As I shared in an earlier post about memorizing Scripture, I like to memorize larger chunks to keep the verses in context. I've been working on 1 John since the beginning of June, and am now just finishing the third of five chapters. One of the reasons that memorizing larger chunks of Scripture is that you're constantly in the same part of the Word and are able to really meditate on what you're reading. Here are some of the themes I've noticed from 1 John:
1. Knowledge- The phrase "This is how we know" recurs continually throughout the book. Often we think that faith has nothing to do with intelligence, but John shows us that we really should (to quote other Scripture) love the Lord our God with all our mind. When John uses the phrase "This is how we know" he follows up with describing ways we can check our spiritual walk. In 2:3-6 we learn that we can know we are in Christ when we obey his commands. We can know what love is because of Jesus' example (3:16). We know Christ lives in us because of the Spirit he gave us (3:24). God doesn't want us to follow him with our brains turned off, but rather he calls us to use our intellect to follow him.
2. Sin- 1 John is full of commentary on the forgiveness of sins. We're probably all familiar with 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." This theme continues throughout the book. 2:2 reminds us that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice not only for our sins but also for the sins of the whole world! This is a fundamental truth, and one that we need to be reminded of constantly.
3. Truth- Similar to knowledge, John constantly reminds us about being in the truth. 2:20-23 tells us that we know the truth because of the Holy Spirit. We are to love not with words, but with actions and in truth (3:18). God's Word is the ultimate truth that we need in our lives, and the standard by which we should live our lives.
4. Love- God is love (4:16). We know what love is because we know God and we have seen the greatest love in his Son, Jesus Christ. John tells us that we are not to love the world, but to love the Father (2:15-17). I think the most convicting verse about love is this: "For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." (4:20-21) Wow! We are called to love our brothers with actions, with the kind of self-sacrificing love that Jesus demonstrated. If we aren't loving in this way, we cannot claim to love God.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Being a Cop's Wife
Recently I've stumbled upon multiple blogs written by cops' wives. Apparently being married to a law enforcement officer is something to blog about. I enjoy reading these posts because these ladies "get it."
For me, being a cop's wife is the same thing as being a wife. I know no other married life, so I can't comment on what it's like to have a husband with a "normal" job. A mere seven days after our wedding, David started the police academy. I did have some idea what I was getting into- or at least that I was getting into it. David has wanted to be in law enforcement as long as I've known him (I'm pretty sure he's wanted to be a cop his whole life). Here are some of my observations about what it's like to be married to an LEO:
First, the most obvious- the schedule can be stressful. Thankfully, the way my husband's department schedules, he does get every other weekend off. He works ten hour shifts for eight days straight and then has six days off. There are ups and downs to this schedule, and it's a schedule that those who don't live it really can't understand.
Secondly, be prepared to feel boring. As a society we often define people by their occupations, but this happens more often with police. As soon as someone finds out that David's a cop they're immediately intrigued. It's easy to feel like I fade into the background since I'm only a boring grad student. I'm not trying to complain- I, too, enjoy hearing a good cop story. Just sometimes, it gets a little old.
Being married to a cop is being married to a special type of person. Stay tuned for more thoughts on this subject...
For me, being a cop's wife is the same thing as being a wife. I know no other married life, so I can't comment on what it's like to have a husband with a "normal" job. A mere seven days after our wedding, David started the police academy. I did have some idea what I was getting into- or at least that I was getting into it. David has wanted to be in law enforcement as long as I've known him (I'm pretty sure he's wanted to be a cop his whole life). Here are some of my observations about what it's like to be married to an LEO:
First, the most obvious- the schedule can be stressful. Thankfully, the way my husband's department schedules, he does get every other weekend off. He works ten hour shifts for eight days straight and then has six days off. There are ups and downs to this schedule, and it's a schedule that those who don't live it really can't understand.
Secondly, be prepared to feel boring. As a society we often define people by their occupations, but this happens more often with police. As soon as someone finds out that David's a cop they're immediately intrigued. It's easy to feel like I fade into the background since I'm only a boring grad student. I'm not trying to complain- I, too, enjoy hearing a good cop story. Just sometimes, it gets a little old.
Being married to a cop is being married to a special type of person. Stay tuned for more thoughts on this subject...
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Saving Money While Eating Out
David and I like to eat out. A lot. Sometimes my mom asks me if I ever cook... But eating out on a tight budget can be difficult, so in order to feed our habit we've discovered ways to keep it cheaper. Here are some of our tips:
1. Sign up for email clubs.
I set up a separate email account for my coupons because I sign up for everything and that generates a lot of junk mail. Despite all the junk you'll get, these email coupon clubs can actually be worth it. Usually there's a decent offer just for joining, something for your birthday (I alternate which birthday I sign up with), and some other offers in between.
2. Join loyalty programs.
If you're like us at all, you have a few restaurants that are real favorites. Right now, we're in a rut of Freebirds and Fazoli's. Freebirds has a loyalty card that gets us a free meal for every ten we buy. While these type of loyalty programs don't necessarily save you money every time, if it's somewhere you apt to eat often, it's worth it.
3. Do receipt surveys.
We ate at Fazoli's for free most of last summer by working their system. I signed up two email addresses for their email club and printed the initial offer of free spaghetti for a free meal for both of us. On the bottom of the receipt there is a survey for a free spaghetti coupon, so our next meal was also free. They eventually changed the survey coupon (probably because of people like us), so you now have to buy a drink to get your free spaghetti. Still, I keep a stash of receipt coupons and we can eat for less than $5 total. I check receipts from every restaurant and store and often do their surveys.
4. Find the deals.
This may seem like an obvious tip, but it's important. Most restaurants have deals or specials that you can take advantage of. For example, some restaurants sell souvenir cups and then offer refill prices if you bring back their cup. We take advantage of this type of deal at Rudy's BBQ and Fuzzy's Tacos. While it may not save you that much, every penny counts! Other restaurants have even better specials. Freebirds (our current obsession) has a two taco combo for $5- that's two tacos with as much as you want on them, chips & salsa, and a drink for only $5. David loves this deal and often sounds like a Freebirds commercial when he suggests it after church. If you find the deals, you really can save a lot of money!
1. Sign up for email clubs.
I set up a separate email account for my coupons because I sign up for everything and that generates a lot of junk mail. Despite all the junk you'll get, these email coupon clubs can actually be worth it. Usually there's a decent offer just for joining, something for your birthday (I alternate which birthday I sign up with), and some other offers in between.
2. Join loyalty programs.
If you're like us at all, you have a few restaurants that are real favorites. Right now, we're in a rut of Freebirds and Fazoli's. Freebirds has a loyalty card that gets us a free meal for every ten we buy. While these type of loyalty programs don't necessarily save you money every time, if it's somewhere you apt to eat often, it's worth it.
3. Do receipt surveys.
We ate at Fazoli's for free most of last summer by working their system. I signed up two email addresses for their email club and printed the initial offer of free spaghetti for a free meal for both of us. On the bottom of the receipt there is a survey for a free spaghetti coupon, so our next meal was also free. They eventually changed the survey coupon (probably because of people like us), so you now have to buy a drink to get your free spaghetti. Still, I keep a stash of receipt coupons and we can eat for less than $5 total. I check receipts from every restaurant and store and often do their surveys.
4. Find the deals.
This may seem like an obvious tip, but it's important. Most restaurants have deals or specials that you can take advantage of. For example, some restaurants sell souvenir cups and then offer refill prices if you bring back their cup. We take advantage of this type of deal at Rudy's BBQ and Fuzzy's Tacos. While it may not save you that much, every penny counts! Other restaurants have even better specials. Freebirds (our current obsession) has a two taco combo for $5- that's two tacos with as much as you want on them, chips & salsa, and a drink for only $5. David loves this deal and often sounds like a Freebirds commercial when he suggests it after church. If you find the deals, you really can save a lot of money!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Memorizing Scripture
I grew up going to AWANA at church. AWANA teaches kids, from three years old to sixth grade, to memorize Bible verses. I loved AWANA, and have tried to continue memorizing God's Word, even as an adult.
Psalm 119:11 says: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Memorizing Scripture helps me to focus on God throughout the day. Memorizing is more than simply reading the Bible; by memorizing, I aim to completely immerse myself in God's Word. By doing this, I know that it will come back to me when I need it.
Everyone has their own way to memorize. Find what works for you, and use it! For me, it helps to write out what I'm memorizing. I first write the verses on index cards, which I keep together. Each week, during my daily quiet time, I write out my verse or verses for the week (usually one card's worth). On the weekends, I go through my stack and review old verses. A helpful resource that I have begun using is Scripture Typer. This website allows you to import your own selection of verses or choose from ready-made collections. Then you are able to type out the verses with about every other word showing until you have them memorized with no hints. It also keeps you accountable to review verses by showing how many are "current."
Currently I am working on memorizing the book of James. I like to memorize in bigger chunks to keep verses in their context. I have never before memorized an entire book of the Bible, so this is a challenge!
Will join me in hiding God's Word in our hearts?
Psalm 119:11 says: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Memorizing Scripture helps me to focus on God throughout the day. Memorizing is more than simply reading the Bible; by memorizing, I aim to completely immerse myself in God's Word. By doing this, I know that it will come back to me when I need it.
Everyone has their own way to memorize. Find what works for you, and use it! For me, it helps to write out what I'm memorizing. I first write the verses on index cards, which I keep together. Each week, during my daily quiet time, I write out my verse or verses for the week (usually one card's worth). On the weekends, I go through my stack and review old verses. A helpful resource that I have begun using is Scripture Typer. This website allows you to import your own selection of verses or choose from ready-made collections. Then you are able to type out the verses with about every other word showing until you have them memorized with no hints. It also keeps you accountable to review verses by showing how many are "current."
Currently I am working on memorizing the book of James. I like to memorize in bigger chunks to keep verses in their context. I have never before memorized an entire book of the Bible, so this is a challenge!
Will join me in hiding God's Word in our hearts?
Why Chocolate Macaroni?
Why this bizarre title? For starters, I needed a title. That might be a good enough reason, but I'll try to explain a little more.
When I was much younger, my sister decided to give me a nickname. Our family doesn't do nicknames, so we weren't really creative in this area. All Rebekah came up with was Chocolate Macaroni, after two of my favorite foods. The name definitely never worked. Still, if you know me, you know that I am a Connoisseur of macaroni and cheese- I rate restaurants based on the quality of their mac & cheese. Just a bowl of the good ol' blue box variety can make a bad day better. Chocolate is the same way- it's hard to say "no" to almost anything chocolate.
Chocolate Macaroni is more than just a combination of some favorite foods. It doesn't make sense. It's random, but somehow good. Sometimes that's how I feel about life. It doesn't always make sense, but when I'm trusting God I know that He's going to work all things out for good (Romans 8:28). Our plans and ideas, like chocolate macaroni, aren't always well-thought out, and might not be the best for our lives. That's why we remember that we can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God's hands (Proverbs 19:21).
This blog, which probably very few people will read, is a place for my thoughts about life and loving God.
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