Little Men with Even Smaller ....

There's a study just released that says women STILL make less than men in the same jobs. The results of the study show that when they're fresh out of college, women make 80 cents on the dollar compared to a man, and ten years later they make 69 cents compared to a man's dollar wage. That's pretty pitiful. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though. Women are still discriminated against, and not respected-- and I don't think it's always race-related, though that happens too.
It's pretty telling that a top-ranking state official was let go after being sued for sexual discrimination-- the Missouri Dept. of Ag's Fred Ferrell was always a chauvinist, even when his kids were little. I remember him always being the "big man" when he was around-- and his wife seemed to cater to his demands. Now, I wonder if he's so big, since he was publicly embarrassed? His spin is probably that she was a "bitch" and made it up.
Gender discrimination happens everywhere, though, and I guess it shouldn't be surprising that women are still paid less for the same work. Recently I was made aware of a church in the Missouri Annual Conference which was getting a new pastor. This new pastor was a woman, to replace their previous male minister. They actually tried to lower the salary for this woman-- and would have gotten away with it, if the District Superintendent or Bishop hadn't insisted on pay equality. If I'm not mistaken, the staff-parish relations committee had as many women as men on it, so apparently even the women were okay with the unequal pay.
My niece is quite an athlete, as is her older brother. She's thirteen months younger than he is, but by far the fastest runner in her grade, and possibly his also. Last fall she wanted to play on his Queen City baseball team, which had several kids from the elementary school on it, and was coached by a friend of the kids' parents. The coach allowed her to play at the try-out game, and by all reports (from other parents, not hers) she did better than some of the boys. Yet the coach told her she couldn't be on the team, using her age as an excuse (she is 9, and the age range is 9-13), and then after she left dejected, he made several comments about her gender, which the boys on the team repeated. Her brother quit the team in protest, an act of which we are quite proud. This spring he wanted to play on the team again, trying to get past his anger over the slighting of his sister. The coach is seemingly punishing him, making him play outfielder, and also has made several comments about girls. This guy isn't just some ignorant joe off the streets-- he's a veterinarian, and one would think he would know better. His wife was a herpetologist for the Omaha Zoo before they married, and is quite educated-- yet she must put up with this.
I get so frustrated when I think about how this kind of behavior perpetuates more discrimination-- it just goes on and on. He'll raise his sons this way, and some of the kids he coaches will think that way, too. It makes me think of a poem by Nikki Giovanni that starts out, "He was a very small man."...

Tornadoes, American Idol, and Trailers

It's raining again, and my son is freaking out over the "flashflood warning", even though we live on high ground. I keep saying when we flood, Noah will be firing up the Evan Rood boat (spelling?). I love tornado season-- what would the weather channel do without tornadoes, then heat waves, then hurricanes, then snowstorms, then tornidoes... there's a pattern here. :-)
Why do Wednesdays seem like they take forever to get here? And it seems like as soon as they get here they're over and it's almost the weekend again. I never thought I'd not be so up over weekends, but lately they're soooo busy. I guess I shouldn't complain, since at least it's warm, and not 18 degrees like it was a few weeks again. It's too bad soccer doesn't last longer, but then we'd have back-to-back games, if Sam plays baseball too. (This is probably the time to count blessings...)
I'm embarrassed to say I let the kids vote for a contestant on "American Idol," after they quit fighting last night over who to choose. They were both sick with tummy rot, and I felt sorry for them. (Okay, not really-- it was raining, and I didn't feel like going for a run until it quit.) They think Simon Cowell has lost it, since he was so nice last night. I kept thinking I hope nobody else has to go through this-- but judging on how popular the show is, I guess lots of people do this. It seems television has taken over our house! I should be ashamed. (;->)
The weather channel says it is now law that weather radios must be installed in all mobile homes. Amazing. What does that say about our legislature? They must be out of touch, since they're assuming that people actually will listen to them. This warrants some thought, and lends itself to about fifty jokes, at least...

Psychos and Grumpy Old Men

I can't believe this weather. It's gorgeous outside right now, but the weather geeks say it will be cold again tomorrow. The trees look frozen, and some of the shrubs look like they've been poisoned, or something. I can't believe it was so cold on Easter either.
Easter went well, even if I was so nervous something would go wrong. The youth did finally get together and practice, and their teacher is taking credit for the success of the service even though he did NOTHING to help, except pick a Psalm. I guess it's my duty to simply smile and go on.
It was cold so the egg hunt happened quickly; Saturday was even colder, and the kids did a hunt and two soccer games. I broke out in hives, for my contribution to the activities. Good thing we had benadryl.
I guess I am being petty; I am really bothered by the way one of my leaders talks to me lately. He isn't civil, and seems to go out of his way to try to engage me in arguments or to humiliate me by talking to me like I'm some wayward child. I come so close to telling him to step back (out of my personal space) and to speak respectfully to me, or else. I don't know whether I ought to engage him or not. My mom says I ought to ignore the majority of it, but if I get a chance I should ask him if something is bothering him. My spouse says to just ignore it and take it.
To top everything off, the psycho stalker who tried to make trouble two years ago has decided she is out for me and my sister again. Just when I thought her meds had finally begun working...

"Good" Friday?

It seems like months since my last post. I have been so busy. At least nobody has died in the last two weeks, I guess. That's a good thing.:-)
Holy Week is such an important time in the life of the church, and yet, it seems like such a stressful time, too. I couldn't get the youth to do their part in planning the Sunrise service, though their teacher insisted they would do the service-- and my secretary is overworked this week, even if she's only part-time. Thankfully she's a patient and kind person.

Thanks to last weekend's rain, we have had two make-up soccer games, one in 30-degree weather. Then there is the fact that the weather changed again, and it's now cold as Hades. What happened to Spring? I hate cold weather, even though others like it. It's deceptive, because it looks like it's warm outside, but then you go out, and freeze. ANd my 7-year-old wants to wear shorts even though he'll freeze, because it's "fashionable." Quite annoying, really. The weather should be much warmer when it's nearly easter, and tulips are blooming. That's my opinion.

I have worship services tonight, as well as last night, and two on Sunday. Saturday will be crazy, as my Puppet Ministry group (including my 11-year-old) performs while I am supposed to be at a meeting two suburbs away. ANd somewhere in their are two soccer games. At least it's currently physically impossible to be two places at once.

I found a good book I am trying to read to be motivated for this weekend-- not that remembering Christ's sacrifice for humanity isn't motivation in itself-- called The Last Week, by Marcus Borg, and John Dominic Crossan. It's pretty historically accurate, and interestingly like the info I got in seminary. I'm still not sure today is "good" Friday, though, but my devotional booklet suggests it may be a shortened version of "God's Friday," like "goodbye," is a shortened version of "God be with ye." When you cross seminary education with my liberal arts undergraduate classes (Western Civ, Introduction to Old Testament, etc) the cross-referencing of info is remarkable. Guess I learned more, and more is true than I realized.

I feel for those people who are in the corporate world-- managing full-time employees and jockeying with bosses is a big headache. I can see where many people burn out or turn to other escapes, like alcohol, drugs, etc. I pray for those loved ones and friends who face such big stresses. I guess the alternative would be quitting, or getting really angry. Both are not productive, though. Perhaps that's why I left the corporate world-- I heard other new ministers talking about how the stress of the church is the same but altogether different, last time I was in the RIM retreat. I think it's interesting.

It's more important to realize others feel the same way you do-- with the same loves, same dislikes and likes, and know that you aren't alone. Even on the day we commemorate Christ's crucifixion, and know how very alone he must have felt. He knew he wasn't alone, and I guess that's a lesson we ought to all take to heart, too.