I must confess, its pretty rare for me to get really excited about my textbooks. After four years of undergrad and four more of graduate studies, I have just read too many pages to be impressed. My text for my History of Christianity course is a very rare exception. Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley is one of the most engaging history books I have read. Shelley makes history relevant and interesting. What’s even more exciting is that it is the history of the Christian faith. Bonus: It sells for around $20.00 new on Amazon.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
History lessons don't always have to be boring
I must confess, its pretty rare for me to get really excited about my textbooks. After four years of undergrad and four more of graduate studies, I have just read too many pages to be impressed. My text for my History of Christianity course is a very rare exception. Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley is one of the most engaging history books I have read. Shelley makes history relevant and interesting. What’s even more exciting is that it is the history of the Christian faith. Bonus: It sells for around $20.00 new on Amazon.
Dishes I WISH I knew how to cook...
As a Top Chef junkie and wanna-be foodie, I thought it would be appropriate to dream a little. Thus, dishes I would love to know how to cook:
-Boeuf Bourguignon: Classic Julia Child
-Ceviche
-A fantastic bernaise sauce... really, all the classic French sauces. Techically, they are not dishes, but I feel like they are important enough to count.
-Green Thai Curry (I could live on Thai Curry, so I feel like its a skill I should have down)
-Chicken Marsala
-Empanadas (I had a lesson from a friend, but I need a refresher course)
-Good Biscuits and sausage gravy (the biscuit part I've got down, its the gravy that needs work)
-Flan
-A souffle
-My friend Natalie's chicken recipe. Its really just that good.Its funny, reflecting on this list, its a rather interesting assortment of cuisines.
Above All Else
This song has been on my mind alot lately...one of my favorites, so I thought I'd share.
Behind Fences
Behind Fences - Videos
Shared via AddThis
Behind Fences is the missions project at the seminary this year. The video is both heartrending and powerful. Go to http://behindfences.webs.com for more information.
Shared via AddThis
Behind Fences is the missions project at the seminary this year. The video is both heartrending and powerful. Go to http://behindfences.webs.com for more information.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Best Smells and Tastes of Fall
Slowly but surely, the air is getting cooler, and while hiking today, I noticed the leaves are starting to turn. Fall is here! In celebration, these are a few of my favorite (fall related) things:
- The smell of wood burning
- Pumpkin pancakes
- Cinnamon
- Chili
- The Harvest Yankee Candle
- Pumpkin ice cream
- The smell of morning after the first frost
- Mulled cider
- And my ultimate favorite: Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks :)
Sometimes you end up relearning the basics...
Coming off the second week in the Semester, I was completely wallowing in self pity. It had been another crazy week in what was becoming a rather ridiculous series of crazy weeks, and I was tired. Not just physically tired, although I had had a profound lack of sleep, but mentally and emotionally exhausted. As my nerves ground down, I remember thinking, "Is this my life from now until December? Really?"
What didn't occur to me is how little I was communicating with God. Prayer, what? Reading the Bible? Its embarassing to admit- I'm in seminary, worse yet, I'm in ministry. How on earth could I have gotten disconnected from God? I could list my excuses, but none of them actually matter. I was exhausted because I was trying to do everything completely on my own. Funny... historically that has always been a poor choice.
The good news is that God is ever faithful- and He loves us and pursues us.The sermon on Sunday, a message on hope reminded me of the need to be connected to Him. Conversations with friends reminded me of this. And Scripture reminded me, particularly John 15:5 in which Jesus says, "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing." Indeed, apart from Him I can do nothing.
25 Random Things about Me
Admittedly, I am stealing this idea shamelessly from Facebook, but I thought it would be fun. [For those who have read my previous list, this one is actually newly created]
1. I collect ducks (as in, “Rubber Ducky, you’re the one” ducks). My two favorite ones sit on the dashboard of my car.
2. Use of the snooze button on my alarm means I get an extra nine minutes of sleep. And yes, I have this knowledge because I use that button regularly.
3. I competed on the Speech Team my freshman year of college. Judge me all you want, but I made some great friends and it helped me have the confidence to come out of my shell a bit more.
4. I can remember how almost all my co-workers going back as far as college and most of my friends take their coffee, but I am hard pressed to remember anyone’s birthday. The hard part? No one cares if I can order coffee for them if I can’t remember their birthday.
5. I can walk to work.
6. I own a Blackberry, and so far, it has not taken over my life.
7. My first car was a pick-up truck named Chuck the truck.
8. One of my favorite comfort foods is meatloaf… and I have yet to find a restaurant in the area that I currently live that makes a decent one.
9. Somewhere along the way, I became a Mets fan. I have no idea how it happened, but one morning I found myself checking their stats online and I realized I was hooked.
10. I have a ridiculously acute sense of smell.
11. One day I would love to open a bakery/café.
12. I constantly flip through channels when I watch tv, so when I can’t find the remote my tv stays off. Maybe I should just give the remote away…
13. I have been known to jump up and down like a little kid when I am excited about something.
14. Breakfast is without a doubt my favorite meal of the day.
15. I nearly purchased tickets to the Bahamas yesterday. It still may be a destination in the very near future.
16. My favorite coffee blend of all time is the Smooth and Mellow Blend from Trader Joe’s. My roommates and I received a can of it as a housewarming gift (for my first apartment), and it has been a favorite ever since.
17. I don’t understand the idea of mittens. Why do I want to lose the ability to use four of my fingers? Besides, you can make better snowballs using gloves.
19. Fall always makes me want to consume pumpkins flavored things- like pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin lattes.
20. My favorite biblical character is Peter, primarily because I feel like I can relate to some of his mistakes.
21. I tend to listen to classical and jazz at work because I have the habit of unconsciously singing along and I don’t want to annoy my co-workers.
22. My favorite class in college was Creative Writing, which I took for fun.
23. For about two months I was an English major in college. This ended when I took a rather nightmarish literature course on Joyce and Yeats and I found it in my best interest to pursue psychology.
24. When I was a kid I was ridiculously afraid of squirrels. I have yet to figure out why.
I have seven siblings, 6 sisters and 1 brother, when counting halves and steps, however, I grew up with only a brother and a sister.
25. I rarely eat red meat (although I love it, and I don’t judge anyone who does).
1. I collect ducks (as in, “Rubber Ducky, you’re the one” ducks). My two favorite ones sit on the dashboard of my car.
2. Use of the snooze button on my alarm means I get an extra nine minutes of sleep. And yes, I have this knowledge because I use that button regularly.
3. I competed on the Speech Team my freshman year of college. Judge me all you want, but I made some great friends and it helped me have the confidence to come out of my shell a bit more.
4. I can remember how almost all my co-workers going back as far as college and most of my friends take their coffee, but I am hard pressed to remember anyone’s birthday. The hard part? No one cares if I can order coffee for them if I can’t remember their birthday.
5. I can walk to work.
6. I own a Blackberry, and so far, it has not taken over my life.
7. My first car was a pick-up truck named Chuck the truck.
8. One of my favorite comfort foods is meatloaf… and I have yet to find a restaurant in the area that I currently live that makes a decent one.
9. Somewhere along the way, I became a Mets fan. I have no idea how it happened, but one morning I found myself checking their stats online and I realized I was hooked.
10. I have a ridiculously acute sense of smell.
11. One day I would love to open a bakery/café.
12. I constantly flip through channels when I watch tv, so when I can’t find the remote my tv stays off. Maybe I should just give the remote away…
13. I have been known to jump up and down like a little kid when I am excited about something.
14. Breakfast is without a doubt my favorite meal of the day.
15. I nearly purchased tickets to the Bahamas yesterday. It still may be a destination in the very near future.
16. My favorite coffee blend of all time is the Smooth and Mellow Blend from Trader Joe’s. My roommates and I received a can of it as a housewarming gift (for my first apartment), and it has been a favorite ever since.
17. I don’t understand the idea of mittens. Why do I want to lose the ability to use four of my fingers? Besides, you can make better snowballs using gloves.
19. Fall always makes me want to consume pumpkins flavored things- like pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin lattes.
20. My favorite biblical character is Peter, primarily because I feel like I can relate to some of his mistakes.
21. I tend to listen to classical and jazz at work because I have the habit of unconsciously singing along and I don’t want to annoy my co-workers.
22. My favorite class in college was Creative Writing, which I took for fun.
23. For about two months I was an English major in college. This ended when I took a rather nightmarish literature course on Joyce and Yeats and I found it in my best interest to pursue psychology.
24. When I was a kid I was ridiculously afraid of squirrels. I have yet to figure out why.
I have seven siblings, 6 sisters and 1 brother, when counting halves and steps, however, I grew up with only a brother and a sister.
25. I rarely eat red meat (although I love it, and I don’t judge anyone who does).
You blog?!
For a few years now, I have gone back and forth on the idea of blogging, mainly working from the premise that people really don’t want to read about the randomness that goes on inside my head. While this still may be true, I have discovered that there are actually a few other purposes.1. To stay connected.
Recently, I’ve been following the blog of some friends who are writing about the adventures of home schooling their toddlers. We have not had a lot of time to talk or hang out recently, but I found that through reading about their daily adventures, seeing the photos, and watching the videos, I still felt really connected to them.
I find in my infrequent trips home or my rare phone conversations with friends scattered about the country that I always have a lot of ground to cover. My hope is that friends and family, as well as complete and total strangers, will feel more connected to me and my journey through my blog.
2.To share ideas and experiences.
I am new to ministry, and even though it’s been 16 years, sometimes I still feel new to faith too. I’ve found that dialogue is helpful, and hey, it’s also fun reading a truly random book review every now and then, or seeing how someone else views a passage of Scripture.
This blog will be about my faith journey (thus the title), the things I am learning in seminary and in ministry, and even about my failings. Expect some randomness (it’s how I roll), but I hope, you can also find something that connects to your own story, makes you laugh, or makes you think.
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