Good News Tucson Magazine May 2011

MAY 2011

www.GoodNewsTucson.com

GoodNewsTucsonmagazineA Good News Media LLC Publication

2 GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com

“Are You In?”

www.4tucson.com

GOOD NEWS TUCSON • www.GoodNewsTucson.com 3

GoodNewsTucsonPUBLISHED BY:

GOOD NEWS MEDIA LLC.5151 E Broadway, Suite 1600

Tucson, Arizona 85711United States

Telephone (520) 745-4403 Fax (520) 512-5401

EDITORPRISCILLA RACKE

[email protected]

ART DIRECTORBARNEY HILTON MURRAY

[email protected]

ADMINISTRATIONMARK HARRIS

[email protected]

DISTRIBUTION & LOCATIONS:Good News Tucson Magazine (GNT) is distributed in printed format to over 100 locations throughout Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Catalina, and surrounding areas. The easiest way to find GNT is to visit any Fry’s, Albertson’s grocery store, 7-Eleven and CVS throughout the area. For a complete list of our locations by zip code visit http://www.goodnewstucson.c o m / d i s t r i b u t i o n . h t m l .

Good News Tucson is a free, monthly Christian publication of Good News Media, LLC. Your comments are welcome - write to: GNT at 5151 E Broadway, Suite 1600 Tucson, Arizona 85711. We reserve the right to reject and/or edit any material submitted for publication, for any reason. Submitting commentary, letters or email automatically authorizes your permission to print your comments in future issues without your express permission. The views expressed by writers in Good News Tucson are not necessarily the views of the staff, management or ownership of GNT/Good News Media LLC, or its advertisers. Advertisements and event listings are not considered an endorsement of Good News Tucson. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, without prior permission. © 2011 GoodNewsTucson.

Please consider joining other Tucsonans in praying each day for a specific area of our city.

Sundays – Families*Reconciliation of Families*Happy, Healthy Marriages*Honor of Parents*Covenant–keeping Men*Virtuous Women*Godly Children

Mondays - Government*God–honoring & wise President & Cabinet*God-honoring & wise Governor, Senators and Representatives*God-honoring & wise Mayor and Council and County Supervisors*Fair Justice System and Law Enforcement*Strong, Victorious Military

Tuesdays - Schools *Righteous Superintendents*Faith–filled School Boards*Bible-believing Principals*Knowledgeable & Godly Teachers*Self-controlled Students*School Choice Opportunities

Wednesdays - Business *Trustworthy Employees*Innovative Chambers of Commerce*Good Jobs and Good Work Ethic*Capital and Cooperative Bureaucracy for Businesses*Business Owners and Managers of Integrity

Thursdays – Media/Arts *Television Programing Which Glorifies God*Christ-honoring Movies*Uplifting Radio Stations*Truth–Filled Newspapers and Periodicals*Porn–free Internet

Fridays - Church True Cooperation and Fellowship Between ChurchesPrayerful, Caring Sharing Disciple Making LifestyleIncreased Love for God, Fellow believers and the non-believersSpirit-filled and Christ-like ChristiansTrue Knowledge and Understanding of God and His Word

Saturdays - Borders *A Godly Wall of Protection*Righteousness and Justice*No Terrorism, Illegal or Covert Activity*Blessing Over the Infrastructure*Cooperation between Governments*Water

7 Day Prayer Guide


BRAGGING ABOUT MOMBy Mark Harris

In the United States, Mother’s Day was nationally recognized in 1914. Anna Jarvis, creator of

Mothers Day International Association and the one who trademarked the phrase “Mother’s Day”, was an Appalachian home maker. She organized the day to raise awareness of poor health conditions within her community believing mothers were the best advocates for family heath. Julia Ward Howe, a Boston poet and the writer of “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” organized the day to rally mothers for peace. In Europe, Mothering Sunday was created from the Christian tradition of honoring mothers.

Mothers have provided the foundation of stability for families and in some situations becoming the matriarch of the family. Traditionally mothers were multi-taskers; cooking, cleaning, educating, disciplining and even caring for their husbands who were often out of the home providing for the family. Today, motherhood has various meanings. They are the single mothers, soldier moms and career moms. They continue to make many sacrifices for the family demonstrating unconditional love. They have a remarkable ability to manage the busy household schedule, raise children and keep the home an inviting place to live. Although some dads have assumed that role as a stay at home dad, moms still hold a foundational place in the home.

Although not all mothers are perfect, they continue to give from their heart. It may come across as nagging or overbearing but their intentions are well meant. In the commandments God calls us to honor our father and mother. Jesus demonstrated the honor and concern of His mother while dying on the cross, He said to Mary, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then

he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’” (Jn 19:26-27). He was making sure her needs would be met by someone who would love and honor her after His death.

Mothers Day is really about your mother. As children are growing they often imitate the behavior modeled by the father of the home. His love, affection and protection offered to his wife, provides a model for children to follow. How the mother is treated in the home often serves to set boundaries of acceptable behavior toward all women. As someone once said, “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” As children grow older and move out of the house mothers still need our love, affection and honor.

Although we officially celebrate Mother’s Day only one day each year, we should honor our mothers everyday of the year. This year, instead of buying her the usual card and flowers do something special that she might not expect.

Love her unconditionally. Even if you had a • strained relationship, honor her for being your mother. What could you do this year that she would really enjoy?Give her your time. Spending time with your • mother is a great way to demonstrate your love for her. Make her a special meal and wash the dishes afterward. Take her to church. Bring your toolbox over and do some home repairs.Embrace her. Say the magic words, “I Love You” • and give her a big hug as you say it. Listen to her. Let her tell you about her day • without interrupting her. Truly listen not just wait


for your turn to talk.Provide for her. Provide for her without making a big deal about it. • Remember her. If she is deceased do something in her honor. • Pray for her. Keep her in your prayers. Ask how you can pray for her. When possible pray for her in • person.

Mothers, you are truly one of God’s greatest gifts. Thank you for all you do.

“The older I’ve gotten, the more I look at my mom with awe. She proved to my brother, sister and I that she was “super mom” when she went back to school to get a second degree. Somehow, between helping us with our homework, making homemade meals, and keeping up with a majority of the house work, she also managed to get all straight A’s! She has always encouraged me to do my best and go for my dreams. My mom has been a godly example of what a Christian wife and mom should look like. She’s one of my best friends and I love her so much.” Stacy Spencer

“I always felt that there was no greater joy on earth than to be a wife and mother… until I became a grandmother. It is such a blessing to be able to participate in the nurturing of your children’s children!” Charlotte E. Beecher - Institute for Better Education


We Remember Mamaby Priscilla Racke

The scent of baked goods, comfort food, or flowers, a sweet bit of a lullaby, a saying oft repeated, a color, a smile, an expression. For each of us there is something in particular that reminds us of Mama, whether she be living or gone. For Katrin Hanson it was the way in which her mother, a Norwegian immigrant, would divide Papa’s pay among the butcher, grocer, baker, dentist, and any other creditor the family owed. After folding the coins into little paper packages, Mama would smile and declare in her heavy accent, “It is goot. We do not haff to go to the bank.”

This mama, who so willingly sacrificed for her children, who worked year in and out to meet their needs and heighten their dreams, is a beautiful reminder of all that is priceless about our own mothers. They scrimp and save, toil and travail, worry and wonder, dream for and defend us endlessly. They teach us, train us, balance us, tend us, and devote their lives to us from the time of our birth.

Moms do this without any applause, awards, promotions, or salary. They have one day of the year dedicated to them, on which they are recognized for their sacrifice and contribution. But what about the other 364?

The mama I’ve been privileged to have in my life is a lot like Katrin’s: industrious, sturdy, wise. You would come to know Katrin’s mama well through the film I Remember Mama, starring Irene Dunne, should you have the opportunity to view it. It is a simply excellent picture: heart-warming, -tugging, and -touching with a measure of good humor and pain thrown in, like real life. The movie is about a noble woman like the one described in Proverbs, a character who matches in every respect the emulation-worthy

mom I mentioned in the article “Working Mothers and Mr. Moms,” also in this issue.

It is a story I wish were known in every American home, and one that I truly desire to be more often repeated everywhere in the world.

I am not a mother yet, but should I have the unique privilege of being one someday, I would like to have it said of me by my children that I was something like Mama Hanson from I Remember Mama. Her children rose up and called her blessed.


This chili has been firing up pot lucks and get-togethers for decades. It is the oft-requested, always enjoyed recipe Mom has been using since Day One. The best thing about it? You won’t believe how easy it is until you try it.1 pound of lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken2 tablespoons of chili powder1 can of diced chilies2 cans of any chili or pinto beans with jalapeno peppers2 cans of Rotel hot diced tomatoes or any diced tomato

1. Brown the meat with the chili powder in a pan.2. Put the browned meat into a crock pot and pour all of the rest of the ingredients in. Don’t drain any of the beans or tomatoes. 3. Start the crock pot on high until the pot is good and hot, then switch down to low for a few hours. If you get this going before you leave the house in the morning you can come home to dinner already made!

The greatest thing about this recipe is that it is fully customizable. Add, subtract, substitute, and embellish to your heart’s content. For instance, Jimmy Dean sausage adds an excellent flavor, and can be used instead of meat. For a milder pot, scale down the jalapenos to cooler peppers or chilies.

This chili tastes fantastic with cornbread. If you use a box or bag mix, the bread can be just as easy as the chili. Enjoy!!!

Mom’s Easy Authentic Chili


Of Working Mothers and Mr. Momsby Priscilla Racke

The times, they really are a-changin’. When my grandparents were raising children, five of them,

the culture was one in which this was the norm: men providing for their families and women orchestrating their development. My grandfather served in a men-only military for a nation that was still fueled primarily by the economic toil and higher education of men. Lots of moms had jobs in that day, but few had careers, as they do in our age. Working mothers were made of necessity and more rarely of choice in that time, but in our own age women are expected to earn degrees and embark on careers rather than find a man to marry and keep house.

In 2010 women, for the first time in American history, composed more than half of the nation’s workforce. Not only that, but most of their managers and supervisors were also women. And in case you’re wondering how that statistic is affected by the professional fields that have traditionally been associated almost exclusively with men – medicine, law, accounting, banking – women have begun to take them over as well. In fact, research shows that women now dominate 13 of the 15 professions expected to grow the most and fastest over the next decade and a half. Trends indicate that women now often earn more pay for doing the same jobs as men, especially when they are young, single, and childless, and that women are on the verge of becoming the primary breadwinners in most American homes, if not the sole provider, as in 34% of cases.

This is a staggering development. The reasons for it are, of course, many, varied, and debatable, but regardless of its origin, this shift has begun to change the face of the American home, family, and ideal. The stay-at-home dad concept was a laugh in 1983 when Michael Keaton made a film about the American father’s domestic ineptitude. It’s not a joke anymore,

however. Some at-home dad groups estimate their number in the United States at somewhere around 1.5 million and growing. This Great Recession that we’re in, which has by many accounts hit men harder than women, has contributed to the blurring of the line between the responsibilities of mom and dad.

The steep divorce rate has also forced the issue of the working mom. In 2009 approximately 11.5 million mothers were raising their children alone (not all because of divorce, but most). 79.5%, or a little over 9 million, were employed. That’s a seventh of the entire workforce. In Arizona, where the marriage rate is at 5.4 per 1,000 residents, the divorce rate is a competitive 3.5 per 1,000. Both rates have dropped by half since 1990. With half as many people marrying, there are half as many opportunities for divorce.

If we take into account the demographic of American children who spend much of their time in daycare because both parents (or the single parent) work(s), we can further add to our evidence that moms on the whole have less to do with mothering presently than they did in the past. According to the Department of Labor, workers providing care for children in 2008 “accounted for almost 78 percent of wage and salary jobs.” A few years ago there was room in Arizona’s child care system (excluding public schools) for 204,669 children, with 8,020 workers providing that care (a ratio of 25 to 1). There are almost 500,000 working mothers in our state.

Clearly, American women on the whole are no longer finding their identity in the homebound roles of wife and mother as they once did. The world today is one in which women have every incentive to find their identities in the workplace instead. Women are now being educated at greater rates than men, and, thanks


to legislation favoring females and minorities, often find the deck stacked in their favor. The cultural influence of feminism has combined with the widespread availability of birth control and abortion to allow women to become mothers on their own terms and later in life. And as the social expectation that a mother stay home and care for her children full-time has all but withered away entirely, the American mother is subsequently capable of turning her attention to any number of pursuits outside of the home.

This is not to say that American women are no longer interested in devoting themselves wholly to their children and husbands. Certainly many would rather not work outside the home, yet feel themselves compelled to do so by financial necessity and a host of other reasons. With costs rising and salaries lagging behind, fathers often don’t earn enough to meet the expenses of the typical family, and single mothers have no choice in the matter. In addition, American families are used to a standard of living that is not easily met by the average single income. Debt rates have skyrocketed, Americans are constantly buying houses they can’t afford, and multiple cars, gas prices, grocery costs, cell phone plans, cable TV, internet packages, gadgets, eating out, bills, clothes, activities, travel, and entertainment add up. Many families feel that they would not make it on the salary of a husband alone. And so, with moms doing better employment-wise anyhow, American children increasingly find themselves in the company of either dads or other children in daycares.

These are the value neutral facts of the topic, and they may be interpreted in a variety of ways. The interpretations proposed by radical feminist and fundamentalist groups are dichotomous. This rise of

women over men in the workplace is either celebrated as a long-awaited victory or taken as an affront to the idea that women should always be about the business of cooking, cleaning, and childbearing.

Should women be expected to confine themselves to the business of the home? Should moms pursue careers in the workplace? Should she bring home the bacon while Dad cares for the kids? These are not questions I will endeavor to answer, for I think that they are questions that are symptomatic of a deeper unaddressed question: what is the calling of the wife

and mother?

The two dichotomous views that I mentioned a moment ago are also stereotypical ones. Regardless of their accuracy, however, they have been shaped by the pervasive impression that women who stay at home to cook, clean, and raise children are somehow either being oppressed by men or are otherwise wasting their own potential to achieve something really important. Hollywood A-lister Natalie Portman recently came under heavy fire for remarking in an acceptance

speech that she was about to embark on the most important role of her life through the upcoming birth of her first child. Feminists found it demeaning that a woman in so prominent a social position would publically suggest that being a mother is more important than becoming President of the United States.

Such individuals promote the premise that what makes a woman valuable and important is not her awesome ability to bear and nurture children, but her right to not bear them and raise them at all. This concept has its roots in the ideal that women somehow are and ought to be better at being men than men are.


This is not a Biblical concept. We know from the Creation story in Genesis that God made the human race in His image, but created them differently – male and female – to fill differing roles. Genesis 2:15 says that God created Adam to work, to tend and care for the Garden of Eden and rule over everything within it. When no suitable helper or companion was found among the creatures there, the Lord created Eve as a completion of Adam. He formed her from the rib of Adam’s side, to be a co-ruler of the Garden beside Adam. After the Fall, however, the consequences of sin were manifested in Woman’s condition in this way:

I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you,

said the Lord God in Genesis 3:16 (NLT).

This statement offends our modern sensibilities. It seems sexist, or at least legalistic, to imply that women should be in such a submissive position. Yet it is part of the human condition. It is a reality of our Fallen state. On the other hand this statement and other passages like it in the Bible have truly been used for centuries by men to stifle, control, mistreat, and abuse women. Willful misinterpretations and ignorance have resulted in the unfair subjugation of female talent, capability, and genius. But such injustices do not excuse us for abolishing these passages from our study today.

The fact is that God established and ordained men to lead their families. From the creation in Genesis all the way through the New Testament, there is a wealth of evidence that God holds men accountable for the spiritual direction and development of their families. As Ephesians 5:22-24 teaches,

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their

husbands in everything. (NIV)

This is a slap in the face to modern women. But what is often overlooked is that the following verses call men to an even harder task, to love their wives as Christ loved the church. What a standard to be held to, what an awesome responsibility. Further, there is nothing in any of these verses to suggest that women must be weak, mindless, unaccomplished, boring, stupid, idle, or unskilled. To the contrary, Proverbs 31 paints us the picture of a wise wife and mother, a noble lady of strong character, virtue, decision-making, and responsibility. She is an industrious worker, one who labors from early morning to late at night for the good of her household. She is business savvy, shrewd, compassionate, and innovative. Her husband soars from the firm foundation she has created for him. She is strong, dignified and assured. “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” She is what each of us women should aspire to be.

The question we must pose then, after the juxtaposition of these scriptures with the statistics above, is more like this one: does the structure of our families today reflect the teaching of the scriptures? If the man was created to work, if the consequences of his sin have destined him to toil endlessly for bread, if he was hardwired to want and need to provide for his family – what happens to him, his family, and our society if he ceases to do any of those things? If the woman was created to help her man, if she was designed to bear and nurture children, if she was called to submit – what happens to her, her family, and our society is she ceases to do any of those things? What if she instead rules over her husband just as she has always desired to?

I don’t have the answers, but I feel that it does not bode well. It distresses me that women are possibly abandoning the home to put men at a loss, whether knowingly or unknowingly. I find it troubling that children in large proportion do not have the undivided attention of their mothers. I fear that it may begin to affect us like the hairline cracks in foundations of old buildings affect their future stability.


How

This adorable Easter Bunny is both economical and fun to make. With a spoonful of imagination and a

few dabs of paint, you can transform any cereal or cracker box into a delightful Easter companion.

What you need:

An empty cereal or cracker box, plus the plastic bag that held the contents of the box

A pair of scissors

Some paint and a brush

A permanent marker

Start by cutting out the front or back panel of the box. Empty the plastic of all crumbs and then pull the

seams of the bag apart so that the plastic lays flat. Draw the figure of a bunny on the cardboard, making

As comic bookish as this may all sound, however, there is no conniving villain here. There are no women fiendishly planning a massive takeover of the world at the expense of their husbands and children; there are simply hardworking ladies who are doing what they think they have to do in a world where anything goes. There aren’t any wimpy fathers throwing hissy fits or turning into empty beings because they aren’t filling traditional roles; there are loving husbands and fathers who are trying to do the best for their families in the face of a bewildering and disorienting situation. I commend each and accuse none, but I do hope that we as a city will begin to consider these issues in a scriptural light.

And I hope that this reconsideration, when it is accomplished, will put more emphasis on the health of the family. Families are, after all, the building blocks of which our societies are composed.

Sources:

The Center for American Progress, “Our Working Nation: How Working Women Are Reshaping America’s Families and Economy and What It Means for Policymakers,” http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/03/our_working_nation.html

Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, “Marriage Rates by State,” http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvss/marriage_rates_90_95_99-09.pdfand “Divorce Rates by State,” http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvss/divorce_rates_90_95_99-09.pdf

Daddyshome, Inc.: The National At-Home Dad Network, “Number of At-Home Dads,”http://www.daddyshome.org/number_of_at_home_dads.php

Hanna Rosin, “Are Women Leaving Men Behind?” http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/11/rosin.ted.women.men/index.html?iref=obinsite

National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, “2011 Child Care in the State of: Arizona,” http://www.naccrra.org/publications/naccrra-publications/publications/SFS-Arizona.pdf

United States Senate, Majority Staff at the Joint Economic Committee, “Women and the Economy 2010: 25 Years of Progress But Challenges Remain,” http://jec.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=8be22cb0-8ed0-4a1a-841b-aa91dc55fa81

United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Career Guide to Industries, 2010-11 Edition,” http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs032.htm

Good News Tucson Magazine May 2011

Documents

Transcript of Good News Tucson Magazine May 2011