All is Well - Part 25

Friday Findings

January 26, 2018 By Shelly Durkee

I often file away interesting tidbits that I come across while meandering (um, wasting time) on the internet. Here are a few things I’ve come across lately, that I’ve found interesting or helpful.

Lethal Animals

In the category of interesting but completely useless – the fine folks over at Mental Floss have provided us with information on the most likely animal to kill you in each state.

The two states that crack me up are Illinois and Missouri – being bitten or crushed by a larger reptile???? Ok, maybe Florida – but Illinois?? Missouri??

Still, I suppose, this is good information to have – now you know to watch out for alligators in Mt. Vernon, IL.: Death by Animals

World Reading Challenge

I love reading challenges – and lists of books – and book suggestions outside my normal reading patterns.

I stumbled across this 52-Week Reading Challenge list, composed of books with settings in different countries. Good stuff – check it out; I’m definitely going to sample a few of these and add them to my “To-Read” list: Books Around the World

Trash Collectors Build Free Library

Ok – this is my favorite find this week. Trash collectors in Turkey had been keeping abandoned books, and sharing them among each other and their families. Residents found out about this, and began donating books to their effort. As a result, they now have enough books to fill an entire library – and that’s exactly what they have done. Check out this feel-good story here: The Library that Trash Built

Let the Reader Understand

Finally, I want to share this “Tweet” with you, from Andrew Walker. I think it is an excellent reminder to all of us:

Gospel in the Face of Evil

January 26, 2018 By Shelly Durkee

There is much evil in this world.

We say “all sin is equal”; and, to a degree, there is truth in that statement – all sin is a symptom of rebellious pride against our God – I’m not entirely sure that sin can be so easily blanketed under a very human judgement of the equality of all sin. I think that sometimes we pull that phrase out of our back pocket when we either want to diminish the exacting hideousness of a sin (particularly when that sin is either committed by someone we know and love – or, by our very own selves)….or, we want to somehow level the playing field; which is a very silly notion.

All sin is punishable by death. That is what scripture teaches us in Romans 6:23 – a very familiar verse to those of us who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and learned “The Romans Road” on Sunday evenings in Training Union (well, those of us who didn’t skip class in order to climb the tree out behind the church.)

All sin. Every sin. From the lie we told to our neighbor to the most gruesome murder. All of it – “The wages of sin is death….”

And, because of the finality of that penalty, we needed a Savior who, in obedience and out of love, willfully gave His life as payment for every single sin, so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life – the second half of Romans 6:23 – instead of eternal death.

My soul; what Jesus has done. We can not begin to comprehend it.

There has been much in the news lately, regarding sexual abuse. Much. I’ve not written about it in this space – for one thing, my words seem so inadequate, to address something so evil.

But also, this – as a parent of a victim, the ex-wife of an abuser – and as a victim myself – it lands with a haunting thud almost entirely too close to home, to be able to express my thoughts in this space.

This is an evil I am entirely too aware of. It has stalked my own days, and destroyed my nights – for years. It has seared my heart deeply again, as I’ve ached and wept for my daughter. It has ripped our family to shreds, leaving my crew and I to rebuild our lives; which, through God’s mercy and grace, we have.

However, I read and listened to something this week that has struck such a deep chord within the deeply buried core of grief and pain in my soul. It’s a tender place that – by God’s grace – has grown smaller and smaller has His grace and mercy and healing has chipped away at it steadily over the last 10-12 years ago – from that moment when, like C.S. Lewis, I “gave in an admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all…” Virginia.

But while God’s grace has polished the rough edges off of that deep pain – I do not ever expect it to go away entirely – and, I think, that’s the way it is supposed to be – because, when the grief is stirred like a deep bruise, it reminds me now of who God is and what He has done – His protection, His provision, His saving grace, His beautiful mercy, His abiding faithfulness and His steady restoration.

But, it also reminds me to be aware that there are hurting people all around me – in need of hope. It reminds me to be compassionate – which is not something that comes naturally for me. And, it reminds me that I – and, all of us – must rely fully and only upon God.

This week, Larry Nasser was sentenced for horrific sexual molestation crimes of an astonishingly number of young gymnasts who were under his care.

I’ve not followed the story too terribly closely – because it does dig deep into the that core pain in my own world – but I’ve glanced at the proceedings and the news articles from time-to-time; taking sideways glances without looking straight on.

But yesterday, I did take a moment to read an article at The Gospel Coalition, about Rachael Denhollander. Rachel had the opportunity to address her abuser before his sentencing. As the parent of a victim (and ex-wife of an abuser), I have addressed the person responsible for such evil crimes against my girl. However, addressing my abuser is something that, honestly, I do not think I could have done, as a victim.

Rachael is a brave soul. Tremendously brave.

She addressed this man who victimized her and abused her and so many others, with words that did not cut corners or soften the blow. They were sharp and honest. They did not hide the evil. They were raw and honest. But there is something about them that cause them to drill deep – that cause the words to both strike terror and give hope – something that Nasser needs.

And, honestly, something that we all need.

And, is exactly what the gospel does.

So.

I want to share her words here in this space, because they are truth – deep truth. They are words that every person who commits the evil sin and crime of sexual molestation need to hear.

And, they are words that every victim needs to hear, too – they give voice to the pain; but far behind that, they point to the only hope for that pain – our God, who sees and knows, and who grieves and acts. (Exodus 2:23-25)

You can read an article that contains a transcript of Rachel’s words by clicking here: The Gospel Coalition – The Incredible Testimony as a Former Gymnast Confronts Her Sexual Abuser in Court

I’ve also placed a video section of her address below. Take a moment to listen to it – well worth your time. And then take a moment to ponder and recognize the grave and weighty evil that sin – all sin – is…..and then take a longer moment to marvel at the price that was paid upon the cross, and the hope we have in Christ, no matter evilness we may encounter here in this world.

Friday Findings

January 19, 2018 By Shelly Durkee

American Gothic House

One of the most iconic and recognizable pieces of art is the painting “American Gothic” by Grant Wood.

I was thrilled to stumble upon this Smithsonian article about Grant and Iowa; because I am actually very familiar with that farmhouse behind the farmer and his dour daughter, depicted in that painting.

It’s located in Eldon Iowa – a tiny farming community in Southeastern Iowa. And, it is located just around the corner – literally – from the old, drafty church that my father was a pastor of for a time.

I’ve seen the American Gothic home in all kinds of states – for a while, someone was living there – but didn’t take good care of it. Then, for a long time, it sat empty, and fell into disrepair. I may (or may not, I can neither confirm or deny) once thrown a rock at it, trying to hit a window. I know – that’s awful. I was an ornery, rebellious soul. But no worries; I missed. I can’t throw to save my life.

I was pleasantly surprised when I returned to Iowa a few years ago, to find that a preservation committee had actually moved the house to a close-by location, restored it fully, and had even built a little museum/gift-shop near-by.

It was fun to read through this article about a taking an “American Gothic-themed Road Trip” through Iowa; and I learned a heck of a lot about good ol’ Grant, that I hadn’t known before: American Gothic

Showing Some Pipe Organ Love

Ok, I’ll have to admit it – I’ve never been a huge fan of Pipe Organs. Mainly because they always seemed such a sore spot in churches I have been in, that had them. Sacred cows, in a sense. I’ve been in meetings where heated arguments have been made both for and against the use of a Pipe Organ in worship. But after watching this video, I am so much more impressed. Tim Challies’ shared this, over at his site this week. Wow – so much more to it than I ever thought there was – intricate beyond just a set of dusty old pipes. Very cool: Pipe Organ

Most Commonly Used Passwords

The folks over at “Information is Beautiful” have intrigued me again – this time, with a graphic that shows the top 500 most commonly used passwords. Working in the IT world and knowing the importance of password complexity in the prevention of hackers – well, I found this to be good, geeky fun. And, maybe a little bit scary. Folks – if you’ve not changed your passwords in the last three years, you may want to do that. Today. But before you do; take a look at this graphic – and DO NOT CHOOSE ANY OF THESE: Common Passwords

CDC Conspiracy Theories

Since I’ve been down hard this week with the flu and bronchitis (and believe me, for me to be down hard, it was a monster of a flu strain!), I figured I share this fun article, about 10 Conspiracy Theories of the Centers for Diseases Control (CDC). Hmmmm…..something to ponder….you know, if you are into conspiracy theories…..: CDC Conspiracies

Hawaii Ballistic Missile Threat

On Saturday, my Facebook feed was chock full of friends from Hawaii trying find out if the Emergency Alert on their phones was a true threat or not – and, where to hide/what to do.

It was terrifying for them; I can’t even imagine, really, what those moments were like.

But if you know Hawaii at all, you also know that so many of the residents are pretty laid back, with a great sense of humor and a grand outlook on life. So a shout-out to my Hawaii friends – for your Aloha to each other when the danger was apparently grave; and for your witty response when the all-clear as given – 38 minutes later. Hawaii no ka oi. Here’s an interesting article about the response at Kualoa Ranch: Hiding in the Bunker

You are My Sunshine

I love this song. I love it even better, when sung by this talented big sister, to her 25-month old brother born with Down’s Syndrome, that went viral this week.

Friday Findings

January 12, 2018 By Shelly Durkee

The Antilibrary

Very interesting article from Inc.com – the idea is that those of us who buy more books than we can possibly ever read, shouldn’t feel guilty about it, because it will keep us intellectually hungry and curious, as those books stare “menacingly” at us.

I have mixed feelings about this – I pride myself on not being a hoarder – but the area of books is my downfall; and I’ve always felt guilty about that. So many books that I hope to get to, some day (thought really the percentage of books on my shelf that I’ve not read is quite less than those I have read – which, I guess, is also a terribly prideful sentence. Golly day, pride gets me every time.) I often think, “Maybe someone else needs that biography, or would benefit from that book about weather, or do I really need a second copy (ok, 3rd) copy of “Surprised by Joy”?

But I also see that there is a grain of truth in what the author says – seeing the books on myself creates an anticipation and eagerness in me – to learn more – to read more. So, read the article for yourself – what do you think? : Antilibrary

More Graphics

I enjoy visual graphics; particularly when they relate to scriptural and literary topics. Chris Harrison (along with a friend) has created some fascinating graphics – the one below depicts all of the cross-references found in the Bible. Visit his site to see some of the others he has designed: Graphical Representations

How Airlines Price Their Fares

Since I’m writing this from 30,000 feet this evening, after changing a flight today, to come home early, and also spending some time booking my next work trip, I found this article interesting, on how airlines arrive at their pricing: Fly the Friendly and Expensive Skies

18 in 18

Our pastoral staff at Seaford Baptist Church has challenged our church this year, to read 18 books in 2018. As a part of this, they put together a fantastic list of 40 book suggestions.

As a part of that, we’ve launched a Facebook Page to discuss these books (and others) throughout the year. We will be posting reviews, questions, polls, links to reference materials and other related items.

Are you a reader? Feel free to join in the fun! You can find the Facebook Page Link here: 18 in 18 Reading Challenge

Best Christmas Present

Goodness. This video.

I’m not sure what gets me more – the thought of this wife who, as a young girl, had to sell her beloved Cabbage Patch Kid when her family immigrated to the United States, or the fact that her husband searched high and low to find the same exact doll, to give it to her for Christmas. It brings so many thoughts to mind – of the thousands of children-now-adults who left behind so much in their escape from poverty, cruel governments, starvation and wars – to find their way to our shores, in hopes of not only a better life, but in some cases survival. Thoughts of the incredible kindness of the husband, to do this for his bride. Tears in watching her joy, tears and gratitude in having her doll back – she even called the doll by the name she had given her as a child.

Watch this and try not to cry. I failed, miserably.