🍱Lil Treasures #164: Billy Joel and A Meal Prep Girl
We're doing some Q+As and getting excited for Lent!
It’s been awhile around these parts since we’ve had a proper Swipe Up with questions and answers, and MAAAAAAAYBE I’m coming out of a Seasonal Affective Disorder spell, so let’s ride that wave, shall we? It’s been raining since forever here in Birmingham, and while I usually love the rain, my body is calling out for that vitamin D. It will have to accept it in the form of the high-potency capsules my doctor gave me and also this Q+A.
Q: What’s a good argument for reading BIPOC theologians? I want more tools in my arsenal!
A: I don’t think you need an argument for diversifying your theology library! It’s always a good idea to gather perspectives from different sources, worldviews, etc. I need to come up with a proper name for them, but Old White Dusty Dutch Theologians aren’t necessarily bad (although some of them definitely were!). They are, however, a small part of the rich tapestry of theological interpretation. If you’re dipping your toe in, I suggest the following as excellent jumping off points to learn from brilliant BIPOC scholars:
Toward Decentering the New Testament by Mitzi J. Smith & Yung Suk Kim
God is a Black Woman by Dr. Christena Cleveland
The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone
First Nations Version (New Testament) by Terry M. Wildman
The Womanist Midrash by Dr. Wilda Gafney
Reading the Bible from the Margins by Miguel A. De La Torre
True to Our Native Land by Cain Hope Felder
African-American Readings of Paul by Lisa M. Bowens
Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman1
Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys by Richard Twiss
You can find all of these books on Amazon on my Lil Swipes Resources page! This is just a snippet of the excellent work out there that can expand your theological taste buds beyond White bread. If you have a suggestion for this asker, please throw it in the comments!
Q: Thoughts on being at a church that you disagree with on some of its theology (social justice)?
A: Okay, so I think this is really particular to your experience and what is important to you, BUT this can go a couple of different ways, because there is NO church/body of believers/home group/whatever that we will align with perfectly. It’s a statistical impossibility, and that’s okay. My suggestion is to pray about what is important to you, as a believer, as someone who will, in some way, align with this group. If this social justice issue is a primary concern for you, you can either: start the initiative to bring awareness and attention to it at your church, or if that’s not an option, it might be time to re-evaluate whether or not this is the place you want to invest in. If other people go to church with you, that might be something you need to take into consideration as well. But I think you have to decide for yourself where this particular issue rates for you, and through prayer, make the decision based on that.
Q: My niece just asked: how can middle school girls kindly unfriend a friend they’re over?
A: Since it’s hard to know exactly why your niece wants to unfriend this friend, I’m going to speak in more general terms. As in all of life, relationships aren’t all necessarily for the long haul2, and that is okay, but super confusing when you’ve got cake batter brain. But I love that your niece asked about how to do this “kindly.” I think that says a lot about her and the kind of person she is, so good job helping to grow that one. Because the nature of middle school friendships is incredibly fluid, it’s normally pretty natural to experience some ebb and flow within them. I don’t think hard-ghosting this friend is the right answer, but I also know middle schoolers sometimes eat drama for breakfast3, so I don’t think a public declaration of a friendship ending is needed either. And of course, there is also the possibility that your niece and this friend will find their way back to each other: maybe this friend matures or circumstances change later on that better fosters the environment of friendship. This is not the advice I would give to adults, but because of the fluidity of middle school relationships, it's pretty easy to drift apart with kindness. Maybe that means your niece needs to widen her extracurriculars, or expand her circle of friends. Unless this is a BEST FRIEND BREAKUP situation, it’s pretty easy for middle schoolers, since they are at the mercy of their grown-ups for any and all transportation, to be simply unavailable. There doesn’t have to be a big conversation (unless the friend wants to hash it out, then I think kind honesty is the best policy). Middle school is tough, and navigating friendships is even harder. Offer an abundance of grace to everyone, including yourself, niece!
Q: If I love the Lumberjane shirt, what other Chessy Vibe Options can you recommend?
A: First of all, yes, the Lumberjane shirt4 is still perfection, I am wearing it into the ground, I have five colors, it’s my whole personality now. I also really like these from Old Navy,5 although for the Lumberjane I needed to size down (maybe two sizes?! I don't know my body is good but confusing) and with Old Navy I always need to size up. If anyone knows any other good oversized button-down boyfriend shirt retailers, the Chessy Gang is out here and ready for your recs in the comments.
Q: Is the Bible a historical record?
A: Parts of the Bible? Yes! All of it? Definitely not. And I don’t think that’s the purpose of the Bible at all. The Bible not being a historical document in any way diminishes its value in any way, but understanding this is not the purpose of scripture frees us up to not be so hung up on “proving” the historical accuracy, and allows us find more meaning and understanding and communion with God. That’s a short answer, but Substack tells me I’m running out of space and I spent too much time talking about Chessy vibes. Another day of keeping the main thing the main thing.
This week’s delightful treasures:
📚 If you’re on the ‘gram, maybe you’ve seen me post about the frustrating cancellation happening in my community this month. Author Derrick Barnes was scheduled to speak at our elementary school (as well as some other schools in the area), but due to what appears to be political manuevering from like, three parents, his appearance was cancelled. I have a LOT of feelings about this, mostly irritation6 towards our district administration, but in the spirit of not letting feelings be the end of it, I was made aware of a couple of ways we can support Derrick to recoup his financial losses, as well as organizations in the area that are working to get his books in the hands of kids. First is a GoFundMe, started by some local parents that will pay Derrick the amount he was to be paid by our particular school, with anything above that going to an organization called I See Me, which I was unfamiliar with until this week. There is also a book drive happening with @antiracistlibrary20 on Instagram (click this post to learn more). Either one of these options would be a great way to support not only Derrick, but the kids in our school system who need these books (read: all of them!). Alabama, I fear we’ve got an intense road ahead of us if we don’t want to have a Ron DeSantis 2.0 situation, so buckle up.
🎧 New stuff from The Bible Binge this week includes a brand new episode of I Kid You Not, my series with Meredith Anne Miller where we learn how the heck to talk to our kids and ourselves about Bible stories. This month, we’re unpacking Genesis 3! We also released a super fun (and free!) resource called Be Your Own Bible Scholar, which walks through the ways you can practically study scripture on your own.
🐪 For your daily dose of Brendan Fraser goodness, please see this vide of him dressed as Rick O’Connell at a screening of The Mummy.
🗑️ If one of your goals for 2023 is to consolidate and get more organized, my pal Tara at House Peace is hosting virtual monthly classes on everything from organizing closets to digital decluttering. Tara brings a holistic perspective to her methods and is always a good time. You can sign up for the whole series or just one class at this link!
🙏I have been on the edge of my seat waiting for Shannon Evans’ new book Feminist Prayers for my Daughter to release and it is finally available for pre-order! If you have daughters or have ever been a daughter yourself, make sure you pre-order it here!
➕Folks, we have officially entered February, which means that Lent is upon us! Lots to talk about, so let’s dig in.
Ash Wednesday kicks off the Lenten season in just a couple of weeks on February 22nd. This year I am so excited to be going through Every Broken Thing (an oldie but a goodie) with each of you in The Swipe Up+!
If you’re in The Swipe Up+, you’ll receive emails each of the 40 days of Lent with different writings, prayers and practices. There will also be an audio version available, as well as the option to get a digital download of the study for those of you who prefer a hard copy (we’ll send out a free code to everyone behind the paywall one week before Lent begins). We’ve never done this study within a community before and I’m so thrilled to be giving it a whirl. I hope you can come be a part! We’ll start sending out all the pre-game resources here in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned.
If you want to do the study but prefer to do it on your own time outside of the Swipe Up+ community or even with a small group, you can! You can buy a digital copy of Every Broken Thing and all its’ components at my online store. Lil Swipes automatically get 20% off with code LILSWIPES.
And lastly, let me gently remind each one of you that if you would like to be a part of the study but don’t have the means, we have a place for you! This space is filled with internet saints who kindly donate so that others can join, so please don’t let finances be a barrier to you experiencing Lent within this community. Email Hannah and I at hello@erinhmoon.com and we’ll get you added!
Some excellent Tweets from the week:
Okay, we talked about a lot this week. Can’t wait to hear all of YOUR thoughts and treasures in the comments, pals!
A good life skill is just to read everything by Howard Thurman.
Honestly, I get it.
It’s an affiliate link.
It’s another affiliate link.
Rage. It’s rage.
I had a full essay about my life filled with all the things, but I deleted my comment because it just felt so overwhelming to have it all out there. All I really have is just a prayer request for peace and wisdom for me and my community because there is not a single person I know whose life is easy breezy beautiful right now, myself included. There’s a lot of amazing stuff, but a lot of heavy stuff too. ❤️
Good morning lovelies. I rarely comment bc life and my runaway brain, but just wanted to say I love being part of this community, love doing Erin’s studies, particularly this one she mentions, and I am looking forward to doing it with you all.
Also prayers for me and my fam would be super appreciated- having my deviated septum fixed Monday and will be out for two weeks. I’m autistic, I have an autistic 8 year old, an ND 4 year old and an incredible husband...it’s gonna be a ride to be sure as we all manage all the things amidst a surgery recovery.