I've made the executive decision to switch over to a new blog because there's a lot of changes in my life, and I feel like starting completely fresh!
I won't be deleting this blog though as I enjoy reflecting over past posts.
Sunday, 20 April 2014
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Conflict: A Christian Feminist?
I hate conflict.
More than anything. I avoid it like a plague.
When I think of conflict, I think of conflict in relationships. I think of saying something that rubs a friend the wrong way or doing something I know would upset my family. I never think of being in conflict with myself.
I'm a Christian - not as a title but as an identity and a lifestyle.
I'm also a student at a liberal arts university. I major in sociology, which doesn't give me that much grief about my beliefs, but my minor is another story. My minor is Women and Gender Studies - essentially feminism. So, what's the big deal about that? Let me explain a little bit.
In my first year of university, in my very first sociology class, the professor asked the class who was a feminist. In a class of fifty students, about two hands went up and mine was definitely not one of them. "A feminist?" I thought, "As if I'm a feminist! I shave my legs and don't light my bras on fire!" I had a lot to learn!
As an extremely sheltered girl going into university from a tiny Christian school with a very closed mind, I didn't quite know what to think about the concept of feminism. And I think that's why it fascinated me so much. Somewhere along the way, I decided I might be a feminist.
This is where the conflict comes in. I was identifying as a Christian and a feminist, and I didn't know how those two identities could co-exist. Maybe they couldn't. But I had to know!
For me, it boiled down to definitions. What is feminism? What does it mean to be a feminist? And, perhaps more importantly, what does being a Christian mean to me?
Christianity, traditionally, has been viewed as a very patriarchal religion. Paul writes about women having to cover their heads and not being allowed to speak in the church. It has been highly contested as to whether or not women should be allowed leadership positions in the church. Let's not even get into issues surrounding homosexuality and abortions. Needless to say, feminism can have a ton of issues with the Christian religion.
Christianity, for me, isn't a religion. Yes, I go to church. I participate in those religious practices like communion. But my faith goes far beyond a building or a ritual. Christianity, for me, is intimacy with God. It's about being close enough to hear Him breathe. It's about trust and love and mercy and forgiveness. It's a relationship. A divine relationship with a God who loves me. There's nothing I can do to make Him love me any more or any less. Christianity, for me, is a very real, personal relationship.
Feminism. It's not hairy legs and armpits. It's not burning bras. It's not wanting women to take over the earth. Feminism is equality for men and women. It's about equal opportunity and respect. Feminism is a call for justice. It took me four years of university (and some amazing professors) to understand that. Of course, there is radical feminism, which is the feminism that calls on women to hate men for oppressing them. I do not support that. Christians are called to love everyone, including those who oppress them. But feminism as equality, that's simple.
Conflicted, I decided to turn to my role model as a Christian to figure out what He had to say about feminism and equality for women - Jesus. When Jesus came to Earth, women were inferior to men throughout society (and I would argue that, historically, women have always been inferior to men). Women were considered so inferior in Jewish society that they were not allowed to read or study Scripture and rabbis wouldn't even talk to them in public. Jesus would have been fully aware of the culture, and it almost seems deliberate how He interacts with women.
When Jesus declared Himself Messiah for the first time, He did this to a woman and instructed her to tell the disciples (John 4:25-26). Jesus healed a woman (Matthew 15:22-28) and raised a woman from the dead (Luke 8:49-56). He allowed a woman to anoint Him at His death (Mark 14:3-9). And after His resurrection, despite women being considered incompetent as legal witnesses under Jewish law, Jesus chose to appear first to a woman with the instructions to tell the others (John 20:11-17). Jesus taught women and considered them His friends. There is no point in the Gospels when Jesus treats a woman as unequal. Is it that hard to believe that Jesus interacted with women purposefully to question the cultural norms?
So, if Jesus didn't endorse inequality, where did it start? Remember back in Genesis when Adam and Eve sinned, and God punished them? One of the punishments given to Eve was subordination to Adam, meaning one of the punishments for all women was subordination to men. It's important to note the word punishment here. This is a punishment; not the design for God's creation. But when Jesus came to us, He redeemed humanity. In Romans 5:12-21, we see that Christ overcomes the punishment assigned to us in Genesis, including the punishment of inequality. If inequality was designed by God or if God cared less about a single person (in this case a woman), then God wouldn't be perfect love.
So, what does that mean for me? It means I model myself after Jesus. As a Christian, I fight for the equal treatment of all humans whether discrimination is done against sex, race, class or ethnicity. I say, "Yes, I am a feminist! I stand up for those who have been oppressed! And as a woman, I find my liberation in Jesus Christ!"
Conflict resolved, for me.
More than anything. I avoid it like a plague.
When I think of conflict, I think of conflict in relationships. I think of saying something that rubs a friend the wrong way or doing something I know would upset my family. I never think of being in conflict with myself.
I'm a Christian - not as a title but as an identity and a lifestyle.
I'm also a student at a liberal arts university. I major in sociology, which doesn't give me that much grief about my beliefs, but my minor is another story. My minor is Women and Gender Studies - essentially feminism. So, what's the big deal about that? Let me explain a little bit.
In my first year of university, in my very first sociology class, the professor asked the class who was a feminist. In a class of fifty students, about two hands went up and mine was definitely not one of them. "A feminist?" I thought, "As if I'm a feminist! I shave my legs and don't light my bras on fire!" I had a lot to learn!
As an extremely sheltered girl going into university from a tiny Christian school with a very closed mind, I didn't quite know what to think about the concept of feminism. And I think that's why it fascinated me so much. Somewhere along the way, I decided I might be a feminist.
This is where the conflict comes in. I was identifying as a Christian and a feminist, and I didn't know how those two identities could co-exist. Maybe they couldn't. But I had to know!
For me, it boiled down to definitions. What is feminism? What does it mean to be a feminist? And, perhaps more importantly, what does being a Christian mean to me?
Christianity, traditionally, has been viewed as a very patriarchal religion. Paul writes about women having to cover their heads and not being allowed to speak in the church. It has been highly contested as to whether or not women should be allowed leadership positions in the church. Let's not even get into issues surrounding homosexuality and abortions. Needless to say, feminism can have a ton of issues with the Christian religion.
Christianity, for me, isn't a religion. Yes, I go to church. I participate in those religious practices like communion. But my faith goes far beyond a building or a ritual. Christianity, for me, is intimacy with God. It's about being close enough to hear Him breathe. It's about trust and love and mercy and forgiveness. It's a relationship. A divine relationship with a God who loves me. There's nothing I can do to make Him love me any more or any less. Christianity, for me, is a very real, personal relationship.
Feminism. It's not hairy legs and armpits. It's not burning bras. It's not wanting women to take over the earth. Feminism is equality for men and women. It's about equal opportunity and respect. Feminism is a call for justice. It took me four years of university (and some amazing professors) to understand that. Of course, there is radical feminism, which is the feminism that calls on women to hate men for oppressing them. I do not support that. Christians are called to love everyone, including those who oppress them. But feminism as equality, that's simple.
Conflicted, I decided to turn to my role model as a Christian to figure out what He had to say about feminism and equality for women - Jesus. When Jesus came to Earth, women were inferior to men throughout society (and I would argue that, historically, women have always been inferior to men). Women were considered so inferior in Jewish society that they were not allowed to read or study Scripture and rabbis wouldn't even talk to them in public. Jesus would have been fully aware of the culture, and it almost seems deliberate how He interacts with women.
When Jesus declared Himself Messiah for the first time, He did this to a woman and instructed her to tell the disciples (John 4:25-26). Jesus healed a woman (Matthew 15:22-28) and raised a woman from the dead (Luke 8:49-56). He allowed a woman to anoint Him at His death (Mark 14:3-9). And after His resurrection, despite women being considered incompetent as legal witnesses under Jewish law, Jesus chose to appear first to a woman with the instructions to tell the others (John 20:11-17). Jesus taught women and considered them His friends. There is no point in the Gospels when Jesus treats a woman as unequal. Is it that hard to believe that Jesus interacted with women purposefully to question the cultural norms?
So, if Jesus didn't endorse inequality, where did it start? Remember back in Genesis when Adam and Eve sinned, and God punished them? One of the punishments given to Eve was subordination to Adam, meaning one of the punishments for all women was subordination to men. It's important to note the word punishment here. This is a punishment; not the design for God's creation. But when Jesus came to us, He redeemed humanity. In Romans 5:12-21, we see that Christ overcomes the punishment assigned to us in Genesis, including the punishment of inequality. If inequality was designed by God or if God cared less about a single person (in this case a woman), then God wouldn't be perfect love.
So, what does that mean for me? It means I model myself after Jesus. As a Christian, I fight for the equal treatment of all humans whether discrimination is done against sex, race, class or ethnicity. I say, "Yes, I am a feminist! I stand up for those who have been oppressed! And as a woman, I find my liberation in Jesus Christ!"
Conflict resolved, for me.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Passionate as Sin
I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart; I will enter His courts with praise!
Just back to school from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Sergio and I headed back to Truro Friday afternoon to spend the three days with my family. I cannot express how much I love going home, especially when I get to take Sergio back with me. I'm surrounded by the people I love most in the world, and there's no drama. It's just a dream come true.
Mom and I spent Saturday morning shopping in downtown Truro. I appreciate my mother so much more now than I ever did when I lived with her. Funny how that changes.
Abby's new kitten was just adorable. She doesn't have a name yet. I doubt she ever will. Mom just calls her Miss Kitty. However, we did find out that Sergio might very potentially have a cat allergy!
We had a very lazy weekend. Sergio, Courtney, and I did go out one night to see Pitch Perfect. It was hilarious, and I absolutely love music movies. Courtney did an impromptu photo shoot of Sergio and me too. The pictures were pretty cute. Courtney's really good at photographing nature and animals, but she hasn't done much with people. We had fun being her dummies.
We had Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday morning after church with my sisters and brother-in-law, Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, and Grammy. My first Thanksgiving with Sergio!
We celebrated Abby's 13th birthday that day too, even though her real birthday is today. I cannot believe my baby sister is 13!
On Monday, Grammy asked us to come to Thanksgiving dinner at her house, so Sergio and I went there before heading back to Acadia. She had all my aunts, uncles, and cousins from Nova Scotia. Sergio has officially met all my Jones family, and he's only missing one cousin on my mom's side who lives in Montreal. Heck, I've barely met that cousin.
I'm on a bit of a Taylor high. She's releasing a new song from her album every Monday until the album comes out. I love getting new Taylor music.
Just back to school from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Sergio and I headed back to Truro Friday afternoon to spend the three days with my family. I cannot express how much I love going home, especially when I get to take Sergio back with me. I'm surrounded by the people I love most in the world, and there's no drama. It's just a dream come true.
Mom and I spent Saturday morning shopping in downtown Truro. I appreciate my mother so much more now than I ever did when I lived with her. Funny how that changes.
Abby's new kitten was just adorable. She doesn't have a name yet. I doubt she ever will. Mom just calls her Miss Kitty. However, we did find out that Sergio might very potentially have a cat allergy!
We had a very lazy weekend. Sergio, Courtney, and I did go out one night to see Pitch Perfect. It was hilarious, and I absolutely love music movies. Courtney did an impromptu photo shoot of Sergio and me too. The pictures were pretty cute. Courtney's really good at photographing nature and animals, but she hasn't done much with people. We had fun being her dummies.
We had Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday morning after church with my sisters and brother-in-law, Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, and Grammy. My first Thanksgiving with Sergio!
We celebrated Abby's 13th birthday that day too, even though her real birthday is today. I cannot believe my baby sister is 13!
I'm on a bit of a Taylor high. She's releasing a new song from her album every Monday until the album comes out. I love getting new Taylor music.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Back to Where it All Began
I got to spend this last weekend at home with my hurting sister.
Life is rough, especially life in high school.
Mom left for Bermuda on Sunday morning, and Courtney needed company. I'll always feel for the brokenhearted.
I wasn't going to just sit around and let her mope though! Our weekend was filled with cookie baking, movie watching, Sims playing, and church going (a little homework thrown in there too).
Courtney and I also spent a bit of time searching for her perfect prom dress! So exciting! The first of any of us Jones girls to go to prom. But I'm not jealous or anything..
My most recent project is working on my family tree. It started off pretty small. I could only get back to one of my great grandmothers - the one I knew. But I mentioned the project to my grandmother, and she brought me down a whole bunch of information. I'm picking away at it still, but it's currently dating right back to 1767! It's extremely interesting to see where your family has been. Did you know that if my great great grandmother had had any daughters (she had five sons), there is a chance that I would've been colour blind? Of course, you didn't. But now you do. :)
Last night, Grammy came down to Wolfville. She sat down with me for awhile and went through the family book with me, then she took Kirsten, Jared, Sergio, and I out for dinner at the Lib Pub. So happy to introduce Grammy to the Lib Pub Burger! She nearly finished it too! Impressive!
School is picking up work wise this week, but I'm trying not to think about it too much. My philosophy with school has always been to just do it instead of think about it. I've saved myself so much stress.
Sergio is gone to the job fair in Halifax today. He's looking for a job in Halifax for the summer, just in case we decide to spend the summer up there instead of Wolfville. No plans yet though.
Also, Taylor Swift's newest, Begin Again:
Life is rough, especially life in high school.
Mom left for Bermuda on Sunday morning, and Courtney needed company. I'll always feel for the brokenhearted.
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| Farmer's Market Purchase |
My most recent project is working on my family tree. It started off pretty small. I could only get back to one of my great grandmothers - the one I knew. But I mentioned the project to my grandmother, and she brought me down a whole bunch of information. I'm picking away at it still, but it's currently dating right back to 1767! It's extremely interesting to see where your family has been. Did you know that if my great great grandmother had had any daughters (she had five sons), there is a chance that I would've been colour blind? Of course, you didn't. But now you do. :)
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| Game Night in Rojo |
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| Cranium |
School is picking up work wise this week, but I'm trying not to think about it too much. My philosophy with school has always been to just do it instead of think about it. I've saved myself so much stress.
Sergio is gone to the job fair in Halifax today. He's looking for a job in Halifax for the summer, just in case we decide to spend the summer up there instead of Wolfville. No plans yet though.
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| Surprise from Serg :) |
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| I missed EC Song Night but Sergio saved me some roses |
Author of my Faith
Looking back over the last 20 years of my life (actually, let's just go with my 12 years of my Christian life), I've gone through a lot of rough patches. As a child, my most quoted verse was definitely Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Fear has always been a big one for me.
There's been a lot of times, especially in high school, that I felt I had absolutely no where to turn to for comfort - except to Jesus. It wasn't until I was in university that I formed close relationships with people who didn't consider Jesus their primary source of comfort. The differences in comforting someone who believes in Jesus and someone who doesn't are immense. I still cannot comprehend how people get through rough patches without Jesus by their side. However, as a Christian, I know that every depth of despair is God challenging my faith and calling me to reach out to Him.
Throughout my walk with Jesus, I've learned so many verses of Scripture, but I often have trouble recalling them when I need them the most.
During heartaches, I often grab my Bible and locate the verses of comfort and strength - the ones that remind me of the greater plan God has for me.
Here's some good comfort, God-knows-the-plan verses:
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
II Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
I Peter 5:7
Cast all your cares on the Lord, for He cares for you.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall make straight your paths.
Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jeremiah 17:7
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord.
Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
I know that I am, without a doubt, no where near finished growing as a Christian. I'll be growing in Christ for the rest of my life, but it's encouraging to know that I do rely on Jesus for comfort. He's my Rock.
This past little while I've found my faith being challenged - not through rough circumstances though, just through the discussions I've been having with other Christians. For some reason, this last week has been filled with discussions of the importance of sharing faith with non believers, prayer, and relying on God's perfect plan. Maybe I'm missing some sort of giant hint, but I think we're in for something good.
There's been a lot of times, especially in high school, that I felt I had absolutely no where to turn to for comfort - except to Jesus. It wasn't until I was in university that I formed close relationships with people who didn't consider Jesus their primary source of comfort. The differences in comforting someone who believes in Jesus and someone who doesn't are immense. I still cannot comprehend how people get through rough patches without Jesus by their side. However, as a Christian, I know that every depth of despair is God challenging my faith and calling me to reach out to Him.
Throughout my walk with Jesus, I've learned so many verses of Scripture, but I often have trouble recalling them when I need them the most.
During heartaches, I often grab my Bible and locate the verses of comfort and strength - the ones that remind me of the greater plan God has for me.
Here's some good comfort, God-knows-the-plan verses:
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
II Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
I Peter 5:7
Cast all your cares on the Lord, for He cares for you.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall make straight your paths.
Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jeremiah 17:7
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord.
Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
I know that I am, without a doubt, no where near finished growing as a Christian. I'll be growing in Christ for the rest of my life, but it's encouraging to know that I do rely on Jesus for comfort. He's my Rock.
This past little while I've found my faith being challenged - not through rough circumstances though, just through the discussions I've been having with other Christians. For some reason, this last week has been filled with discussions of the importance of sharing faith with non believers, prayer, and relying on God's perfect plan. Maybe I'm missing some sort of giant hint, but I think we're in for something good.
Sunday, 16 September 2012
10,000 Reasons
Classes are off to a roaring start, and I'm just loving my course load!
This semester I'm taking Sociology of Deviance, Social Movements, Contemporary Social Theory, Feminist Theory, and Introductory Spanish. My favourite would definitely have to be feminist theory. It's just so many things about gender socialization that I never have considered. I also think I'll love intro Spanish, but so far, I've known everything they've taught because of my impromptu Spanish lessons from Sergio.
Cooking is going a bit better. I made my mama's chicken pot pie last week, and that lasted me the whole week!
Last weekend Sergio and I headed back to Truro. We went to Lynn's visitation on Friday night. Hard. That's my only word. You know what was neat though? When I saw Lynn's body, I was just overcome with certain knowledge that he wasn't there. Not only did the body not even look like the Lynn I knew, it was just an overwhelming realization about how real Heaven is because that's exactly where Lynn is.
We had a family movie night on Friday night, then headed to bed.
Saturday morning, Mom and I did manicures and pedicures before everyone got up. Courtney curled my hair, and we got all dressed up for the funeral/wedding.
The funeral was a joyful celebration of a man who was definitely a man after God's own heart. Our hearts break for his family, but we are so encouraged by the life he led.
We left the funeral early to make it to Jessica and Justin's wedding. They had a small, intimate backyard wedding and reception. There was definitely lots of family for Sergio to meet, and he had to experience the craziness of my aunts on the dancefloor. But that was bound to happen at some point.
I loved dancing away the night with him and my sisters and parents and extended family. We all had an amazing night.
Sergio and I had to leave Truro early on Sunday morning to make it back for Sergio to get to work.
There's so much I could say about this last week. I'm really excited for how the school year is starting out, and I hope that means I'm in for a fabulous semester!
This semester I'm taking Sociology of Deviance, Social Movements, Contemporary Social Theory, Feminist Theory, and Introductory Spanish. My favourite would definitely have to be feminist theory. It's just so many things about gender socialization that I never have considered. I also think I'll love intro Spanish, but so far, I've known everything they've taught because of my impromptu Spanish lessons from Sergio.
Cooking is going a bit better. I made my mama's chicken pot pie last week, and that lasted me the whole week!
Last weekend Sergio and I headed back to Truro. We went to Lynn's visitation on Friday night. Hard. That's my only word. You know what was neat though? When I saw Lynn's body, I was just overcome with certain knowledge that he wasn't there. Not only did the body not even look like the Lynn I knew, it was just an overwhelming realization about how real Heaven is because that's exactly where Lynn is.
We had a family movie night on Friday night, then headed to bed.
Saturday morning, Mom and I did manicures and pedicures before everyone got up. Courtney curled my hair, and we got all dressed up for the funeral/wedding.
The funeral was a joyful celebration of a man who was definitely a man after God's own heart. Our hearts break for his family, but we are so encouraged by the life he led.
I loved dancing away the night with him and my sisters and parents and extended family. We all had an amazing night.
There's so much I could say about this last week. I'm really excited for how the school year is starting out, and I hope that means I'm in for a fabulous semester!
Thursday, 6 September 2012
A Time for Everything
My, that was a big blog break. But, I always turn to writing to work through my mind, and, right now, my mind has a lot to work through.
Obviously since I last posted, I got Sergio back from Guatemala. That was a very exciting day! It was almost surreal to have him back. But I'm getting back into the normal swing of things now.
I finished up work the last week of August. That was terribly sad. The people I worked with blessed me in countless ways. They made me promise to come back and visit them. They even talked about pooling their money to pay my salary so they could keep me. They just melt my heart. I have a copy of their September calendar though, so I will go down one or two afternoons this month.
I had many good times with Lindsay once she was down in Wolfville. Our "friendship retreat" was a fun couple of days catching up with each other. You've gotta love the friends you can always jump right back to where you left off with.
I had a lot of fun creeping on frosh week from the sidelines this year. It was very weird to not be participating, but you've got to move on at some point. I did get the chance to get to know the EC RAs and house council pretty well though. My heart will always belong to Tully though.
The main reason I felt like blogging was because of the big blow I received earlier this week. It was one of those moments when I was waiting for someone to start laughing and say it was a big joke. But that didn't happen. Lynn Erskine, the worship pastor at my church and my piano teacher from high school, died suddenly on Sunday night. He had been running on a regular basis to train for his team "Run From Hunger" that would be running later in September. But on Sunday, he had a heart failure and died that night in the Truro hospital. At 31, he left behind his beautiful wife, Natasha, and their two daughters, Roya (4) and Alea (2).
For all of those who never had the blessing of meeting Lynn, it might be difficult to understand his legacy, but anyone who did know him was greatly blessed because of it. He was passionate about Jesus and adored his family the way a man should. He was incredibly musically gifted.
He's the reason I fell in love with music again in high school. He understood why I was playing and Who I was playing for. He encouraged me in that. I'll never forget the first time I played the piano during offering at church. Lynn introduced me to the church and told them, as I had confided in him in a previous lesson, that before I played for people, I would pray that God would use my music to work in people's hearts and that He would be truly glorified through me.
Lynn believed in my musical talents. He took me under his wing and taught me not based on any sort of lesson plan, just out of what he felt God wanted me to try. He taught me the most beautiful pieces. He never discouraged me when I asked for some lessons from my Taylor Swift book, and he teased me about that right up to the last time I talked to him.
One piece we always talked about learning was "Waterfall" by one of our favourite composers, Jon Schmidt. Lynn's not here anymore to help me work through it, but I know he left me with enough knowledge and confidence to learn it myself. Now, more than ever, I'm inspired to crack down and learn.
He and Natasha partnered with me as prayer support when I went to Bolivia during high school. They supported me as I graduated high school and left for Acadia (Lynn had been an Acadia graduate). Lynn told me names of music professors to look up for more lessons when I got here, something I never bothered to take him up on.
The way he so obviously cherished his wife and girls made it clear to me how I wanted to be cherished by my husband. He was an amazing example.
My heart breaks for Natasha, his girls, and the rest of his family during this time. Living off his income poses issues for his wife. Being the generous soul she is, she never thought to bring money into her own pocket during this time, but it was decided by his family, that the best way to honour his memory is to support his loved ones. A fund has been set up. The goal is to raise $60,000 for Natasha, Roya, and Alea. Keep the family in your prayers, and, if God lays it on your heart, make a donation.
The great comfort we have is knowing that Lynn is now with his Saviour singing his heart out to the Lord. Every time I picture him up there, I think of him and King David hanging out with Jesus playing on the David's harp singing glorious songs to the Lord. I rest knowing he's happy and complete.
Even when we don't have the answers, we can rely on the One who does.
Obviously since I last posted, I got Sergio back from Guatemala. That was a very exciting day! It was almost surreal to have him back. But I'm getting back into the normal swing of things now.
I finished up work the last week of August. That was terribly sad. The people I worked with blessed me in countless ways. They made me promise to come back and visit them. They even talked about pooling their money to pay my salary so they could keep me. They just melt my heart. I have a copy of their September calendar though, so I will go down one or two afternoons this month.
I had many good times with Lindsay once she was down in Wolfville. Our "friendship retreat" was a fun couple of days catching up with each other. You've gotta love the friends you can always jump right back to where you left off with.
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| Zeller's Date! |
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| Zeller's Milkshakes |
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| Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris |
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| Tully T. Thursday |
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| Tully Mock Olympics |
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| Creeping on Rose Ceremony |
The main reason I felt like blogging was because of the big blow I received earlier this week. It was one of those moments when I was waiting for someone to start laughing and say it was a big joke. But that didn't happen. Lynn Erskine, the worship pastor at my church and my piano teacher from high school, died suddenly on Sunday night. He had been running on a regular basis to train for his team "Run From Hunger" that would be running later in September. But on Sunday, he had a heart failure and died that night in the Truro hospital. At 31, he left behind his beautiful wife, Natasha, and their two daughters, Roya (4) and Alea (2).
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| Lynn, Natasha, Roya, and Alea |
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| Roya and Alea |
Here's a tidbit of his inspirational words:
"Please, with everything in you, chase after Jesus with everything in you. Don't give up because you're tired. Don't give up because you hear the enemy of your soul roaring. Jesus is so powerful, loving, caring, challenging, and perfect. He's transparent and humble. He's welcoming and personal. He's great and mighty. He's more than all these things, and you know you want to know Him. Don't judge Him by me or by any other person who says they know Him. Get to know Him very well and go from there."For all of those who never had the blessing of meeting Lynn, it might be difficult to understand his legacy, but anyone who did know him was greatly blessed because of it. He was passionate about Jesus and adored his family the way a man should. He was incredibly musically gifted.
He's the reason I fell in love with music again in high school. He understood why I was playing and Who I was playing for. He encouraged me in that. I'll never forget the first time I played the piano during offering at church. Lynn introduced me to the church and told them, as I had confided in him in a previous lesson, that before I played for people, I would pray that God would use my music to work in people's hearts and that He would be truly glorified through me.
Lynn believed in my musical talents. He took me under his wing and taught me not based on any sort of lesson plan, just out of what he felt God wanted me to try. He taught me the most beautiful pieces. He never discouraged me when I asked for some lessons from my Taylor Swift book, and he teased me about that right up to the last time I talked to him.
One piece we always talked about learning was "Waterfall" by one of our favourite composers, Jon Schmidt. Lynn's not here anymore to help me work through it, but I know he left me with enough knowledge and confidence to learn it myself. Now, more than ever, I'm inspired to crack down and learn.
He and Natasha partnered with me as prayer support when I went to Bolivia during high school. They supported me as I graduated high school and left for Acadia (Lynn had been an Acadia graduate). Lynn told me names of music professors to look up for more lessons when I got here, something I never bothered to take him up on.
The way he so obviously cherished his wife and girls made it clear to me how I wanted to be cherished by my husband. He was an amazing example.
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| A Love to Strive For |
The great comfort we have is knowing that Lynn is now with his Saviour singing his heart out to the Lord. Every time I picture him up there, I think of him and King David hanging out with Jesus playing on the David's harp singing glorious songs to the Lord. I rest knowing he's happy and complete.
Even when we don't have the answers, we can rely on the One who does.
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