God as Mother

God is neither male nor female. Man nor woman. And yet, God is referred to in the English Christian faith as Father, He, Him, Male. There are three entities to YHWH, Father, son, and Holy Spirit. We know that Christ was a man, but YHWH in God’s completeness and in the singular role to Christ is Father – Male.

In the original Greek and Hebrew God’s name YHWH held both male and female understanding. It was read to incorporate all of God’s characteristics, both male and female. Humans are male and female, but YWHW is neither and at the same time both. But yet in our culture and translation, we have robbed our ability to understand YWHW entirely, completely, fully. Understanding YWHW as Father and Mother.

Yesterday I kept thinking about YHWH as Mother. So often we limit God to his male characteristics and then only refer to God as Him. Him as defender, protector, fighter, provider, and stronghold. When I read these words they automatically enlist an image of maleness. (Hint: all these words would also describe how I love my children as a mother. I would fight anyone who would dare try to hurt my children. But as Americans we don’t view these words as female, but male.)

I love that our YHWH is all of these things; however, God is so much more. YHWH is also tender in leading us back to him, patient to correct us, a teacher of his ways, full of compassion, love, and devotion. I believe some of YHWH’s greatest strength’s are ones that reflect a Mother.

When my children are sick, though their dad is very tender and full of compassion, they choose me. Let’s be honest, as a grown woman, I still want my mother when I’m sick. It’s a mother’s kiss that helps a child. A mother who faithfully lifts their child up in prayer. A mother that sacrifices so much of who she is for the betterment of her children.

Children and mother’s share a special bond. Though children carry part of their father with them, they are born from their mother. They are intimately connected and bonded for all of life. Isn’t that how it is our Lord? We breathe YHWH’s breath. We are a piece of YHWH here on earth because we were created by him/her. We are intimately connected to God and for all of our life here on in this place we are searching to be connected again. There is a space in our soul that can only be filled by God, much like our mother.

Yesterday when I was thinking about all that Mother’s are, it felt right to think about God that way. To reinstate that part of who God is back to my understanding of his/her character.

YHWH is my father and mother. I celebrated that yesterday and will continue to look to scripture to find my guidance on being a better mother from God herself.

Finding speaking opportunities

There are so many things about my life that I love. I feel like every aspect of who I am feeds the other pieces of myself. The opportunities when I get to go and speak allow me time away to refresh and renew and come home with a clearer mind to pour into my kids and husband. Being home with my kids allows me time (lets be real, they are more like fleeting moments, not long drawn out reflective times)to be shaped by God, learn from being a parent, and continually fall on his grace and mercy. Being home also allows me time to work on my speaking gigs.

At least that's the way it would work in an ideal world.

Having a third child has kind of been like drowning. I really don't mean that in a horrible way, and I wouldn't give up my daughter or the timing of having of her for anything. She is my little sunshine, and she absolutely has my heart. What I am speaking of is the work it takes to raise kids and the time and attention they need. Having a third put me over the edge. The edge for some people is the second child, for others its the third or fourth. Everyone has an edge. Mine was our third. I all of a sudden could recognize how long it took me to do simple chores that once before took maybe half the time it takes now. At the end of the day, I can look around at all of my half started projects and think, "why didn't I finish that?"

This past year, I had some amazing speaking opportunities. I got those opportunities because I had time the year before to pursue them, to find them, to pray over them, to send out my information to new contacts and events and conferences.

Now my bookings are done. I haven't had any time to pursue new speaking opportunities and that makes me sad. I love doing what I'm doing, but I won't get much of a chance to do it this next year, unless some opportunities come my way. So I am starting to feel unbalanced.

Here is my dilemma. It's spring right now and I'm busy preparing my yard and garden for vegetables and berries. We are big into eating our own food and harvesting our garden. I am also still, yes still, vacuuming my yard, but that completely crazy, obnoxious task will be done today! Then I have to repaint. Replant flowers, etc. I love doing yard work, expect it's like adding three rooms of chores to the chore list.

I've been busy the last week working in my yard instead of looking for opportunities to speak and share the good news of Christ with youth and young adults. And now instead of finding bookings or gardening, I'm just complaining about my problem on my blog.

Sometimes I find the perfect solution. (rolling of eyes)

So, if you or your church, or school, or business, or retreat that you love to attend is looking for a speaker that presents the gospel of Jesus Christ through real life experience and Biblical truth, let me know.

Or just send them to my website www.danitietjen.com for my press kit and information. I would love to expand my ministry and meet some new people and see what God will do.

The pocket

Last year we didn't get to do any family bike rides because we had a newborn and three kids now with a buggy that fits two. Noah didn't know how to ride his two wheeler yet, so we were stuck, and sad, and missing our family adventures on our bikes.

Two weeks ago my dad taught Noah how to ride his two wheeler and he is a stunt man on that thing already. I secretly got really excited knowing that adventures were coming our way this summer. I couldn't wait to get on my bike, put Noah on his and the other two in the buggy.

Yesterday the kids and I took a 5 mile bike ride together in the morning and after dinner after the kids were bathed and in their Jammie's, we broke the rules, because it was just so nice outside, and went for our first family bike ride in two years. You have to break the rules sometimes, and Noah has proved to be an AMAZING bike rider. It is so much fun! My heart was soaring as my dream of family bike rides were coming true. Caleb and Lu had a blast together in the buggy. It was fun to hear her instigate playfulness with Caleb. Music to my ears.

Minneapolis is known for its bike paths. It was actually claimed as the number one biking city last year. There are miles after miles after miles of bike paths. Even living in the city, within minutes, you are biking next to the Mississippi away from city noise. Its breathtaking riding bikes here, and we love it.

With this being our first time out on bikes with a child rider, we had to discuss some rules. We were riding in the street so I needed to be in between Noah and the cars driving. His safe zone was between the curb and me.

We called it the pocket.

I would call out, "Noah I need you in the pocket", and he would instantly slow down to ride next to me.

It was incredible to watch his awareness and comfortablity rise as he grew safer inside the pocket. He knew he was OK and that my job as his mother was to keep him safe. As the parent I was looking out for cars, other people, and I knew the way to go. At one point he even said, "Mom I like it in the pocket because you are here."

The pocket. The place where we are protected. Where we are safe. Where we are in the confines of a parent who loves us and is taking care of us. See Noah still had potholes and bumps in his path and there were still cars coming at him that he needed to look out for, but he felt different because he was in the pocket.

When Noah looks ahead of him, he only sees right in front of him. The stop sign, the turn, the tree, he only sees a couple feet around him. All of those things are very distracting and that is where his focus is.

Like Noah when I am looking in my life, I often only see my day or week ahead of me. I see the laundry, the dishes, the discipline, the teaching moments to my kids, the contracts to send out for speaking gigs, the gardening, the cooking, the bills, the etc, fill in the blank. I often times have blocked vision because I am human. I can only see what is right in front of me.

Like God, when I am the parent, I see the whole path. (only biking, not making any assumption that I have any clue about life or am powerful in any sort of way.) I can see over Noah's head to see if cars are coming. I know exactly where we are going and can direct him and help him along. I know when to help him slow down, when to stop, and when to go faster. I know when to move over and allow him more room, and I know when to snuggle up closer to him to offer my protection.

As the parent I am not taking the potholes and bumps out of his road. I am not controlling all the cars to keep them away from my kid. I am simply going along with him, loving him, talking with him, guiding him.

Living in the pocket. I started to really like that idea.

What would it look like to live in the pocket of faith with my life. Real life problems and issues would still exists, but that wouldn't be the focus. There would be peace knowing that I rested everyday in the goodness of God. There would be joy trusting God's presence in my life. Bad things would still happen, but sitting in the pocket would provide the right perspective.

It wouldn't be about the problem, because I would still have the Lord there to help me through. That's the perspective I want.

I want to live in the pocket.

I was that girl today

My family and I have been in this year long process of getting government installed windows. If you live in the city and have children under the age of 5 living in a home built before 1970 you can qualify for new windows if yours have lead in them.

Guess what? Ours did!!!! And so we went to the day long class, we have filed over 35 pages of paperwork, faxed our taxes 4 times, and called more than 20 times.

One of the stipulations is that you, the homeowner, are responsible for scraping off all the lead infested paint around your house, cleaning it up and sealing it in under new paint. So, my parents came into town over Thanksgiving and my dad and my husband went out and scrapped and scrapped until the sun went down.

It was so great. The scrapping that is.

What wasn't so great? The fact that they scrapped it off and let it all fall to the ground. Paint fragments just sprinkling down, drifting and resting all over our yard. Well, there was snow at the time, so you couldn't see the paint.

Now the snow has melted, and now there are paint chips all over our yard. Big paint chips and small paint chips, scattered along the house, some in the grass, and most along the dirt in the back around the garage.

We have to repaint in the next couple weeks, and our new windows will be coming in August. We have to get a complete full inspection of being lead free before we get windows.

So what are my options? I can't rake, because I won't get all the pieces. I can't sweep, because frankly that would take forever and not sure its possible in the grass and dirt.

I put a call into my friend and borrowed his shop vac. Yup that's right, I was going to vacuum it up and rid ourselves of lead invested paint chips so that we could get free windows.

It was beautiful out today and my project was vacuuming. Vacuuming our yard.

There I was, my kids riding bikes and me bending over vacuuming our grass, dirt, flower beds and wood piles. I was totally that crazy lady who no one knows what they're doing and the method to the madness doesn't make sense.

Of course in my hours of crazy work, vacuuming our grass, three neighbors stopped by to talk. Why oh why do visitors seem to come when you least want them.

So there it is. I vacuumed my yard today. It felt as weird as it sounds.

HMP has team in Haiti

The Haiti Mission Project (HMP)sent a team off today to Port Au Prince. There are 10 team members from all around the country and they will meet each other in the Miami airport then travel together to Haiti.

Please keep the team in your prayers as they will be doing lots of cultural adventures, helping with the final construction of a chicken coup to help make the orphanage we deal with more self sustaining and provide healthy food for the kids. They will also be participating in delivering water on a water truck in the poorest city in Haiti while worshiping together, devoting together and playing with children, learning and growing in their understanding of the Haitian culture and how to better love and serve its people.

I am so proud to be apart of this larger team of folks who serve on and support the HMP. The HMP was started with the intent and continues to support the belief that we as Americans can support and be the voice of Christian Haitians loving and serving its own people. There are Haitians who have dreams of making their country a better place, and they are the people who know how to do it, and so we are their voice here to people who have the means to make those dreams come true. We will never build anything on our own accord or run any ministry in Haiti. We are there to support the Haitians serving Haitians.

If you would like to know more about the Haiti Mission Project, please contact me or visit our website, www.haitimissionproject.org or if you would like to go on a team, let me know.

Other really amazing ministries and folks serving in Haiti:

http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/
http://johnmchoul.wordpress.com/
http://sleepydoctor.blogspot.com/
http://healinghaiti.org/

May God bless you wherever you are living and serving today.