The English-speaking folk won for the first time in three years, which was quite exciting. Although it was a lot of fun, he still prefers football to futbol:
As a Christian, wife, mother of a little girl and two fur-babies, Mississippi State Bulldog, and PhD, I lead a very busy life. If you add on top of that my obsession for organization and loves for couponing, sewing, knitting, cooking, reading, gardening, and a host of other random hobbies, you've got the recipe for...well...variety. And variety is the spice of life!
Friday, October 7, 2011
MrsDrPoe: My Hubby the Athlete
Last weekend some of the English-speaking brethren played the Spanish-speaking brethren in a rousing game of soccer. Mr. Poe joined in the fun, and did very well even though he only started playing in college:
The English-speaking folk won for the first time in three years, which was quite exciting. Although it was a lot of fun, he still prefers football to futbol:
The English-speaking folk won for the first time in three years, which was quite exciting. Although it was a lot of fun, he still prefers football to futbol:
Thursday, October 6, 2011
MrsDrPoe: Blind Faith?
Once again Theology Thursday has arrived, and as always, I invite you to open your Bibles with me as we look at some portions of God's word.
Most of us have heard said at some point that Christianity is based on "blind" faith and that this faith is used by Christians as a simple and clean way to explain away things that otherwise cannot be explained by their worldview. It is true that there are several topics in the Bible that we are not given all the answers to all the questions we may have about them, and so we must accept some Biblical truths with the faith that God has given us what we need to know. However, it is important to realize that: 1) no matter what each of us believes, faith in something/someone is required due to the fact that no human who has ever lived (save One) is omniscient and 2) the Christianity preached by Jesus is based on obedient faith obtained from careful consideration of evidence. It is this second point that we'll briefly examine today.
When we think of Jesus' time spent on this earth, we typically think about His perfect life, His teaching, His miracles, His death, and His resurrection. Without His death and resurrection, our "faith is futile" (1 Cor 15:17), but without His teaching and miracles, our faith would be unfounded. In Mark 1:38, Jesus said, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." In Mark 2:10-11, Jesus said to a paralytic, "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." In these two passages, we are given the insight that Jesus came to teach, and His miracles were affirmation of His power and authority.
Later, in Luke 14:26-33, Jesus talks about the cost of discipleship, saying that we must leave all to follow Him. But we must note that He doesn't ask us to give up everything on a whim; this is a serious decision that requires serious deliberation. Verses 28-32 provide examples of a man intending to build a tower and a king intending to go to war against another king- each man considers the costs of his endeavor before he engages in it! Sometimes we forget because of the immediacy with which they left everything (Mark 1:16-20), but even the apostles followed Jesus based on evidence that He was the Messiah (Luke 5:1-11, John 1:35-42).
Throughout the New Testament, the writers indicate that their recorded teachings of Jesus are eye-witness accounts, witnesses could still be found to attest to their writings, and even the prophets of the Old Testament assert that Jesus is the Christ, the Holy One of God. Those in Berea were commended as being "more fair-minded (noble) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11)
Furthermore, in 1 Thess 5:21 we are told, "Test all things; hold fast what is good;" similarly in 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." Thus we should be "finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." (Eph 5:10).
From this multitude of passages, we should be able to see that Jesus does not expect our faith in Him to be based on a whim. He expects us to look at the evidence for the truth of His teachings, miracles, life, and resurrection and to consider what He asks of His disciples before we become His followers. And even after we believe in Him, we are to grow in our faith, obedience, and love through testing the teachings we hear and read against what is taught in the Bible. If instead we're content to simply believe what a preacher, teacher, friend, or even Charles Darwin says without further investigation our faith in whatever we believe in is indeed blind.
Most of us have heard said at some point that Christianity is based on "blind" faith and that this faith is used by Christians as a simple and clean way to explain away things that otherwise cannot be explained by their worldview. It is true that there are several topics in the Bible that we are not given all the answers to all the questions we may have about them, and so we must accept some Biblical truths with the faith that God has given us what we need to know. However, it is important to realize that: 1) no matter what each of us believes, faith in something/someone is required due to the fact that no human who has ever lived (save One) is omniscient and 2) the Christianity preached by Jesus is based on obedient faith obtained from careful consideration of evidence. It is this second point that we'll briefly examine today.
When we think of Jesus' time spent on this earth, we typically think about His perfect life, His teaching, His miracles, His death, and His resurrection. Without His death and resurrection, our "faith is futile" (1 Cor 15:17), but without His teaching and miracles, our faith would be unfounded. In Mark 1:38, Jesus said, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." In Mark 2:10-11, Jesus said to a paralytic, "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." In these two passages, we are given the insight that Jesus came to teach, and His miracles were affirmation of His power and authority.
Later, in Luke 14:26-33, Jesus talks about the cost of discipleship, saying that we must leave all to follow Him. But we must note that He doesn't ask us to give up everything on a whim; this is a serious decision that requires serious deliberation. Verses 28-32 provide examples of a man intending to build a tower and a king intending to go to war against another king- each man considers the costs of his endeavor before he engages in it! Sometimes we forget because of the immediacy with which they left everything (Mark 1:16-20), but even the apostles followed Jesus based on evidence that He was the Messiah (Luke 5:1-11, John 1:35-42).
Throughout the New Testament, the writers indicate that their recorded teachings of Jesus are eye-witness accounts, witnesses could still be found to attest to their writings, and even the prophets of the Old Testament assert that Jesus is the Christ, the Holy One of God. Those in Berea were commended as being "more fair-minded (noble) than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11)
Furthermore, in 1 Thess 5:21 we are told, "Test all things; hold fast what is good;" similarly in 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world." Thus we should be "finding out what is acceptable to the Lord." (Eph 5:10).
From this multitude of passages, we should be able to see that Jesus does not expect our faith in Him to be based on a whim. He expects us to look at the evidence for the truth of His teachings, miracles, life, and resurrection and to consider what He asks of His disciples before we become His followers. And even after we believe in Him, we are to grow in our faith, obedience, and love through testing the teachings we hear and read against what is taught in the Bible. If instead we're content to simply believe what a preacher, teacher, friend, or even Charles Darwin says without further investigation our faith in whatever we believe in is indeed blind.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
MrsDrPoe: Tiramisu
What's for Dinner Wednesday is all about what's after dinner this week. During my trip to Starkville, Mr. S. Holley was kind enough to make me some of his favorite dessert- tiramisu.
Ingredients: 2 cups espresso or strong coffee (he uses instant), 2 8 oz packages of Marscarpone cheese (softened), 5 large eggs (separated), 1.5 cups sugar (divided), 2-3 packages of lady fingers, 1/4 cup cocoa powder.
First make the coffee in a small bowl and allow it to cool. Beat egg whites on med-high speed with an electric mixer till soft peaks form, then add 3/4 cups of sugar. Continue to beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, cheese, and the remaining sugar until thoroughly combined and smooth:
Gently fold the whites into the egg and cheese mixture. Dip the lady fingers by twos quickly into the cooled coffee and place in a single layer in the bottom of a 9x13 pan (Note: the lady fingers are like sponges, and if they soak up too much coffee, they'll fall apart):
Spoon half of the cheese mixture onto the lady fingers, spreading it evenly. Top that with another layer of coffee-dipped lady fingers and then the remaining cheese mixture. Cover the top completely with dusting of cocoa powder, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Then cut, serve, and enjoy!
Ingredients: 2 cups espresso or strong coffee (he uses instant), 2 8 oz packages of Marscarpone cheese (softened), 5 large eggs (separated), 1.5 cups sugar (divided), 2-3 packages of lady fingers, 1/4 cup cocoa powder.
First make the coffee in a small bowl and allow it to cool. Beat egg whites on med-high speed with an electric mixer till soft peaks form, then add 3/4 cups of sugar. Continue to beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, cheese, and the remaining sugar until thoroughly combined and smooth:
Gently fold the whites into the egg and cheese mixture. Dip the lady fingers by twos quickly into the cooled coffee and place in a single layer in the bottom of a 9x13 pan (Note: the lady fingers are like sponges, and if they soak up too much coffee, they'll fall apart):
Spoon half of the cheese mixture onto the lady fingers, spreading it evenly. Top that with another layer of coffee-dipped lady fingers and then the remaining cheese mixture. Cover the top completely with dusting of cocoa powder, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Then cut, serve, and enjoy!
MrsDrPoe: The Gospel According to Mark
For this week's Reading Review, I present to you part of The Pillar New Testament Commentary, "The Gospel According to Mark" by James R. Edwards:
As I mentioned several weeks ago, Mr. Poe adopted the book of Mark; this commentary was given to him indirectly by our friend Mr. Ellis to start his Mark library. Since we have recently found ourselves in several studies on this gospel, I thought it would be in my best interest to read this commentary as well. (If you're considering adopting Mark, this is definitely a reference book you should add to your library.)
Although you could probably guess from the length of this commentary, it is very detailed and contains a plethora of information from a wide variety of sources. Mr. Edwards has done quite a bit of research and provides essentially a very comprehensive verse-by-verse investigation of this gospel. Also to his credit, the book is very well organized, and the footnotes contain a wealth of additional information related to the commentary.
Mr. Edwards draws the reader's attention to the themes and unique literary devices Mark employed in his gospel, such as the "sandwich" where a story is placed in a story to help draw connections between them. One of my favorite topics discussed in the commentary is the way Mark contrasts faith and fear and shows us what true faith in God should look like.
While I have not extensively researched the available material on the topic of Mark's gospel, there are a few comments made in the book that appear to be contrary to scripture, such as those on repentance in reference to Mark 2. While commentaries are often helpful in increasing our understanding of the scriptures, they should never replace the Bible itself; thus, as always, I would advise you to read this book with an open Bible, testing every comment made against the whole Word of God.
As I mentioned several weeks ago, Mr. Poe adopted the book of Mark; this commentary was given to him indirectly by our friend Mr. Ellis to start his Mark library. Since we have recently found ourselves in several studies on this gospel, I thought it would be in my best interest to read this commentary as well. (If you're considering adopting Mark, this is definitely a reference book you should add to your library.)
Although you could probably guess from the length of this commentary, it is very detailed and contains a plethora of information from a wide variety of sources. Mr. Edwards has done quite a bit of research and provides essentially a very comprehensive verse-by-verse investigation of this gospel. Also to his credit, the book is very well organized, and the footnotes contain a wealth of additional information related to the commentary.
Mr. Edwards draws the reader's attention to the themes and unique literary devices Mark employed in his gospel, such as the "sandwich" where a story is placed in a story to help draw connections between them. One of my favorite topics discussed in the commentary is the way Mark contrasts faith and fear and shows us what true faith in God should look like.
While I have not extensively researched the available material on the topic of Mark's gospel, there are a few comments made in the book that appear to be contrary to scripture, such as those on repentance in reference to Mark 2. While commentaries are often helpful in increasing our understanding of the scriptures, they should never replace the Bible itself; thus, as always, I would advise you to read this book with an open Bible, testing every comment made against the whole Word of God.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
MrsDrPoe: The First Law of Thermodynamics, Part I
It's another Thesis Tuesday here at the blog, and today we begin discussion of the third governing equation of fluid mechanics- the first law of thermodynamics. (In case you've forgotten, the other governing equations are the conservation of mass equation and the conservation of momentum equation.)
The first law of thermodynamics (also called the first law and the conservation of energy equation) simply tracks the energy in a system- just like mass and momentum, energy is conserved and every bit of it in every system/process can be accounted for at any instant in time. In mathematical speak, the first law states that, "the time rate of increase of the total stored energy of the system is equal to the sum of the net time rate of energy addition by heat transfer into the system, and the net time rate of energy addition by work transfer into the system" or:
This form of the equation is useful for Lagrangian viewpoints; recall that in order to transform it into a form useful for Eulerian viewpoints, we must employ the Reynolds Transport Theorem to the term on the left side:
meaning, "the time rate of increase of the total stored energy of the system is equal to the sum of the time rate of increase of the total stored energy of the contents of the control volume and the net rate of flow of the total stored energy out of the control volume across the control surface. Our first law equation then becomes:
In general, we will denote both work and heat coming into a system as positive and going out of a system as negative.
In the equations above, e is the sum of the potential, kinetic, and internal energies in the fluid (e = u + (|V|*|V|)/2 + g*z). The heat transfer rate, Qdot, denotes all the ways energy is exchanged between the control volume and its surroundings due to a temperature difference. You may recall from other classes that making the adiabatic assumption means that there is no heat transfer to or from the system. This net rate of heat transfer is also zero if the heat transfer into the control volume is equal to the heat transfer out of the control volume.
The work rate (or power), Wdot, denotes the work done on the control volume by the surroundings (when positive). This work can be done by a shaft at the control surface, such as in a piston/cylinder arrangement, which calculated by multiplying the torque of the shaft by the shaft's angular velocity. The work also occurs due to the normal stresses present on the surfaces of the control volume due to pressure and tangential stresses due to shearing. Typically, the control volume is chosen in such a way that the tangential stress work is zero; the normal stress work is calculated by:
If we put our expanded work terms into the energy equation derived earlier, we are left with:
or:
And that's the integral form of the first law. Next week we'll look at a brief example of its use, but until then, happy studying!
The first law of thermodynamics (also called the first law and the conservation of energy equation) simply tracks the energy in a system- just like mass and momentum, energy is conserved and every bit of it in every system/process can be accounted for at any instant in time. In mathematical speak, the first law states that, "the time rate of increase of the total stored energy of the system is equal to the sum of the net time rate of energy addition by heat transfer into the system, and the net time rate of energy addition by work transfer into the system" or:
D/Dt(int(E*rho)dVsys) = (sum(Qdot)in - sum(Qdot)out)sys + (sum(Wdot)in - sum(Wdot)out)sys
This form of the equation is useful for Lagrangian viewpoints; recall that in order to transform it into a form useful for Eulerian viewpoints, we must employ the Reynolds Transport Theorem to the term on the left side:
D/Dt(int(E*rho)dVsys) = d/dt(int(e*rho)dV) + int(e*rho*(V.n))dA
meaning, "the time rate of increase of the total stored energy of the system is equal to the sum of the time rate of increase of the total stored energy of the contents of the control volume and the net rate of flow of the total stored energy out of the control volume across the control surface. Our first law equation then becomes:
d/dt(int(e*rho)dV) + int(e*rho*(V.n))dA = Qdot,net in + Wdot, net in
In general, we will denote both work and heat coming into a system as positive and going out of a system as negative.
In the equations above, e is the sum of the potential, kinetic, and internal energies in the fluid (e = u + (|V|*|V|)/2 + g*z). The heat transfer rate, Qdot, denotes all the ways energy is exchanged between the control volume and its surroundings due to a temperature difference. You may recall from other classes that making the adiabatic assumption means that there is no heat transfer to or from the system. This net rate of heat transfer is also zero if the heat transfer into the control volume is equal to the heat transfer out of the control volume.
The work rate (or power), Wdot, denotes the work done on the control volume by the surroundings (when positive). This work can be done by a shaft at the control surface, such as in a piston/cylinder arrangement, which calculated by multiplying the torque of the shaft by the shaft's angular velocity. The work also occurs due to the normal stresses present on the surfaces of the control volume due to pressure and tangential stresses due to shearing. Typically, the control volume is chosen in such a way that the tangential stress work is zero; the normal stress work is calculated by:
Wdot, norm = int(-p*(V.n))dA
If we put our expanded work terms into the energy equation derived earlier, we are left with:
d/dt(int((u + (|V|*|V|)/2 + g*z)*rho)dV) + int((u + (|V|*|V|)/2 + g*z)*rho*(V.n))dA = Qdot,net in + Wdot, net in - int(p*(V.n))dA
or:
d/dt(int((u + (|V|*|V|)/2 + g*z)*rho)dV) + int((u + (|V|*|V|)/2 + g*z)*rho*(V.n))dA = Qdot,net in + Wdot, shaft in
And that's the integral form of the first law. Next week we'll look at a brief example of its use, but until then, happy studying!
Monday, October 3, 2011
MrsDrPoe: Back in the Saddle Again
Happy Money Monday to all! Sorry about the late post today...I had an unusually long errand list to go through after being gone for two weeks. Here are some good deals I was glad to come back to this week:
PetSmart
Iams Dog food 35-40 lb bags $34.99 (regularly $38.99) plus certain bags have additional coupons inside
Wags
Cepacol 16ct cherry lozenges $2.99 get $2.99 back in RR
Fun-sized candy 2/$4 with store coupon in Wags October booklet
CVS
Bengay 2-4 oz $5.49 get $5/1 in SS 9/11 and $2 back in ECBs (you make $1.50)
$5 in ECBs back wyb $15 in selected Pepsi Co. products coupons in 10/2 insert
PetSmart
Iams Dog food 35-40 lb bags $34.99 (regularly $38.99) plus certain bags have additional coupons inside
Wags
Cepacol 16ct cherry lozenges $2.99 get $2.99 back in RR
Fun-sized candy 2/$4 with store coupon in Wags October booklet
CVS
Bengay 2-4 oz $5.49 get $5/1 in SS 9/11 and $2 back in ECBs (you make $1.50)
$5 in ECBs back wyb $15 in selected Pepsi Co. products coupons in 10/2 insert
What's on your shopping list this week?
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