Young Theologians

Recently, I looked at Adam's bookshelf (very tall, very full, and very intimidating) and asked him to recommend something to me. I haven't enjoyed very much time to read since school started, but I decided that I just needed to make time! So Adam made a few suggestions and I fingered through them for a couple of days before deciding on "A Little Exercise for Young Theologians" by Helmut Thielicke.

Let me preface that I do not claim to be a young theologian... although I'm sure some would argue that all Christians are (in some sense) also theologians. Perhaps I should say that I don't claim to be a young theologian from an academic standpoint. In other words, I'm not taking theology classes and no one is waiting on me to translate Galatians 6. However, my sweet husband is. I chose this book in an effort to understand Adam more and to show my support for his calling. His calling (and as a result, my own calling) is very unique and, as I learned from Thielicke, presents some very unique challenges. I'd like to share with you the two that stood out to me the most.

Thielicke believes in a "theological puberty." He says that because young theologians are learning so much at once, it's almost like buying a young child pants that are two sizes too big. We expect him to grow into them, but we don't expect him to model! Thielicke goes far enough to say that "it is a mistake for anyone who is just in this stage to appear before a church as a teacher... During the period when the voice is changing we do not sing, and during this formative period in the life of the theological student he does not preach" (Thielicke, 12). There are several implications here, but there is one that particularly applies to my every day life - not everything my husband says is gospel. I know that those of you who have been married awhile are thinking "Well DUH!" And believe me, I know that he is not right about everything :) But Adam goes to class, studies the Greek or Hebrew, reads a million books, thinks about all these things, etc, etc. and when he forms an idea about something theological, it's tempting to accept it and move on! Please don't misunderstand, I'm not a pushover. I have plenty of ideas. But the fact remains that this is something that I struggle with and Thielicke seemingly "hit the nail on the head" for how I should think and react to my husband's journey right now.

The second point that struck me from Thielicke's book is that young theologians (and theologians, in general) face very specific temptations as a direct result of their theological journey. It was enlightening to become aware of these temptations and learn a) to support my husband through this struggle and b) to offer consistent grace in these areas.

If you are a young theologian or you happen to love a young theologian, I recommend "A Little Exercise for Young Theologians," by Helmut Thielicke. I think his thoughts will encourage you and perhaps help you understand this journey better!

Facebook Rules

We recently attended in-service for the Ouachita School District. An AR attorney spoke to us about social media, ways to protect our students, and ways to protect ourselves. These are his Facebook "rules". He was  very entertaining, but also extremely informative and I think these are good practices to adopt even if you are not a teacher. He reminded us that Facebook or any other social media becomes a permanent record of who you are (or were :/), what you are thinking, or doing. He's seen people's Facebook posts used against them in court as well as grounds for termination of their job. So here they are...

1. Post happy! <Don't be critical of anyone or anything, ESPECIALLY your job.>
2. Not at work... <Don't post while you're at work! The world doesn't understand that you have a lunch break or a free period. They only see that you're online posting instead of supervising/teaching their kid.>
3. Do NOT post about your ex.
4. NO threats! <To anyone or about anything! Even if you're "joking," it doesn't look that way in print.>
5. Not about work. <Do not post about students, school-related incidents, etc. Winning a sports game or something that would be publicized in the newspaper would be exceptions to this rule.>
6. No more than four! <Do not post more than four times a day.>
7. No check-in or four-square... <Hello, stalkers and burglars!>
8. N.W.K.A. <Not with kids around! Parents often do not spend enough time with their kids in the first place. Don't waste your few opportunities by being on Facebook.>

Stuffed Peppers: Trial 2

Confession: This dish isn't even out of the oven yet and I'm already writing a blog about it. It smells SO good! And we might have already tasted the filling :)

You can find the link to the recipe that I used here. I found it via pinterest, of course! We've tried stuffed peppers in the past, and although we thoroughly enjoyed the peppers, the filling was pretty dry and not very tasty. Not so with this recipe! It took less than an hour to put this together and that included cleaning my pan to cook the rice in. Haha. (Confession #2: We're not exactly the most prompt about our kitchen cleaning). So with no further ado... Here's my version. I changed very little except that we don't shop "organic" so I took all that out.

You will need:
olive oil (we use extra virgin)
1/2 lb. ground turkey, cooked
chopped onions (I only used half of a small onion. Honestly, I just hate chopping them and Adam doesn't fuss :))
1 tbsp taco seasoning
2 cups cooked rice (we like Rice-a-Roni beef flavor)
4 bell peppers, halved and seeds removed
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 jar of salsa (the original recipe called for a whole jar, but I'm not a huge salsa fan so I chickened out).
Shredded cheddar cheese

---Lightly coat the peppers with olive oil and then roast on 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

---In a large bowl, combine cooked turkey, cooked rice, taco seasoning, beans, onion, and corn. Add salsa to your liking and mix well. Spoon this mixture into the peppers and stuff carefully. I also added leftover mixture around the peppers. Place back into the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove peppers and liberally spread shredded cheese over the top. Cook until cheese is melted (seriously about a minute; 400 degrees is HOT).

We didn't top ours with anything, but sour cream would have been delicious! Also, the turkey and the rice can be made a couple of days in advance. I had cooked our turkey on Sunday night and just left it in the fridge. Let me know if you try this or if you have any suggestions for improvement! Happy stuffing!

Thanksgivings: The Weekend Edition

• Time with my husband ... Can't beating the opportunity to spend my whole day in the same room with him! Even if we're not doing same thing, I just love being with him.
• SLEEP!!! I have become a firm believer in the concept of "sleep deficit." I can work efficiently and confidently on 7-7.5 hours of sleep during the week, but Friday and Saturday nights I usually sleep 9-10 hours! Plus a Sunday afternoon nap every once in awhile :)
• K-group ... These are our church's small groups that meet on Sunday evenings. I cherish this time with other believers to encourage and pray for each other as we dig deeper into God's word.
• Cooking! I've had a hard time cooking during the week since school started, so I try to cook well on the weekends to make up for it.
• Adult conversation. I love my kiddos at school, but I take advantage of any time that I can spend with people my own age!
• Cleaning ... Although I tend to put it off as long as possible, I do enjoy a clean home!
• Did I mention time with my husband? Of course we spend time together during the week, but between his classes for Senior year and my first year of teaching, we're a little distracted Monday - Friday. The weekends are our chance to really focus on and enjoy each other.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, fully equipped for every good work. (ESV)

Our church is currently going through a book on discipleship. The pastors teach every Sunday on the same topic as each week's lesson and then we discuss both the sermon and the work we've done in the book at K-group (our version of church small groups). The verse above was this week's Bible verse and also the text for this morning's sermon.

I learned that I've been missing out on a huge lesson from this verse! You see, I've always thought about this verse in the context of "me to others." We're taught that Scripture is a tool and so I read this verse to mean something like, "Scripture is a tool for Rebecca to teach, rebuke, correct, and train OTHERS in righteousness, that OTHERS may be competent, fully equipped for every good work" While I still believe that view is true, I was excited to learn the other (and arguably, the more important) half... Reading this verse in the context of "scripture to ME." Now scripture is the subject and I am the direct object, "Scripture is profitable for teaching ME, for rebuking ME, for correcting ME, and for training ME in righteousness, that I, REBECCA, may be competent, fully equipped for every good work." WOW!!! This makes a huge difference!

Our pastor shared that he uses this verse as an outline for how he studies scripture. He firsts reads the Scripture and asks God what God is trying to teach him through that particular passage. Then he asks God how God is rebuking him through the passage, etc, etc. Scripture is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12)! God wants to interact with us through His word... I can't wait to explore the Bible with this refreshed knowledge!

Thanksgivings: The Equinox Edition

I was driving my Equinox home today and began to reminisce about all the reasons I like it. I was once again overwhelmed by thankfulness for this sweet gift (Yes, GIFT. No strings attached!) from my Grandparents. So here we go...

• NOT a tank, but still big enough that I don't feel intimidated by 18-wheelers on the highway!
• Roomy backseat and lots of trunk space.
• Wonderful turn radius. I love (safely) zipping around corners and parking is a breeze!
• Little nitch on the dash for my cell phone :)
• Headphone jack for playing music off my iPhone.

And there you have it :) Just a few reasons that I am thankful for my Equinox!

Blueberries, Coffee Mugs, and Breakfasts

1/4 cup oats, 1 egg, 1 tsp brown sugar, handful of blueberries, splash of milk, and dash of cinnamon. Mix in a coffee mug and microwave for 2 minutes. So easy and so delicious!

I found this on Pinterest. You can follow the link here, but it's a little hard to follow. Adam and I love this little Breakfast Mug! I like to include a few extra blueberries after I've microwaved it. The combination of cold blueberries and warm oatmeal is wonderful, I think!

It needs a name though; "Berrylicious Microwave Minute Muffin" isn't exactly striking my fancy. Any ideas? I'm thinking "Blueberry Breakfast Mug" or something along those lines. I like that you make it in a coffee mug because I don't drink coffee, but I love coffee mugs! So this gives me an excuse to use one :)

Warning: This is extremely hot coming out of the microwave. If I make it for breakfast during the week, I mix it up and start the microwave before drying my hair, finishing make-up, etc. When I return, it's cool enough to enjoy :)