Sep 1
2010

As the coming school year approaches and my little one heads off to first grade, I am looking forward to blogging once again. In the meantime, I’d like to share a book review that Lisa Crum posted about WHO GOES THERE? A CULTURAL HISTORY OF HEAVEN AND HELL.

Who Goes There? A Cultural History of Heaven and Hell by Rebecca Price Janney
August 31, 2010 by Lisa Crum

Postmodern Americans place a high value on emotion and sentiment. Therefore, they take what society gives them, mix it with the memory of their own faith traditions, then syncretize it with whatever teaching offers the most satisfaction or the best feelings.

Perhaps it was because I sat in on a workshop led by Rebecca Price Janney and could hardly wait to dive into the book but I believe the opening pages would have grabbed me anyway.

In Who Goes There?: A Cultural History of Heaven and Hell, Janney has created a perfect blend of history and theology. With just 215 pages, her intent is not to go deep into either. The brevity provides a enjoyable and very intriguing look at how our cultural has indeed impacted the way we live out our theology.

I was surprised to discover that even some of my own perspectives have been molded more by culture than by the church.

I highly recommend this not as an in-depth study of history or theology but because of the way Janney brings the two together. Those who enjoy American history and are on a continual search for truth will appreciate Janney’s ability to compress vast amounts of research into a thought-provoking read.

Just like her workshop, she leaves you with the sense that she has more information than pages (or time) allow.

Visit RebeccaPriceJanney.com for additional titles by Janney.

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Aug 10
2010

Oh, I do love summer vacation! I am freshly mellowed out from a week at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. This was our seventh year there, and it never disappoints. Not only is it relaxing just to have someone else cook and clean for a week, but we have the joy of being renewed morning and evening by inspiring speakers. We also go kayaking and beach combing. One never knows what treasures will be uncovered.

This year it wasn’t a beautiful shell or a bit of sea glass, but two things I saw and heard. As I watched our small son digging in the sand, I asked why he kept dipping his little shovel into the water. He was, he said, trying to catch the ocean. Imagine trying to catch the ocean at all, let alone in a plastic shovel! I suspect that God has an entire ocean full of life for each of us, and that is how we tend to go about taking hold of it.

I also heard a neat story about something that happened at HCBC in 1962–naturally I would be attracted to a historical account! When a massive Atlantic hurricane battered the island, people had to take shelter away from their vulnerable waterfront homes (at LBI almost everything is on the water). They ended up taking refuge at the fire station, and at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference. How wonderful that Christians could provide safety for those frightened people!

How wonderful of our God to speak to me during the mellow days of summer! May He do so for you as well, wherever you find rest and peace.

The Janneys at Harvey Cedars

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Jul 27
2010

It’s been really hot in eastern Pennsylvania for this entire month. At the beginning of summer I bought various outdoor games for my son to play but alas, it’s been too hot to enjoy them. I am so grateful for an air conditioned home and regularly thank God for the privilege. It’s made me reflect on a couple of things, like how when I was a kid, most middle class people didn’t have air conditioned homes, just fans or, at best, window unit ACs. I can remember the upstairs being too hot at night to sleep there and instead going to the living room couch for whatever respite was available. Our neighbor’s mom used to stand over a hot gas stove cooking vats of tomato sauce in her house dress—I can still picture her glistening face, but for her, it wasn’t out of the ordinary. That’s just how life was. I can’t imagine what Independence Hall must have been like for the delegates to the Continental Congress that steamy summer of 1776, with all those men in their formal clothes baking inside that room, while they tried to keep their tempers in check!
My local paper asked people whether they would prefer the extreme temperatures of the mid-to-upper 90s (with the humidity that makes my hair take on an otherworldly appearance), or the freezing cold single digits of winter’s depths. Just out of curiosity, what would you choose? It’s a tough choice for me, but I think with AC, I’d take the heat, without, the cold—I can always pile on an extra blanket!



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Jul 14
2010

Are you blessed, as I am, to live near a historic site? I’d love to know.

I’ve been driving my son back and forth to day camp this week, and my route takes me through Valley Forge National Park where General Washington wintered his troops in 1777 during the Revolutionary War. They weathered a hard and bitter season in which hungry soldiers left footprints of blood in the snow because so many lacked adequate footwear. I love traveling through that peaceful place, seeing the soldier’s spare cabins, surveying the rolling acres where General von Steuben drilled them in the spring. My son likes to imagine that he’s back in those days scouting the area, watching out for Red Coats.

We are, of course, also close to center city Philadelphia, home of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center, and the Betsey Ross House, as well as many colonial homesteads scattered around the area.

How about you? Do you live near any historic places? Please tell me about them!

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Jul 7
2010

When I was a little girl, my parents instilled a love of history in me. They devoured biographies and taught me all about the brave men and women who founded and explored the United States, and we often visited historic sites. I thrilled to such tales. To this day, one of my favorite places to visit is Williamsburg, Virginia.

We’ve been reading stories to our 6 year-old son about various great Americans, including Daniel Boone. David has become enamored of all things related to the great frontiersman after also receiving some DVDs of the old TV series with Fess Parker. On the Fourth of July, my husband and I took him to the Daniel Boone Homestead in nearby Berks County, Pennsylvania. We thought that going to Boone’s birthplace would be a great way to celebrate Independence Day and help David learn more about him.

While we were there, David “enlisted” in the Continental Army, and we enjoyed watching a reenactor lead him through various drills. David even banged the drum, slowly!

A newspaper photographer captured the scene beautifully, and the Reading Eagle printed it on Monday. I hope you enjoy the photo and that David continues to love delving into our nation’s past.

http://readingeagle.com/articlephotos.aspx?id=232621

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Jun 28
2010

What’s your favorite Fourth of July memory? In my mind, I go back to my childhood in Phillipsburg, New Jersey where I watched my brother load his BangSite cannon, then pouf! Off it went, creating the most intriguing smell in its wake! I loved the caps and smoky “snakes” that writhed on the patio, and the community fireworks after sunset. My favorite pyrotechnics, however, were sparklers. I felt unrestrained joy as I waved those little firesticks in the dark, careful to release them before they could burn my fingers.

I knew that the day’s celebrations were all about the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Fortunately, I grew up with parents who taught my brother and me the meaning of national holidays. In GREAT EVENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY, I tell the story of this pivotal moment in our nation’s past. What stirs me most is the hopefulness that swelled like the hot July day in the hearts of those patriots. I wrote:

“In the sweltering heat of the Pennsylvania State House–now Independence Hall–sunlight suddenly pierced the tall windows. A new nation had just been born, upholding its beginnings as a city upon a hill for the entire world to see. Breaking the reverent silence, John Hancock brought laughter to the delegates when he wryly commented, ‘Gentlemen, the price on my head has just been doubled!’ After which, Sam Adams stood and declared, ‘We have this day restored the Sovereign, to Whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and . . . from the rising to the setting sun, may His Kingdom come.’”

I think his particular “benediction” continues to suit us more than 200 years later.

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Jun 16
2010

In my new book, Then Comes Marriage? A Cultural History of the American Family, I examine how, in recent times, TV shows and movies often portray fathers as clueless and ignorant. Commercials are some of the worst offenders—when was the last time you saw men, in general, treated in an intelligent, respectful way? Usually, the guy is floundering in some project until a know-it-all woman comes along. In one ad that I saw for a TV series, a husband reluctantly tells his wife that something she is doing is bothering him. She answers, “Really? I had no idea you felt that way.” Just as he begins to relax, she starts yelling, “Now that we’ve had that flashback to the 1950s, get out of my face!” You can bet that he does.
One friend tells me that when her children were small, one of their favorite fictional series was The Berenstain Bears because they portrayed good morals and promoted kindness. However, she and her husband finally stopped reading the books because of the way in which they made Papa Bear “a stupid goofball who would have been in deep trouble time after time if mama bear (or sometimes even the children!) hadn’t been there to save the day.”
I thought this was a pretty much contemporary problem, but then I just read a story about the first Father’s Day, back in 1910. The holiday began when Sonora Smart Dodd saw how fathers were marginalized by the media. She especially took offense at the way in which popular culture often showed them being lazy, drunk, or corrupt. She wanted there to be a balance to Mother’s Day, a time set aside to honor fathers for the truly important role they play in family life. And do they ever! Fathers are more involved than ever in bringing up their children; for example, when I was a baby, it was inconceivable that my dad would change my diaper or feed me. My father-in-law also considered that a woman’s arena. (I know there are many exceptions to this, but I think most American men fell into this category.) One dear friend, Debra Fretz Garrafa, tells of the way in which her husband stepped to the plate when their children were babies: “I traveled the weekends and my husband traveled the weekdays so he was a “Mom” in every sense 3 days a week and I did the other 4.”
Another friend, Louise Mordhorst-Takacs, summed up for me a picture of a noteworthy father: “I have a wonderful dad, he’s 86 and buys flowers for me and my sisters every Mother’s Day, Easter and every other holiday plus when he comes for dinner her brings them for us. He has always been a great role model for me and my daughters.” Mr. Mordhorst, you rock!
Happy Father’s Day, all you great men out there!

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Jun 11
2010

I recently asked my Face Book friends if they shared a birthday or anniversary with any notable Americans. One friend said that her birthday was also Ronald Reagan and Elvis’s. Another’s fell on Marilyn Monroe’s birthday. One friend said that hers was also the day that President Reagan was shot. I’ll never forget one of my niece’s birthdays because that was the date (August 6) that the first atomic bomb was dropped, on Hiroshima, helping to bring an end to World War II.

When I was a child, it annoyed me that I shared a birthday with TV star Dan Blocker. He was the older, heavyset, brother on “Bonanaza.” I wished it was Michael Landon instead! He was a good guy, though, and today I don’t mind at all, although I’m happier to share my special day with the likes of Emily Dickinson and newscastor Chet Huntley.

Does your birthday, anniversary, or other significant date coincide with that of a special person or event from American history? If so, what does that mean to you? I would love to hear from you!



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Jun 2
2010

Today my dad turns 88, and I don’t think he’d mind my telling the world about it. He sometimes says he’s amazed that he’s lived this long. You see, there was no way of being sure he’d make it past 22 on his birthday sixty-six years ago this week.  Back then he wasn’t just Joe, he was “GI Joe.”

A young man from New Jersey, my dad was waiting with his Army unit in England for the orders to invade France along with thousands of other soldiers.

In my book GREAT EVENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY, I wrote about that turning point in World War II, which happened on June 6, 1944. General Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a field order in which he encouraged the troops to rely on God for strength to get through what would be a bloody encounter with the Germans. He told them, “Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely. . . (Therefore) beseech the blessings of Almighty God on this great and noble undertaking.”

President Franklin Roosevelt also led the nation in a time of intercession saying, “Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true: give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings.”

Around midnight on June 6, the Allied air attack began, followed by an amphibious landing in waters so rough that the Germans didn’t think the assault would happen on that day. Over 130,000 men landed–the biggest single day invasion ever–and nearly 5,000 Americans died.

Today I’d like to pay tribute to all the men who stormed the beaches at Normandy. And I’d like to say “Happy Birthday, Dad. I’m mighty thankful that you made it back.”

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May 18
2010

Okay, this is really embarrassing. I’m about to admit something I dislike about myself to anyone who will listen. I am an “expert” with historical dates–ask me just about any well known date in American history, and I’ll tell it to you. I know them about as well as I know my own birthday and anniversary, as well as the birthdays of my loved ones.

However–gulp–I cannot keep my own dates straight from day to day! I routinely show up for appointments only to be told, “Uh, Rebecca, you’re due here tomorrow,” or “Rebecca, you’re an hour late,” or “Rebecca, that was yesterday. Where were you?”

A few weeks ago, we showed up for church on a day in which the two services were to be combined. Afterwards there was to be a covered dish luncheon, and there I stood with my huge salad wondering where everyone was. It turned out we were an hour off, and a week away–I got the date wrong, again.

Today I was scheduled to do a radio show that I very much wanted to be part of. Then I discovered, again at the last minute, that my son had no school today, and there was no one to babysit while I was on the air. Ugh. I cancelled, unwilling to take a risk that my son, who hates it while I’m on the phone and who is even now pretending to type while I do this, would be able to remain quiet while I answered profound questions. (“Mama! I gotta pee!”)

Okay, so what’s wrong with me anyway? I hope no one suggests that it’s a function of aging! I’d rather be thought a quirky genius!



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