Love Letter for Grand Rapids

"Today we are going to go out into Grand Rapids and investigating what changes customers would like to see in their city. This is the very first stage of innovation: finding out what our target market is looking for. Before we begin, any questions?"

The young businesswoman looks out over twenty high school girls. Most of them can hardly believe they are sitting in Grid 70, the hub of innovation for huge corporations such as Steelcase and Wolverine Worldwide. They are still taking in the top floor apartment with its modern, minimalistic furnishings and gorgeous view of the Grand Rapids skyline. Most of them have a heartbeat of seven hundred beats a minute due to excitement bursting from within them.

Okay, so maybe that was just me.

My hand shoots into the air.

Alicia is an innovator for Amway who has graciously agreed to teach a group of teenage girls about the real world applications of business and marketing. She nods to me.

"Why do you think that Grand Rapids is thriving economically?" I ask, thinking of the coffee shops, restaurants and colleges that flourish on every street.

I want the answer to be something whimsical and idealistic. The people of Grand Rapids know that we must work together as a community for the good of all. We have instilled in our people a love for their city. They value hard work, creativity and ambition. These values pour over into everything we do, and thus the city flourishes like an Evergreen, even when the rest of Michigan experiences an economic downturn.
I receive no such answer from Alicia.
"Philanthropy," she responds.
Money? I think with disgust. That's it? There goes my utopian paradise theory.
"Families like the DeVosses poured millions of dollars into the right places, and it became a chain reaction. They invested into their community, and that has really brought about a change."
Her answer was not the patriotic anthem that I had formulated in my mind. Yet, it made me think and revaluate, which is always better than an affirmation.
I had presumed that Grand Rapids had something special, something that other cities lacked. Maybe a different atmosphere, or different water pressure, or something that made the city bloom. The truth was that my beloved GR had no such inherent special quality. The city owed their success to their benefactors.

I thought and I over thought, as I usually do when something new contradicts my presuppositions.
And I realized that, in a small way, Grand Rapids is a picture of God's grace.
So often we like to think that our success is because we're special. We're more ambitious, social, hardworking. We have more stamina, more education, more grit. We have something that makes us bloom. Other people lack this quality; but we have it, and that's why we succeed.
How often do we forget that we owe everything to our benefactor?

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." -Ephesians 2:6-7

 So here is my love letter to Grand Rapids:
Thank you for teaching me the importance of God's grace. I love you because you represent everything beautiful that can result of philanthropy and generosity. You're not a utopian paradise. Your water pressure isn't perfect, you're oxygen isn't life-giving, and your people aren't perfect either. But you are blooming with innovation, creativity and prosperity, and this represents in an infinitely small way the grace of God. He is our benefactor, our life giver. He has poured out his riches on us through his son Jesus Christ, and that's incredibly more than even Betsy DeVoss could ever give.

God bless Grand Rapids, and God bless America.

I Know Why the Lonely Girl Writes

In loving memory of Maya Angelou, a fierce writer with a strong voice (1928-2014).

I put my own twist on one of my favorite Angelou poems, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Her words are vibrant and colorful, so take a moment to read the far superior original.  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is also her first of seven memoirs, and the first non-fiction bestseller to be written by an African American woman.
If you research her history at all, you will be impressed by her numerous accomplishments-a world renowned author, playwright, freelance journalist, dancer and actress.
If you dig even deeper you will find that she was a strong woman who stood tall even when all the odds were against her. Racial prejudice, abuse within her family, and the pressures of being a single mother are a few of the giants she faced. All of these attest to the bravado of this woman just as much as her titles.
Despite the cage, this free spirited bird's song still rings out today.

I Know Why the Lonely Girl Writes

The free girl laughs

at the days of the past

and dances away

where the wind may blow

she spreads her arms

in the orange sun rays 

and dares to claim the world

But a girl that sulks

in her bitter past

can seldom see through

her senseless ways

her dreams are crushed and

her love has died

so she opens her soul to write

the lonely girl writes

with fiery thrill

of the things unknown

but longed for still

and her voice is heard

in the distant world

for the lonely girl

writes of journeys

the free girl thinks of trivialities 
of coffee shops and blissful melodies

and the good friends waiting for her to meet them

and she names her life her own

But a lonely girl writes on the brink of dreams

her thoughts linger on things unseen

her dreams are crushed and her love has died

and so she opens her soul to write

the lonely girl writes

with awestruck thrill

of the dreams unknown

but reached for still

and her voice is heard

in the distant world

for the lonely girl

writes of freedom

17 Words My Mom Taught me the Definition of...

My birthday falls on Mother's Day this year. This has liberated me to kill two birds with one blog post (forgive the mixed metaphor). This post will commemorate a fantastic woman who I'm blessed enough to call Momma, and just a few of the things she's taught me during my seventeen years.

Side Note: Currently I am reading a book entitled Wishful Thinking: A Seeker's ABC by Frederick Buechner. I am captivated by it. Hence I will be quoting it frequently, but rather than spell everything out again I will merely say, "Fred states..." I've taken the liberty of calling him Fred as if we're best friends because I would really like to grab coffee with him sometime in heaven. Will there be coffee in heaven, do you think? Holy grounds and all that? Anywho, this was a long side note.

1) Sacrifice. Fred defines sacrifice as, "to make [something] holy by giving it away for love." If that's the case, my Momma has made muffin tops (the dessert, not the fat hanging over your jeans, just to clarify) holy. When I was a toddler I would only eat the tops of muffins. Now that I have grown up and matured considerably, I have learned to appreciate every aspect of muffins, but at the time I was woefully ignorant. So Mom would always give up the best part of the dessert for me. She wrote a poem for me that started with, "I love you more than muffin tops..." 
She's shown me over and over again what she loves me more than- bathroom time, spending money, any free time at all. I gave you Fred's definition of sacrifice. My definition is Mom.
2) Praise. "Mom, we love Jesus too, but we don't want to meet him just yet." This is one of my siblings' frequent phrases when we're riding in the car. My mom will hear a worship song she loves on the radio and immediately close her eyes and lift her hands in praise. This is touching, but usually we request that she keeps her eyes on the road for all practical purposes. 
My mom praises God with more than just music though. She has the unique ability to praise God by seeing how he works in practical situations. Whereas I'm more theoretical and tend to think about God's grace from a philosophical distance, she sees his hand in everyday life. We'll talk about everything from politics to society to relationships, and she usually concludes with, "I think God made this in a certain way because..." 
She's really cool that way.
3.) Spirit. One of my earliest memories is Mom doing her high school cheerleading routine (if you haven't seen it yet, you should ask her sometime). She chants "We've got spirit! It's all around! We've got spirit TO LIFT YOU OFF THE GROUND!" Fred describes spirit like this:
"Spirit is highly contagious. When people are very excited, very happy, very sad, you can catch it from them as easily as measles or a yawn. You can catch it from what they say or from what they do or just from what happens to the air of a room when they enter it without saying or doing anything."
My Mom brings a lively, vivacious spirit wherever she goes. Unless she's mad, like when a couch cushion was missing for so long that she came to the conclusion that someone had broken into our house and stolen it (she'll deny this now but she really thought that). Her spirit wasn't as vivacious during that time, and Dad decided that, "If Mom's not happy, nobody's happy," so we were interrogated day in and day out about who stole the couch cushion. 
Two weeks later Ben was lying on the ground and found it underneath the couch.
4.) Genuineness. My mom will never fake it. If she disagrees with you, she will tell you. You never have to worry about her thinking anything other than what she says. This is why her complements are so valuable. Despite Ben's theory that she has "Mom's Honor," or the obligation to tell her children that they are fantastic at whatever they do, she brings out all of our strengths in the best way possible. She complements my people skills, Maggie's disciplined brilliance, Abbey's giant, caring heart, and Ben's relentless energy. I'm not graceful or suave or detail oriented, but Mom sees my weaknesses and loves me anyway.
5.) Memories. My Mom has taught me the value of making memories. When she was in college her friends called her "The Walking Sit Com," because of all the crazy situations she would get herself into. In fact one friend told her, "I didn't believe the stories were true until I met you." She says that she has passed down this legacy to me. What this means is that both of us have a pretty high tolerance for embarrassment. I'm so glad that she tells me her stories. Now memories like the time I ripped off a mustache, wore cotton underwear instead of swim bottoms to a pool party, and accidentally asked a pregnant woman to dance with me don't seem as weird. 
6.) Prayer. "Lord, give me patience, give me kindness!" As a young mom with four kids under the age of eight, she constantly cried this. Fred says, "According to Jesus, by far the most important thing about praying is to keep at it...He says God is like a friend you go to borrow bread from at midnight." Mom taught me that there are no small prayers. One day we were driving home from Kalamazoo in a horrendous snow storm. I desperately needed to go potty, but there was no way we could stop any time soon. She held my hand and prayed that I could hold it. I did. 
7.) Patience. It takes about seventeen dirty diapers full of patience to be a Mom, I think. The reality is that raising kids isn't easy. Parents have issues and kids have issues and society has issues so really a family has to deal with issues cubed. Fortunately God created the family for a reason, and he calls us to overlook our differences and faults and love each other, "with patience, bearing with one another in love" (Eph. 4:2).
8.) Kindness. To know every Kroger cashier's name and life story is one of my Mom's goals. She loves reaching out to people and getting to know them. A couple weeks ago some Fundamental Baptist kids were passing out tracts in our neighborhood. Mom chased after them down the street asking them to come back immediately; she had popcorn and hot chocolate for them. 
9.) Empathy. One of the reasons that Mom can understand her kids so well is that she is very good at empathizing. I tend to over think and over react, and she has the innate ability to understand my twisted up feelings even before I do. She calls it a "Mom's sixth sense." Sometimes it scares me. 
10.) Adventures. Getting lost in the woods, running barefoot on the beach, and spending hours journeying the wonders of IKEA-these are just a few of my Mom's favorite things. Despite her down to earth, practical mindset, she knows how to have fun. She was the one who taught me that, often, the most amazing things in life are unplanned, unstructured, and unexpected. This drives the Type A people in our family-Maggie and Dad-a little crazy. No matter what they say, they end up having fun as well.  
11.) Aestheticism. It is mostly thanks to my Mom that I do not wear the same outfit every day like I did when I was little. She has an eye for what looks tasteful, and thus I do not have long purple hippie hair, wear sweats with dressy tops, or don the same frumpy sweater every day. Basically without my Mom I would most likely dress like a hobo.
12.) Cleanliness. I think kids might have a partial blindness in their eyes that doesn't allow them to see dust bunnies and dirty dishes and the like. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I began to see them too, and I can blame my Mom for this. "At least you're learning how to do laundry and wash dishes now instead of when you're twenty-two like I was," she exclaims. Thank you, Mom, for teaching me how to do these things and preparing me for that scary thing called adulthood.
13.) Life. Fred questions, 

"Have you wept at anything during the past year?...More often than not, do you really listen when people are speaking to you instead of just waiting for your turn to speak? Is there anybody you know in whose place, if one of you had to suffer great pain, you would volunteer yourself? If the answer to all or most of these questions is No, the chances are that you're dead." 

My Mom weeps at movies, prayers, music. Her eyes started watering earlier today when I brought up the fact that I'm turning seventeen.  She has a passionate, caring heart. She fulfills every single one of the criteria that Fred gives for life. Okay, I've gotta move on or I'm going to start crying.
14.) Rest. I have a hunger for constant activity. Shauna Niequist summarizes my mindset exactly in her book Bittersweet: 

"I love it when a day's activities stack up on top of each other perfectly, from breakfast to work to lunch to grocery shopping to coffee, all the way through till I fall into bed. I love days when you're always leaving something early to arrive just a touch late at the next place, like pearls on a string or Tarzan swinging on vines, feet never touching the ground."

All my life I've wanted to go, go, go. Yes, I can work thirty hours a week, cover extra shifts if needed, take college classes, write a book, keep up with friends and do my chores. I love the feeling of arriving late to an event, working a mad, busy shift, and turning in a paper fifteen minutes before it's due. There's an excitement that only comes when your life is a crazy, riveting hot mess. It's my hot mess, and that's how I like it. 
However, my Mom has showed me the value of naps. Taking slow, leisurely days. Spending time with family. These are all beautiful things that I lose in between "Yes, I can work that shift," and "Of course, we can meet for coffee," and "Definitely, I can make time for that." As much as I hate to admit it, there's so much to be gained by saying my least favorite word: "No."
15.) Laughter. My Mom and I both have a tragic quality in which we are the most funny when we're not trying to be. For instance, apparently I am hilarious when I'm angry because I'm not intimidating at all. My pouting face is ridiculous and everyone just laughs at me. My mom has a knack for getting herself into precarious situations, like getting tangled up in a swing while trying to complete a flip (this was just last year in case you were wondering). The truth is that laughter unites people. Mom has taught me to be generous with it, because sometimes when you're in a rough situation all you can do is throw up your hands and laugh. Laugh at the silliness, the craziness, the inevitability of it all.
16.) Trust. I am notoriously bad at keeping secrets. I can't imagine why anyone would want to hide their feelings when feelings are such beautiful, unique things that can help people relate to each other. Mom has told me time and again that, in order for people to trust you, you can't tell everyone everything. Now when somebody tells me something important to them, I make an effort to treasure it for the precious thing it is, rather than squander it by showing it to everybody. 
17.) "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Cor. 13:4-8). Love isn't a feeling, a high or a fleeting emotion. It is a covenant expressing itself in word and action. Thank you, Mom, for loving your family fully. Happy Mothers Day!

How Unicorns Became Extinct (Or, Why First Dates Are So Important)

When Hugh Geoaf received the Facebook invite from Noah to come visit his new crib, Hugh instantly concluded that this would be the ideal first date. He heard that the ark was new, spacious, and even located on the water. Missa Fortune, the mare that he would give anything to share a pile of hay with, enjoyed parties and was pretty close with Noah and his family. Besides, what could be more romantic than preserving the unicorn race together?
   So, mustering up his courage, Hugh asked Missa to attend a party at Noah's place with him. Now, Missa had pretty high standards. She wasn't about to run wild (excuse the pun) with just any young unicorn, but she figured that Hugh was a decent guy and maybe needed a mercy date every once in a while. So she accepted.
Several things went wrong. The first of these was that Hugh didn't explain to Missa the details of the date, which turned out to be extremely important. He never specified how long the event would be. There's nothing wrong with spending a lot of time together, but over eighty days and nights is a little extensive for a first date.
   Secondly, there was the whole matter of every other unicorn-which included most of her family and friends-drowning in the flood. She probably would have wanted to know that. When she learned that all of her friends were dead, she cried hysterically for over three weeks. Hugh was surprised at this. He actually was not very choked up about the other unicorns, because he had never met another unicorn who watched anime shows or read Choose Your Own Adventure books, which was an essential for any friendship. So he reasoned that he and Missa could begin the next race of unicorns with better taste in literature and television.
   The final and worst thing that went wrong was that Hugh could not accept the Friend Zone. It was a miracle that Missa remained even friends with him after that horrid first date, but he couldn't even accept that. Day after day he would assault her with the world's cheesiest pick up lines-"Hey girl, I think I want to MARE-y you," "NEIGH-ver say never"-and several more antidotes that made her die inside.
   Unfortunately, this is when the story went from pathetic to utterly miserable. Missa was so annoyed with Hugh that she made it a habit of banging her head against the wall. One day-
CRACK!
   Her horn broke off. As a declaration of his love for her, Hugh broke his off as well. However Missa only disliked him all the more without his beautiful purple horn.
They did end up being together, but only after many frustrations and several years of MARE-age counseling (sorry, last one I promise), and now horses do not have horns.

Moral of the story?
Slow down. Even if it feels like the end of the world.

Modesty (Duh Duh Duhhhh)

If you’re a young woman who has attended a Christian school, there are two words that can make you shudder: Dress code. Ahh yes, the teachers questioning your spiritual welfare because your collarbone is showing and is that two centimeters of unclad thigh I see? 
Don’t misunderstand, I believe that dress codes are well founded, but there is one argument for modesty that I hear over and over that makes me cringe.
“You don’t want to cause your Christian brothers to stumble.”
I firmly disagree that women should dress modestly for their "Christian brothers." Our "brothers" have millions of naked women at their fingertips when they log onto the Internet. If they want to see something, they will see it, regardless of what I wear. I know that sounds like I’m justifying wearing whatever I want, but it’s quite the opposite.
Plus, it makes boys sound like mere animals. I don’t really think that any teenage boy sees a girl’s collarbone and thinks, “Wow a collarbone! I’ve never see one of those before. Man, I have to have her.” Can we give them a little more credit, please? 
The Bible instructs women to dress with "decency and propriety.” However, modest dress in this passage has nothing to do with how much is covered. That's not what the apostle Paul meant-he was referring to how expensive the clothing was. In other words, it’s indecent to spend $300 on a sweater (I’m looking at you J Crew). 
Romans 13:14 states, "Rather, clothe yourselves with Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh." Biblical modesty is more than necklines and hemlines-it's where your heart is aligned. It is putting off every vanity and mirroring the humility of Christ. Therefore I will make every effort to be modest, but not for boys. I will be modest because my Lord commanded it.

We Are Fleeting

What is the best feeling that you have ever had?

Is it that little somersault in your abdomen when you go down a roller coaster? Is it sinking your mouth into a mountain of whipped cream on a steaming cup of hot cocoa? Is it the warmth of the sun shining on your face?

The best feeling that I ever experience is smallness.

Feeling infinitely little. Tiny. Infinitesimal. 

It is in that state of wonder that I can see how big the world is. I am just one of billions of people to walk on a spinning blue marble suspended in space. Every word that comes out of my mouth has been said before. There is nothing I will face that millions of other people haven't faced.

It is so easy for me to see my problems as huge, my lack of time being the chief of those. I just want to do what I love-reading, writing and, let's be honest, sleeping-but how can I when I have so many responsibilities? 

This weekend at Barakel reminded me of my smallness. The snow fell in soft cotton tufts and settled on huge Pine trees. The sky was clear. The lake was completely frozen over, so my family and I walked across. What is so special about this? 

Nature is a reminder that we are finite. I thought about how many people have walked under those trees and enjoyed winter on the lake. We are a breath. Our lives are so fleeting, one day gracing the earth like fluffy sheets of snow and the next day melting into oblivion. The problems that I face are minuscule when placed in the light of forever.

Nature is a reminder that there is an infinite Creator who holds all of us in His hands. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28).

Jesus lifts my burdens. When I feel infinitely small and fleeting, I can marvel at how magnificent and eternal my God is. Thank you Lord Jesus for lifting the cares of my heart and giving me yours. 

Charles Spurgeon gave this benediction when preaching on Matt. 11:28:

"Jesus gives rest. It is so. Will you believe it? Will you put it to the test? Will you do so at once? Come to Jesus by quitting every other hope, by thinking of him, believing God's testimony about him, and trusting everything with him. If you thus come to him, the rest which He will give you will be deep, safe, holy, and everlasting."

Out of Fairytales and Into the Woods

Have you seen this movie yet? If not, I'll give you a fair warning: There are spoilers in this blog.











If you have seen Into the Woods, you probably entered the theater expecting a heartwarming Disney fairy tale full of wicked monsters, heroic princes, and of course a beautiful, kind-hearted ingenue.  Or, if you saw the on-stage musical beforehand, you entered the theater watching your friends' faces to witness their reactions. You knew exactly what was coming and the ending didn't shock you.
Most people I have talked to have concluded that it was disappointing. However, I would beg to differ. I will compare this shocking tragedy with traditional Disney fairy tales and you can decide for yourself.

Let's consider some first-rate princess cartoons, such as Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty. They all draw a clear line between right and wrong. The princess are kind and compassionate, even to their enemies. Conversely, the villains are wicked through and through. For little to no reason, they want to destroy the heroes and heroines. In the end, a heroic young prince fights bravely and saves the princess. Good wins!

Then the little girls turn the television off and earnestly desire a beautiful dress and a castle like the princesses. They hope that maybe someday a handsome prince will save them and everybody will appreciate them for the beautiful heroines that they are and they'll live happily ever after. Then HIGH SCHOOL happens. Not everybody appreciates them for the beautiful princesses that they are! And there are not handsome boys falling all over them! The audacity!

I don't believe this happens all the time. Not everybody was hooked on the Disney fairy tales as a child like I was. But I think that children need to know that they are not perfect. They will make mistakes and hurt people and they need to recognize the bad choices that they have made rather than thinking that life is all about them.

This is where I believe Into the Woods has bested the fairy tales. The characters have weaknesses, some of them fatal. The baker believes his wife to be incapable. The princes are players. Jack is a thief. Little Red is naive and gullible. The baker's wife does anything necessary to break the curse on her family. And that's only in the first act.
They also make mistakes and hurt each other. Jack kills a giant after stealing his most prized possessions. The prince's steward accidentally kills Jack's mother in an effort to keep her quiet. The baker's wife cheats on her husband with Cinderella's prince.
They have conflicts of interest. The baker's wife has several different wishes. On one hand she wishes to have a baby more than anything else. Once she's had the baby, she desires to keep it safe and save the kingdom from the giant. Then the prince kisses her and she wishes she could be royalty. Even though some of her desires are wrong, her character is an honest portrayal of human nature. Everyone wants the wrong things as well as the right things. People naturally have conflicting desires and that is why the baker's wife is the most rounded, real character.

Ultimately, the lesson is that our wishes lead to actions and those actions have consequences. In the traditional fairy tales, wishes coming true are seen as a happy ending. Into the Woods sheds a critical light on that concept. What if your wishes do come true? Are you willing to accept the results?

However, I cannot wholly vouch for this movie. There are some very dark points to consider.
Adultery is accepted, if not justified. After the baker's wife and the prince kiss, she wishes that she could have both her husband and the prince, rather than her husband or the prince. She sings these words:
Just remembering you've had an 'and'/ When you're back to 'or'/ Makes the 'or' mean more/ Than it did before.
So, if you commit adultery you will end up treasuring your husband more. That was her conclusion anyway. Yeah, no.

The musical ends with another misconception. The last song occurs when Cinderella and the baker instruct Jack and Little Red on how to continue on when almost everyone they know are dead. They plan to slay the giant, but Red laments that she doesn't think that it's right to do so. She believes that it would be wrong. Older, wiser Cinderella reminds her that she can decide what's right and what's wrong:
Witches can be right/ Giants can be good/ You decide what's right/ You decide what's good
This lovely song is the perfect essence of postmodernism. Morality is relevant. YOU can decide.
 However, this song is incoherent with the rest of the musical. The lesson was "Be careful of the wishes you make," because they can hurt other people and yield terrible results. But if I decide what right, than why does it matter if I hurt other people to get what I want? Can't I decide that what I want is the highest good?
The moral retracts on itself. But that's postmodernism in a nutshell.

Thank you for reading and I hope this was helpful for analyzing Into the Woods!