I have just read one of the best articles EVER!

A well-known evangelical Christian, Tony Campolo, has written an article for Beliefnet.com entitled "Let the Women Preach." Although many Christian denominations do indeed ordain women, many others still refuse. The fact that an evangelical male has made it a point to write this article makes me want to jump for joy! (Especially since I'm kind of sick of my evangelical friends quoting 1 Timothy at me.)

My favorite quote has got to be:

"If a man is so intimidated by a woman in a role of leadership, the man has a psychological problem that needs to be healed and cured. He needs counseling and he needs prayer. We can’t control women simply to cater to the insecurities of men who can’t handle this. If a guy is intimidated by a woman in leadership, he has real problems with his own concepts of masculinity. That’s a harsh statement, but I believe it to be true."

I think I love this guy.

Click here to see the article in its entirety (be sure to read both page one and two).

Never a dull moment at Youth Group...

A while ago, I decided to challenge the youth a bit and discuss the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-23, Mark 4:3-20, Luke 5:5-15). After we had read the parable and discussed it, I had them get into two groups and write their own version of the parable.

The youth, of course, split themselves into groups by gender. The girls wrote a sweet and innocent parable about a flower. The boys, however, wrote what is below. I have kept everything intact, including spelling errors:

"God gives 4 people a car.
One broke down and fell into pices.
The other one ran out of gas.
Another one set on fire because of a gas expelosion.
The 4th car drove home without any problems.
The first car didn't belive in Jesus so the devil came and broke his car.
The 2nd car ran out of gas because he belive in god for a little bit but his tire flow off so they stopped beliveing god.
The 3rd car belive in god for a little bit but he started getting hype over his car and stopped beliveing god.
The 4th one belive god and listen to him and drove home pimpen in his crystler 300."

And THAT is the Parable of the Sower, according to the teenage boys in my Youth Group. Amen!

One year!!!

That's right! Today is my one year anniversary!

...Of living in Philly. :)

Seriously, can you believe that I've lived here for a whole year already? Geez. When I first moved here, I hated it. Now, I can't imagine living anywhere else-- at least for a while, anyway. It's funny that so much can change in one year.

So, happy "Philly one year anniversary" to me!!

Starting Fresh in the New Year

Ok, I know it's cliche and overdone, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I clinked champagne glasses at midnight two nights ago. One of the most trying years of my life to date is finally over. Now I can start fresh!

Not that 2007 is going to be easy. This is going to be a year of change and important events, and I know it will be complicated in the professional, emotional, educational, and spiritual arenas. But unlike this past year, I don't feel lost. I finally feel like I've found where I need to go. This is a new feeling for me; and it's good to feel this way, even if the path is a bit overwhelming right now.

Here's to starting fresh in 2007! *clinks glass*