"Lean In" to Your Faith

 Sheryl Sandberg was a relatively unknown name until just recently.  In the last few weeks, Facebook’s chief operating officer has received an onslaught of press, but by her choosing.  At 43, Sandberg represents the mere 4% of women in the United States who are at the head of large Fortune 500 companies.  Her recent press has very little to do with Facebook, but rather much to do with her initiative to elevate women.

      In her efforts to achieve such a mission, Sandberg developed an organization called ‘Lean In’.  The general concept behind this movement is to encourage women to lean in to their potential and key gifts in order to achieve both professional and personal success.  That being said, Sandberg’s views and methods seem to be highly controversial.

      As I’ve spent time researching and reflecting on Sandberg’s endeavors, it struck me that the most powerful venture to develop from this is the simple notion that we should lean into our lives, into who we were created to be, and with humility, believe confidently in who we are.  This is substantially important for us as Christians and spiritual beings.

      Insecurity and self-doubt plague both men and women in the household of God.  We question our gifts, our talents, and even our callings, especially when others don’t seem to see things as we do.  We sweep under the rug what God has given us specifically to use for God’s glory.  We tell others loudly how bad we are at praying; yet we nowhere near as loudly pray in public.  We brag about our failures and shortcomings as if they are badges of honor; as if God wants us to publicly mock ourselves.  We fail to walk confidently in the love and grace of Jesus Christ.  We doubt our own salvation and out of that pain, lash out at others with vile condemnation.  In essence, we ‘lean out’ of what God has equipped us with and thusly, we ‘lean out’ of the greater mission.

      I wonder how the church might look if we stopped comparing ourselves to others and merely leaned in to the gifts God has placed in us?  When I stop worrying about the things that others can do for God that I can’t, and start joyfully leaning in to what I CAN do for God, my faith walk changes.  I think this is because my perspective shifts. Lean in to your faith formation and spiritual journey, and lean in to your relationship with God and others.  Lean in to the endless potential you have to make a difference for the kingdom.  This world needs you to be YOU…as God made you to be.  God’s equipped you, now it’s time for you to be empowered to achieve your greatest calling.

Our Vote Counts

"A line of women rally for women's suffrage and advertise a free rally discussing women's right to vote in Washington D.C. on Oct. 3, 1915."  Photo by NPR and AP.

In "Organizing for Social Change After Suffrage" Nation writer Stella Crossley Daljord wrote that "Just 'Votes for Women' may not account to much. But the votes of women cast intelligently in the struggle against the present sick economic order may make considerable difference."  - Read the full article and view photo slide show by clicking on the photo above or HERE for the NPR page.

  As we celebrate Women's History Month and take a look back at various women and issues that have preceeded us, one that stands out for most is the fight for the right to vote.  'Votes for Women' was empowering and important when it was a thriving issue almost 100 years ago.  But is the right to vote still an issue for women today?  Do women still take some kind of pride in their right and priviledge to vote, or has it gone amiss?

  Today, more women vote than at any other time in history.  If you don't believe that the voice of women has any influence or power in our country and in our world, take a minute to think again.

• According to the US Census Bureau, there are approximately 8.8 million more legal (meaning of voter age) women voters than men.  That's 67.3 million women to 58.5 million men (2004).
• In the 1996, 2000, 2004 & 2008 Presidential elections, women voters outnumbered men in voter turnout.  According to the Census Bureau, this number averages over the four elections to be differences from 7.2 million to 8.8 million.  That's a lot of women voters.  I think an 8.8 million voter difference could swing just about any election, don't you?
• Each year voter registration is higher for women than men in the following racial groups: Asians, Blacks, Hispanics and Whites.
• Statistically however, of the population of eligible women voters in the US, only a fraction are registered in lower middle class and poverty households.  That being said, single mother households are on the rise as are the number of women on Social Security, Medicare and food stamps.  These women are highly under-represented.

  More than ever, it is important for women to remember the value the right to vote has.  Women have the ability to make dramatic changes in our country by simply registering to vote and turning out to vote.  Some political experts believe that women had the deciding vote in the 2008 Presidential election because women tended to like Obaman more and McCain less (some say do to Sarah Palin).

  Are you passionate about health care?  Are you passionate about the education system in our country and how it affects your children?  Maybe you're passionate about tax law, gambling, abortion (pro-life or pro-choice), human trafficking, environmental issues, same sex marriage, poverty, child welfare...whatever it is you find yourself passionate about, you have a voice and a vote.

  Statistics tell us there are more eligible women voters to vote and more women voters who actually do vote.  Given thesea are the cold hard facts, that means the work of women almost 100 years ago did something tremendous...they gave us the ability to be heard, not as a superior voice, but as one that is equally influential in nature.  We need to encourage each other to embrace this unique freedom that we have, to celebrate it and to vote on city, state and national issues.  It's not enough to just be compassionate and "feel" for situations, we must take action in ways that can benefit the greater good of the whole community.  We must stand next to our husbands and vote, whether we vote as he does or not.  We must stand as single women, stay at home moms, career women, single mothers...we must stand together as women and make important marks on a piece of paper that can impact the lives of billions of people. 

  I want to honor the women who fought for my right to vote by being diligent in my civic responsibility to know the issues and to vote.  It's not about being political, it's about having hope for the future of things and putting in your two cents.  Before we know it, our TVs will be plastered with awful campaign ads that I personally just detest...this is a great plug for the DVR as I praise the ability to fast forward through them now.  Yippie!  When the local and state elections swing around this fall, be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for the issues, research the issues and how different votes would affect them and get out and vote.  Don't like the radio and TV news drama?  I don't blame you.  Turn them off and tune them out.  Do some online research.  Each state will have a list of various ballot issues and you can do online research on your own without the choatic bickering that makes our ears burn and our hair fall out.

  Go empower yourselves today ladies.  Be active parts of your community, after all, it is YOUR community.

Celebrating WASPS - You Go Girls!!!

Photo: Courtesy of Texas Woman's University and NPR 
WASP (from left) Frances Green, Margaret Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn leave their B-17, called Pistol Packin' Mama, during ferry training at Lockbourne Army Air Force base in Ohio. They're carrying their parachutes.

I woke up this morning not knowing that today I would be stirred by the stories of women from WWII.  It never surprises me to find little known or untold stories of women in history as tremendously inspirational.  I am reminded of the amazing presence women have held in many realms of our world and our American culture.  My grandmother never flew a plane in WWII, but she accomplished many other wonderful fetes.  I am honored by her stories and I'm honored by these stories.

The month of March is Women's History Month.  I hope to celebrate with you many more stories that can inspire us and help our souls to take flight in many new and exciting ways.  Today's story simply came to me.  I was reading my morning NPR news when I found this fascinating article about WASP's - Women Airforce Service Pilots.  This article comes at a time where we can truly celebrate these stories.  Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 10th, President Obama will be giving these women, the WASP's, the Congressional Gold Medal.

I do hope you take a few moments to read the article by clicking the link below.  Here is a preview:

Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls

by Susan Stamberg

"In 1942, the United States was faced with a severe shortage of pilots, and leaders gambled on an experimental program to help fill the void: Train women to fly military aircraft so male pilots could be released for combat duty overseas. The group of female pilots was called the Women Airforce Service Pilots — WASP for short. In 1944, during the graduation ceremony for the last WASP training class, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Air Forces, Henry "Hap" Arnold, said that when the program started, he wasn't sure "whether a slip of a girl could fight the controls of a B-17 in heavy weather."
"Now in 1944, it is on the record that women can fly as well as men," Arnold said."

Courtesy of Texas Woman's University and NPRWASP with a plane named "Miss Fifinella," the mascot designed for the women by Walt Disney Studios

A close up of the WASP logo "Fifinella" created by Walt Disney

Click HERE for another great link about the "Fly Girls".

The L.A. Times also published this piece on our new WASP friends.  Click the image below to read the article (from the LA Times).

International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day.  

Join me in celebrating all the women of the world...we are all worth far more than rubies.  

We are wonderfully made and perfectly loved.

What is International Women's Day?
"Historically, women’s social movements begin when women begin talking to each other about their sense of unrest in their society. They find common ground with each other and organize to provide solutions to their problems. The same is true of the origins of International Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated all over the world and has roots in labor, suffrage, the Russian Revolution and the Women’s Liberation Movement." - Jennifer Lee, The New Agenda

The following is a great article by www.internationalwomensday.com.  This article is full of information regarding what International Women's Day is and its history.  Be sure to check out the website for more information on things happening around the world (Haiti, Pakistan, France, etc.) in the women's movement.

The First International Women's Day

In 1869 British MP John Stuart Mill was the first person in Parliament to call for women's right to vote. On 19 September 1893 New Zealand became the first country in the world to give women the right to vote. Women in other countries did not enjoy this equality and campaigned for justice for many years.

In 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result.

The very first International Women's Day was launched the following year by Clara Zetkin on 19 March (not 8 March). The date was chosen because on 19 March in the year of the 1848 revolution, the Prussian king recognized for the first time the strength of the armed people and gave way before the threat of a proletarian uprising. Among the many promise he made, which he later failed to keep, was the introduction of votes for women.

Plans for the first International Women's Day demonstration were spread by word of mouth and in the press. During the week before International Women's Day two journals appeared: The Vote for Women in Germany and Women's Day in Austria. Various articles were devoted to International Women's Day: 'Women and Parliament', 'The Working Women and Municipal Affairs', 'What Has the Housewife got to do with Politics?', etc. The articles thoroughly analyzed the question of the equality of women in the government and in society. All articles emphasized the same point that it was absolutely necessary to make parliament more democratic by extending the franchise to women.

Success of the first International Women's Day in 1911 exceeded all expectation.

Meetings were organized everywhere in small towns and even the villages halls were packed so full that male workers were asked to give up their places for women.

Men stayed at home with their children for a change, and their wives, the captive housewives, went to meetings.

During the largest street demonstration of 30,000 women, the police decided to remove the demonstrators' banners so the women workers made a stand. In the scuffle that followed, bloodshed was averted only with the help of the socialist deputies in Parliament.

In 1913 International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Wommen's Day ever since.

During International Women's Year in 1975, IWD was given official recognition by the United Nations and was taken up by many governments. International Women's Day is marked by a national holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.