I work in a furniture store. This past weekend we were giving mothers flowers in celebration of Mother’s Day. I am sure our approach would make Anna Jarvis spin in her grave, as Khaled Hamid pointed out in his post.

Our sales team discussed how we might present these flowers. The question was asked: “How do we know who is a mother?”

My first thought was “every woman is a mother“, so naturally every female customer should get a flower.

But the consensus of the sales team was that a mother is someone who has children and therefore we needed to delicately determine what female customers were eligible for our flowers.

While the sales team defined mothers as those women with children, I saw a larger vision of motherhood as informed by my faith. Maybe a vision that goes beyond the definition as presented by the founder of Mother’s Day. And one that escaped a customer in my store who refused my offer…

Sunday was Mother’s day. It is a day that is as popular in Muslim countries as it is in the USA and the West. In Egypt it is celebrated on the first day of spring as proposed by the first person to advocate setting up a day for that occasion in the 1950s. I believe many of the Arab countries adopted the same date. The symbolism of associating Mother’s day with the dawn of spring should be obvious.I have to admit, that the pure and emotional celebration that I witnessed in my younger years has given in to the commercial enterprise that dominates every celebration known to mankind as time passes. For a nice review of the history of the event, and how its creator reacted to the ‘business’ aspect of it, read this article ‘Mother’s Day creator likely spinning in her grave‘ (from the Vancouver Sun).

Mothers have the same…

Thinking ahead to what is on the calender in the next week, here are some excellent books I’ve discovered in recent months.

May 11: Mother’s Day

The Christian Grandma’s Idea Book: Hundreds of Ideas, Tips, and Activities to Help You be a Good Grandma by Ellen Banks Elwell.

The Christian Mom’s Idea Book: Hundreds of Ideas, Tips, and Activities to Help You be a Great Mom by Ellen Banks Elwell.

* In both of these books, Elwell puts her own encouragement and insight into the mixture along with the words of hundreds of other mothers and grandmothers. These books are short on ivory-tower theory, and long in practical advice, sensible living, and Christian encouragement.

May 14 : The 60th Anniversary of the state of Israel

On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel’s Best Friend by Timothy P. Weber.

Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged by Barry E. Horner.

* Sixty years. Given the furor Israel faced in even…