Tendencies

We all have our little things that we do based on history. I mean, duh, that's kind of everything we do, but I mean more specific, out-of-the-ordinary things. Let me explain through example.

I work with this girl named Dee Dee. If she gets the sniffles, she apologizes EVERY single time she sniffles. After about 30 times, I said, "It's really okay; it's not bothering me at all." Turns out, when she was a kid, her step-dad threw a tissue box at her head for sniffling. No wonder she apologizes!

I do similar things. For example, I rarely share my opinion, because it has often been squashed by my father. People say I'm real chill and that I go with the flow, but I really just don't want to get squashed again.

How about you? Do you have any weird tendencies? (They don't have to be that personal, either, or based off of deep emotional connections.)

Love and Milk Duds,

Leah Joy

Youngest Children

I've noticed this problem with youngest children. It doesn't apply to every youngest child. But every child to whom it does apply is a youngest child.

What's with this? Do parents forget how to raise children? Do they give up after the first 4 or whatever? Is this "just" the youngest child getting spoiled?

Examples:

"Sofia" (obviously not her real name) has three older siblings. She's younger than her nearest sibling by at least 10 years. Her three older siblings are all awesome. Really really nice people. Funny. Smart. Talented. Sofia is a snot wagon. She dresses like ... well, she dresses like she doesn't really care if she's a stumbling block or not (to put it in Christianese). She is stuck up, self-absorbed, and seems to think that she can do anything. The worst part? She gets away with it. Does her mother actually let her out of the house like that? Does her father actually let her say those things? Who is encouraging this? How is this okay?

"Joe" and "Josie" are the two youngest of five siblings. The older three aren't my favorite people, but they're good people. They're nice and respectful, at least. Joe and Josie seem to think the world revolves around them. They are similar to Sofia in nearly every characteristic. They interrupt, butt in, and stick their noses where they don't belong. They talk too loudly and whisper (very loudly) to their friends during church. Their parents let them get away with this. It's like they don't even see how horribly their children are behaving. How is this okay?

Have you noticed this in people?

Parents: Pay attention to your children - all the way through the last ones, PLEASE!!

Love and Ranting,

Leah Joy

Chapter 1: Introduction to Systematic Theology

And thus begins my Theology notes. Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology in itself is only an introduction (despite being 1167 pages longs, excluding appendices and indices) and my future blogs only a summary of that. And so I guess this blog is a summary of an introduction of an introduction. That sums it up pretty well, I think. :)

What is Systematic Theology?

Here's Grudem's definition: "Systematic Theology is any study that answers the question, 'What does the whole Bible teach us today?' about any given topic." So, what does the whole Bible tell us about mankind? There's one study of Systematic Theology. What does the whole Bible tell us about sin? There's another.

We're not talking historical theology, like what Augustine taught or whatever. We're not talking apologetics, how to defend the Christian faith. We're not even dividing Old from New Testament. We want the whole Bible. And what it teaches us today, not the doctrine of the Jews or the early church, though there are certainly many crossovers. (However, we aren't, for example, required to slaughter a lamb to atone for our sin, nor do we require circumcision, etc.)

Systematic Theology is applicable to daily life. The Bible isn't some experts' guidebook for the greatest peril or direst need. The Bible is a guidebook to everyday life, and we do not need a Masters in Theology to understand it.

Did you know that you use Systematic Theology already? Have you ever said, "The Bible says that Jesus is the only way to God?" Systematic Theology, my friend. Granted, our 57-chapter volume is much more organized (systematic, if you will) and in-depth, but you've already started! Doing Systematic Theology on one topic leads us to doctrine: "what the whole Bible teaches us today about some particular topic". Grudem splits up his book into 7 different doctrines: the Word of God, God, Man, Christ and the Holy Spirit, the Application of Redemption, the Church, and the Future. (Currently, Caleb and I are still in the Word of God.)

Why Should Christians Study Theology?

Honestly, my initial reaction to that question was to scoff and say, "Why not?" But then I remembered that I'm a nerd and extremely passionate about Theology. However, you don't have to be a nerd to have a passion for studying God.

We should study Theology because it helps us to understand what the whole Bible says, and it helps us relay this information to others. (Great Commission, anyone?) Studying theology also helps us right our wrong thinking. We've all grown up with some wrong understanding of God or man or the world or sin. Actually opening up the Bible and studying it deeply can correct that.

Final Thoughts

Grudem goes on about some arguments against studying Theology, and if you are interested in them, I suggest you read his book.

While the introduction was really long for me to read through, I appreciated the careful argument laid forth by Grudem. This last fall I took a Theology course at Cornerstone, and up until my first day of class, I had no idea how I would feel about Theology. I had heard the class was boring. I had heard it was painfully difficult. I had heard it was pointless. (People don't seem to 'complain' as loudly about classes that are interesting and yet challenging.) However, the moment we started delving into the knowledge of God, I realized how much my soul thirsted for knowledge of my Creator. Sure, I can't know God fully. That's impossible. But I can know Him better. And it's such a joy and thrill!

Up Next: The Doctrine of the Word of God.

However, there will probably be a non-Theology blog coming soon, too.

Love and Theology,

Leah Joy

Living on the Edge

Not really, I've just always wanted to title something that way, so here we are.

Living on the edge of... March? No, we've tumbled off that cliff.

This past Thursday, my life and job got a lot more interesting when Sam, the girl who had worked over me, quit. Oh, by the way, Sam was the only person who knew how to do absolutely everything. So here's Leah, thrown into a sea of billing, inventory, emails, phone calls, shipping, receiving, etc. Ready, set, don't drown! I'm still alive, a few days later, and we've got a new girl in, Didi, who we're training. "Girl". She's almost my mom's age. But still. She is female.

Also, my life got more interesting Saturday night when my car wouldn't start. Turns out the fuel pump is shot. So that's fun.

Anyway, writing about my life isn't that interesting forever. So I thought of something I could do. Not every post, but hopefully this will get my blogging up more. (Also, not working 10 hour days would help, too.)

Caleb and I have been reading through Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology, which is actually really fascinating, even if it sounds super boring. I really enjoy Theology. And I thought I could give little chapter-by-chapter summaries, so those of you who don't want to read the 1300-page book (I rounded up) can still get a bit of knowledge out of it.

At this point, Caleb and I are through the first 6 chapters, so you can expect a whole slew of chapter updates coming up in the next several days/weeks, and then they'll slow down a bit and maybe I'll hit you with some more YouTube videos and movie reviews. :)

With that being said, I have the whole night free, and I intend to use it to read or knit or something.

Love and THEOLOGY,

LeahJoy

Catching Up 2

Is it sad that when I went to type in the title, it came up as an option? Meaning I've already titled at least one post "Catching Up".

Every life change brings new schedule changes. And I'm a huge routine person. I won't say that I do the exact same thing every day, or every week even, but I do have several things I do the same way every time, and I do them quite regularly. This being said, having a new job (about which I will update you momentarily) wreaks havoc on my current schedule. This makes me busy for about a week or so while I get used to it. Then I can settle into routine and blog again. Not that I'm a regular blogger anyway.

ANYWAY.

New job. Yes.

I'm working as a clerk in a warehouse. Please, save your disparaging remarks about how you used to work in a warehouse or that I'm not using my degree. I really really like my job. I really like the people with whom I work. I really like getting at least 40 hours a week. I really like having a half hour lunch break. I really like getting paid more than minimum wage. I like filing papers and entering data. I like hunting down products in the warehouse. I even like giving directions to truckers who call when they're lost. ("Yep, the driveway before the Nissan dealership. ... Yes, the one that says 'No trucks or trailers'.")

I've got loans. A girl with loans can't complain about the job that'll pay them off. It's only an added bonus that I like what I do.

And really. Let's be honest. All those people who have been asking forever, "A performance degree? What are you going to do with that?" - they've made a good point. But for a while I've been saying, "Work a day job and write songs." Maybe I originally entered the program with intentions of making a full-time music career, but since I got some sense knocked into me (Thanks, CMC!) I've realized that nothing of the sort is going to happen immediately. The best I can do is pay off my loans as soon as possible.

Okay, so you know about my job now.

Other things, I've got a boyfriend now. He's 6'5", has a beard, and is a reverend. (Yes, this blog is still run by the girl who said she'd never be a pastor's wife.)

And today I reorganized my closet for maximum efficiency. Because we all know closets are supposed to be about efficiency.

Love and homemade headbands,

Leah Joy

The Noble Semicolon

There is this wonderful little punctuation mark known as the semicolon. It is my personal favorite punctuation mark and I protect its few functions as best I can. Here's the thing about the semicolon: using one correctly makes you look smart; using one incorrectly makes you look really stupid. Many people suffer from the delusion that using a semicolon - properly or not - makes you appear intelligent or perhaps scholarly. False. When I see a sentence punctuated like this one; I want to punch a watermelon.

Semicolons do NOT separate dependent clauses; commas can, as seen in the following sentence. Semicolons CAN separate independent clauses, as seen in the previous sentence. Semicolons are also useful in a list, if the items normally separated by a comma already contain commas. We visited London, England; Paris, France; and Rome, Italy.

Friends, stop using semicolons incorrectly. It makes you look like an idiot. If you don't know how to use one, don't. There are ways to survive without this glorious comma-and-colon-combination, though we all know I prefer to survive with it.

Love and Semicolons,

Leah Joy

If We Were a Movie...

Do you ever think about what the title of your life-movie would be? Here are some options for mine:

-Must Hate Dogs

-2 Days of Summer

-I Know What You Did Last Summer: And Boy, That was Boring

-Early to Bed, Early to Rise

-What Bassoonists Want

How about you?