Thoughts from NT Wright

We were gone at the start of Lent. I wanted to have some times of noticing and participating in Lent this year...it's a bit late, however, I have been reading and reflecting on the upcoming Holy Week. We begin with Palm Sunday and we will have a Tenebrae Service on Good Friday and then of course an Easter Celebration...I love this time of year...with Spring in the air...time to clean, plant, watch as the death of winter comes to life...

As I was reading some articles on Easter and Resurrection, I came across this (I need to have someone teach me how to hyperlinnk) if you are interested, NT Wright has an article on Resurrection and a parable for us today...you will have to cut and paste into your browser. It's worth a read and then I would like to hear your thoughts...

http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Resurrection_Postmodern.htm

Bangkok

We arrived Bangkok late yesterday afternoon. We got to our hotel, security checked our van for bombs...there is a bit of unrest here, demonstrations in the streets. Our hotel is beautiful, right on the river. We stayed at the hotel, had dinner and went to bed.

This morning we had a delicious breakfast, let Alex swim for a few hours then we started our adventure into the city. It was a bit like being in a movie. We took a water taxi from the hotel up the river and got off at the sky train. We took the sky train into the city and went to look for some shopping.

Our first stop was like a high end US mall. We asked some folks where to go and ended up in a Tuk Tuk (small cycle with a seat on the back) and were off through the back streets of Bangkok. He took us to a building and said we could shop for clothing. We went in and realized this wasn't what we thought it would be. But, I wanted to shop for a dress for my son Michael's wedding in July and we were in a shop that had Thai silk and a tailor. I ended up being fitted for a beautiful silk dress and jacket which is being delivered to our hotel tomorrow evening...

what a fun experience...

then our Tuk Tuk took us to the MBK -- a shopping mall with bartering---I think it has 10 floors of every kind of shop you could imagine...

We had so much fun bartering for gifts and a few things to bring home....

4 hours later we were back on the sky train to the pier and on the water taxi to our hotel...

We are sitting in the business center checking email and blogging...

We are off to shower and go to dinner...then tomorrow back to MBK....

We can't go to the street markets because of the mobs demonstrating, they told us it wouldn't be safe for Americans...

We have one more day in Bangkok, then we leave very early on the 17th but gain a day coming home so we arrive Seattle the 17th around 11:30 a.m.

I was dreading Bangkok, it 's not so bad...we had a great day

Our last day on Koh Phangnan

We are down to the last day on the island. Nicole is keeping Alex for us at the beach so we can have some alone time...we are puttering around the island, buying a few gifts for home and then we are going to do something very adventurous...shhhh don't tell anyone...we are getting tatoos...yes, we are...there is a very talented artist here that does the lettering in beautiful Thai...we have watched many of the people here get them and so we decided our last day we would...I am a little afraid...I don't like needles but we are going to do it....

We leave tomorrow morning from here on a speedboat back to the island of Koh Samui, then fly to Bangkok where we will spend 3 nights and 2 days...then home on St Patrick's day...if anyone reading this sees Aaron will you remind him to pick us up at 11:30 a.m. on Friday? Does anyone know how Mr. B is doing?

Back to our last day on the island...it has been wonderful....

Thoughts after the wedding

The last two days have been magical. On the day of the rehearsal, Nicole took Alex for a few hours to give Rich and I some alone time. Rich had his first Thai massage! woohoo...he liked it! We went into the little village and bought a few trinkets and then back to get ready for the rehearsal. Doing a rehearsal on the beach had some challenges but all went well and then we went to the pool bar overlooking the bay for a beautiful, delicious Thai buffet. Lots of toasting and very fun. Had some great conversations with some of the young people that will be traveling on with nicole. Side note: Do any of you remember the 1970's hit song "Just call me Angel of the morning" by Merrilee Rush and the turnabouts? A remake by some Thai artists is playing every where we go here...so funny, I remember my high school dances...during the rehearsal dinner the bar was playing Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd and Michael Jackson...it seems so funny to hear those tunes here... Yesterday the wedding was surreal...picture 50 people on a beach, torches, candles in the rocks, it was still daylight, around 5:00 -- the resort has a sound system on the beach so the music was hooked in through an ipod -- Erika walked in to a Dave Matthews song, not sure which one but it was stunning...the whole thing from the ceremony to the dinner following to the all out dancing party in the sand after...what a memory! Alex did his share of dancing! Break dancing in the sand -- such a fun night.... Today we are pretty much exhausted -- oh yeah, I fell down the steps last night..on the way down to the beach after the ceremony, I missed a step and have pretty skinned up knees and hands....makes for going in the salt water tricky today... We are spending the day at the pool, just hanging out...tonight we are going to a bbq on the beach... Alex was invited by one of the local families to come to their daughter's b'day party yesterday...I wish we could have gone...couldn't go because of the wedding... Several of the local people came to the wedding...people erika and nicole met when they were here last year for 5 weeks and have hung out with since being here again... I met several local people who told me they love my daughter! Also have had some great conversations with the hotel staff...a few of them worked on Phuket and after tsunami came here...interesting stories...the staff here are so kind, they treat Alex like a prince...I'm not sure how he will readjust to reality! Back to the pool...

Grid Blog for International Women's Day: Fear

When the idea came up to write on smashing patriarchy I was a little hesitant. Why? Because in certain traditions of the Christian church you open Pandora’s Box when you talk out loud about this topic…so your choice is to remain silent on an issue that causes injustice. I can’t do that anymore. Not when it comes to the issue of power.

I have a few simple thoughts regarding “big voices” such as mega churches that especially emphasize patriarchy or as stated below, “control by men of a disproportionately large share of power…

Someone said or I read recently in regards to women in leadership, that nothing can be truly human that excludes one half of humanity…

Good, smart Christian thinkers disagree on women in leadership or more specific ordination of women. When smart people study out the Scripture and see opposite results I wonder why one would not error on the side of freedom rather than oppression of people? It doesn’t make sense to me. Jesus was inclusive of all. He made room for women…here is a website if you are interested in studying equality.

What do we do with women like Jackie Pullinger or Mother Teresa? Do we say they were out of biblical order because they taught men? How arrogant…how condescending…how conceited…how haughty…how egotistical…how bigheaded…how proud, wait don’t these words describe the people you know or hear that espouse patriarchy?

I recently read a book, Divided by Faith, in it the author explains that in the late 19th Century Christians, good Christians, smart Christians published why slavery is biblically sound, socially sound, etc, etc, etc…

After all we have learned about oppression in so many ways why wouldn’t we want to follow the way of Jesus? The way of sharing power, restraining power and including everyone?

I wonder if fear is an underlying driver to not accept women leaders? Please don’t respond with biblical arguments, as I stated before, smart people have studied the Scripture thoroughly and land at an egalitarian view of women and men leading. I am more wondering if it isn’t fear that causes men and women to buy in to patriarchy? I wonder what would happen if men and women found a way to co-lead as they did in the garden?

Day 3 on Koh Phangan

It's 10:00 a.m. here on March 8th...that means it is 7:00 p.m. on March 7th at home. Alex is fried from the sun. We keep total block on him all day but the sun is intense and he doesn't take a break from the water at al. Today he is has to rest from the water. He is a trooper. He doesn't complain and he is having a blast. I talked Rich into trying a Thai massage today...he has some adventure in him... Today at 4:00 we have the wedding rehearsal then a rehearsal dinner at the pool bar which overlooks the pool and the bay...it is beautiful... Tomorrow is the wedding....it's going to be beautiful, the ceremony makes me cry just reading through it... Rich saw a komoto dragon on his walk this morning. There is an area of the beach that has large rocks...he was walking through and saw a 5 - 6ft very thick komoto dragon and wouldn't you know it he didn't have his camera... Back to the beach...

We landed in paradise

We are finally here. Have been on Koh Phangan for one full day now and we are having a blast. We thought we were going to have to spend the night on Koh Samui because we ended up there so late (the ferry to Phangan doesn't run at night) but when we finally arrived at Samui, Nicole surprised us there...she had hired a speed boat to come and get us and bring us straight to Phangan...we were so relieved because we were exhausted, plus we were so happy to see her!

We are in paradise...this island is beautiful..we are in a cottage overlooking the beach...the Thai people are so nice...so hospitable...we spent the day between the pool which overlooks the bay and the beach body surfing...Alex got a little sunburned yesterday...we are keeping him covered in sun block today..we cannot keep him out of the water...

The beach is white sand, coral, warm water...it is breathtaking...

I got a Thai massage yesterday...it was 500 baht which is 12 USD and it was better than any massage I have ever had...so relaxing...I think I may have a daily massage...

Alex exchanged his money and thinks he is very wealthy, he has 100,000 baht!

Yesterday, we had lunch -- thai beers, pad thai, spring rolls, fried rice, Alex pizza...it was so delicious...our bill was 1245 baht which is about 30 USD...amazing!

The beach is great, about every 100 yards you can have a massage or spa treatment...

The wedding is Thursday evening, we are 15 hours ahead of PST...there is about 40 people here for the weddding...fun meeting new people in such an unusual setting...

Tonight we are walking to a village for dinner...I can tell we have a few more adventures ahead of us...and much relaxation!

Got to get back to the pool...

1st Leg of our journey down

We made it! We left Seattle at 12:20 a.m. and are now on a 7 hour layover in Taipai...it is 10:00 a.m. here so 6:00 p.m. Seattle time...

our 14 hour flight was easy...just got on and went to sleep..we all slept well...woke up watched two movies had a meal and we were landing in Taipai...

Sad thing is there was a flight directly to bangkok when we arrived but they wouldn't let us on unless we paid an extra 260.00 per person...so we are hanging out at the airport...nothing here but a couple of shops and this free internet room...

next stop bangkok, then fly to koh samuai...spend the night and take a ferry to koh phanghan...

Our trip to Thailand begins with a story

Rich, Alexander and I are going to a little island in SE Thailand. We have been planning this trip for almost a year. My daughter's best friend is getting married on the beach on March 9th. They asked me to officiate the wedding and they bought Rich and my tickets six months ago. The tickets came in the mail in October. We were leaving March 2nd and returning March 17th. At Christmas we decided to buy Alex a ticket and bring him along....

We planned to go to the airport on March 2nd at around 8:00 p.m. thinking we would get there super early, check in and hang out. The groom and about 20 other people going to the wedding were all on our flight.

Wednesday we went to bed so excited...at midnight my cell phone rang, it was my niece asking me why were not at the airport. The groom didn't know my cell number so he called her worried as they were boarding the plane and we were not there..it dawned on me, oh my gosh...March 2nd at 12:40 a.m.

We missed our flight...

We were in shock...

We cried...

I emailed my daughter, she is already in Thailand with the bride and others and was so excited we were on our way...

We called the airlines to see if we could get on the next flight....they were closed until 6:00 a.m.

We cried...

I began looking online for any possible flight to Bangkok in the next few days...

At 2:30 I took a sleeping pill...

At 6:00 a.m. I called China airlines and they rebooked us for March 4th at 12:40 a.m. with a very minimal change fee... they were very helpful...

It will take longer as our connecting flights had to be rebooked as well so it will take us 24 hours longer than planned to get to the island...

We are going to the airport at 8:00 p.m. tomorrow night...

We are still in shock that we missed it...funny how one's mind can lock into something and then not be able to see the obvious...I think there might be some sort of life illustration in this but don't quite see it yet..

The good news...we will get there...

So our vacation begins...