"Children of Eden" a review

I took my little neighbor, Anna, to see the musical "Children of Eden" for her birthday. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the story by John Caird, the musical was “freely based” on the creation, the fall of man and the flood in Genesis. The show itself was a nicely directed and choreographed ensemble production by the Fox Valley Youth Theatre. However, I soon began to feel the story and message of the musical were extremely negative. After the glory of creation, God was portrayed as an arbitrary earthly father. And, can you imagine a Noah story with no rainbow?

Two messages disturbed me. First, the musical conveyed the message that creativity belonged only to God and not to curious humans. That seemed to be a major theme and was repeated again and again.

A second message of the musical was that God was a racist – unbiblically portraying God as prejudiced against the children of Cain.

The musical’s final message was that we should love each other. Ironic, since the musical showed human failure to keep every promise made, especially loving your family.

The only thing I could say to Anna at the end of the musical was “thank God for Jesus.”

Lovely Summer at Last

September can be a lovely month. And, this has been one – perfect temperatures, very little rain and lots of sun. No other place on earth seems as lovely as our backyard with its geraniums and petunias and sedum and astors. Even the cucumber vine is pretty with its bright yellow flowers and silly looking fruit. And, I would still like to get to Iowa to eat the grapes and apples that are ready, now.

The mood of the country seems to be more upbeat, too. And, the economic news is improving. The Jewish new year is celebrated tonight and for the next two days. It is a fitting time for a new year. This is a great time for a new start.

Shanah tovah!

History and Community

What a weekend! The Elgin Housewalk tour was Saturday. The Elgin Housewalk is a wonderful, volunteer event that involves people who enjoy history, appreciate old houses, and love the people of the local neighborhood. Annually, more than a thousand people walk through the houses on tour.

I helped as a house co-captain, and earlier had assisted housewalk veteran Bill Briska with some writing for the booklet. As a writer, I researched four of the homes and talked with their current owners, learning more of the history of Elgin and its inhabitants. As house captain, I worked with thirty volunteer docents and talked with many of the visitors. I loved hearing their stories.

The homes on this year's tour were mostly built between 1870 and 1910. Just walking down the streets of Elgin, you can see the tremendous variety of architecture. This year's tour featured an elegant Romanesque revival brick mansion, a cute little second Empire style house with Mansard roof, a traditional American foursquare, some Queen Anne's and a bungalow.

Inside the homes, you can feel the sense of history, and also see how our lifestyles and attitudes have changed. Kitchens and bathrooms have become more important. Smoking rooms and parlors have gone out of use, replaced by family rooms and dens. Servants, with their own quarters and own stairs, are no longer common for middle or even upper middle class families.

But, the families who lived in these houses experienced the same pain of loss when babies or husbands or family members died, when houses were lost to bankruptcy or when the local economy suffered. They also celebrated life milestones, loved decorating their houses and serving the community in their own unique fashion.

Certain aspects of life change, but the fundamentals do not. How quickly we all come and go from life's stage. What lasts seem to be the things that people do with love and care for others - both in the short term and the long term.

Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'

Luke 12:16-21
Then Jesus told this story: "There was a rich man who had some land, which grew a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What will I do? I have no place to keep all my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and other goods. Then I can say to myself, "I have enough good things stored to last for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!"'

"But God said to him, 'Foolish man! Tonight your life will be taken from you. So who will get those things you have prepared for yourself?'

"This is how it will be for those who store up things for themselves and are not rich toward God."

Book Review: Fearless by Max Lucado

In the midst of the current global financial crisis fueled by fear, Max Lucado has written Fearless. The book examines the “why” of fear, and then encourages Christ-followers to “fear not.” Chapter by chapter, Lucado disarms the fears of global calamity, of death, for your children, of the future, of failure, of violence, of insignificance, and of financial ruin. Using short stories, poetry, song lyrics and anecdotes, he speaks with a calm, matter-of-fact voice and uses scripture to back up his assertions.

An easy-to-read book, Fearless reaches across class, ethnicity and age. My favorite chapter was the last and it contained a segment, that, for me, summarized the message of the book: ‘Courage does not panic; it prays. Courage does not bemoan; it believes. Courage does not languish; it listens. It listens to the voice of God calling through Scripture, "Fear not!" It hears Christ's voice comforting through the hospital corridors, graveyards and war zones: “Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven.” (Matt 9:2)… “When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic.” (Matt.24:6) “Let not your heart by troubled.” (John 14:1)’

Just after those encouraging words, Lucado includes a wonderful poem by William Fariss – seven-year-old. This poem is filled with glorious imagery and a global perspective.

For the many who fight fear every day, Fearless is a profound encouragement, and can be read again and again. As the book cover says, “Imagine your life without fear.” And, for some of us, this is a daily – maybe even hourly – assignment.

The Value of Volunteering

Today, a friend introduced me to a lovely city park, the Hawthorne Hill Nature Center. Located on the west side of Elgin, this 65 acre plot was once part of a Girl Scout camp. I helped pull weeds out of the prairie planting bed. It was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours on a warm sunny day, and to get to know June, a volunteer, and April, the woman who oversees volunteers and activities here.

I wish that everyone would volunteer to help maintain our public parks or buildings, or to assist in one of their programs. The library, the museums and the parks belong to us all and remind us to value our community. The volunteering experience and commitment reinforce our personal ownership of these wonderful assets. If we would all spend a little less time in front of the television or computer, and a little more time volunteering to help in our communities, we might discover new or hidden treasures and meet some good-hearted people who share common interests and goals.

I guarantee that those who give of their time would receive back a hundred-fold blessing for their efforts.

Why are Amish stories so popular?

Amish stories are among the most popular fiction for Christian women. With new books by many authors – both established and new, from Beverly Lewis to Amy Clipston – Christian publishers continue to supply a raft of novels for hungry readers.

Beverly Lewis' first Amish fiction book was The Shunning. Published in 1997, it was the first in the Heritage of Lancaster County series. However, two years earlier, Hallmark had entered the Amish story market with its production, Harvest of Fire, starring Patty Duke and Lolita Davidovich. The film went on to win a Primetime Emmy and a Writers Guild of America award. Filmed on location in Iowa, many in the Mennonite community near Iowa City helped out in various ways with the production. The film pointed to incidents of Amish persecution, but its main theme was the cohesiveness of the community.

Amish people make incredible sacrifices to keep their unique community intact, and to limit the influence of the outside world on their children. Those sacrifices include cutting off members who leave (called shunning), ending education in the 8th grade, resisting the use of electricity or owning modern transportation, and maintaining use of the peculiar strain of German that they speak.

The Amish have also endured many types of persecution. In the 1960s, the Iowa government tried to interfere in Amish education by insisting that they hire “state certified” teachers. The Amish community near Oelwein refused, citing the increased cost. It is against Amish principles to go to court against anyone, so they were virtually defenseless. Newspapers, Chambers of Commerce and the Iowa Education Association publicly supported the arrest of Amish parents who wouldn’t comply despite the fact that, at the time, almost no parochial school and only about half of the public schools in the state met that requirement. According to a Donald B. Kraybill, in his book The Amish and the state, at this point the National Council of Churches stepped in and made the point that this was a religious issue. All the while the Amish were being fined thousands daily in court.

The issue in Iowa and other states was resolved at some point because the Amish still operate their one-room schoolhouses in the country. In Wisconsin, the Amish won a big victory due to the support of Christians outside the Amish community who advocated for them. These victories may have paved the way for the home-schooling movement.

Currently, the Amish community in northeast Iowa seems to be thriving. Not reliant on loans, they purchase farms with cash and are expanding into nearby areas. Obviously doing something right, their hard work keeps kids out of trouble and enriches families.

These factors seem to have attracted a great demand among women for Amish stories. They relate to the Amish struggle to educate their children as they see fit, and admire the strong Amish family model. Home-schooling parents have had to fight government interference, in many cases, to establish the “right” to educate their own children
The Amish choice to refuse telephones, computers and televisions may also provide inspiration to parents who wring their hands over the messages bombarding their children through their peers, the media and the Internet.

Amish families hold to a traditional structure where women keep the house, cook, clean, sew and mind the children. Men work with their hands to provide for their families. And, when someone has trouble, the entire community pitches in to help.

In addition to legal woes, the Amish have withstood much criticism and mockery from those who don’t understand their choices. Now that many practicing mainstream Christians are experiencing persecution in courts or ridicule in the media, they can empathize with and look to their Amish brothers and sisters as role models.


Christian books about Amish
* The Amish and the state, by Donald B. Kraybill, pages 98-112

Help! I need comedy Rx!

I am going to write something totally, hilariously funny and clever…

Not!

I just can’t do it alone! Beatrice had Benedick, Lucy had Desi, and Jerry had George. If only I had Debbie Bock’s quick wit, or Beth’s hilarity, or my neighbor Karen’s teasing humor. If only they were sitting right here feeding me one-liners.

If I were onstage, I could walk smack into a door or fall flat on my back on the floor, or make a totally silly face at someone the minute they turn their back. That would be funny… but only live and in person.

If I were a guy, I could drink down an entire glass of something and burp loudly afterward. Or, I could whine about not understanding what women want. Of course, I’d have to have an audience of other guys who would then compete over who could burp the loudest or complain the longest. A contest always helps.

But, I’m writing on a blank white computer page. It has no comedy whatsoever. I can hear the little boys in the house behind ours splashing in their pool. Earlier they were shooting the hose straight up into the air, while dogs barked all around them. Little kids can be funny – what they say and what they do. Too bad I don’t have a recorder that I could sneak out and put by the fence. Then later, I could transcribe what they say! I can't even take credit for the photos above of our nephew. My husband shot them. And they make me smile.

But, that doesn’t make this blog funny. And, now that I think about it, I haven’t read anything lately (except Beth’s blogs or Karen's emails) that even made me smile, much less laugh out loud. Where has all the humor gone?