1. How did the name of the blog come to be?
I'm a midwife. It is not just an occupation, it is a profession (as in "I profess") and a vocation. My first vocation was and is marriage and motherhood, but midwifery is an extension of that. Fructus ventris (fruit of the womb) is from the latin for the Hail Mary.
2. Why Magnificat on your blog?
The Magnificat was the prayer of thanksgiving that Mary spoke when she visited her pregnant kinswoman Elizabeth. If you go to the Old Testament story of Samuel, you will see a prayer similar to the Magnificat that was spoken by Samuel's mother, who had battled infertility for years and then courageously gave her firstborn to the Lord. I posted the picture of two pregnant women, kinswomen, embracing because it is so much what I am all about professionally.
On another note, as an Anglican child, I recited morning prayer every weekday for 4 years - and I memorized the Magnificat and the Te Deum in the language of the Book of Common Prayer. Even as a child I had a devotion to Mary, and I am sure that she had a lot to do with my eventual conversion.
3. What experience has changed your life with respect to God?
What experience hasn't? Seriously, I haven't really had many of those mountaintop experiences, even in setting where every effort is made to bring them about (retreats, encounters, etc). I am much more of a process oriented person, and sometimes I think I miss out on a bunch of stuff because I am so busy moving that I don't stop to just be.
4. Describe your favorite scripture passage. What does it make you feel and how does it correlate with your life?
I have a couple. Exodus 1:20 - Because the midwives (did not do as Pharoah asked) pleased God, he made them to prosper (or built up their houses). Notice this - God has a special responsibility that He imposes on midwives, not to participate in infanticide - and He also promises His favor on those who do HIs will.
Another favorite is Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me strength. This is one I teach to women in labor if they are at all inclined. I think it is pretty obvious!
My third scripture that I hang on to is in Proverbs. "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." You will notice that it says nothing about adolescence! Since I am in the process of bringing up 6 children (in cooperation with my husband of almost 30 years), this verse is a great consolation.
5. An athiest comes up to you. In three sentences, explain why Christ is the answer.
I think I would have to first establish that there is a question! Most atheists I have known are fairly smug in their belief system. Maybe I could tackle this in 3 questions.
1) What do you consider to be the most important unanswered question?
2) What criteria would you use to determine if an answer that you are given is true?
3) What do you think is/are the basic postulates from which you would reason all other information?
I think that I might have a fighting chance to reach an atheist's reason and heart if he or she could give honest answers to the above questions.
Thank you for the answers!