Miriam: a lesson in our motives behind our criticisms

This month’s study is on Miriam. Moses’ older sister, we first meet her as a young girl who watches over her baby brother and leads Pharaoh’s daughter to Jochebed. As an adult, she is known as a prophetess, and an able leader. She leads the women in a song and dance of worship after the parting of the Red Sea and their escape from Pharaoh’s army. However, she is also a jealous person who openly criticized Moses’ leadership. What is her story? What were her motives to criticize Moses? Were they honorable or selfish in nature? What does her story tell us about God’s forgiveness?

Her name means bitterness. Miriam’s character is one of fortitude and wisdom, a leader of God’s people at a critical moment, she led a celebration. The first mention of dancing in Scripture is linked to Miriam and her leading the women in celebration. Dancing was a form of worship and linked to joy and happiness. Miriam danced and sang a song of celebration, “Sing to the Lord, for his is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea” (Exodus 15:21) and even spoke God’s words to his people. She played an instrumental role in the deliverance of God’s people. However, she thought she and Aaron, their brother, deserved an equal share in his authority, an equal share in how the people are led. She spoke against Moses’ authority. She was stuck with leprosy for her pride and insubordination. She was banned to the outskirts of the camp for seven days for her sin. She was even denied entry to the Promise Land.

Why was Miriam punished with leprosy and banishment for seven days? Her motives behind her criticisms. Criticisms and confrontations can be well-placed. Jesus tells us in Luke 17:3, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” However, sometimes our criticisms and confrontations are not for correction, but for our own selfish motives. What was Miriam’s motive? Jealousy. She was jealousy of her baby brother who had an honored position with the Lord and was chosen as leader of the Israelites. Moses also married Zipporah, a Cushite woman, which meant that Miriam was not the most important or influential woman in Moses’ life. Before we criticize, we need to consider our motives. Are we criticizing to correct or to wound? Sometimes criticism, under the guise of constructive criticism, hides a destructive jealousy. The motives behind our criticisms are often more important to deal with than the criticism itself. Jesus speaks to our motives in Matthew 7:3-5 and calls us to be discerning in our criticisms, to be focused on correcting rather negative.

Miriam’s story is just another example of God’s forgiveness. He is willing to forgive sin. He wants to forgive us of our sins. When we repent, God is faithful and will forgive us. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our ins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Even though Miriam was punished for her sin, she is not remembered for her sin. Micah 6:4 mentions her as being sent by God along with Moses and Aaron to lead the people from Egypt. Many people may think they haven’t been forgiven because they still suffer from sin’s results. However, repentance from sin does not keep the consequences from happening. Just as Miriam was forgiven for her sin, she still faced the consequences of her actions. Just as David was forgiven for his sin, he had to suffer the consequences (2 Samuel 12:13-14). We are forgiven, but we must face the earthly consequences of our actions.

In conclusion, Miriam’s story is one of greatness and one of sin. She is remembered as a prophetess and a leader. She danced in celebration and worship. She is also a lesson in examining our motives when we criticize or confront others. Are we doing so to correct or to wound? Are we concerned or are we jealous? Her story is also an example of God’s promise to forgive when we repent our sins. The Bible is filled with examples of God’s promise to forgive. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our consequences from us.”

Researching my Native heritage for Native American Heritage Day

Today is Native American Heritage Day. Most Americans will boast about a family story which involves an ancestor who was Native American. Most of those stories are proved to be false as they dig into their family history. Growing up I heard a story from both sides of my family tree. My maternal side had a story of a Canadian Indian princess from my grandfather’s paternal side. That story has been proven false through records research as well as genetic testing. However, the story on my paternal side has proven to be correct. My research has revealed that Emilie Marie (nee Bottineau) LaPointe, my 4^th great grandmother, was Cree Indian, born around 1797/1799 around Red River, Manitoba, Canada. Further research has revealed that her mother, Marie Techomegood, my 5^th great grandmother, was Assiniboine Indian born about 1780 around Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I decided to look deeper into the Cree and Assiniboine tribes.

Cree Indians are one of the largest groups of the First Nations in North America. Majority of Cree in Canada live in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The name “Cree” is derived from the Algonkian language, Kiristino, which the Ojibwa used for tribes around Hudson Bay. Historically, the Cree were hunter-gatherers who were strongly associated with the fur trade in North America. Lodges were the basic unit consisting of 8-12 people. Bands were a group of lodges who moved and hunted together. Bands usually had strong ties with neighboring bands through intermarriage and would gather for hunts and socialization. Their number would expand rapidly in the 17^th and 18^th centuries as they profited from the fur trade (Encyclopedia Britannica). Given the traditional acceptance of the Cree for intermarriages, many bands are ultimately of mixed heritages. Those with mixed heritages in Canada is known as Metis, which is French for mixed ancestry. Canada’s Indian and Northern Affairs broadly define Metis as those with First Nations and European ancestry. Today, “early 21st-century population estimates indicated some 90,000 individuals of Cree descent” (Encyclopedia Britannica). It’s exciting to know that I am one of those 90,000 individuals.

Assiniboine Indians are also known as “stone Sioux” or Hohe Nakota who inhabited the Northern Great Plains of North America. They grew into one of the largest and powerful with a horse and warrior culture. At their height, their territory ranged from North Saskatchewan River to the Missouri River. Well known throughout the late 18^th and early 19^th century, Assiniboine tribes were members of the Iron Confederacy along with the Cree. From 1692 to the late 19^th century, the Iron Confederacy were important intermediaries in the Great Plains trading networks with the Hudson Bay Company. The most commonly furs traded were beaver and bison. In return, they would obtain guns, ammo, metal items such as tomahawks and pots, wool items, such as blankets, coasts and leggings, glass beads and other goods. “Their new wealth as traders, successful horsemen, respected warriors and as providers of fresh meat to the numerous trading posts reached a peak from the 1780s to the early 1800s” (Getty, 2020). This period covers the roughly the lifetime of Marie Techomegood and the childhood of Emilie Marie. Sadly, as with many Native tribes, the Assiniboine suffered greatly through wars and epidemics like smallpox.

The traditional lifestyles and culture of the Cree and Assiniboine were semi-nomadic as they would follow and hunt the bison during the warmer months and settled for the winter months. Women had primary responsibilities within the bands. They gathered and cultivated plants for food and medicines. They cared for the young and the elderly. They made the clothing and instruments. They processed and cured the meat and skins, reserving the meat for winter.  Every part of the animals would be used. Hides, tendons, and horns were used for clothing, bedding, tools, and cords. If they could use it, they would. The men were excellent horsemen who hunted, traded, and battled on horseback using bows and arrows. Girls and women were encouraged to learn to ride. Hunt and fight. While the main fighting was left up to the boys and men, women and girls were often called upon for defense of the home as well as offense in battle. Men and women took part in storytelling, artwork, music, and medicine. The Cree and Assiniboine believed that the Sun god and Thunder god were the most important manifestations of the Great Spirit. Bands would participate in an annual Sun Dance.

It was a lot of fun researching my great grandmothers. My 4^th great grandmother, Emilie, died around 1850. Her mother, Marie Techomegood, died around 1815. While reading about the historical events of their lifetimes, I would imagine what it was like for them to experience their events, to hear about them. What were their thoughts? Feelings? Reactions? While I may never know the answers, I feel a connection to them and our shared heritage. My thought is that Techomegood was my 5^th great grandmother’s given name and she possibly took the name, Marie, when she married. I’ve also discovered that Techomegood possibly translates to “Clear Sky Woman.” After discovering Emilie Marie and Marie Techomegood’s native heritage, it was fun and eye-opening researching their possible tribes, its history and culture. I look forward to furthering my research and reading more about the Cree and Assiniboine, to learn more about the people and their stories.

 

References

 

Encyclopedia Britannica. www.britannica.com/topic/Cree. Retrieved November 25, 2020.

 

Getty, Ian A.L. (August 4, 2020) Assiniboine. The Canadian Encyclopedia www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/assiniboine. Retrieved November 25, 2020. 

Lost Stars: a Star Wars story that every fan should read

A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away…. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray is a youth novel as a part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens series. Eight years after the fall of the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire reigns over the known galaxy and any resistance is easily silenced. Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree grew up on the Outer Rim planet of Jelucan. Thane, from a aristocratic family, and Ciena, a rural villager. The two were worlds apart and yet fate made them unlikely friends. They would find ways to be together, to practice flying and to study as their dream was to attend the Imperial Academy. The two become inseparable, knowing each other so well that they often finish each other’s thoughts. But when Thane sours on the dream after he sees firsthand the horrifying tactics the Empire uses to maintain order; the two friends are on the opposite sides of the war. Thane puts them at odds when he joins the Rebellion and Ciena now must decide between her duty, her oath and her loyalty to the Empire and the man she has loved since childhood.

Lost Stars was given to me by my cousin when he learned that I had read Ms. Gray’s other Star Wars titles. I enjoyed Lost Stars much more than I did her other titles. Lost Stars takes the reader on a journey through the original trilogy through the eyes of the nameless characters fighting in the background. It was exciting, thrilling and opened the Star Wars trilogy in ways that I’ll see the movies in a new light. I loved the characters of Thane and Ciena. Ms. Gray has written two characters who felt like real people with strengths, flaws, love, conflicts, and moral dilemmas. They could easily be us as we face difficult decisions and must decide between conflicting loyalties. The blooming romance between the two was equally beautiful and while Ms. Gray kept much to the imagination, she wrote the romance better than most romance novels I’ve read. I am slowly working my way through the numerous Star Wars novels; Lost Stars is by far my favorites so far. It is a story I will revisit again. If you are a fan of Star Wars, I highly recommend Lost Stars!

 

Lost Stars is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

Alexander Hamilton: the biography that started it all

 Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow has been on the reading lists of many since Lin-Manuel Miranda read the book and was inspired to write his award-winning musical, Hamilton (2015). I have long been a fan of history and musicals. When I finally was able to see the musical in July, I knew I had to read the biography. Alexander Hamilton came from nothing as the illegitimate self-taught orphan from the Caribbean. He overcame the abandonment of his father, the death of his mother and a devastating hurricane to start a new life in the Americas. He would arrive at the height of the Revolutionary War and he would quickly join in the fight for freedom. Alexander Hamilton was a controversial figure in his day as well as today. Chernow details how the political and economic power of America today is the handiwork of Hamilton and his unrelenting fight to champion ideas that we take for granted today.

As a line in the musical says, “His enemies destroyed his rep America forgot him.” He had very public feuds with the Titans of the day: Jefferson, Adams, Madison, and Monroe. He had the first sex scandal of American history as his affair with Maria Reynolds became public. I learned about Alexander Hamilton in college as my history professor used his story of the American dream. To rise above your origins to become a success. While he was largely be forgotten in our history lessons, now thanks to Ron Chernow and Lin-Manuel Miranda, he will no longer be forgotten. It is a large book at 700+ pages and it took me several months to read. However, it will be so worth it. Alexander Hamilton is worthy to be among the heroes of our country’s history as much as Washington, Jefferson and others are celebrated. While he was a hero, he was also deeply flawed. While we can celebrate his contributions, we should also understand the man and human he was. His mistakes, his failures to stand are all lessons to us as much as his successes. I highly recommend Alexander Hamilton. 

 “You've seen the show, you've sung the songs, now read the full story of America's most misunderstood founding father.”

 

Alexander Hamilton is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook

Over the Moon: an adventure story with life lessons

Over the Moon is an American Chinese computer animated film, directed by Gary Keane, co-directed John Kahrs. Screenplay by the late Audrey Wells along with Alice Wu and Jennifer Yee McDevitt. Starring the voice talents of Cathy Ang, Phillippa Soo, Ken Jeong, John Cho, Margaret Cho and Sandra Oh. First shown at the Montclair Film Festival on October 17, 2020, it was released on Netflix and select theaters on October 23, 2020. My eight-year-old daughter is a big fan of Phillippa Soo and was excited to watch Over the Moon. When we watched it together, I found it was a fun adventure story with a touching life lesson.

The film opens with a young girl named Fei Fei (voiced by Cathy Ang) with her parents. Her mother tells her the legend of Chang’e, the moon goddess, who took a potion for immortality and ascending to the moon without her lover, Houyi. Now she sits on the moon, waiting for her love. As her family prepares for the annual Moon Festival, Fei Fei’s mother falls ill and passes away. Four years later, Fei Fei and her father prepare for the annual Moon festival, but something is different this year. Mrs. Zhong (voiced by Sandra Oh) and her eight-year-old son, Chin (voiced by Robert G. Chiu) arrives, and everything seems to fall apart. Fei Fei decides to build a rocket to the moon to prove the moon goddess’s existence. Once she arrives of the moon, Chang’e (voiced by Phillippa Soo) is not who Fei Fei was expecting. She tells Fei Fei that she was supposed to deliver a gift for Chang'e and offers proof of her existence as a prize. Fei Fei finds herself in a race against time to find the gift, get her proof and go home.

The movie was sweet and fun. There are many aspects I enjoyed about the film. I will highlight my top three. First, the story is wonderful. While it has the common themes of parental death, grief and moving on. It is still a moving story about a young girl who learns that moving on doesn’t mean she stops loving her mother, stops missing her or worse, forgets her mother. Over the Moon offers a story that shows children that it is okay to cry and grieve after a loss of a loved one. As well as it is okay to move on. Second, the music is fun and enjoyable. The score was composed by Steven Price and the original songs were written by Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffield, and Helen Park. Phillippa Soo shines with her beautiful voice as well as shows off her hip hop skills. Third, I loved the insights into more of Chinese culture. My daughter and I immediately googled mooncakes, which are made during the Moon Festival, as we have never heard of them before and they look so delicious.

Unfortunately, there was one aspect of the movie I did not care for. The character of Gobi, voiced by the talented Ken Jeong, was a character that seemed out of place. Gobi, a pangolin, was a former royal advisor to Chang’e who exiled him a thousand years ago. Gobi came into the story to bring Fei Fei to a revelation that will change her attitude and view on her life. Normally, that would be fine and expected, however, Gobi was too much like Olaf for me to fully enjoy his part in the story. His manic speech style felt familiar to Olaf’s. The rambling, nonsense speech with a gem of entitlement in the middle was too much like Olaf. It is not the fact that Fei Fei had animal companions as many. Many fairy tales and legends have animal counterparts. Gobi would have been great if he just didn’t feel like an Olaf copy.

In conclusion, I enjoyed Over the Moon. It was fun and enjoyable. It had funny moments. It had sad moments. It had moments led to talks with my daughter about loss and grief. It had amazing animation with a great story featuring a Chinese legend and a look into more aspects of Chinese culture. The music was great and fun to listen to. While I did not enjoy the Gobi character, the other characters were fun. Overall, I recommend Over the Moon for all. Not just families, but for anyone who would enjoy a story about a young girl who learns a great life lesson. 

Remembering Ofra Haza on what would have been her 63rd birthday

Ofra Haza was an international Israeli singer whose voice dazzled audiences for decades. Her music would be known as World pop, ethnic electronics synthpop as well as a mixture of traditional and commercial styles of her Yemeni heritage. She became known as the Madonna of the East. I was first introduced to her in the 1998 film The Prince of Egypt as the singing voice for Jochebed, Moses’ mother. I was reintroduced to her recently as I did a study on Jochebed and discovered her other music. Sadly, she died in 2000. Today would have been her 63^rd birthday. I would like to introduce everyone to Ofra Haza. She may be done but she left behind such a beautiful success story and amazing music for us to remember her.

Born Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza on November 19, 1957 in Hatikva, Tel Aviv, Israel. She was the youngest of nine children to Yefet and Shoshana Haza, Mizrahi Jewish parents who had immigrated from Yemen. At the age of 12, Ofra joined a local theater troupe, and manager Bezalel Aloni noticed her singing talent and featured her in many of his productions. Aloni would become her mentor and manager as her singing career progressed. At 19, she would be Israel’s foremost popstar. After her first album, Al Ahavot Shelanu (About Our Loves) was released in 1980, it produced a string of radio hits. She would be named Female Vocalist of the Year by Kol Israel Radio for four years straight, 1980-1983. In 1983, she released Shirey Moledet, her renditions of Israeli folk songs which went platinum and produced two volumes in 1985 and 1987. She was so popular that she was asked by Michael Jackson to do a joint international concert tour in 1990, which she turned down (Shahar). In 1997, she married Doron Ashkenazi.

Her career would include many collaborations and performances. She would provide vocals for Sarah Brightman’s Harem (2003) on the song, “Mysterious Days.” She did duets with Paul Anka, Cliff Richards, and Iggy Pop (Shahar). She sang on various movie soundtracks including Colors (1998), Dick Tracy (1990), Queen Margot (1994) and The Prince of Egypt (1998). The animators for The Prince of Egypt were so moved by her beauty that they used her image for Jochebed. She would also sing “Deliver Us” in each language the movie was translated in, 18 in all. Ofra would also do a series of covers from Carol King and James Taylor’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” to Madonna’s “Open Your Heart.” One of my favorite covers by Ofra is Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” She did two versions. One was upbeat and sounds similar to Zeppelin’s version and a second version which is slow and very haunting (which is my favorite of the two versions).

Ofra Haza died on February 23, 2000 at the age of 42 from AIDS related pneumonia. Her death was controversial in Israel despite her HIV positive status was generally known. Many people would blame her husband, Doron, for giving her HIV. However, she got HIV from a blood transfusion in a Turkish hospital following treatment from a miscarriage (Paphides, 2010). When her death ws announced, Israeli radio played her music nonstop while then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak praised her as a cultural emissary and an Israeli success story. He would say that she “emerged from the Hatikavh slums to reach the peak of Israeli culture. She has left a mark on us all” A park in the Hatikva Quarter was renamed in her honor. Her death from AIDS related causes added another layer of mourning for her fans and the people of Israel as “She was a beautiful crystal ball that suddenly shattered without anyone knowing it was cracked” (Shalev, 2020).

In conclusion, Ofra Haza was a rare beauty and talent who left an undeniable mark in Israel and on me. She is a success story that one can rise above their beginnings and leave their mark on the world they leave behind. It saddens me that I didn’t know her and her music during her lifetime. However, I love that I can enjoy the music she left behind. One of my favorite songs is Yershalayim Shel Zahav (“Jerusalem in Gold”) which she sang at the officially ceremony marking Israel’s 50^th anniversary. I have posted the link to her performance above. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

                                                                    References

Paphides, Peter (December 9, 2010). Ofra Haza: Madonna of the dark soul. The Guardian. www.theguardian.com/music/2010/dec/09/ofra-haza-madonna-of-the-dark-soul. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

Shahar, Nathan (no date). Ofra Haza. My Jewish Learning. www.myjewishlearning.com/article/ofra-haza/. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

Shalev, Ben (February 27, 2020). Looking Back at Ofra Haza's Transformation, 20 Years After the Death of Israel's Iconic Singer. Haaretz. www.haaretz.com/life/.premium.MAGAZINE-20-years-to-iconic-singer-s-death-looking-back-at-ofra-haza-s-transformation-1.8590931. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

Take Me Home: a fun weekend read

Take Me Home by JH Croix is the first book in the Last Frontier Lodge series. After a walking in on a robbery at her apartment in Seattle, Marley Adams returns home to Diamond Creek, Alaska. Hoping to move past the experience, she settles into a routine when handsome Gage Hamilton inherits the local ski lodge and begins fixing it up. The connection between Marley and Gage is instantaneous and soon the two are inseparable. Everyone around them is ecstatic that they have found each other. Nothing would spoil it. However, soon the events back in Seattle seems to follow her home, Gage takes charge to help her figure out who is after her and what they are after. Can they figure out who is threatening her? Is it connected to her apartment robbery?

Take Me Home is a cute, sweet romance. A nice book for a weekend read. I enjoyed Marley and Gage as their relationship developed. The sex scenes bordered on a tad bit too detailed but not too graphic. My only complaint is the author’s constant descriptions and sentence structure. In the opening chapter, Marley’s auburn hair was mentioned at least a dozen time. Ok, we get it, her hair is auburn. Ms. Croix’s sentence structures seemed a bit amateurish as she mentions details more than once on a single sentence. It would be easy to figure out a dozen other ways to say the same information without the repetition. However, I did enjoy the story. I enjoyed all the supporting characters and would enjoy reading their stories as well. For a fun story, I recommend Take Me Home.

 

                               Take Me Home is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook