Blog on the Lillypad
Saturday, February 14, 2004
 | WoMeno-Pause
One of the regulars on the FFF compliments my blog but complains about the posts on menopause. Do I even need to say that the complainer is a male IFB fundy? Short answer, man: No! Do you realize that with millions of women going through menopause, our medical system still remains largely clueless about why symptoms of the "change of life" are so varied among women and so acute for so many. We have a vague idea of this thing called progesterone, but really, medical science doesn't comprehend everything it does in a woman's body. |
So, why the appalling ignorance of what is going on in over half the population by the time we hit our mid-forties? Oh, I dunno, maybe it's because for decades medical testing was almost always done on men. The assumption was that women would always react the same way--one of those erroneous assumptions that should have been ruled out by a freshman in college but was accepted by medical researchers everywhere.
Researchers understand the mechanisms by which men go bald, men get prostrate cancer, how prostrate cancer progresses, at what rate. They don't really know what goes on during menopause.
So the answer is no, I am not going to stop posting about menopause. It's a fact of life, fundy guys. Get over your juvenile squeamishness. It deserves to be understood, acknowledged as part of God's plan for women (and hence for their longsuffering husbands who must put up with it), and treated as a valuable cycle of life that imparts to women a new series of changes in which they must rely on the Lord in brand new ways.
Menopause is not going anywhere. And someday, some of the fundy guys who moan about these posts, may stop and be thankful that some woman somewhere warned them of what their wives might go through in their mid to late 40's. Believe me, you want to be forewarned. I wish I'd known ahead of time how difficult it could be. Now, where's my soy milk? Oh, and the progesterone cream?
 | The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes
The second in the four-book Moffat series won the Newberry Award for its inspired portrayal of Janey Moffat. Janey lives in a delightful, wonder-filled world that exists half in reality and half in an imaginative composite of daydreams, classic stories, and appreciation of the natural beauties found even in small town Cranbury Connecticut in the early 1900's. |
Caught in the middle with "Syliva the oldest," and "Joey the man of the family" ahead of her in age; and "Rufus the baby" after her, Jane chooses to name herself "the mysterious Middle Moffat". As with so many of her schemes, she soon realizes that this is a bit too grand, and she shortens the title to the "Middle Moffat", but not before the town's oldest inhabitant gets wind of the mystery---a secret they share all the way to his 100th birthday. Jane's simple life abounds with gentle adventures: finding and losing a best friend, and then finding her again; innocently saving the Cranbury girl's basketball team, and re-capturing the neighborhood's stock of roller skates locked up in the basement of the local kid genius.
Though gentle in tone, this book keeps me turning the pages all the way through. It makes an excellent read-aloud book for children and exposes them to a culture of a century gone by, the World War I era in New England. In addition, though I consider the modern covers to lack the necessary flare, Louis Slobodkin's minimalist pencil illustrations in the book add a delight for the reader. With a deft hand and a few light touches, he catches the style of dress for children from that era, and---even more important---the sincere facial expressions and body language universal to all children. His comical drawings prompt me to page through the book and simply look at the pictures.
Friday, February 13, 2004
 | Outed!
Jim Vineyard formerly on staff at First Baptist of Hammond (Jack Hyles' church), has been the subject of previous posts on the FFF from men who left Vineyard's present church (Windsor Hills Baptist Church) and school (Oklahoma Bible College). While verbal abuse, violence, intimidation, crude language, and even corporal punishment have figured in previous discussions about Vineyard, the most shocking allegation is that he has told married women to masturbate in order to sexually arouse themselves for their husbands. Jerry Watson has asserted more than once that when he and his wife went to Vineyard for counseling, this is exactly what Vineyard told his wife to do. At least one other person gave an account of Vineyard telling a woman to look at herself nude in a mirror and do this. |
In terms of sexual obsessions and indiscretion in language and actions, Vineyard's alleged homophobia is already legend, and he is credited for seeing tendencies to homosexuality in other men where there are none. It amounts to a mania according to some who briefly joined his inner circle of hunting and fishing buddies.
But now, evangelist Tim Lee has produced what he claims is a letter from a pastor to Vineyard, rebuking Vineyard for telling a young woman about oral sex in graphic detail. The Evangelist has also produced what he claims is Vineyard's reply to the pastor, a letter in which the recipient is called a "pharisaical 'fart' of a pastor" and a "squirt".
If you read the FFF, you realize of course that Tim Lee resorts to namecalling frequently, though he seldoms uses sexual innuendo. He contents himself mostly with calling lost people idiots, though he makes a regular habit of it, and runs a quasi-column on who is currently on his idiot list. But even his indifference to the requirements of his own office for kindness and dignity pale in comparison to the excesses of Jim Vineyard, if those excesses are true.
There currently are enough witnesses against Jim Vineyard to validate the situation of him speaking inappropriately to women as a problem that needs to be investigated by the elders. But this problem, of course, takes place in the disobedient churches of Independent Baptist Fundamentalists, where there are no elders: just one pastor and several subservient deacons. The pastor is not held in check by a board of peers, and other fundamentalist pastors do not preach against the corruption that every day increases in fundamentalism.
So even though everybody who reads the letters are shocked, nobody is going to take any real steps to do anything. And Jim Vineyard, if he has really done any of these things, will get away with it.
 | Meanwhile, out in la-la land...
The Farris brothers are running the usual blocking strategy to protect the reputation of their father from charges of gross foolishness. Apparently the church congregation decided to name the auditorium after Pastor Farris, and so they put up what Jonathan has called a "plaque" with his father's name on it. Others, protesting this euphemism, have pointed out the Everett Farris' name is put up in raised letters on the side of the building: hardly a plaque. More like a sign. To smooth things over, Christian Farris, who posts as "Baldpate", writes the following jaw dropping assurance: |
People who really don’t know dad well have a hard time realizing how little he really got caught up in all that nonsense[Hyles-style man worship---Ed.]....I understand… in many cases you’re right… but to lump us up in the barrel with all that other nonsense is unjust and inequitable to the people of PPBT.Oh yes, all Everett Farris did was wear that damnable "100 percenter" button (a sin for which he has never repented, nor apologized, nor even corrected in the light of Biblical truth to his own congregation). He is also the man who hired Dave Hyles on church staff and then insisted, in the face of two books, a television documentary, an article in The Biblical Evangelist and over the voices of protests from others, that nobody ever wanred him about Dave. And when Dave was caught in gross sin, Farris trundled him off to Tom Neal's church.
No biblical church discipline was applied in the Dave Hyles situation, no discipling, no accountability was applied. According to Jonathan Farris, Dave Hyles was made to write a letter of apology (a single letter, though Dave had engaged in multiple sexual affairs that harmed many innocent people) back to the church where he'd been excommunicated. And that was the sum of what Jonathan related to me about Dave's "discipline" under church leadership. Once again, the Farris boys are chiming in with assurances but no Scripture, but they sing better together these days. They're pretty polished in excusing themselves, their father, and the sidestepping the command to all church leadership to maintain rules of church order. You can read their song and dance routine in the Texas Baptist College forum of the Fighting Fundamentalist Forums.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
| Meno-Pause
Both my older sister and my acupuncturist recommended that I add a considerable amount of soy to my diet to fend off the perio-menopause symptoms that have been so difficult for me. Tofu doesn't agree with me, and I tried soy tempeh with some benefit, but I couldn't eat enough of it to get the required isoflavones consistently. I finally turned to soy milk, not very happy about the choice. It just doesn't sound appetizing to me, but it's the easiest, lowest calorie way to get what I need. |
However, after the first quart, I was fine with it. It takes at least 24 ounces to get the minimum requirement of soy isoflavones, so I drink about a quart each day. My symptoms have not disappeared, but they have improved considerably.
Once or twice a week I make hot chocolate with the soy milk, ghirardelli square chocolate, Cremora, and sugar. On special days, I add two ounces of Buttershots butterscotch schnaaps. Soy milk is actually good for sinus trouble according to traditional Chinese medicine (though chocolate is bad for sinus trouble and cow's milk is HORRIBLY BAD). So I have to limit chocolate to an occasional treat. But the soy milk by itself is a taste I easily accepted. It's mild and sweet.
 | Reform but not repentance
Over on the FFF Conitor offered a post that quotes Matthew Henry extensively: [From Conitor:] With regards to the constant public mutual-admiration society that is so indicative of Longview and Orange Park, Matthew Henry (commenting on Pr.27:14) hits the nail on the head. The incessant public praise of *men* is one of the "curses" of LBT, BBC, PPBT, and all its clones: |
"He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him." Proverbs 27:14
"It is a great folly to be extravagant in praising even the best of our friends and benefactors. It is our duty to give every one his due praise, to applaud those who excel in knowledge, virtue, and usefulness, and to acknowledge the kindnesses we have received with thankfulness; but to do this with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, to be always harping on this string, in all companies, even to our friend's face, or so as that he may be sure to hear it, to do it studiously, as we do that which we rise early to, to magnify the merits of our friend above measure and with hyperboles, is fulsome, and nauseous, and savours of hypocrisy and design. [Etc.]
Jonathan Farris, son of the pastor of Pinellas Park Baptist Church (PPBT), wrote to object to having his church lumped in with the sycophants of the IFB movement, including the following, somewhat loaded line: "because PPBT brother is seeing it's greatest days......if that is the results of being under a curse....I say we should get under as many curses as possible."
Don't hasten it Jonathan, you are under as great a curse as any church has suffered. You unleashed a devil on your people because of the disobedience of the church's leadership. That curse has already been made evident. Everything else is fallout.
The IFB rebuttal to any observation of their lack of spiritual prosperity is to answer with the reasoning of the world: greater numbers and newer or bigger buildings shows spiritual blessing. This is always the stock response. I will again state here what I told Jonathan Farris back in September, because no matter how they try to change the name of the church; no matter how many new visitors they rack up; no matter what new buildings they build, God looks for a change in heart:
If you try to insist that your church leadership did nothing wrong, and if you keep denying the responsibility your church leadership had in empowering Dave and enabling him to harm people in your own church, then this problem will never go away. You will spend the rest of your lives justifying yourselves, and trying to prove that you did nothing wrong. It will be the end of any effective work you do for God. You will never get free of this.Regrettably, the leadership at Pinellas Park Baptist Church is willing to change everything but their hearts and ways. Hence, their defensiveness: a struggle that will never end.
But if you seriously and with heartfelt concern go to the Lord and are sorry for the level of self sufficiency that caused you not to follow Biblical guidelines in examining and discipling a fallen brother, and if you express remorse for having allowed a wolf into your flock, and if you try to make amends to those who were harmed and work to make the victims understand that they have a standing in Christ and are precious to God because Christ has purchased them, this situation will go away, and the Lord will be your vindication.
 | Agh! Another Winter Storm!
Forecasters predict two to four inches will fall tonight and tomorrow. I complained about this to no avail at work this morning, as it means I will likely not work tomorrow. When Ralph, our nice-guy, right-wing, VMI grad (who keeps a candy jar on his desk) entered, I said, "Ralph, you have all those guns, go shoot something to stop the snow!" But he told me if he shoots the clouds he might actually seed them and make the snow storm worse. To console myself for my sorrow, I helped myself to some of the chocolate Reese's hearts in his desktop candy jar. I really cannot afford another day off from work, but I suppose I can come in Saturday if I must (D'oh!) |
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
 | The Calvinist War on Secret Radio
The War now rages at everybody's favorite IFB college over on Secret Radio. Early reports indicate that the Calvinists are winning, though this claim may be exaggerated. The Calvinists launched a surprise attack that was successful. But defeating one (admittedly inept) Bible teacher in a classroom setting is not the same thing as taking on the invincible and unstoppable Preacher Mack and his church of fanatically devoted followers. Over on the FFF, one of the posters wants to get the score without having to read about the war, and another non-Calvinist poster has ascribed victory in that war to the devil, though he may have been using sarcasm. It's hard to tell a paranoid fundamentalist preacher from a sarcastic fundamentalist preacher. What you never see is a gentle and kind fundamentalist preacher, because by the time they get that way, they've usually become Evangelicals. |
Monday, February 09, 2004
 | My visit to the book club to discuss 1984
Last night I visited the "Literay Pursuits" book club at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh to discuss Orwell's 1984. What a pleasure to sit around a blazing fire with people of different backgrounds and discuss ideas, history, the development of language, and the quirks of George Orwell! I was probably the most politically/religiously conservative person there, as well as the least affluent. But none of that really mattered. Discussion opened with a commentary by one of the men, Brian, about the "real" George Orwell. He brought along a critique from The New Yorker that strongly points up Orwell's inconsistencies, self-contradictions, and failings. Oddly, none of these translate into his actual works---the best known, anyway. |
Both 1984 and Animal Farm are brilliantly perceptive accounts of how people seize power by deception in the name of liberty, justice, etc. In spite of the fact that Orwell flubbed in his personal judgements on the politics of his day, his grasp of what he really did know, and his ability to communicate it, is stunning.
For a newbie, I spoke often in the group of about 15 people. They were surprised to find I am a Christian Fundamentalist (sitting right next to a Moslem, Saith, a charming and gentle man of North African descent, with a French accent). And I'm sure it was more surprising when I spoke of universal ideas found in Taoism, Indian Buddhism, then Colet's sermons on the Book of Romans that started the Protestant Reformation, and numerous other ideas.
Not that I dwarfed anybody. I listened to a genuine bibliography of Books I Have Missed as the others spoke. Most of the people there are current on the latest best books on the American scene, while I spend my reading time looking at old, even ancient classics, many of them from military writers. Kindly Brian, who is a well known architect and has designed several public buildings in the Southeast, lent me the article from The New Yorker.
But next time I go, I am bringing a pen and a notebook. Today I woke up with some regret as I realized I have already forgotten some of the titles that they talked about, which I repeated to myself so that I would remember! Oh, middle-aged forgetfulness!
Sunday, February 08, 2004
 | A New Doctor Who convention
I'm still under orders from my doctor to relax more, and what better way than to visit United Fan Con East, a new SF convention run by the United Fan Con people (who hold an annual con in early November). This convention, scheduled for March 26 - 28, promises to bring us Liz Sladen, the woman who played Sarah Jane Smith. As I write the Sarah Jane Smith character in my Third Doctor series of adventures, I would really like to go. It may be a real penny pincher to get there, not to mention a certain amount of risk to my back, but I still hope for the best. I am planning on going. |
The laid back Kevin Parker, one of my convention buddies from Chicago TARDIS will be "running a table" (ie, selling merchandise). In return for helping him mind the store, he has offered to give me one of the convention memberships that come with the price of a dealer table. I've agreed. I plan to purchase tickets to the banquet and the breakfast. At the moment it looks certain that I wll travel by train, and I may meet up with Kevin along the way and travel together.
| Kevin warns me that Liz Sladen has canceled trips to cons theee times in the past. She has family obligations that she clearly puts first, and any of the actors are free to cancel, even at the last minute, if a professional commitment comes up (ie, if they get a better offer). But I still want to go, and I hope I meet her, as well as the rest of the guests and convention people. I have a whole list of conventioneers from the Chicago TARDIS people to e-mail to see if they will be attending. |  |
 | The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
Four children: the lovely and artistic Sophie, gentle and serious Joey, inspired Jane, and restless, curious Rufus, make up the Moffat children. Eleanor Estes' first book in the Moffat series burst into children's literature with a vivid sweetness that charms the reader and calls forth recognition and recollections of the wonder of childhood. These stories aren't adventures in the classic sense (though six year old Rufus' unexpected ride in an empty boxcar on a train had me on the edge of my seat). The delight in reading them comes from the clear, perceptive way that the point of view character (Jane Moffat, in this story) reasons things out and understands things as only a child can. |
This book is a terrific read aloud story for parents and children. It introduces life in this country a century ago when there were no telephones, few automobiles, and the small town was the cornerstone of American culture. Never cloying or sickly sweet, The Moffats moves at a brisk pace and does not rely overmuch on the presence of adults. The figure of Mama comes in only occasionally (though the reader easily sees that she is the backbone of the small family), and the story focuses more on the outlook of the children, especially Jane, as they negotiate the small world of Cranbury. For the well read child and family, The Moffats are a must, an engaging account of Americana that never stoops to sentiment and propels the reader along by wonder, gentle humor, and child-like curiosity.
The best children's books are not just for children. I read the Moffat series for the first time in my late twenties, and I just purchased the first three of the four-book set a couple weeks ago. I've been enjoying them all over again. Don't be fooled into thinking that a story suitable for young people isn't suitable for adults. Great literature has something to say, and the best of children's literature reminds us of the most important components of life. Great children's literature is always about life itself and living it well, a theme that is usually left out of fiction for adults.
