August 5, 2020 by Kimia

Dear Diary….killing people and taking their stuff

While Mikael cast healing on Ezekiel, and Ezekiel sawed off the horns of the minotaur, the rest of us searched the fallen guards and the bunk-room where they died.

The guard room, past the spiked beam trap, kind of zig-zagged north and south. Bunks lined the walls, with boxes of personal effects, but nothing really interesting.

The guards were all dressed in black under their chainmail, and I’m assuming this is the color of the Water Temple.

There was a “main” door leading out to the east, but Raven discovered that a torch on the south wall activated a secret door. We packed into the cramped space and prepared to sally out. Continue reading →

August 2, 2020 by Kimia

Is “Girl Power” Hurting Us?

I think “Girl Power” is a lie.

What does it even mean, anyway? Strictly speaking, it should be the power of skills and abilities that girls hold in common…the unique ability of feminine traits.

But that’s not what people mean by #GirlPower, is it? I once read a blog post (that I have since lost – humanity is fortunate) talking about “strong women” or “strong female characters” or something like that.

Every single example was fictional (as in, made up). Every single example had either magic powers (like Storm from the X-Men) or battle prowess (like Xena the Warrior Princess).

What about Cinderella – whose strength of character enabled her to endure a devastating home situation and whose purity, humility, and attitude led her to marrying the prince?

What about Corrie ten Boom and her sister, who hid Jews from the Nazis, were arrested and hauled away to a concentration camp in their fifties, and still held Bible studies in their barracks? As for Corrie, she even forgave one of her former guards – through the transforming power of Jesus, of course.

Can’t a girl be “strong” without imitating exactly what the boys are doing?

World: You Go, Girl!

Image credit: Wikipedia

With hashtags like #girlboss, #beastforshe, and #believeher, you’d think girls would be encouraged and strong.

Disney is re-doing all their old titles to make them less sexist. You can buy hundreds of dollars worth of plaques that say #GirlBoss or #BossBabe or “Messy bun and getting stuff done” or “I drink the coffee and then I do the things” (can you guess where I work?).

Women do marches with funny pink hats on. A woman makes an allegation of sexual misconduct, and anyone who questions her facts is a sexist hater.

You’d think that, with all this support flooding the women of our culture, women and girls would be confident, strong, able…and happy.

But they’re not happy. They’re intensely unhappy. Whenever I hear a news item about Hillary Clinton, one of the most powerful women in the country (if not the world) I think about how absolutely miserable she seems.

Where’s the joy?

Also World: Girl, Wash Your Face!

Scroll the bestsellers on Amazon, or browse the books on sale by the registers of Hobby Lobby, and you’ll start picking up a vibe…

Me, Myself, and Lies: A Thought Closet Makeover — “Words are powerful. Especially the words women speak to themselves.” Get rid of the negative things you think about yourself, and replace them with positive things from God’s word!
Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely — “GOD WANTS US TO LIVE LOVED WHEN WE FEEL LEFT OUT, LONELY, AND LESS THAN. [sic] … Lysa TerKeurst digs deep into God’s Word to help you explore the roots of rejection, the way other relationships get tainted because of a past rejection, and the truth about what it looks like to live loved.”
Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be — A lifestyle blogger and CEO of her own media company encourages girls to “live with passion and hustle.”
Also Girl, Stop Apologizing — the same author tells women to not “define themselves in light of other people” but rather learn “how to own who they are and what they want”.
Lies Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free – “Many women live under a cloud of personal guilt and condemnation,” says this author. “Many are in bondage to their past. Others are gripped by fear of rejection and a longing for approval. Still others are emotional prisoners.”
“Nancy offers the most effective weapon to counter and overcome Satan’s deceptions: God’s truth!”
Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free – “Pure is a powerful wake-up call about our society’s subjugation of women.”

Books* don’t get to these prominent places unless someone buys them. Lots of someones.

People (women) want to read these books, are reading them, and feel a need for them. Why?

Our culture is telling women and girls to achieve, to be their best selves, to chase their dreams, to roar. And yet, lots of women are obviously feeling beaten down, surrounded, inadequate, injured, and tarnished.

Why?

Bible: “She is Clothed with Dignity and Strength”

This is my mom. She is one powerful lady.

In total, we had ten little kids in our house (not all at once, but over time). ~~Toddlers are like all the annoying parts of humanity condensed into~~ ~~Toddlers challenge the best of us~~ ~~I hate tod~~

Little kids are a handful. Yet this powerful, patient woman poured all her kindness and caring into every single one of them.

Sure, there’s a #momlife hash-tag…but do we as a culture glorify the “getting up at two in the morning” part of parenting? The “pitched battle over a pile of peas” part? The “he spent three months of his life in the time-out chair” part?

Women aren’t strong in the same way men are.

And that’s okay. In fact, it’s awesome.

One of the worst things the transgender movement does (apart from enabling stalkers) is teach kids to be uncomfortable in their own bodies.

It’s okay to love the body you were born in. It’s OKAY to like being a girl!

We should be telling girls, “Yes, you feel uncomfortable. It’s called puberty. Everyone feels it, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Instead, we’re telling them, “Hey, maybe you’re really a boy in a girl’s body! We need to permanently alter your body chemistry and ruin your potential to bear children! Be ashamed of your boobs and your long hair because obviously the universe got you wrong!

“Oh, and by the way, Wash Your Face!”

Girls can be strong. Just not necessarily the same “strong” as boys. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s healthy.

Bible: Your Daughters Will Be Pillars in the House of Our God

Image credit: Unsplash

Women are built to be nurturing, empathetic, bonding, supportive.

I’ve already talked about what men should be – and all the reasons I’m a patriarchist – but just for now let’s focus on the girls.

Women are sustainers. They’re the glue that holds families (and hence society) together…and keeps those wild, impulsive, world-changing men from killing themselves by accident.

I am a lioness. I do not lead the pride — I only hunt the food for my cubs. There’s a reason the man is the king.

But how can we expect them to do their jobs when we’re not doing ours? God calls us to quiet submission…which inspires our menfolk in ways we could never understand.

Without the pillars, the building collapses. We can’t all be the flashy frieze on the roof-line. We can’t all be the foundation and floor. And if a pillar tried to be the floor…well, “falling down on the job” is a cheap shot.

Modern culture wants women to shamelessly pursue their own desires…at everyone else’s expense.

But that’s not how women were designed. That’s not how any of us were designed.

Don’t just blame the girls for this…as a civilization (as a species?) we are convinced that the only good is whatever “I” want, and that whoever denies me what I want is wrong.

We tell women to distance themselves from relationships that hold them back, to get rid of “negative” thoughts, and to lay aside their shame. That if they had an extra layer of confidence, they could protect their self-esteem from the unrealistic expectations of the world and be happy.

But while the culture and the media are screaming, “I am woman, hear me roar!” all the women and girls are curled up in the corner having a panic attack.

Solution: Solve for X

How do we fix this? What can we do?

If your car is broken, you call a mechanic. If your sink or your A/C is broken, you call a plumber or a technician.

When your human is broken…open up the Manual!

The very fact that these books are selling so well is a hint that we feel a need. We feel broken. What we’re trying isn’t working.

We want to choose who we are…to define for ourselves what it means to be a “woman.” Trust me, we’ve been doing this since about Chapter 3…and it doesn’t work. Never has, never will. So let’s try something else – something that’s not “girl power.”

You can read thematic Bible studies if you want (as some of the books mentioned above bill themselves), but I prefer to cut out the middle men and the artificial preservatives. Just give me the straight-up, organic, gluten-free Bible!

Do it. Now.

Stop reading this meandering, totally anecdote-based, highly unscientific blog post and go read your Bible! You’ll be surprised how direct God is about who He wants you to be.

Like so many things, change starts with a hard look at yourself. Feel ashamed of your past? Trapped by your relationships? Impotent to pursue your dreams?

Start right here.By building a wooden cross By asking Jesus for help.

Once we have the foundation, we can set up the pillars in their proper place. The solution isn’t always to punch through things…sometimes we need to reevaluate our strategy completely!

Only once we know what it truly means to be a woman will we know how to “achieve our full potential.” And that comes from asking the Guy who invented women!

Let me end with a quote from prolific Christian writer C.S. Lewis:

“Don’t you remember on earth — there were things too hot to touch with your finger but you could drink them all right? Shame is like that. If you will accept it – if you will drink the cup to the bottom – you will find it very nourishing: but try to do anything else with it and it scalds.” (The Great Divorce)

* Retweet is not endorsement – but to make sure we’re clear: I have not read any of the six books in this list, so cannot recommend or give a judgement on any of them. They are merely to illustrate the point that a lot of the “inspirational” best-sellers are aimed at helping women feel better about themselves…which prompts the question, “What’s tearing them down?”

I can, however, highly recommend Lewis’ Great Divorce. All these years later, it still drives to the heart of human nature. Read it now (after your Bible, of course)!

Kimia Wood lives somewhere in the American Midwest with her family…including the brother people mistake for her boyfriend.

She’s bracing for the collapse of society by knitting, baking, writing, hobby-farming, and reading as much Twitter as possible before the web goes dark.

Subscribe to the mailing list for periodic updates on her latest reading and writing adventures! You’ll also get a FREE e-copy of her post-apocalyptic adventure novella Soldier.

July 29, 2020 by Kimia

Dear Diary….shadows of evil

Alert: May contain spoilers for the adventure: “The Temple of Elemental Evil”

Ezekiel and Lydia pooled their money together and bought the Phylactery of Freedom from Paralysis back from the Chapel of St. Cuthbert. Ezekiel says if he’s going to risk going up to undead to hit them, he’d better have some protection…and I think that’s smart thinking.

I paid Heiron his salary for the month. I was kind of worried that maybe there was an extra month in there we owed him for, but he said he didn’t remember counting that. Continue reading →

July 26, 2020 by Kimia

More Lessons From Dogs

Dogs aren’t just cute, devoted, warm, and fuzzy. They teach us important things about God…and ourselves. We may just be dogs in Jesus’ pack…but He’s the best Alpha ever!

All Dogs Are Just Dogs

All dogs sniff butts. They all will eat “goat fudge” if they get the chance, and will check out their own vomit to see if there’s anything that deserves a second chance.

You can’t blame them…they’re just dogs.

You collies and labs, don’t pretend you’re better than the hound.

It’s fun to think how much better you are than the other dogs…how well you heel, and sit, and stay…how well you listen to Alpha.

But in the end, you’re just a dog. Don’t pretend your mess smells any better than theirs…Alpha still puts it in a scoop bag and throws it away. That’s what it’s like to be a dog.

The good news is, Alpha also plays with you and scratches your ears and gives you dinner just like all His other dogs.

So be happy…and don’t act like you’re more Alpha’s dog than another of the Pack. Continue reading →

July 22, 2020 by Kimia

Dear Diary….the drama of Ezekiel (and Lydia)

Lydia and Yeti worked together to sell our magic items. She brought me a huge pile of gold and gems for everybody’s shares, then disappeared, saying something about a “question” for Master Bern.

She did admit to selling the wand of paralyzation and the stockpile of reagents we found in the Temple – she says the pile she gave me is the shares for the rest of us – but she wanted enough liquid cash for some reagents and parchments Master Bern has.

Anyway, she’s off, and so are Ezekiel (to the chapel) and Raven (to the tower…there’s a monk master there).

Mikael is teaching Corby and Cuddles some new tricks, but he won’t let us see until they really have them down.

Which works out, because Heiron asked me to show him how I do “that thing with my sword,” so he can “be even more help for you, Master” (which I’ve never been called before – it’s new and different) and Yeti and I are showing him drills until we find the right “thing” he’s thinking of. We’re also doing push-ups and laps and practicing forms because Father always said that built character (although it didn’t work on Reginald for some reason). If Heiron gets good enough, he could use my spare sword I’ve been storing at the inn, now that I have my magic one. We’ll see what the others think. Continue reading →

July 19, 2020 by Kimia

3 Reasons To Avoid the Cloud

Everybody wants you to embrace the “cloud” — streaming your movies and music, storing your files on a cloud service, buying software and video games that “dial in” to a server in order to work, and more.

The idea is that all or part of the digital product you use is stored on the company’s servers. You have to connect to their computers to use the program, play the game, watch the movie, or whatever.

Maybe you love the connectedness, and how you can get whatever you want on any device. Or can you?

Here are three reasons I think this trend is dangerous, and why I’m working to avoid the “cloud”:

1) Internet is Never 100%

3 Reasons to Avoid the Cloud — Kimia Wood

Internet connectivity; Image credit: BusinessInsider.com

I live in the heart of the US of A, and the internet is not constant. Sometimes it goes down for no reason.

Our internet provider just sent us a new modem, so it’s been better for the last few days. But it still gets hung up on my YouTube videos sometimes.

My parents thought about buying a house where, because of the terrain and the location of providers, it was a dead zone for internet.

And that’s not even talking about the rest of the world.

Continue reading →

July 15, 2020 by Kimia

Dear Diary….the mysterious and the truly creepy

Mikael reminded us that he has stone-shape prepared, and we remembered that I have the Ring of Warmth, and so with those two things we returned to the warded door in the far corner. I wasn’t sure if the ring would help that much, but it was worth a try.

Wearing the ring, Mikael smeared his clay on the walls around the doorframe and said his casting words.

The stone walls seemed to melt away, and the door fell forward with a bang – Mikael jumped out of the way just in time, his fingers coated in frost…but after hugging himself and blowing on them for a minute, we decided they weren’t going to fall off. Continue reading →

July 12, 2020 by Kimia

3 Things Christians Say That Aren’t Biblical

“Of how many things can you be so certain that are not true?” — Major Hochstetter, Hogan’s Heroes

Christianity is super simple. God made it so that even little kids can understand it:

“Jesus (God’s Son) died for evil-doers – of whom I am the worst! But now He is alive again to make us like Him!”

See? Super simple. But I guess it’s like a classic novel, where you can know the basics by reading the Wikipedia article…but you’ll be missing a lot of details unless you actually read the real book.

Sometimes people in Christianity (even super smart people, like pastors) say things…but those things aren’t actually in the Bible.

Sometimes, those ideas are actually pretty silly…but everyone believes them because they’re “self-evident truths” of Christianity.

However, if we actually looked at the Bible, we’d see how silly and wrong they are.

Here are three of my favorite “things people say without realizing they’re not true.”

“Not even the Son knows – except now He does.”

3 Things Christians Say That Aren't Biblical — Kimia Wood

Image from Pixabay

Maybe this is just me, but I thought we were supposed to be suspicious when people read a verse of the Bible and then said, “But that’s not true today.”

If you’ve never heard this one, it goes like this:

We’re reading Matthew 24, about the “end of the age,” and Jesus says:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (v. 36)

But then the pastor or whoever looks up at the audience and says, “But of course he knows now. Jesus gave up some of His divine knowledge and power while He was on earth, but now that He’s back in heaven He has all that…so He knows when He’s coming back.”

Maybe it’s just me…but I would not be arguing with Jesus, here.

Take a look at the broader context of this verse:

“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (vv. 34-36)

He just said that His words are more dependable than the earth itself. Why would you question Him and think that this statement is no longer true?

Here’s why: they don’t want Jesus to be subservient to the Father.

Some people are uncomfortable with God the Son not being perfectly equal to God the Father in absolutely everything…but that is the point, isn’t it? A son is supposed to be under his father. And God has revealed Themself to us as Father and Son (and Holy Spirit) for a reason.

Several passages of Scripture make it clear that the Father sent Jesus to die for our sins. In the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus was wrestling with the task ahead of Him, He very deliberately put Himself under the authority of the Father and committed Himself to do the Father’s will (the Holy Spirit also made very sure to let us know what Jesus said in that moment…if you recall, the disciples were a little sleepy to be taking notes).

Also check out 1 Corinthians 15:

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.

When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. (vv. 22-28)

Isn’t it beautiful? God is both over everything, and subject to someone greater (that is, Himself). Sort of like He’s “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26)!

You weren’t expecting all that from a verse on the end times, were you?!

“God the Father looked away from/abandoned Jesus on the cross.”

Where does it say that?!

We could check out Matthew 27:46 —

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Or Mark 15:34 —

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

(say, it’s repeated twice…I wonder if it’s important?) but I’d like us to look at Psalm 22:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them. (vv. 1-4)

I…I’m choking up.

It’s like He’s saying, “I’m not distant! I’m right here, kids…right here!”

The crowd of gawkers didn’t understand, either — they thought he was calling the prophet Elijah to come help Him or something.

But no…I believe He was giving us the title of the psalm…to remind that this was planned from the time of David (who wrote the psalm) and beyond. To declare to the whole world this was His plan, and that He had not forsaken us!

Maybe you think this is all well and good, but the Father still totally turned His back on Jesus somehow on the cross.

Well, I say that is all well and good, but I’ve never heard any verse to back it up except the one above.

Apparently (I’ve only ever seen it quoted in something else) the Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “God died forsaken by God so that His people might claim God as their God and never be forsaken”.

That’s a cute, symmetrical catch-phrase that looks good on a plaque…but is it really based in the Bible?! It’s not what I see God actually telling us.

And when I ask why the Father turned His back on Jesus, they say:

“God can’t look at sin.”

Image from Unsplash

And I want to know where that’s written.

Actually, God totally sees our wickedness (and it makes Him mad).

There is a verse where this is literally written…in Habakkuk 1:13—

You [speaking of God] who are of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong,
why do you idly look at traitors
and remain silent when the wicked swallows up
the man more righteous than he?

Allow me to widen the lens so we can examine the broader context of this verse:

Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.

You who are of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong,
why do you idly look at traitors
and remain silent when the wicked swallows up
the man more righteous than he?

You make mankind like the fish of the sea,
like crawling things that have no ruler. (vv. 12-14)

The verses right before this are talking about the great army God is bringing to punish the Hebrews. Habakkuk complains that Israel is full of wickedness, and God seems to be sitting on His couch doing nothing while the bad guys commit injustice against men more righteous than themselves.

But this is not true: God is bringing the Chaldeans/Babylonians up to thrash Israel like a nation-sized spanking. So a “Kimia-translation” of the above passage might be:

I trust you, God. You won’t totally kill us (after all, You’re our firm Rock) — You’ve earmarked these Babylonians to be our punishment.

The Hebrews say You’re “too pure to look at evil”, and that that’s why you “don’t see” their back-stabbing and oppression…but they’re wrong.

You’re so big and mighty, men are like fish to You – and you will break us like stupid bugs.

(The following verses talk about how the wicked man is so stupid that when he gets a good catch with his fishing net, he turns around and worships the net. Gives you a new perspective on God’s great patience with us, huh?)

Speaking of patience, that’s why God hasn’t nuked His people yet. Because He’s patient.

Habakkuk (and several other prophets and passages) warns them: don’t think you’ve gotten away with robbing widows and orphans and cheating on your tithes because God doesn’t see you! No, He was giving you a chance to repent and give it up! But the bill comes due…always.

So the next time someone tells you that “God can’t look at sin,” remind them – that’s what the evil men say…to get out of obeying Him.

You might also recall that Jesus deliberately proved He couldn’t be made unclean by physical and spiritual uncleanliness (read Mark). So it doesn’t make sense to imagine God covering His eyes because the sight of our wickedness might taint Him.

TL;DR: Read Your Bible!

So the next time someone tells you something like “well duh this is true,” look in your Bible. If you don’t see it there – ask questions!

If they say, “Here, and here, and here” – look…and you’ll learn something!

But if they can’t back it up with the Bible…maybe the Holy Spirit is teaching them something! (Let Him do that, by the way…He doesn’t need you to do His job :} )

Any other things people take for granted that aren’t in God’s Word?

Do you have Scripture to support any of the things I’ve dismissed?! I have a comments section…

Featured image from ThisFragileTent

Kimia was raised by an aspiring author, so spinning words and weaving plots is in her blood.

She currently lives somewhere in the American Midwest with her family – including the brother people mistake for her boyfriend. She’s bracing for the collapse of society by knitting, baking, writing, hobby-farming, and reading as much Twitter as possible before the web goes dark.

Subscribe to the mailing list for periodic updates on her latest reading and writing adventures! You’ll also get a FREE e-copy of her post-apocalyptic adventure novella Soldier!

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.

July 8, 2020 by Kimia

Dear Diary….I am useful for various reasons

Alert: May contain spoilers for the adventure “The Temple of Elemental Evil”

We returned to the hallway with all the dead bodies (still haven’t had time to put them somewhere out of the way!) and took the passage that slanted north-east. It connects up with the corridor that runs past the harpy room and the hexagonal throne room and those other places we explored on our very first trip here…as predicted by my map.

[brief sketch]

Ezekiel, however, was convinced that there must be something more here — that the angle of the junction was wrong or something, so there must be a secret door somewhere. Continue reading →

July 1, 2020 by Kimia

Dear Diary….food and floorplans