My just-shy-of-ten-years-old son, at 6:40 a.m on a Saturday, arising at that hour of his own volition, was working through this Latin sentence at the dining room table:
“Volo cum discipulis meis Pascha facere.”
“Pascha” he knows to mean “Easter.”
“Facere” he knows to mean “to do or to make.”
That didn’t make sense, so he asked for help.
The music sounds rich at Mt. Olive today,
Every member can be seen.
A kingdom of Norwegians, and it looks like she’s the queen.
The usher’s pointing folks to the front pew inside.
(He) Couldn’t fill it in, Heaven knows he tried.
Do let them in, do let them see.
We’ve got donuts, hotdish, and coffee.
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know:
I love jell-o.
Let it go, let it go!
Can’t hold it back anymore.
Let it go, let it go!
I love the Book of Con-cord.
I don’t care what they’re going to say.
I’m a Luth-er-an.
Ole and Lena never bothered me anyway.
It’s funny how forgiveness
Makes earthly things seem small.
And the guilt that once controlled me, can’t get to me at all.
It’s time to learn what God can do.
This is most certain-ly true--
Learn right from wrong, What does this mean?
I’m free!
Let it go, let it go.
I’m not one with the wind and sea.
Let it go, let it go.
We’ll not have heresy!
Here I stand, life-long Lutheran.
Let the world rage on…
God’s power flurries through the air, it’s all around.
My soul, it once was utterly lost, but now is found.
And one thought crystallized like an icy blast:
I’m never going back, my sin is in the past!
Let it go, let it go!
I’ll rise on the last dawn.
Let it go, let it go.
That guilty girl is gone.
Here I stand, God’s child I say!
Let Satan rage on:
The lutefisk never bothered me anyway.
This parody was written a few years ago in preparation for a talent show advertised in my church bulletin, which I later learned was actually for the Christian Day School children, so I never performed it! I recently rediscovered it while cleaning out my files. You're welcome for getting the song stuck in your head!
Mrs. Marie K. MacPherson, vice president of Into Your Hands LLC, lives in Mankato, Minnesota, with her husband Ryan and their children, whom she homeschools. She is a certified Classical Lutheran Educator (Consortium for Classical Lutheran Educators), author of Meditations on the Vocation of Motherhood (2018), and editor of Mothering Many: Sanity-Saving Strategies from Moms of Four or More (2016).
On Wednesday, April 17th, 2019, The Free Press of Mankato, MN published an editoral written by Marie MacPherson regarding the violations of constitutional rights involved in the vaccination debates.
On April 7, 2019 Marie MacPherson joined BLC’s campus for a presentation sponsored by the student senate to share some insights regarding misleading “pop-Christian” sentiments. The advertising for the event was as follows:
Join “Mrs. Mac” on her spiritual soapbox in a round robin conversation. An educator, author, speaker, and mother of six (on earth), Marie will guide discussion on real-life implementation of your faith in a discussion format. Topics include following your heart, handling depression, and sharing God’s love with those around you. Come one, come all, and bring your questions!
The provocative statements below served as the outline for the presentation. Each member of the audience picked up a slip of paper with one of the statements, and read it aloud to the group, attempting a Scriptural response. Marie moderated the discussion, adding her own thoughts and perspective as a summary, which are listed below. If you are interested in having Marie present to your group, contact her here.
Certainly, horrible and tragic things happen to many women in the Old Testament. But, reading the context, it is clear that these accounts are historical, not condoned by God. Even so, some ceremonial or civil laws of the Old Testament, viewed through modern lenses, may seem oppressive to some women. However, Christians of today are bound only by God’s moral laws (The Ten Commandments), which apply equally to men and women.
Rose Adle and Rebekah Curtis write in Ladylike, “The OT is a place where bad things happen to bad and good people, and lots of them women. Ancient Near East ladies find themselves in bad situations: they are taken advantage of, they have their honor stolen and their features ruined, they deal with the physical and social taxes on their complicated biology, nobody remembers their names, and they still have to pick up after everybody. Sounds pretty familiar with today’s society, except that the families of rape victims aren’t allowed to kill rapists anymore. There is nothing new under the sun. Let’s not forget that the Old Testament also speaks tenderly and sensitively of many women, and it even attributes to God the characteristics of a nursing mother. God shows that the female experience is thoroughly human.”
On April 2, 2019 Marie MacPherson join BLC's Beyond Bethany club to share some insights from her nearly 15 years as a wife and mother. The advertising for the event was as follows:
In this round robin conversation, join “Mrs. Mac” on her birth, baby, and bridal soapbox. An educator, author, speaker, and mother of six (on earth), Marie will guide a discussion on how to “have it all” (myth!), with topics including pregnancy, breastfeeding, parenting, marriage, and grace (fact!) … always grace! Informative for both guys and gals, bring your questions!
The (sometimes controversial) statements below served as the outline for the presentation. Each member of the audience picked up a slip of paper with one of the statements, and read it aloud to the group, grappling to answer whether the statement is a myth or a reality. Marie moderated the discussion, adding her own thoughts and perspective as a summary, which are listed below. These summaries do not always directly state a true or false answer, but give additional points to hopefully broaden the audience's horizons.
Some are suggesting a “compromise” between those who vaccinate and those who don’t: Deny healthcare to the unvaccinated.
This suggestion varies regarding the players (doctors, ER workers, nurses, clinics, hospitals, individual employees) and the details (deny all healthcare in any form, deny only treatment for vaccine-preventable diseases, or some combination), but in essence, it would force the unvaccinated to “suffer the consequences” for their choices. Besides the glowing discrimination in this suggestion, there are four main reasons to oppose it: 1) It is unethical. 2) It is impossible to implement consistently. 3) It is based on fear and hate; not truth or tolerance. 4) It is won’t actually solve any problem.