Like and Love, Ramblings of a Theologian in Progress

We are the typical American family when it comes to food habits. In that, we eat a rotation of approximately the same 5 meals: - Chicken Tacos - BBQ Chicken - Sauteed Salmon - Spaghetti - "Meatloaf" Pies Every once in a blue moon, I'll add something "fun" to the mix: - Stir Fry - Pretzel Chicken - More different fish - Roast Chicken Fun meals ceased to exist once baby boy showed up, but now that he's able to sit in a high chair AND has a bit of a schedule during the day, cooking is incrementally becoming an easier task. Last night I found a slow cooker magazine (yay Better Homes and Gardens!) and realized that I'm bored with the same 5-6 meals. Trying to find new permutations of said meals is also a task I don't completely enjoy. Only Tuesdays should signal a specific food (e.g. Taco Tuesdays). So here goes a novel experiment - I'm going to try and cook something "new" once a week. Full disclosure - I'm a big fan of...

My dear Jack, Today was an exciting day in your life and one I'm sure you will not remember since you are only almost 5 months old. Today your father and I brought you in front of South Main Baptist Church and you were officially welcomed into that family. And then we had cake afterwards (sorry that you didn't get any, you are a baby). Bonhoeffer (who you will be familiar with soon enough) wrote a beautiful letter to his nephew on the occasion of his baptism. I hope that when that day comes, I'll be able to pen something even half as eloquent and thoughtful as Bonhoeffer, but I'm afraid you'll have to suffice with your mom's slightly clumsy and inelegant reflections. This will include today and those subsequent watermarks on your life. There are two things I know you will not remember, but I hope that you'll learn in time from today.  The first is how much your South Main family already loves you. We knew that your biological family would love you,...

As we were on a particularly long road trip this July, Jack (the husband, the baby was sleeping) and I discussed what potential employment avenues I might pursue after I complete my PhD. Two things emerged from those conversations: 1- I have an incredibly supportive husband. 2- Despite feeling a call to the ministry of theological education (which I still feel called to), there is a growing concern within me that the path to get a job doing that in a Baptist context is getting murky. So when the social media explosion (or implosion) over the invitation of Russell Moore to be part of a preaching symposium at Truett, co-sponsored by the ISR erupted yesterday, that twinge of uncertainty reemerged. Given that this is much too long for a facebook post, but feeling that I want to contribute to the conversation, this blog post will need to suffice in lieu of a preferred face to face conversation. Let me begin by asserting that my heart is rooted deeply in the Baptist tradition. I love ...