust. Some of you may remember from my birthday/Christmas post from last year that I was looking to get a new Bible. A leather-bound to-last-a-lifetime Bible. Well, I didn't get one last year, for myself or from someone else. It was a disappointment, but like all disappointments, in hindsight I can see the upside.The upside to this disappointment is the ESV Study Bible. Due out in October (just in time for my 30th birthday!) it looks amazing. Normally I shy away from too much commentary in a Bible. My old stand-by Slimline NASB with cross-referencing was enough for years. At this point in my walk with Christ, though, I think I could do with some quality commentary.
So, if anyone is looking to drop a large amount of money on my birthday celebration, I would love the premium calf-skin:-) It needs to last for 60 yrs or so, so the cost/use analysis makes it a great deal--just over $3.00 a year!
(photo compliments of NY Times)
This past week one of the foremost Russian writers died. I've linked to two different obituaries, the NY Times and a Boundless blog post. There is always so much to be said about someone as controversial and pugnacious as Solzhenitsyn.I distinctly remember reading One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. The writing was hard and visceral and almost too simple to be real. I had wrestled (unsuccessfully) through Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment, firmly convinced that Russian novels were an Everest I was incapable of climbing. But still, I had seen that unpronounceable name in the writings of individuals I admired. If I was to be an educated 20th century reader I had to read something by him. My reading was so random and lopsided. Here was a chance to fill in a gap.Universal human experience is one proof, in my mind, of the centrality of a Creator. It is fact that, regardless of seemingly consequential differences, humans have a huge well of shared experience. Pain, loneliness, anger, fear, pleasure, happiness..... We have families and friends. We experience gain and loss. We love beauty, hate ugliness, and often times don't think past our stomach or our bed. Any person that I meet anywhere on the planet shares far more with me than could possibly be different. Because of this great shared wealth the gulag became my life for the short time that it took to read One Day... I was a suburban teenager in my basement bedroom, surrounded by a loving family and recipient of the freedom and decadence of an American middle-class life. I was female, young and almost excessively sheltered. But I knew the reality of that life. Solzhenitsyn reminds me often of an Old Testament prophet. I don't know that he wept much, but he was often misunderstood and he spoke truth when all wisdom seemed to advise silence. He championed against injustice motivated out of a passionate love of his homeland and people. He was often disillusioned and alone. The general public regarded him as a saint and crusader one moment and painfully awkward old coot the next.He was just a man and one who lived long enough to prove that all men are fallible and easily misunderstood. But irregardless of some extreme and often mistaken views, he clung tenaciously to the truth when the truth promised little but heartache. In that respect, Solzhenitsyn was almost a living embodiment of anti-postmodernism. It is not all about questioning. Deconstruction is only valuable when you are actually taking apart something harmful AND are willing to subject your deconstruction to the lens of truth. Finally, truth doesn't change, no matter how you look at it, or whether or not it is fashionable or pleasant.Haven't written anything this complex in some time. I am still wrestling with the implications of a life well-lived and whether or not I or Solzhenitsyn can lay claim to having one. Death brings so much to the foreground that I rarely think about. The NY Times obit is in my bag, haven't finished it yet, so I have some more time to think.
Was wandering around the blogs I like to frequent and came across this post from Random Musings. I always enjoy what she has to say, and her name is Rebecca, so she must be cool ;-) It seems like I wrote just yesterday and it has already been almost 2 weeks... YIKES!Cool stuff:- Thunderstorms that crash so loudly they make me jump... even if I have my earphones in.
- Changing the hem on $0.80 pants from the thrift store and having cute office wear.
- A best friend who will sit and listen to me verbally process my relational experience without yawning once.
- Thumb-wrestling with an extremely intelligent man and considering it just as fun as deep conversation.
- The fragrance of clothes fresh from the clothesline.
- Anything that combines mushrooms, spinach and good cheese.
- Standing in front of A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat with someone who has never seen it before.
- Living over a year without a car.
- Working with interesting people at a job that really only requires 35 hrs a week from me and still pays me a livable wage.
There is always more that could be added. I am hoping to have a book list/review post in a few days. Just finished Chesterton's Orthodoxy and am in the midst of Till We Have Built Jerusalem by Philip Bess.... an interesting collection of essays on New Urbanism and its ties to the sacred. So much to think about (and write about)-- so little time!
This is very much how I am feeling right now:It was when I was happiest that I longed most...The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing...to find the place where all the beauty came from.
CS Lewis
Well, after so much time with no social life, no job and not much to do I am now enjoying getting to know a delightful physicist, working full-time in a challenging non-profit, and have had such a busy social whirl that I am running on a semi-constant state of sleep deprivation. Life is good.There has been so much to thank God for recently. - The ability to even have thoughts of gratitude for instance. Anxiety has definitely been higher on the mental to-do list than that.
- Renewed intimacy with God and an insatiable desire for more.
- The sharpening that comes from interacting with other strong Christians.
- Dynamic conversation that blows my mind.
- Longer walks than I've had in a long time.
- The opportunity to purchase really cute girl shoes.
- Adventures in moving a stove for my best friend. Go Girl Power!
In all honesty, I can't think of a time in the last few years when it has felt like life is both insanely good, and when I've had to dig so deep into Christ just to know how to think. I am not sure how to take it all. I covet your prayers....
God has been very gracious to me in the midst of my faithlessness! Today I signed the offer letter for a job as Executive Associate at a statewide non-profit here in Chicago, starting on Monday. This job is an answer to prayer on so many levels. It is exciting to be working in a smallish non-profit (though not necessarily Christian) organization. That means a lower salary than I might have been able to get in the for-profit realm, but I am still doubling my income from last year! (Those of you who know anything about that know that it wasn't a difficult feat*grin*) I will have health insurance for the first time in almost 10 years and this is the very first job with paid vacation! Woohoo!The position reports directly to the President and working as her assistant is also a sizable portion of the workload. We really clicked in the interview and I look forward to working for her and learning from her. She is direct and upbeat--both things that help me in communication with my superiors. She also was looking for an energetic and extroverted person for this position, so that was a great plus.In addition to all of this, the office is literally at the end of the stairs of the El about 35 minutes from me so it is a very easy commute. Get on a few blocks from my apartment, walk from the stairs into the building! There are so many other little things that make this such a fun providential gift from God! Rejoice with me:-) I am definitely rejoicing!
There has not been an update in a number of days and now I am sitting on the couch in KS while Abigail and Hannah play in the basement, Issac and Joanna nap on their beds and Amy and Daniel have a little couple time in Wichita. In some ways it is Christmas in June, since this was my Christmas present to the family.
It is good to have some quality time with the munchkins. We've played hide-and-seek, watched cartoons, went to the park, painted on pasta and generally had a fun time. I am at that age when the biological clock as well as personal inclination make me eager to have children. Watching women make unwise decisions, though, helps me stay content as I wait and pray for the husband that God has chosen for me.
Currently I can't edit pictures on my laptop, so I will have to wait and see if DnA can get some for me to add here. I know you all like pictures and the Asher clan is quite photogenic:-)
One last note.... The job hunt is going well. I've had several preliminary interviews, one pretty major one at Moody last week, another one with a downtown non-profit after I get home, and have had some temp work in the meantime. I am hopeful that I will have full-time employment by the beginning of July. In general, the job hunt has been positive. It is always nice to hear people tell you how employable you are and how eager they are to help you find a good situation. Now it is just time to wait and prepare. Even if I have only been unemployed for a couple of weeks, I am totally ready to work again.
