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	<title>Provoketive Magazine &#187; Brooke Eikenberry</title>
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	<description>Provoking The Imagination With Conversation</description>
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		<title>Silencing the Voices of the Wounded in the Church</title>
		<link>http://provoketive.com/2012/08/25/gag-order-silencing-the-voices-of-the-wounded-in-the-church/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=gag-order-silencing-the-voices-of-the-wounded-in-the-church</link>
		<comments>http://provoketive.com/2012/08/25/gag-order-silencing-the-voices-of-the-wounded-in-the-church/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 25 Aug 2012 15:00:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brooke Eikenberry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beaverton Grace Bible Church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spiritual Abuse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Victim Blaming]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://provoketive.com/?p=7608</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Victim. Consider that word for a moment. Victim. What does it bring to mind? Do you picture someone who has been attacked or abused or otherwise harmed&#8211; someone who compels you to compassion and concern? Or does the word “victim” bring to mind a weak, whiny, and wretched example of a human being&#8211; someone who blames everyone else for their misery? If you found yourself in the latter camp, you are not alone. Victim blaming seems to be the prevailing mind-set in many circles. It happens every day in business and politics: those with power fear losing it, and some strive to keep it at all costs. Any voice crying of injustice or dissent is a threat to their power that must be hushed up. So, how is that done? It&#8217;s simple: spin the facts so as to push the blame on the victim. And if that can’t be done, then bully or coerce them into silence. This doesn’t just happen in politics and the business world—sadly, it’s just as rampant in the Church. If we hurt a fellow brother or sister in Christ and that person calls us out on it, do we sincerely apologize? Or, do we give them... ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>In Defense of &#8220;Good Times&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://provoketive.com/2012/04/20/in-defense-of-good-times/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=in-defense-of-good-times</link>
		<comments>http://provoketive.com/2012/04/20/in-defense-of-good-times/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brooke Eikenberry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Spiritual Practices]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://provoketive.com/?p=5945</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hardships. Trials. Pain. Unless you subscribe to the particular brand of Christianity that purports true faith reveals itself in God-bestowed private jets, mansions, and perfect health until the day God takes you up like Enoch, these are words you likely understand all too well.  As Christ said so matter-of-factly to the disciples, in the world we have tribulation (John 16:33b). It isn&#8217;t a question of if, but of when. Whether it&#8217;s persecution or just the universal struggles that afflict every person in a fallen world (rain falls on the just and unjust alike, does it not?), life will bring us difficulties and pain. Lately, I keep hearing the same adage coming out of the mouths of fellow Christians regarding trials, that our faith grows the most during times of suffering and adversity. Maybe I&#8217;m just primed to notice this expression or maybe I&#8217;m hanging out with a lot of down-and-out people; I&#8217;m not really sure. However, it has caused me to pause and consider: is that really true? Do we really grow the most in hard times? The Bible is rife with imagery comparing the faithful and righteous to flourishing plants and trees. Any gardener can tell you that plants... ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Unbinding the Feet: Women in Ministry</title>
		<link>http://provoketive.com/2012/02/16/unbinding-the-feet-women-in-ministry/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=unbinding-the-feet-women-in-ministry</link>
		<comments>http://provoketive.com/2012/02/16/unbinding-the-feet-women-in-ministry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:37:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brooke Eikenberry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gender Equality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foot binding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women in Church Leadership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women in Ministry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://provoketive.com/?p=4889</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I was a young woman trying to map out the course of my life before me, I often struggled with whether or not I should go into ministry. It was never a question of if I could be a minister; for, what reason was there that I could not? From my days as a new believer reading the Bible for the very first time, to now, as a more mature believer who has read in-depth translations, studies and commentaries regarding what Paul said to women in the Church, and heard numerous theological debates on whether women should or should not be in Church leadership and ministry, the scriptures have only reinforced to me that God has used and continues to use both men and women to tend to His sheep. Perhaps, because of my Lutheran, Charismatic and Pentecostal background, for many years it did not occur to me that anyone would even hesitate about whether women could be ministers. It seemed so obvious to me that we could, just as much as any man. Only in recent years have I been shocked out of this ignorance to find what a hotly debated topic this is in Christendom. I thank... ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Not Your Ordinary Day Job</title>
		<link>http://provoketive.com/2012/01/31/not-your-ordinary-day-job/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=not-your-ordinary-day-job</link>
		<comments>http://provoketive.com/2012/01/31/not-your-ordinary-day-job/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:00:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brooke Eikenberry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Janice Martin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thinking Outside the Box]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vocation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://provoketive.com/?p=4550</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“At what point do you say, ‘Wow, I really want to dangle upside down from silk scarves and play the violin for a living&#8217;?” This question was posed by myself and couple friends of mine as we reconnected over a cup of coffee. We were discussing life paths and career choices&#8211; still trying to figure out what we wanted to do “when we grew up”, despite having  graduated from college and started various jobs, families, and all recently having reached the milestone 30th birthday. It was in this context that one of my friends mentioned the aerial violinist, Janice Martin. We collectively wondered: what is the secret to thinking so decidedly out of the box as this performer does? To be sure, thinking outside of the box is a rather cliché concept now, the subject of countless self-help books, business seminars, and the like. Regardless, it truly is something people seem to have a hard time executing. We learn early on as children to draw inside the lines, follow all the rules, and act orderly and contained. Creativity, while not completely disregarded, is often more of an afterthought. Most follow the same pattern into our adult life: go to school, build a career,... ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>The &#8216;C&#8217; Word</title>
		<link>http://provoketive.com/2012/01/16/the-c-word/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-c-word</link>
		<comments>http://provoketive.com/2012/01/16/the-c-word/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:26:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brooke Eikenberry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Spiritual Practices]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian Cults]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cult]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spiritual Abuse]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://provoketive.com/?p=3704</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There&#8217;s a  four-letter word getting thrown around a lot lately. It&#8217;s a word I&#8217;ve heard used flippantly, jokingly, and disparagingly. Admittedly, sometimes it seems like the most accurate, albeit inflammatory, word to use. Often this word is spoken, perhaps rightly so, by broken and hurting people out of pain and frustration. It&#8217;s a word that was used by a commenter on my previous post in Provoketive Magazine, Slap On a Little Lipstick, You&#8217;ll Be Fine. If I am being completely honest, it&#8217;s a word I&#8217;ve used, sometimes quickly out of anger, and a lot more cautiously after great deliberation. That&#8217;s right, I am talking about the &#8216;C&#8217; word: Cult. Cult is a term used by many Christians to describe Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Christian Scientists, and many other fringe religious groups and doomsday groups like Peoples Temple and Heaven&#8217;s Gate.  It&#8217;s also been used to discredit Christian churches and ministries with an authoritarian structure, rigid rules, and/or apparent spiritual abuse. The commenter from my last article used it in reference to what he thought was a minister requiring me to wear lipstick (as a note, I never stated in that article whether that incident occurred at a secular or religious organization).... ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://provoketive.com/2012/01/16/the-c-word/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Slap On a Little Lipstick, You&#8217;ll Be Fine</title>
		<link>http://provoketive.com/2011/12/08/slap-on-a-little-lipstick-youll-be-fine/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=slap-on-a-little-lipstick-youll-be-fine</link>
		<comments>http://provoketive.com/2011/12/08/slap-on-a-little-lipstick-youll-be-fine/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:00:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brooke Eikenberry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Branding and Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Church image]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Churches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relevant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://provoketive.com/?p=2911</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Before I came into my current position as The Queen of Awesomeness (also known as Stay at Home Mom; hey, if I don&#8217;t get paid, at least I can give myself promotions in title only), I was the personal assistant to the head and founder of an organization that shall remain nameless. My boss was a bit bi-polar in his office demeanor, one day perfectly amiable and fun to work under, the next day spitting nails over a single hair being out-of-place. I mention this, because the physical appearance of his employees was of particular importance to him; in addition to the normal business-attire dress code found in many office policies, he was very particular that all female employees wore makeup&#8211; especially lipstick. Lip gloss was not acceptable; it had to be lipstick. I often jokingly wondered if there were specific office-approved lipstick colors, and I would have asked if I&#8217;d believed I could keep a straight face. I have no problem with make-up. I am a firm believer in enhancing one&#8217;s natural beauty, and I tend to wear make-up nearly every day, rarely venturing outside the house without some on. However, I am not convinced of lipstick&#8217;s benefits. It&#8217;s always smearing, getting... ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://provoketive.com/2011/12/08/slap-on-a-little-lipstick-youll-be-fine/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Finding The Meaning In It All</title>
		<link>http://provoketive.com/2011/11/16/finding-the-meaning-in-it-all/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=finding-the-meaning-in-it-all</link>
		<comments>http://provoketive.com/2011/11/16/finding-the-meaning-in-it-all/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brooke Eikenberry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Questions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ecclesiastes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Existentialism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meaning of Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[purpose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solomon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://provoketive.com/?p=2036</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There inevitably comes a time (or in my case, multiple times) in one&#8217;s life when one asks oneself, &#8220;What&#8217;s the point?&#8221; With the ins and outs of life, the monotony of daily routine, pain and trials, etc., it is easy to wonder if our lives are really all that meaningful. Even armed with a faith in God and knowledge that we have an eternal life after this fleeting, temporal one, sometimes it is a struggle to find true purpose and  meaning in the humdrum of our day-to-day lives, whether you are a stay-at-home mom picking up toys for the thirtieth time today, a CEO at a Fortune 500 company wondering whether your legacy will be more than the hours you put in at work, or a pastor at a church questioning the effectiveness of your ministry. This struggle to find meaning in a sometimes seemingly meaningless life, while buffeted by despair, angst, boredom, and other distractions, is the focus of Existentialism, a philosophical school of thought that credits its beginnings with such 19th and 20th century philosophers as Søren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Nietzsche. However, perhaps the first documented existential struggle is from around the 3rd century BCE: the Book... ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://provoketive.com/2011/11/16/finding-the-meaning-in-it-all/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Excuses</title>
		<link>http://provoketive.com/2011/10/29/spiritual-gifts-and-spiritual-excuses/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=spiritual-gifts-and-spiritual-excuses</link>
		<comments>http://provoketive.com/2011/10/29/spiritual-gifts-and-spiritual-excuses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:00:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brooke Eikenberry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Spirituality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1 Corinthians 12 Gifts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Myers-Briggs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Romans 12 Gifts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spiritual Gifts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://provoketive.com/?p=1311</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am a personality test junkie. Part of this is no doubt due to my interest in psychology. I love to ponder the complexities of personality theory: Does it form early in development and remain unchanging and static? Or is it more plastic, changing as we age? How much do genetics or the environment determine personality? What personality tests are the most accurate? I have taken pretty much every free personality test available online (and there are more than a few). I have also taken the official version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as part of one of my college psychology courses. (100 points goes to the first reader who can guess what my Myers-Briggs type is purely based off my writing style and the personal information I&#8217;ve disclosed in my posts.) Introspection and self-reflection is pretty inherent to my nature, and psychology tests are another tool to that end. I have plenty of information about the inner-workings of my self and personality; however, I wonder if I am using that information to grow or find my place in the world, or if it&#8217;s just more information I&#8217;m hoarding. If personality tests weren&#8217;t enough, we now have the CAV (Christian Approved... ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://provoketive.com/2011/10/29/spiritual-gifts-and-spiritual-excuses/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What&#8217;s the Punch Line?</title>
		<link>http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/whats-the-punch-line/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=whats-the-punch-line</link>
		<comments>http://provoketive.com/2011/10/23/whats-the-punch-line/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Brooke Eikenberry</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Questions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://provoketive.com/?p=906</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have a confession: sometimes I view my relationship to God like a poorly written and badly delivered joke. Where am I in this equation? I am the punch line, of course. This is very àpropos, given my penchant for humor. If humor was a calling or a spiritual gift, you can bet I&#8217;d be constantly on the prayer hotline asking for that one.  Humor can defuse potentially awkward or difficult situations.  It&#8217;s also a great defense mechanism, one of many in my arsenal. However, humor is a lot less humorous when you are the butt of the joke. Specifically, an evil genie joke. The evil genie joke is a standard in many a comic&#8217;s repertoire: someone comes across a magic lamp, and behold! The lamp contains a genie who is now at their beck and call, eagerly waiting to grant them three wishes. (Except for wishing for more wishes. Apparently all the genies caught on to that jig a long time ago.) These jokes highlight how important it is to be careful what you ask for or how you ask for it; while the genie gives the person exactly what they wished for, the result is comically undesirable, like the man who... ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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