Jezebel

My favorite name has always been Jezebel. Always. Today, Jasen & I were discussing what exactly made Jezebel such an awful person and for the life of me, I couldn't remember.

So. I googled. I came across this article: http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/how-bad-was-jezebel/

The article is long, but it gives a pretty darn good analysis of what the authors' of Jezebel's story were really trying to do with the telling of her story. They also give a slightly different, more historical, version of her story.

The conclusion says this: In a kinder analysis, Jezebel emerges as a fiery and determined person, with an intensity matched only by Elijah’s. She is true to her native religion and customs. She is even more loyal to her husband. Throughout her reign, she boldly exercises what power she has. And in the end, having lived her life on her own terms, Jezebel faces certain death with dignity.

Hmmm... She sounds pretty awesome to me. Funny how stepping back from the faith I was indoctrinated into, allows for a deeper understanding of truth and history. I will continue to love the name & feel a somewhat kindred spirit to Jezebel.


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Marriage Advice

I ran across this article in my friend's feed today http://www.lifebuzz.com/happy-couples/#!XJDrJ it's probably the first article with marriage advice that I actually agree with. But the most important rule, in my opinion, is #1: Go to bed at the same time.

Both my husband and I are on marriage number 2. In our first marriages, neither of us followed this rule. Not to say that not going to bed at the same time ruined our first marriages, but it certainly contributed to the issues, especially in my first marriage. It created distance that allowed room for addictions to creep in. Had we gone to bed at the same time, it's likely those addictions wouldn't have started.

I realize that life happens & going to bed at the same time 7 days a week may be impossible, but I've noticed several 'things' that start to happen when couples don't go to bed at the same time.

1. There's less sex. Yes, I know marriage isn't all about sex & sex doesn't only occur at bedtime, but let's be realistic. Going to bed together increases the likelihood of cuddling & in my world, that usually leads to sex.

2. The likelihood of being on the same sleep schedule decreases. If one partner is in bed at 9pm & awake at 6am and the other person is in bed at midnight & awake at 9am, that makes for 6 hours of distance. While some of you make look at that time apart & be relieved, I look at it and get sad. Now don't get me wrong, I loathe mornings and often stay in bed until Jasen tells me the coffee is ready, but overall we try to stay on the same schedule. During plant season, if I don't get up & drink coffee with him at 5am, I won't see him for an entire day.

3. Creates opportunities for a negative atmosphere. I promise you that few woman likes to stay up late cleaning or get the children off to school alone in the morning. Being in a partnership means being partners in everything. Including housework & parenting, and both parents should work together to make a family work.

I know that relationships look different for everyone. I know that this advice or any marital advice may not fit everyone's lifestyle. I also know that my marriage is a happier place when we start & end our days together.


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God's plan..

I process by writing. So today, I will write about gun violence, radiation exposure and God, because I need to process the sadness that I feel when I turn on the news or when I pick up my class reading. I am writing this for myself. These are my opinions. These are my thoughts. These subjects are touchy. If you do not agree with me, please just walk away.

We are on our 74thschool shooting, as of yesterday. Our solution to these school shootings is to create bullet proof blankets to keep our children safe, instead of getting to the bottom of why we keep having school shootings.  Our mental health system needs to be reworked, yes, but so do our gun laws and more importantly, so do our opinions about guns and our dependence on guns.

I cannot wrap my brain around the fact that most of the people who are so determined to keep their guns are the same people you see in church on Sunday mornings. I feel like these two things do not go together. The church rhetoric of “God has a plan,” “our days are numbered and only God knows,” “everything happens for a reason” and “turn the other cheek” run contrary to “let’s carry AK-47’s to restaurants, because we can.” I can’t be the only one who feels this way. I just can’t be.

When bad things happen and guns are involved, we see people scrambling and I hear that same rhetoric “God has a plan and it’s not our job to know his plan.” Um… ok… You go with that answer, but I am quite skeptical that all of this is God’s plan. Instead, I think these deaths are the consequences of our own stupidity and dependence on violence and have little to nothing to do with God. Or maybe a lot to do with God, because if we trusted God, if we believed in his love and protection and all the rhetoric from above, can we really say we need to carry around assault rifles?

I am in the process of reading a book about the radiation exposure that people in Colorado experienced, because of the Rocky Flats Plant that made plutonium triggers for bombs from the 70’s to the 90’s. In one section, a man’s daughter dies from a tumor. His response? Well, God has a plan. Children with testicular cancer, God has a plan. Dead animals, crops that won’t grow, God has a plan.

Ok people… yes, God has a plan (if that’s what you want to believe), but what if God’s plan is for you to wake the heck up and ask questions? What if God’s plan is for you to stand up and do what you know is right and make some changes with gun control? What if God’s plan is to be better stewards of our environment? What if God’s plan is for us to lay down our arms, because that is the BEST WAY TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN?

Sigh.