The Social Porcupine

Women are leaders in grace, conversation, and reconciliation. You know what odd combinations I love to see most in evangelical home churches? A woman fully living in her femininity, and yet quite not silent in church. It isn't that I wish to defy 1 Timothy 2:12, but that I understand sobriety isn't the absence of speech or the presence of silence. It's that I understand that the works of the Proverbs 31 women are so perfectly aimed the attention lands where she intends --her fine work, her husband, her community.  Several years ago, I attended a dance that demonstrated traditional femininity and masculinity through honor, sacrifice, respect, and romance. The oddest of statements was issued: women traditionally were the leaders of conversation in society. They hosted spaces for men to converse, and certain women were sought after for invitations  because the spaces they held invoked the best discourses. Arguably, these women weren't brazen or given to much de...

I sat on my flax futon mattress typing an article on midwifery . I'd dragged my mattress in here the day before, after arriving at my Kentucky best friend's home. She was off doing some sort of chores while I tried to crank out words.  Her father-in-law peddled around outside fixing bicycles.  Distracted thoughts scattered the bits of my brain to all the spaces of the world, yet somehow I'd nearly finished a first draft.  It was time to wrap of that final paragraph. Garrett came in, "You going biking?"  "Maybe!"  He can't hear me, but does his best to read my lips.  "Your bike is just like Mary's."  (Both of them yellow banana bikes) "Mary's tube is flat. I need to go get a new one. Want to come with me?" "Yes!"  I was actually more confused than enthusiastic. But it was all the same for him.  He was in a hurry. I didn't even close my laptop, but grabbed my purse and ran out after him, then I text...

 "I don't know how to say what I need to say."  "Let's just chat for a bit then." And so we did.  Somehow, for a moment, all deep and difficult things became irrelevant, or at least a bit less serious, as we laughed and appreciated the simple blessings that were ours. In those moments of small talk, all the right things were said.  If we are honest, I think that deep conversationalists must envy small talkers: can they ever attain the spontaneity and freedom of simply not having to take care of every word? Indeed, all the "real" moments and discussions are but servants of light-hearted joys.  "Personally, I have a hard time finding friends with which I can have a real conversation," I've heard many say. "I just don't do small talk." I enjoy provoking, insightful dialogue  very  much. Obviously, or I wouldn't have  this  blog. Nor have the comment section open, etc. That being said, I think that small talk can too eas...

I'm not really sure how Melissa and I became friends. Beginnings are often abstract and fuzzy for me, and so that something that didn't exist before feels suddenly as if it always has. I do know it started mostly on her side, though. She beta read some of my books and fangirled over every line in such a flattering way that I couldn't help loving her. Then she became enthralled with some of my beliefs. After that, I would often see a message from her, "So what do you think about ..." and the question was of the nature that sometimes I'd have to think about it for a while before replying properly.  Because of her abundance of questions, she asked if she might interview me for her blog. Of course, I said yes. But then she saw that I also love to interview people. "Why not do a double interview?" she suggested.  I loved that idea.  Here you can find part one of our double interview  over at her blog . Some of it got quite deep and angsty, as...

Back in this post I shared with you all how I bought my first AG doll through Craigslist, and how I'd refused to buy from them ever since I was nine years old because I'd heard they supported abortion. Well, my cousin asked me how I knew that they supported abortion, or if it was just a rumor. Her mom, my aunt, didn't remember telling me. And no amount of words could prod their memories or change mine... haha. We had a fun family argument about it, which resulted with me calling the company. And so the following fun resulted: Call #1 me: Hello, I have an unusual question, but do you all support abortion? lady:  *sounding defensive* I can't answer that. me:  Is there someone that can? lady: *gives me another number to call* Call #2 me: Hello, I was wondering if you could answer a question about American Girl. Do you all support abortion? Guy: Uhh... I'm not going to answer that. Me: I was told if I called here I could get an answer. Guy: *pau...

Siblings sometimes have weird, random conversations. A lot of the times they can be very hilarious. So funny that you have got to share them ;) So, that is just what I'm going to do. The other night we were on our way youth group when the following occurred: – by the way, our youth group is one of the few good youth groups lol ;b, as most of the kids going are home-schooled. People: Mom Me Jonathan (18) Jerushah (17) Jesse (15) Beckah Jo (14) Josiah (13) And other little ones…. Jonathan: I'm going to make this bumper sticker that says, “Tough cowboys don't drink. They say no.” Everyone: *chattering about what we think about it, changing the wording, thinking of better ways to word it. We tell mom to turn the radio down, and tell her of Jonathan's 'brilliant' idea.* Me: But it's actually not true. Mom: Yes. It's not tough to drink. Jerushah and Beckah Jo: *knowing what I'm going to say some how* They drink milk, ...