Bits’n’Blogs (3)

Who are the cheerleaders in your life?
I really value those who cheer me on in my life, and I thought I would quite like to be a cheerleader for some others too. So here is a selection of some of the best that I’ve come across lately.

Let me introduce you to some fabulous bloggers from the other side of the pond. (Unless you’re already in America or Canada, in which case, they’re local girls to you.)

On Parenting
A Holy Experience – Ann Voskamp
This woman can WRITE.  Her posts are all meditative, thought-provoking, prayer-saturated. She did a series on mothers in the week leading up to (US) Mothers Day and two were particularly special. They were so good I want to plug them both.

1. Because this is the truth about the real “Mothers Day Card Mothers” – Ann Voskamp
For the mother who fears failure. This was on the imperfection of parents and grace and forgiveness and reflected on her relationship with her mother.

Failure was certain.

I was going to let this little boy down. Parenting is an experiment in radical grace and the work of every parent is to fully give to the child. And it’s the work of every child to fully forgive the parents.

2. The Habit of a Mother Who Changes The World – Ann Voskamp
This was on the sacrificial nature of motherhood – just beautiful.

I thought mother ducks picked feathers up from what was laying about, scraps, lining nests with what simply could be mustered after the fact.

But no. No, a mother duck plucks each feather out from the heart of her bosom.

She lines the nest with bits of herself — the best of herself.

3. In which my son doesn’t like me sometimes – Sarah Bessey
If don’t yet follow Sarah Bessey’s blog, I suggest you do so immediately. She writes on church and spirituality and parenting with engaging metaphor and worshipful lyricism. I adore her writing – it is effortless, delicious, bubbling  – like a fountain of rich dark chocolate. This excellent post was on persevering with really  getting to know your children.

This new language-learning is intentional, it’s on purpose, I’m slowing down, leaning in to him, this is where Love comes down, in the daily interactions with one small life, this is the inasmuch, and I won’t miss it, I won’t miss him being three and wild and wonderful. I won’t gain the world, and lose my ability to speak my son’s language. I want to see him. I want to hear him. I want him connected to my heart more than I want his unflinching obedience. (But that would be nice, too, don’t get me wrong…)

4. Lament and faith and childhood: Why my kid and I read the sad psalms – Micha Boyett

Micha was guest-posting on Rachel Held Evans’ blog this week.  I thought this post was just brilliant – on the need for not glossing over the hard parts of faith but sharing them with our children.  It made me re-evaluate how I teach my son the Bible and talk about spirituality with him.

I know what it is to love and believe deeply in the Lord and, at the same time, scream out to him: “Why are you doing this? Where are you? Do you even exist? Do you love me?” And, amazingly, I know how to move from those questions into communion and take the bread and the wine and beg God to swell inside me, to make me whole.

And one for fun…

5. Penis Pizza – Amber Dusick
This post just made me laugh and laugh. And then, at 11pm at night I remembered it and laughed again. (Just to explain, the humour is puerile but not sexual in tone.)

On Culture

6.  One thing that will make your soul explode – Emily P Freeman

If you enjoyed my post on American Idol and encouragement, then you may want to read this. (Even if you didn’t, you may still want to read this – it’s excellent). It’s very thought-provoking on how fame is inherently destructive and anti-human.

“The human soul was not made for fame.”
You could see it, as he stood there overwhelmed with his own success and attention, like his soul was turning inside out and he didn’t know how to handle it. When he started to cry, all he could do was put his head down and walk straight into the arms of his family. He disappeared in them, like he was hiding in the comfort of his own smallness.

On disability and politics

7. Why doesn’t Iain Duncan Smith trust a doctor’s decision? – Laurence Clark
Back in the UK now – great post from the Independent blog.

I daresay by now some of you are thinking that my chosen line of argument is all very well for people like myself and other genuine, bonefide, blue badge carrying disabled people; but what about all those despicable benefit scroungers  and Andy Pipkin-style fakers that we keep hearing about?  Mr Duncan Smith himself states the system is “riddled with abuse and fraud”.  The only problem is that statistics from his own Government department directly contradict him. The DWP estimate levels of fraud for DLA at around 0.5%, ironically one of the lowest along with Incapacity Benefit.

Over to you:

• 1. • What’s happening on your blog?
     • What’s the best thing you’ve read recently?