ALSSI Newsletter
July 2021
Hello, Friends —
On episode 54, Being Like Mother Eve, something quite peculiar happened. We had many women of other Christian faiths reach out to tell us how misguided we are. They had two issues with our social media content that week.
First, Eve was a sinner, not the wise woman we portrayed her as. One woman went so far as to say this is why we need patriarchy, because we have to listen to men as women can’t be trusted due to Eve. Second, that Mormon theology acknowledges a Heavenly Mother. We were told we were “heretical” and being “imposter Christians”.
And yet as Susan and I exchanged text messages that week, mainly about what we should do (block them or allow them to taunt our listeners), I expressed how invigorated I felt about our own theology. We may have a long way to go but as Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi said, “We have every germinating seed in our theology to just let it bloom!”
What they find heretical, I find unique and beautiful. The wisdom of Eve and the presence of Heavenly Mother gives me peace and hope as I press forward in our church.
— Cynthia
Big News!
Remember Ladies Night In? Those great conversations we used to have on Zoom where everyone showed up
(even if they had to sit in their closet to do it)
to listen to each other
(even if they didn’t feel like talking)
offer support
(our listeners are SO good at this)
get reminded they’re not alone
(because we’re not! who knew?)
and put faces to a few names they know from social media?
Well…our next Ladies Night In is on the calendar!
And there’s more good news: ALSSI favorite Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi (episodes 36 and 54) has agreed to join us to share some thoughts, after which we’ll Q&A and have a discussion!
When: July 14, 7pm Mountain
Where: https://meet.google.com/ufp-ccze-oaf
All you need is the link, no need to preregister. Hope to see you there!
“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.”
— Oprah
”Stories set the inner life into motion, and this is particularly important where the inner life is frightened, wedged, or cornered. Story greases the hoists and pulleys, it causes adrenaline to surge, shows us the way out, down, or up, and for our trouble, cuts for us fine wide doors in previously blank walls, openings that lead to...love and learning, that lead us back to our own real lives as knowing wildish women.”
— Clarissa Pinkola Estes
”Women must not accept; they must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression.”
— Margaret Sanger
Meanwhile —
One of our most popular episodes so far this season is episode 53,
We’re Good at Showing People the Door.
You can find a full transcript of the episode by clicking here.
We described this meme in the episode—a scene that feels a bit too close for comfort to some lessons at church, where Love too often gets followed by but—. What would it take for us to help everyone feel welcome (even essential) as part of the body of Christ?
In case you’re too busy having summer fun to be on social media, here’s a peek from episode 53 on our Instagram stories:
Find more like this—from every episode—on Instagram by clicking on the circle that corresponds to the episode number.
Also, in case you missed it, in June we had the great pleasure of being guests on The Faithful Feminists podcast for a discussion called Challenging Chastity (D&C 63)
If you’re not yet a Faithful Feminists listener, hosts Elise and Channing take on the weekly Come Follow Me lesson through a feminist lens. You can listen to our episode (and find a full transcript) by clicking here.
From the ALSSI Community —
“This helped me want to keep going with my membership instead of walking away.
I am loving listening to and talking about it with my daughters.”
— Sarah on our website
”I've been told I have the tact of a wrecking ball, and I'm frequently scolded about my ‘tone.’ And I'm just thinking: ‘do you want to get stuff done? Or are we going to tiptoe around and pretend we're accomplishing something meaningful? Let's MOVE.’”
— Trina on Facebook
”Late one night in the midst of my fear about my children I realized my only job was to love them. Everything has been so much simpler since then.”
— @phbenn on Instagram
”There is change happening. My teenage daughter’s recent patriarchal blessing spoke openly of her Heavenly Mother; it brought me to tears and still does when I think of it!! It was incredibly powerful and I have hope for our daughters and granddaughters to continue forging this connection and make changes in the church.”
—@becky_tagg on Instagram
”You could make a case that, along with the technological revolution, the most provocative upending destabilizing thrilling change in the course of human history is that we’re finally in it... We're here now, women are in the world, and we will not be bullied.”
— Meryl Streep
Last, but not least —
Cynthia’s Classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake
I buy a pineapple every week now as a little luxury to myself. And what’s the best way to eat fresh pineapple? Baked in a cake! — Cynthia
FRUIT TOPPING
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup (60 g) packed light brown sugar*
Fresh pineapple /slices chunks
CAKE BATTER
2/3 cup (130 g) granulated sugar
4 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 large egg
2/3 cup (146 g) milk (or buttermilk, or a thin sour cream/milk mixture)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Heavy Pinch of baking soda if you use buttermilk or thinned sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9 inch round cake pan with parchment paper. If you do not have parchment paper, just spray your pan really well. In the bottom of the pan, place the 4 tablespoons of butter and place pan in oven while it preheats. When butter is melted, remove the pan and sprinkle with the brown sugar and arrange pineapple slices in the bottom.
Using an electric mixer, cream the other 4 tablespoons of butter, salt, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and baking soda (if using) in a separate bowl. With mixer on a low speed, (speed 2 on Kitchen Aid) add half the flour mixture. Then add all the milk, then the rest of the flour mixture. Very lightly mix, just a few seconds, until the batter is cohesive. Do not over mix! Pour over pineapple in prepared pan, smoothing with a spatula.
Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle of the cake pan.
*Don’t be afraid to double the brown sugar if you like a sweeter more caramelized topping. I prefer desserts less sweet.
And finally —
Thanks for continuing to show up—for us, for each other, and for all the women in the Church who just need a little assurance they’re not the only ones thinking, feeling, or experiencing all the things.
Happy Summer!
Cynthia and Susan