We were made for this.
If you live across cultures you can stumble on language quirks– words your brain hears or sees differently than intended simply because you’re not a native speaker.
Last time I flagged Vote/Stem/Stemmen/Tuning –where “Stem” is Dutch for “vote,” and multiple votes is the equivalent of the English “tuning.” Our votes should thus “tune” the instruments in power. (but how many Listen?).
Continue reading “WordPlay #3 : Liberty/Library/Libra”
Not just your health, how’s your Heart these days? ❤
2020 locked our world down, and just as we’re touching streets again, the News of Yet Another police killing sets our global heart on fire.
My Dutch kids are literally watching in their classrooms what mom, grandma and grandpa have been speaking for years–not always subtle, sometimes hearts hurt too much to break it down slow.
But life has many wrecked patches. This is our human heritage.
Where do we take our stand?
I saw The Dark Crystal as a little kid. It was epic, wonder-full, and so timeless I gladly shared it with my own kids some years back. Now Netflix created a stunning Series version: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and Season 1 is a thrilling prequel to all that unfolded in the original movie.
[Warning: Spoilers]
The Weak Will Defeat the Strong?
I remember two lone Gelflings and the seemingly uber mighty, lumbering, vicious Skeksis. These rash and rude, self-proclaimed rulers of Thra were stealing power from the Crystal to live forever. And the little, almost hopeless Gelflings had the impossible task of defeating them…
Continue reading “Resistance: What the White House and Skeksis Have in Common”
Independence Day… reminder of freedom in America from Tyranny, Oppression, Dictatorship…
“E Pluribus Unum” or, “Out of Many, One” (traditional motto of the US).
Yes, America has come a long way, but yesterday I saw tanks lined up for the Celebration??! I’ve been American my whole life and never recall this happening before.
Continue reading “Freedom from Power-Seeking & Glory on the Fourth of July”
Day 8 from the #UnashamedList, a special series written to support any youth navigating issues like sexual integrity, porn addiction, etc…Â Series intro here.
We live in an instant gratification society.
Almost everything is at our fingertips, with a click or swipe. Waiting is a special skill.
Especially with sex: how foreign the idea of waiting might be…
Still, I wish I did. What’s more, I wish someone told me this was even an option. Waiting, sexual integrity, and my body as valuable property weren’t topics I was busy with.
Music, crushing and fun was.
Day 7 from the #UnashamedList series. Written to be a resource for any youth navigating issues like sexual integrity, porn addiction,.. Series intro here.
After reading Day 5, my husband dropped this:
“Op een oude fiets moet je het leren.”
Apparently it’s an old Dutch phrase meaning, literally: ‘You’ve got to learn it on an old bike.‘
The cultural meaning is: get your sexual practice with someone with experience. Continue reading “10 Life & Sex Lessons Mom Never Told Me: #7- It’s Not Cool for Teachers or Parents to Hit On You”
The gospel can be cut so many ways. “Good news” for a woman begging is different than for a rich Westerner, or trafficked boy. But concepts like unconditional love and freedom keep me busy.
I’ve heard many Christians stress about people needing to “convert” or “be saved” to avoid hell. Was it similar thinking that sparked the convert-or-die theology of the Crusades?
