Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Make It Plain: Part 2 - Spoken Word Night Uncut - Corey Jenkins Jr and B...





Let's talk a bit about sin, racism, American history, and what the church can do.




Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Death, Sacred Rituals, The Corona Virus, and Hope


Grave site in Thaoumazou, Haiti near Port du Prince
I remember being in Haiti and learning about burial practices. Tombs are rented. When a family can no longer pay rent, the bodies are dumped on the hillside and the tomb is used for someone else. In Hawaii it was a cultural practice to burry your loved ones in your yard so that they are kept close. At the Grand Wailea in Maui they have two or three mass burial sites of the bodies that were found when building the foundation of the hotel. The hotel respectfully moved the bodies into designated cultural sites.

I have always been interested in cultural things that all humans experience. And even more specifically the mundane, daily things like different bathroom styles, food preparation and processing, textile design, worship ceremonies, and what people do with those who have passed away. So many aspects of life come with important, and even sacred, rituals.

I never thought I would live in a period in time where such rituals are being changed due to a global pandemic and the rates that people are dying and spreading a disease.

I’ve been seeing body bag videos for months now, as an online teacher in China this virus did not spring up out of nowhere. It did not come as a surprise. It’s been around for a while. As American news unfolds, we are all seeing similar things that we have been seeing in other areas on global news and major news sources for a couple months. Cities are converting ice rinks into massive cold storage facilities for the dead bodies. We are seeing army trucks taking bodies from churches full of caskets. We hear about laws to determine who will be left to die when resourced run out.

Mass grave in Hawaii 
Though the above stories are primarily from Europe, Americans already have grandparents and children going into the hospitals by themselves. Families do not see those who pass away until they are already dead. The old are dying alone. Children are going into hospitals alone. Pregnant women will be delivering babies alone. Funerals and weddings are cancelled or postponed. Doctors are losing patients. Nurses are scared to go to work. Doctors are scared to bring sickness back to their family. New York is running out of cold body storage. And similar laws dictating who will and won’t be given ventilators, if (rather when) we reach that point, are being drafted in the US to protect doctors from needing to make such decisions on their own.

Guys, please stay home. Listen to the expert warnings for a while, maybe a long while. Act as if you have the virus already. It’s not going to be easy. There is nothing easy about this situation. It is hard. It is heart-wrenching. And it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better.

Alabaster Jar - Felicia Follum
Painting inspired by a woman who gave up
all she had to follow Jesus and in return she was
given peace.
And to be clear, this is not meant to make you more fearful. Statistically most of us will be ok, especially if we can slow the spread. If we slow it enough, many more will survive. We all have heard this before and people will continue to scoff at the advice, saying it doesn’t make sense, the decisions aren’t fair, and people will likely continue to disrespect authority. Be thankful that it isn't' personal for you yet, but don't be naive.

I’m so thankful right now that my hope does not come from manmade mantras or rituals. Though important and I am so thankful for what we have in America, I don’t put the bulk of my hope in statistics, individuals, politics, and government. These systems will fail at some point, and likely many times.

My hope comes from the LORD. I believe Jesus is the God of hope, peace, love, and redemption. And I wish I had more answers to all the hurt and pain right now and theres so much I wish I understood, but I am thankful for the peace that transcends all human understanding and comes from Him alone. My prayer is that you who are crying out to Him will find the peace of Christ through all of this and that you will seek him more sincerely, and be drawn closer to him, than you ever have been in the past.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Why Do I Study Other Religions?

I am often asked why I study religions and have been accused of syncretism or even conversion. I will explain syncretism as well as some thoughts on why and how I don't practice syncretism within the realm of religion. I also discuss why i do study religion.



So what are your thoughts? Is it ok to mix religions? Do you practice syncretism? Why or why now?


Thursday, December 28, 2017

Foster Mom Stories FF - What I learned in 2017

Who knew that 2017 would include headstands, juggling, and baby gate parkour obstacle courses? I sure didn't know what 2017 would bring.

So, how did these things come about?

Headstands were a goal I set back in December (2016) along with a couple other new poses, that I failed to master. 

As I'm sure you can imagine, Juggling was not something that I intended to pick up this last year. It actually came about when we were gifted some awesome toy balls for the kids. Seriously, the textured ball sets are AMAZING! Everyone in the house, including adults had a good time with them. Some of us juggled and bounced them while others tried to eat them. I'll let you guess who did what.

Baby gate parkour became a necessary to maneuver around the house since we legally need gates up during naps and our house is laid out funny. 2017 was a blur and it was hard, but looking back, I'm glad it happened and I tried my best to make the best of it.

What new skills did you learn or practice this last year? What are some goals you would like to take on next year? 

Thursday, November 23, 2017

Foster Mom Stories FF - What's This Series About?

Hey you,

I considered starting a new blog all about the joys and lessons associated with fostering. The first experience was hard. I was sick for most of it with Mono and Hepatitis (long story, Drs overdosed me on Benadryl when I had an allergic reaction to a medication) and anyone who has raised children knows that taking on two toddlers as our first placement was absolutely crazy.

Anyways, instead of starting a new blog I decided that this would fit in perfectly with my religion blog. This blog is all about my faith and what I study about the belief systems and worldviews of others. Not every post will talk about God but there is no doubt that I would have made it through parenting without daily turning to God for help, studying the Word and God as a perfect parent, as well as trusting that God knew what He was doing even when I didn't see the significance. Sooo, here goes a new series all about my Foster Mom Stories.

So, What's Next?

We are not sure what our next placement will be. We are in the process of praying about what direction to go. Details like how many and their ages are still up in the air. Adoption vs foster care is another topic we are praying over. Regardless, we plan to take on another adventure in the realm of kids and I'm sure you will enjoy following the adventure as much as we enjoy having it. My prayer is that I will learn more about God and grow stronger and gain wisdom through it all.

This Blog Series will be my journal about my experiences as a foster parent. I will share our journey and what I am learning along the way. Though I plan to talk about the struggles and challenges, there is so much that needs to be kept private and I intend to maintain privacy for the sake of our littles and their families, as well as our personal sanity. Know that it is tough and there will be times I only share the positive to keep myself in check. Also, I do not always share as life is happening.

In this series, you can expect to read about the grace and mercy of God, as well as redemption and hope. I suppose the opposite of these things would include the sinful nature inherent in children and parents alike. I will also share what I learn about parenting children who have been through more than most of us see.

I hope that you will have a new understanding of foster parents and foster children from following this series.

You can also follow the hashtag with the same name over on Instagram to see more of my stories and corresponding artwork as well.

Thank you for starting this journey with us!
Love,
Felicia Follum

Friday, May 29, 2015

My Dilemma About SCK RLGN

It's been so long since I've updated this blog and inevitability my views on things have changed. Maybe I have learned more or simply disagree based on a variety of possible reasons.
There are also some old posts that I'm debating on whether I want them public...not like many people stumble upon my blog though.
This has always been a space to wrestle with ideas, debate, and even play devils advocate, with myself. And I created it as a place where I could speak freely, learn, and make a few mistakes along the way.
Though, I'm  not sure that I want my personal name and art associated with everything I've posted in the past...
Well for now. My art site is more important (to spend editing time on) so I'm leaving some junk (my current view) up on here. One day I may return and clean this hoarders nest of word vomit....
Just some art from Feliciafollum.com

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Hindu Temples in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal



As a student of religious studies and philosophy I of course am fascinated with various religions. As I traveled throughout India I took several opportunities to explore the Hindu (and other) temples. This video shares a small portion of a couple of the Devi Goddess Temples in New Delhi. As I walk through be sure to look at all the art in the highly decorative Hindu culture.


This video consists of two separate ceremonies. The first half is a ceremony from a village near Bishnapur in West Bengal and the second is from Madhya Pradesh. For more insight into what is going on be sure to check out my YouTube page to see (and join in) the conversation with a Bengali man in response to this video. He has some great insight.

Though I have not posted them to my YouTube account, I plan to have at least one more pooja video in addition to several videos from a guided Khajuraho tour.

I will continue to share many more videos from my time in India so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube account as well as my Facebook and Art Blog to actually see how India impacted me and my art. As I share more and more of my artwork inspired by my travels in India I am sure that these videos will help you understand where this new inspiration is coming from.