Okay, so I know I JUST posted this morning, but I am taking a procrastinating break from my work. Today, Paul and I eagerly opened the mail to find our two new books awaiting us! We are really excited to read them together.
The books:
**Ronald W. Pierce, Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, eds. Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity without Hierarchy
**David Blankenhorn, Don Browning, Mary Steward VanLeeuwen, eds. Does Christianity Teach Male Headship? The Equal-Regard Marriage and its Critics
The first book is a thorough academic book on the history, theology, etc. of the entire Christian faith and argues for equality in Christian marriages. However, they also encourage debate from their findings.
The second book is a debate book with both sides of the issue as well as non-Christian and Christian opinions.
We are excited to read these books together to expand our knowledge on our beliefs. After all, it is not good to believe something without personal knowledge! Paul and I began our relationship with the mutual understanding that our marriage was about equality. Since joining our small group, we have been constantly complimented on our marriage relationship, and have had many Christian friends ask us (out of curiousity, NOT anger) how our equality-stance marriage is founded on Christian beliefs. Many of them believe that the man needs to be the dominant partner and marvel at Paul and I because we don't believe this. Anyway, Paul and I researched some good books on this topic. We are going to read them to expand our understanding, and, if we enjoy the books and find them helpful, we are probably going to start a small group on this very topic. I think it would be wonderful to discuss/debate the pros/cons of both opinions. I would never want to force my beliefs on another person, but healthy knowledge would be essential for us all. So if anyone is reading this post and is curious about the books, let me know! I encourage everyone, single or married, male or female, to read on these topics to further understand the family/social life that God desires! :)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thanksgiving
It is now thanksgiving break for me. I have been dreading this break for a long time b/c I have ambitious plans for my grad work. Also, I am not going home for thanksgiving this year and it's kinda depressing.
It's weird, too. Last year when Paul and I went home for thanksgiving, it took about 9 hours to do a normally 5 hour trip. We were grumpy and exhausted and got to Michigan late wednesday night. Then we woke up thursday/thanksgiving day tired and had to force ourselves to be social and happy-go-lucky for our families. Last Thanksgiving we went from one family home to another and it was a non-stop exhausting day. I told Paul last thanksgiving that I never wanted to go home for that holiday again. Besides, I hate thanksgiving traditional food and traditions always make me grumpy when they have no true personal value (ex: WHY must we eat boring pumpkin pie and bland turkey? It's not b/c our family has fond memories of either of these, it's b/c that's what everyone in America eats for the holiday. Blegh. I hate traditions like these). Anywho, so I was originally glad we weren't going home for this thanksgiving.
However, I guess it's a combination of the fact that we aren't seeing family for this holiday OR Christmas this year (Paul and I are fishing in Florida instead) that makes me kinda sad. Now that Jon is married, I have a nephew, Jim is dating, Michael is dating, and Christy is preggo, I feel like it's more important than ever before to connect with family. I don't want to be that aunt/sister that no one evers gets to know. Five hours is not that far...However, the problem is that Paul and I never have breaks that match up to go home for a weekend and grad school is slowly killing me (or at least robbing me of a life)... I hope that our families can someday take time to come visit us for weekends. That would be nice.
So I kinda wandered off topic. I guess I am writing because thanksgiving is different this year and it's weird. I know my blogs have been mainly negative, so I will end this blog with a thanksgiving tradition that I actually think is important:
*Things I am Thankful For this Year*
**I am thankful that I finished grading the quizzes and did my medieval presentation
**I am thankful that I will have time this weekend to do ALOT of work, so that maybe I can relax a bit in December
**I am thankful that God allowed me to get into a Phd program, even though it's hard and I don't like it. It will make it easier to get a job someday, so Thanks God!
**I am thankful that I am making/eating delicious food for thanksgiving instead of food that makes me want to pull my hair and scream (Marinated/grilled steak, cheesy veggies, savory stuffed mushrooms, crockpot chunky applesauce, pumpkin spice cake w/ choc)
**I am thankful for my house, which I love so much. Everytime I come home, I think about how God has blessed us with an affordable and awesome-sized home.
**I am thankful for my precious dog Athena. She completes our family. Paul and I love her so much and it is such a blessing to snuggle and play with our sweet pup.
**I am SO thankful to God for adding on to my family! I want to get to know Amanda more and I want to spend more time with my awesome nephew Quentin! And Thanks God for giving Paul and I another nephew this spring!
**I am thankful for our wonderful families, and our old and new friends. You all complete our lives.
**Finally, of course, I am super super super thankful to God for blessing me with my Paul. I could not survive grad school (or life for that matter) without Paul encouraging me and helping me. Everyday, Paul picks me up from school and I am sad and angry, but when I see him pull up with the car, a smile forms on my face and happiness fills me to the core. I love you, Paul. :)
It's weird, too. Last year when Paul and I went home for thanksgiving, it took about 9 hours to do a normally 5 hour trip. We were grumpy and exhausted and got to Michigan late wednesday night. Then we woke up thursday/thanksgiving day tired and had to force ourselves to be social and happy-go-lucky for our families. Last Thanksgiving we went from one family home to another and it was a non-stop exhausting day. I told Paul last thanksgiving that I never wanted to go home for that holiday again. Besides, I hate thanksgiving traditional food and traditions always make me grumpy when they have no true personal value (ex: WHY must we eat boring pumpkin pie and bland turkey? It's not b/c our family has fond memories of either of these, it's b/c that's what everyone in America eats for the holiday. Blegh. I hate traditions like these). Anywho, so I was originally glad we weren't going home for this thanksgiving.
However, I guess it's a combination of the fact that we aren't seeing family for this holiday OR Christmas this year (Paul and I are fishing in Florida instead) that makes me kinda sad. Now that Jon is married, I have a nephew, Jim is dating, Michael is dating, and Christy is preggo, I feel like it's more important than ever before to connect with family. I don't want to be that aunt/sister that no one evers gets to know. Five hours is not that far...However, the problem is that Paul and I never have breaks that match up to go home for a weekend and grad school is slowly killing me (or at least robbing me of a life)... I hope that our families can someday take time to come visit us for weekends. That would be nice.
So I kinda wandered off topic. I guess I am writing because thanksgiving is different this year and it's weird. I know my blogs have been mainly negative, so I will end this blog with a thanksgiving tradition that I actually think is important:
*Things I am Thankful For this Year*
**I am thankful that I finished grading the quizzes and did my medieval presentation
**I am thankful that I will have time this weekend to do ALOT of work, so that maybe I can relax a bit in December
**I am thankful that God allowed me to get into a Phd program, even though it's hard and I don't like it. It will make it easier to get a job someday, so Thanks God!
**I am thankful that I am making/eating delicious food for thanksgiving instead of food that makes me want to pull my hair and scream (Marinated/grilled steak, cheesy veggies, savory stuffed mushrooms, crockpot chunky applesauce, pumpkin spice cake w/ choc)
**I am thankful for my house, which I love so much. Everytime I come home, I think about how God has blessed us with an affordable and awesome-sized home.
**I am thankful for my precious dog Athena. She completes our family. Paul and I love her so much and it is such a blessing to snuggle and play with our sweet pup.
**I am SO thankful to God for adding on to my family! I want to get to know Amanda more and I want to spend more time with my awesome nephew Quentin! And Thanks God for giving Paul and I another nephew this spring!
**I am thankful for our wonderful families, and our old and new friends. You all complete our lives.
**Finally, of course, I am super super super thankful to God for blessing me with my Paul. I could not survive grad school (or life for that matter) without Paul encouraging me and helping me. Everyday, Paul picks me up from school and I am sad and angry, but when I see him pull up with the car, a smile forms on my face and happiness fills me to the core. I love you, Paul. :)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
I need a school break!!!
Ug, I wish Marquette's history grad program wasn't so time consuming. I hate it so much. I wish I could be like normal people in the world and have weekends off. There are so many things I want to do on the weekends for fun, but there is just so much work for school, I don't see how it is possible!
Here is list of things I WANT to do on the weekends:
**make holiday cookies/treats
**have people over for games and appetizers
**make homemade cards and write to people
**make curtains for all the rooms in our house (I have the fabric ready to go!)
**make oriental pictures for our dining room
**go home to Michigan to see my family/friends
**finish the various throw pillows
**finish knitting my afghan
**go shopping for fun
Here is the list of things that I HAVE to do on the weekends from now until Dec. 18:
**do all the research (approx. 20 books/articles) for my Islam paper
**write my Islam paper
**make my presentation for the Islam paper
**do all the research for my medieval paper
**write my medieval paper
**make a presentation for my arts/crafts class
**grade student quizzes (86 of them)
**grade student tests (also 86 of them)
**finish putting in grades for my class
**lesson plan and read the book I am teaching about before my students have to
**make a presentation for my medieval class
These are the things I am doing on the weekends, but it does not include the everyday work. For example, this past week (not the weekend) I had to read 4 books for Islam, 7 books/articles for medieval, 2 books for arts/crafts, write a paper for arts/crafts, office hours and lectures and email students and lesson plan and grade, and go to my grad classes and participate actively.
Blegh. I am so sick of school, and this school expects too much from us students. I don't think it is right for a grad program to demand every moment of our lives. I already sacrifice valuable study time on most nights so that I can eat dinner and hang out with my husband and dog. I wish so much that I could have a weekend where I actually say something like "I'm bored". That would be so wonderful. I don't know when that will ever happen. At least not for another four years...blegh. :(
So anyone who reads this, please pray for me. Pray that God either makes an extra day during the weekends or that He makes a clone of me that can do part of this workload. Okay, those aren't realistic. How about pray that God will give me peace and persistance in my work even though I am so sick of it...
Here is list of things I WANT to do on the weekends:
**make holiday cookies/treats
**have people over for games and appetizers
**make homemade cards and write to people
**make curtains for all the rooms in our house (I have the fabric ready to go!)
**make oriental pictures for our dining room
**go home to Michigan to see my family/friends
**finish the various throw pillows
**finish knitting my afghan
**go shopping for fun
Here is the list of things that I HAVE to do on the weekends from now until Dec. 18:
**do all the research (approx. 20 books/articles) for my Islam paper
**write my Islam paper
**make my presentation for the Islam paper
**do all the research for my medieval paper
**write my medieval paper
**make a presentation for my arts/crafts class
**grade student quizzes (86 of them)
**grade student tests (also 86 of them)
**finish putting in grades for my class
**lesson plan and read the book I am teaching about before my students have to
**make a presentation for my medieval class
These are the things I am doing on the weekends, but it does not include the everyday work. For example, this past week (not the weekend) I had to read 4 books for Islam, 7 books/articles for medieval, 2 books for arts/crafts, write a paper for arts/crafts, office hours and lectures and email students and lesson plan and grade, and go to my grad classes and participate actively.
Blegh. I am so sick of school, and this school expects too much from us students. I don't think it is right for a grad program to demand every moment of our lives. I already sacrifice valuable study time on most nights so that I can eat dinner and hang out with my husband and dog. I wish so much that I could have a weekend where I actually say something like "I'm bored". That would be so wonderful. I don't know when that will ever happen. At least not for another four years...blegh. :(
So anyone who reads this, please pray for me. Pray that God either makes an extra day during the weekends or that He makes a clone of me that can do part of this workload. Okay, those aren't realistic. How about pray that God will give me peace and persistance in my work even though I am so sick of it...
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