Trinity's Birthday

Nine years ago today I gave birth to a nine pound, one ounce bundle of beauty. There were a few phrases that we could count on each person declaring when saw our sweet Trinity Rose: “Look at all of that dark hair!” “Oh, those long fingers will be perfect for playing piano/ rock climbing/ volleyball...” and most of all, “Those eyes!!” Trinity was born with huge dark saucers that were so full that there was no white even visible. She was absolutely stunning to behold. On every outing people would declare how much she looked like a china doll - perfectly smooth, porcelain skin, cute little button features, and those eyes.

Trinity had the personality to match her angelic looks - pleasant, content, sweet. I recall a friend commenting that he didn’t think he ever heard her cry in her first year. Of course that was far from the truth, but her cry, like the rest of her, was soft and sweet.


She was our gift from the Creator (i.e. the Trinity) who was bestowing his great grace on us after so much uncertainty if pregnancy would ever be an option. The moment that we discovered that we were pregnant with her will always remain the most joyful of my life.

Nine years later and my joy over Trinity continues. No longer quiet and reserved, she bubbles over with enthusiasm, energy, and humor. She is filled with a spirit of adventure, always looking for a tree to climb, a new trail to explore, a place to dance, and a mall to shop! Her mind is inquisitive; she loves nothing more than to ask her dad questions about space, geology, or science - usually at bedtime.


At nine, Trin is in that middle land between childhood and the teens years. Pop culture and style is becoming increasingly important to her; yet she still plays dress up with her sister, does what she can to pester her brother, and snuggles with her mom (may that never stop!). It is my prayer that Trinity will come to truly believe and embrace her position as a daughter of the King, that she will see herself as the beautiful, amazing person she is.

Happy birthday, Trinity Rose! I love you so much!

What memories do you have of Trinity's first nine years?

Light the Night

My family will be participating in the Light the Night Walk with our friend, Caiti and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My kids decided that they would each like to raise $100 to help kids like Caiti who work so hard to fight this disease. Help my kids reach their goal by clicking on their names on the team page. Or, even better, come walk with us on October 9th in Portland!

A Letter from Jimmy Carter

This is a letter written by Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, on July 15, 2009, explaining his reasons for formally separating ties with the Southern Baptist Convention.

_____

Losing my religion for equality

Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God.

I HAVE been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.

This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths. Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women's equal rights across the world for centuries.

At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.

The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met.

In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime.

The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and why there are still so few women in office in the West. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day. It is not women and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and girls delivers major benefits for society. An educated woman has healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns more and invests what she earns in her family.

It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and outdated attitudes and practices - as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom.

I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and tradition, are powerful and sensitive areas to challenge. But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, no longer need to worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy - and we are deeply committed to challenging injustice wherever we see it.

The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by former South African president Nelson Mandela, who offer their influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. We have decided to draw particular attention to the responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring equality and human rights and have recently published a statement that declares: "The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."

We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share.

The carefully selected verses found in the Holy Scriptures to justify the superiority of men owe more to time and place - and the determination of male leaders to hold onto their influence - than eternal truths. Similar biblical excerpts could be found to support the approval of slavery and the timid acquiescence to oppressive rulers.

I am also familiar with vivid descriptions in the same Scriptures in which women are revered as pre-eminent leaders. During the years of the early Christian church women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers and prophets. It wasn't until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted Holy Scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy.

The truth is that male religious leaders have had - and still have - an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views.

Jimmy Carter was president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

Original Article Here

Luis Palau Article

Willamette Week, a rather "liberal" paper in Portland, published an article (here) on the Luis Palau ministries. LP is where Allan works as the multimedia producer. The article is already stirring up a lot of controversial discussion in the comments. I was impressed, though, with its message, and more importantly, with the level of integrity and heart revealed by the Palau team. Congrats guys!

Launching Counseling Site

I am excited to let everyone know about the new venture that my family is undertaking! This spring we have kicked off Kristi Cash White Counseling, my private practice that is focused on the mental health of children and families. I have a great office in North Portland, just about five minutes from my house.

Please check out our new website: Kristi Cash White Counseling and subscribe to the blog on that site for fun and informative posts on counseling, parenting, kids issues, and mental health.

See you at the other site!

How Not to Dispose of a Whale

At the Oregon coast right now there is a sad little whale who was washed up on shore and found his final resting place. As always, there is some discussion as to the best way to move such a large and smelly carcass. That same discussion back in 1970 led to a rather hilarious, albeit messy, result.

Kid Interview

Over on Facebook, there is a trend to put up all sorts of notes - "25 Random Facts About Me", "High School Memories", etc. This one I thought was especially fun, so I thought I'd put it here for the two of you who are not on Facebook (and should be). I interviewed Trinity & Connor about their most beloved mom.

ages:
Trinity - 8
Connor - 6

1. What is something mom always says to you?
T - "Get your coats, bags, & lunch boxes out of the car!"
C - "Go pick up your room."

2. What makes mom happy?
T - when kids make stuff for you
C - Valentine's Day cards from your kids

3. What makes mom sad?
T - when Fiona has a poopy diaper (uncontrollable laughter)
C - disobeying you or punching you in the face or kicking you [note from the mom: my kids have not ever actually punched me in the face]

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
T - she tickles me
C - tickles

5. What was your mom like as a child?
T - always got Jeff in trouble
C - the best kid in her family!

6. How old is your mom?
T - 36
C - 36

7. How tall is your mom?
T - As tall as that lamp, no...about as tall as the t.v. At least five feet?
C - Ten feet.

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
T - doing crosswords with Grammy (Connor's response to that: How is that one of her favorite things to do? She HAS to do that. Grammy doesn't know all the answers.)
C - spending time with her kids

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
T - watching Dora with Fiona
C - spend time with Fiona; I have no idea, cause I'm not there!

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
T - a supermodel
C - being rich
[mom note: I love my kids!]

11. What is your mom really good at?
T - cooking, typing on the computer, and crosswords
C - playing with her kids

12. What is your mom not very good at?
T - I don't know! Driving - I'm just kidding; you're not good at talking to people - I'm just kidding
C - beating me

13. What does your mom do for a job?
T - play therapy
C - a long time ago she worked for the church

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
T - chocolate
C - pizza

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
T - when you help us clean our room and your room
C - when you lift something heavy

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
T - a monster - I'm just kidding! a mom with big eyes
C - Spongebob

17. What do you and your mom do together?
T - paint pottery, go to the movie theater
C - go to the donut shop (but we've only done that once)

18. How are you and your mom the same?
T - we're both girls
C - we both have sixes in our age

19. How are you and your mom different?
T - we look different; your hair is darker, you have brown eyes, ears pierced, a scratch on your forehead, and freckles and you're much, much bigger than me
C - I paint and draw more than you

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
T - I came out of your stomach, what do you think?
C - that's what I was going to say!

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
T - he's a Christian
C - that he's an artist

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
T - Grammy's house
C - Uncle Jeff's house

Catalyst & Culture

Earlier this week our family hosted L.V., a great guy from Catalyst, an organization which focuses on developing the next generation of church leaders. L.V. has been traveling around the country, spreading the Catalyst vision (and for those of you vanagon lovers, you must check out his sweet ride!) These are some observations he has developed about Portland, based on his time with many of our city's great church leaders, including Rick McKinley of Imago Dei.

* Individualistic Spirituality - the people that settled in Oregon made it to the END of the Oregon Trail - they traveled the furthest, beat the odds, and did it themselves. They settled as far away from the east coast as possible. The real spirituality of the great northwest is found in it's beauty - nature, wilderness, all that is before the eyes. "I don't have to conform to what everyone else is doing...I don't WANT to conform."

* "There's no verse for this one..." - no formulas or standard answers for people here. Some crazy stories and questions from people that would shock the "southern baptist culture."

* Time Tested - not interested in the fad or pop culture of church. If it doesn't stand the test of time and lead to real spiritual transformation then it's rejected. Must be real, and real is identified by long term impact. Are you willing to to share your life along with your message?

* Patient - a culture that is not anxious or reactive to getting caught up in "what's next."

* Church planters beware - your "model" created in a strategy room will NOT work here. Success is organic and often looks very different than what is initially planned.

* Rick, is the northwest a spiritually dark place? "Well, I don't know what 'dark' is. I mean, if you think about silicone enhancements, fake tans, fancy cars, and empty commitments to discipleship, well, then, that's dark to me. These people know where they are and that they don't like church or Jesus. The greatest hindrance to the church is the unconverted converted."

What do you think? Are his observations on track for Portland?

---

Update: Here is the rest of LV's article highlighting his Portland visit.