Category:
Scholarly-ish
Something More
My dog does not understand how I can sit for hours flipping pages in a book. I hold it out to her, but she sniffs it disdainfully and walks away. Where I see another whole world, she sees only ink and paper. My book is utter foolishness to her who cannot read. As I’m thinking…
Today’s Quote
“It is often said the church is a crutch. Of course it’s a crutch. What makes you think you’re not limping?” This quote is originally attributed to William Sloane Coffin, and was used by my pastor this Sunday during his sermon. It made me think: how often do we shy away from derisive comments because we…
Cooking Tip #4: Beware of Frosted Cookies
My grandmother exhibited the best of Yankee wisdom. She lived out that old adage, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” Nothing around her was wasted. Everything was used and re-used until it was indeed completely used up or worn out. Like so many in her generation, she had lived…
Cooking Tip #3: How to Peel a Banana
You might wonder what there is to learn about peeling a banana. The answer will surprise you. Years ago, I was taught how to peel a banana by my Girl Scout leader. At the time, she was working toward her degree and would often regale us with educational insights from life after high school. She…
Plow Forward
You may have noticed the last two articles seem a little contradictory. After all, the moral of Cooking Tip #1 is to consider your actions before you leap; the moral of Non-Newtonian Fluids is to leave the pondering to someone else. Leap out of the boat and go with gusto! So wait, aren’t those contradictory?…
Non-Newtonian Fluids
I had a friend recently introduce me to the wonderful world of non-newtonian fluids. (Stick with me here; this is cool.) Non-newtonian fluids are fluids that change their properties when presented with different forces. One classic example is a mixture of corn starch and water. Try this at home: mix 2 cups of corn starch…
Cracking, Part III
Click to read Part I or Part II. Paul literally wrote the book on human weakness and God’s strength – or at least one of them (2 Corinthians). But he is certainly not the only example we have. Nor, you will be happy to know, is weakness necessarily synonymous with suffering. The “cracks” that allow God…
Cracking, Part II
Click to read Part I. It paints an interesting word picture to think of ourselves as shells of dust with the Spirit of God shining through the cracks. But what does this actually mean? What does this look like in the tangible? As I think about this image, I think about Paul, who suffered a…
Cracking, Part I
Have you ever had one of those days where you think: “If one more thing goes wrong, I am going to crack!!” As in, “The weight of this stressful old world is weighing me down so badly that I can literally feel myself starting to crack up and fall apart! Arrggghhh!” I certainly have. Sometimes…
I Am
Sometimes I have trouble believing in God. It can happen suddenly, in one of those horrendous moments that leave me questioning: if God is in control of everything, then why did he let this happen? If he is a loving and personal God, then how could he let this happen? But more often than not,…
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Meet Janet!
Janet Beagle, PhD is the founder of The Mustard Patch. She divides her time between the Midwest and New England, and if she’s not writing, she’s probably out hiking with her 2-and 4-footed friends.