Tried With Fire

"Hidden Figures" is one of the best books that I've read in a long time. It combines history, science, and some of the most inspiring women you could ever meet. I was so proud of Dorothy, Katherine, and Mary and the strides they made as scientists and black women during an era that discriminated against them as African Americans and women. I could not help but think about the women scientists in my family who immigrated to North America. Their circumstances were different from the women in the book, but there were strong similarities. In fields dominated by white men, they worked hard to get an education and jobs in their respective fields with the goal of making life better for their families here and back home. It wasn't about pursuing self-actualization but to help as many of the extended family as possible to immigrate. I am very proud of my parents and aunts and uncles. But it hit me recently that it took "Hidden Figures" to make me realize that I ...

In Pride and Prejudice , Jane Austen has created a character who is both irritating and amusing - Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She is the epitome of the bossy and nosy neighbor, and her rank and wealth give her the right to be so. As the owner of a large estate, anyone who is economically dependent on her patronage needs to stay in her good graces because she holds the purse strings. Yet, Austen's dry wit makes it plain to the reader that Lady Catherine's omniscience exists only in her own mind. Here are a few examples of how she advises those who have the misfortune of not being as enlightened as herself: When the ladies returned to the drawing-room, there was little to be done but to hear Lady Catherine talk, which she did without any intermission till coffee came in, delivering her opinion on every subject in so decisive a manner as proved that she was not used to have her judgment controverted. She inquired into Charlotte's domestic concerns familiarly and min...

First of all, read this article by Hannah Anderson and take note of this statement: Complementarianism might be better understood as one expression of gender conservativism. As a response to evangelical feminism, complementarianism developed and flourishes in a specific cultural context, namely a western, white, middle-upper class context; because of this, it will reflect western, white, middle-upper class assumptions about work, economics, and home... Consider how the Danvers’ Statement positions complementarianism against “feminist egalitarianism” (which itself was influenced by 2nd-wave feminism).  Insofar as complementarians formed their identity in direct opposition to 2nd-wave feminism, they became a photonegative of it. None of us should be surprised, then, that complementarians are asking “what jobs can a woman do” because this is precisely the same question that 2nd-wave feminists asked. But even this question is loaded with assumptions about class, race, and agency....

Christmas vacation is over. Time to go back to work.

To jump start Monday morning, here are a few quotes on work: I do not know that women, as women, want anything particular, but as human beings they want, my good men, exactly what you want yourselves: interesting occupation, reasonable freedom for their pleasures, and a sufficient emotional outlet. What form the occupation, the pleasures and emotion may take, depends entirely upon the individual. 1 No longer must we be relentlessly driven to find identity in our work. No longer must we use our work to one-up each other. No longer must we work out of obligation and duty. By  His  work on the cross, Jesus makes us people who can finally work as we are meant to. Because of Him, our labor is no longer in vain. 2 We can thank Genesis 3 for the toil, but we can thank Genesis 2 for the privilege of tending God's creation. Yes, our work is tainted because of sin, but as His image-bearers, we can glorify God in whatever He gives us to do. 3 1. Are Women Human? , Dorothy L....

Something worth pondering especially on a Monday morning: I have already, on a previous occasion, spoken at some length on the subject of Work and Vocation. What I urged then was a thoroughgoing revolution in our whole attitude to work. I asked that it should be looked upon, not as a necessary drudgery to be undergone for the purpose of making money, but as a way of life in which the nature of man should find its proper exercise and delight and so fulfill itself to the glory of God. That it should, in fact, be thought of as a creative activity undertaken for the love of the work itself; and that man, made in God’s image, should make things, as God makes them, for the sake of doing well a thing that is well worth doing... The habit of thinking about work as something one does to make money is so ingrained in us that we can scarcely imagine what a revolutionary change it would be to think about it instead in terms of the work done. To do so would mean taking the attitude o...

[W]e should pray and work (ora et labora). Prayer and work belong together. They are like two oars that, when used together, keep the rowboat moving forward. If you use only one oar - praying without working or working without praying - you will row in circles. Holiness takes well-planned, hard, and sweating prayer and work, the Puritans said. Careful planning as to how you are going to live for the Lord is necessary if you want to achieve much of abiding value for Him. Yet the Puritans were not self-reliant. They understood that daily living for a Christian must go something like this: 1.  Look ahead and see what you have to do. 2. Go to the Lord in prayer and say, "Lord, I do not have what it takes to do this; I need divine help." 3. Rely on the Lord to answer the prayer you have offered, then proceed expectantly to the task that lies before you. 4. After completing the task, return to the Lord to thank Him for the help He gave. 5. Ask His forgiveness for all your failures ...