Pre-Marital Counseling Funnies

Todd and I started pre-marital counseling yesterday with our pastor here in Chicago. He is Nils Peterson at Sojourner Covenant Church. I thought I would share with you one funny thing we experienced yesterday.

Nils gave us an online quiz to do before our first meeting. He started reading us the results and we found out we were in the 95% which means that we see almost eye to eye about our relationship and decisions we make. It was very encouraging.

Then he started to tell us about the aspect of the quiz that measured how ideal you think marriage is going to be. A high score can either indicate you really like each other or that you think marriage is going to be all sunshine and candy. You should be between 40-65%. We were, again, at 95%! So we then had to talk about how we don't think marriage will be farting rainbows, but we just must really like each other. It was an interesting day.

Sorry, no picture today. Todd doesn't like posts without pictures.

One more photo

This photo of Anne made me smile today. The onesie she has one is one that I painted for her first birthday. She is rapidly (and has probably already) growing out of them, but I thought they were cute. She also has one that looks like a jersey, one with a sun on it, and one that says "flower girl" on it. Like I said, I thought they were cute.

Laughter

Just a random thought I had this past weekend to make my life happier.

Friday morning, I woke up and had to go to a youth ministry meeting.  While there with the two other people that came (of our group of six), us three girls giggled and chatted for almost two hours!  It made me miss the days of high school mornings in the locker bay.   I always started the day there by laughing with my friends and being reassured that I was important to them.  I wish I made times in my mornings to do that now because my Friday was great.  Laughter is so great to start the day off.  Better than the latte that made me feel queezy.

In light of that, the photograph below is a product of giggling.  This is Christmas Eve at the Droogsma house.  William's and my smiles are because of a joke before the picture was taken.  And of course Anne is smiling because she is happy about something.  It just proves my point that laughter is something to cherish.  It comes out in photos as genuine happiness.  And as a sappy side note, I'm glad the photos I have of Todd and myself are genuinly happy ones.

My Week

I was having a pretty average week this past week.  But as it progressed on, I had 24 hours that made it a great week.

First, I had a good conversation with my friend Justin about the Old Testament and the New Testament.  It was really refreshing to be able to have this conversation with such a poetic person after weeks of class with sophomore, B list BTS majors that need to talk through every thought in their head.  Anyway, read below:

me: what were the jobs you applied for?

2:36 PM Justin: haven't applied anywhere yet. In fact, the schools I've identified as being ideal are not hiring. My plan is to send a package with my resume, business card and a note to all such schools; but I have to make sure it gets past human resources and that requires a little extra reconnaissance

2:37 PM me: I see.

  If you got to choose what to teach, what would it be?

 Justin: Old testament

2:38 PM you can't just teach one biblical subject at the high school level however

2:39 PM what happens is you'll get things like biblical ethics, spiritual formation, christ in culture, new testament survey, ot survey etc.

  Although the Lutherans have some pretty interesting classes sometimes

2:40 PM me: I think you would do well at a survey of the ot class and a worship and leadership class.

2:41 PM Justin: thanks. perhaps.

2:42 PM me: But you don't want to teach NT at all?

2:44 PM Justin: of course I would

  It's just not nearly as interesting

 me: You don't think so?

2:46 PM Justin: NT is certainly a vital part of the redemptive story.

2:47 PM just not as enthralling

2:48 PM me: You don't think Paul's letters and the gospel message are as enthralling as the OT?

 Justin: no I do not

2:49 PM me: What is so interesting about the OT that keeps you coming back to it?

6 minutes

2:55 PM Justin: it's two trees in a garden and the wisdom of nakedness. it's God becoming a man so that Jacob can wrestle him for it. It's regretting creation and starting over again. It's Morally reprehensible commandments and divine sanctions (e.g. killing entire tribes). It's the double meaning in everything, every word. It's the reuse of themes, names, places and promises. It's God always doing a new thing with and for us when we fuck up. It's people including profanity and profane suggestions in their holy book. It's God losing his cool. It's the beautiful disaster of a story that unfolds when God meets his own image.

2:56 PM those are a few that fume at the moment.

2:57 PM also Ruth's seduction is pretty cool too

13 minutes

3:11 PM me: First-I love how you say this whoel poetic thought and then end with the Ruth comment.

3:12 PM Second-I'm not sure if that compares to the awesomeness that is Jesus commissioning chosen people to spread love to everyone they meet.

  If you will allow my naive heart to believe that.

3:15 PM Justin: that too is pretty extraordinary

3:16 PM me: cop out.

 Justin: but let's be honest

  there is nothing (conceptually) that Jesus does that is not done or begun in the Tanakh

3:18 PM me: It's true. But it all that is talked about in the Tanakh coming to life. People start to understand it all. It is the completion of all they learned as youth and the continuation of that as they live for Jesus.

3:19 PM Justin: Erin I love your passion for Jesus. We need more people like you who actually like him.

 me: We need more people like you that see the connection of the entire Bible.

3:22 PM Justin: I don't think I would describe myself as such but your encouragement is noted.

Also, I received a box this week from my church in Red Wing.  It had lots of goodies in it that were highly appreciated.  Especially the mint chocolate.  Nothing is better than those two combined.  In the box were two cards colored by kids at the church.  This was them and they continue to make me smile.

The "Merry Christmas" one still makes me laugh everytime.

So, that was my week.  I also had a youth event on Saturday that consisted of broomball and bruises.  It was worth it and they kids loved it!  It's just encouraging to see something you work on appreciated.

Oh My Goodness

I was informed by my roommate Joy this evening that we graduate in 13 weeks and 4 days.  It got my heart pumping a little fast.  And when I told my other roommate the same, it got hers going to.  Then it hit me, I am getting married in 16 weeks and 4 days.  Well, three days now that it is past midnight.  I can't belive it.  I have an acutal count of how many weeks until I become a Spieker.  I need to get a move on!

As always, a picture to leave you with.  This one was my favorite.