I'm glad that February is coming to a close! This whole month of February has been focused on helping students and families file their FAFSA. I'm exhausted from the FAFSA! I've volunteered at College Goal Sunday. I helped at Portland High School's FAFSA workshop. I helped the Admissions department on President's Day with 3 FAFSA Workshops in one morning. Along with my co-worker, Sarah, we hosted 4 different FAFSA Workshops on campus. And, of course, multiple appointments of students and families meeting with me one-on-one to file their FAFSA. And tons of phone calls answering FAFSA questions.
I think my exhaustion comes more from the extra talking than it does the extra hours I've worked. I was not blessed with the "gift of gab." I don't fit the stereotype of a woman who can't shut up. In every marriage seminar/class that I've ever attended, the speaker cites the statistic that on average, a woman speaks 20,000 words a day while a man only speaks 13,000. I've never actually counted my words, but I'm guessing that my capacity is closer to the man's average of 13,000. I can tell when I've had a lot of appointments during a workday. By the end of the day, I realize that I'm exhausted from talking. I often comment, "I've talked way too much today!"
I remember as a Junior in High School that our Guidance Counselor gave us a career aptitude test. I found out that my perfect job was to be in a room by myself all day -- not needing to interact with others. So what do I do for a living? I'm a financial aid officer who interacts daily with my coworkers, students, parents, and other employees.
On the days of helping file FAFSAs, I'm constantly interacting with dozens of people in a fairly intense environment. At times, I'm going right from one family to another to another as they ask questions and seek my expertise. Being in this type of situation for six events has worn me down. (The only relaxed event was at Portland High School.) I'm so ready for a day of quiet at work-- no phones, no appointments, no walk-ins, no talking -- just being able to focus on the paperwork on my desk!!
My perfect job has changed over the years. I do enjoy interacting with others. I would go stir crazy in a room by myself ALL the time. In fact, some of my favorite workdays are the days in which I've interacted with our students and their families. I love the days that the mom cries tears of joy because we've found a way for her son or daughter to financially afford to attend Olivet College. I'm a hero to them just by doing my job -- finding financial aid solutions for their student.
My job is very cyclical. I know that in a few days, the office will get quiet again. The mad dash to file the FAFSA by March 1st will be over. My exhaustion will be cured -- the days will be better. And, as a bonus, Spring Break is just a little over a week away -- five glorious days out of the office!
Next Post: Sitting Down in Heaven?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
God's Work / Our Work
Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do."
God's Work -- We are the product of God's work. "We are God's workmanship." When you think of an artist or a craftsman, you evaluate the art that they produce. The higher the quality of the piece produced, the more skilled the artist or craftsman is. Our salvation was God's work. It was produced flawlessly through the death of Jesus Christ. He has proclaimed us justified and righteous in Christ.
Yet, as we look as our lives, we recognize that we are not perfect and definitely not holy. We are in the process of being sanctified. God is often referred to in the Scriptures as the Potter. He is the Potter; we are the clay (Jeremiah 18). God continues His work in our lives to change us more and more in the image of His Son. (II Cor. 3:18) "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6)
The same God who spoke the world into existence takes His time in working on our lives. He has the power to "speak us" into perfection, but He chooses to mold us slowly day by day and hour by hour. Why?
Our Work -- According to Ephesians 2: 10, we are to "do good works". And, we don't choose which good works to do -- God has already chosen them for us.
So, are the good works we are supposed to do? Micah 6:8 answers this question, "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
How do we accomplish our tasks? The Scripture tells us in II Corinthians 5:9 what the Apostle's Paul's goal was in his ministry, "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it." In Phil. 3:13-14, Paul shares how he works: "...but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Jesus instructed us in Matt. 5:16 to "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Our obedience in doing the work that God has given us brings honor and glory to Him.
I John 1 talks about walking the light. Romans 1:17 & Hab. 2:4 say, "The righteous will live by faith." Jesus boiled the commandments down into two phrases: "Love God" and "Love people."
So, let's evaluate how the work is going? Do I see progress in being changed into the image of Jesus? Am I becoming more like Him? When people look at my life, do they praise God? Am I pleasing God by obeying Him? It's safe to say that God's work in my life is not complete!
Next post: FAFSA Focus!
God's Work -- We are the product of God's work. "We are God's workmanship." When you think of an artist or a craftsman, you evaluate the art that they produce. The higher the quality of the piece produced, the more skilled the artist or craftsman is. Our salvation was God's work. It was produced flawlessly through the death of Jesus Christ. He has proclaimed us justified and righteous in Christ.
Yet, as we look as our lives, we recognize that we are not perfect and definitely not holy. We are in the process of being sanctified. God is often referred to in the Scriptures as the Potter. He is the Potter; we are the clay (Jeremiah 18). God continues His work in our lives to change us more and more in the image of His Son. (II Cor. 3:18) "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6)
The same God who spoke the world into existence takes His time in working on our lives. He has the power to "speak us" into perfection, but He chooses to mold us slowly day by day and hour by hour. Why?
Our Work -- According to Ephesians 2: 10, we are to "do good works". And, we don't choose which good works to do -- God has already chosen them for us.
So, are the good works we are supposed to do? Micah 6:8 answers this question, "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
How do we accomplish our tasks? The Scripture tells us in II Corinthians 5:9 what the Apostle's Paul's goal was in his ministry, "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it." In Phil. 3:13-14, Paul shares how he works: "...but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Jesus instructed us in Matt. 5:16 to "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Our obedience in doing the work that God has given us brings honor and glory to Him.
I John 1 talks about walking the light. Romans 1:17 & Hab. 2:4 say, "The righteous will live by faith." Jesus boiled the commandments down into two phrases: "Love God" and "Love people."
So, let's evaluate how the work is going? Do I see progress in being changed into the image of Jesus? Am I becoming more like Him? When people look at my life, do they praise God? Am I pleasing God by obeying Him? It's safe to say that God's work in my life is not complete!
Next post: FAFSA Focus!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday already?
Another week has flown by....the calendar says that February is almost over! Wow! Time for a recap on the previous week and how I did in working on my 2012 goals:
1. Finances - I'm totally geeked this week! Lots of things to celebrate!!! We had $2 to spare on our budget for the week!! I calculated our State of Michigan tax liability for 2011 and found out that we only owe the State of Michigan $29. The reason we owe them any money is from the "Use Tax" -- purchases that we made via the Internet that didn't collect Michigan sales tax. On Thursday this week, we will pay off a credit card balance in full!!! Over $1000 in credit card debt reduction!! YEAH!!!
March is a multiple-birthdays month for our family. It will be a challenge to purchase birthday gifts and continue to stay within our discretionary budgets. Plus I plan to do some traveling in March. Grandbaby #5 is scheduled to arrive so I'll be taking a trip to Chicago to introduce her to Grandma Eubank. Can we minimize our weekly discretionary expenses, such as gas and groceries, so that these extra expenditures will not cause us to go over our budget? That is the challenge facing us!!!
2. Spiritual -- Ephesians 1 is complete. It's fun to think about how amazing God is and to reflect on His grace to me. I'm looking forward to another week of study in Ephesians as I work on Chapter 2. I didn't work on my memory verses at all last week. Here we are in the tail end of February, and I still need to learn the verses. Apparently, having them at the top edge of my computer monitor is not good enough to remind me to learn them. I'm going to have to move them to the middle of my screen so that I can't ignore them! Three days to go -- thank heavens for Leap Year in 2012! Otherwise, it'd be just two days to go!!!
3. Personal -- My writing is officially published! Both of the news stories that I have written as assignments for my Basic Reporting college course were published in last Friday's edition of the college's newspaper, The Echo. Unfortunately, the headline that the copy editor wrote for both articles was poorly done. On one headline, there was a misspelled word. On the other headline, the content of the headline was not addressed in the article at all!!! Speaking of writing, three more posts were added to the blog this week.
I've been questioning this week the value of continuing to pursue my bachelor's degree. At the rate I'm going, it will be several more years before I finish the degree. Should I bother continuing? What's the point? I'm 50 years old -- do I really think that I will change careers in my mid- to late-50's? Then, this morning, a friend asked me if I was done taking classes. I told her I still had years to go, and jokingly told her I was trying to be Olivet's oldest graduate. She laughed and then commented positively that it was a good goal. That was encouraging to me -- thanks, Lord, for her affirmation and encouragement.
1. Finances - I'm totally geeked this week! Lots of things to celebrate!!! We had $2 to spare on our budget for the week!! I calculated our State of Michigan tax liability for 2011 and found out that we only owe the State of Michigan $29. The reason we owe them any money is from the "Use Tax" -- purchases that we made via the Internet that didn't collect Michigan sales tax. On Thursday this week, we will pay off a credit card balance in full!!! Over $1000 in credit card debt reduction!! YEAH!!!
March is a multiple-birthdays month for our family. It will be a challenge to purchase birthday gifts and continue to stay within our discretionary budgets. Plus I plan to do some traveling in March. Grandbaby #5 is scheduled to arrive so I'll be taking a trip to Chicago to introduce her to Grandma Eubank. Can we minimize our weekly discretionary expenses, such as gas and groceries, so that these extra expenditures will not cause us to go over our budget? That is the challenge facing us!!!
2. Spiritual -- Ephesians 1 is complete. It's fun to think about how amazing God is and to reflect on His grace to me. I'm looking forward to another week of study in Ephesians as I work on Chapter 2. I didn't work on my memory verses at all last week. Here we are in the tail end of February, and I still need to learn the verses. Apparently, having them at the top edge of my computer monitor is not good enough to remind me to learn them. I'm going to have to move them to the middle of my screen so that I can't ignore them! Three days to go -- thank heavens for Leap Year in 2012! Otherwise, it'd be just two days to go!!!
3. Personal -- My writing is officially published! Both of the news stories that I have written as assignments for my Basic Reporting college course were published in last Friday's edition of the college's newspaper, The Echo. Unfortunately, the headline that the copy editor wrote for both articles was poorly done. On one headline, there was a misspelled word. On the other headline, the content of the headline was not addressed in the article at all!!! Speaking of writing, three more posts were added to the blog this week.
I've been questioning this week the value of continuing to pursue my bachelor's degree. At the rate I'm going, it will be several more years before I finish the degree. Should I bother continuing? What's the point? I'm 50 years old -- do I really think that I will change careers in my mid- to late-50's? Then, this morning, a friend asked me if I was done taking classes. I told her I still had years to go, and jokingly told her I was trying to be Olivet's oldest graduate. She laughed and then commented positively that it was a good goal. That was encouraging to me -- thanks, Lord, for her affirmation and encouragement.
Sovereign Lord
Want to know how incredible our God is? Read Ephesians 1: 11, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."
Did you catch that? No matter what happens -- good, bad, indifferent, painful, even evil -- God is able to use it to conform to the purpose of His will. He makes it work for His purposes. That's mind-boggling stuff!
How can He take something tragic, like a loss of a pregnancy, and make it conform to His will? How can He take the rape of innocent children and make it work for His purposes? And yet, He does.
Even the world understands this. So many times, I hear unbelievers say, "Everything happens for a reason." They understand that tragedy can build character and strength. The legend of the Phoenix is an illustration of how the world believes that out of ashes, things can be made new.
"...We know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
Everything that God allows into our lives is orchestrated by Him to work in us to accomplish His purpose. "...Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6)
Only my all-powerful and all-knowing God can do this!
Next post: Sunday already?
Did you catch that? No matter what happens -- good, bad, indifferent, painful, even evil -- God is able to use it to conform to the purpose of His will. He makes it work for His purposes. That's mind-boggling stuff!
How can He take something tragic, like a loss of a pregnancy, and make it conform to His will? How can He take the rape of innocent children and make it work for His purposes? And yet, He does.
Even the world understands this. So many times, I hear unbelievers say, "Everything happens for a reason." They understand that tragedy can build character and strength. The legend of the Phoenix is an illustration of how the world believes that out of ashes, things can be made new.
"...We know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
Everything that God allows into our lives is orchestrated by Him to work in us to accomplish His purpose. "...Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:6)
Only my all-powerful and all-knowing God can do this!
Next post: Sunday already?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Chosen by God
Ephesians 1:4: "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."
Ephesians 1:11: "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."
Out of the billions and billions of human beings that God created, He chose me to be His child. Why would He choose me? What made Him decide to adopt me as His child? Lord, I don't understand your selection process. Why me and not others?
Ephesians 1: 5 tells us, "In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." Not only did he choose me, the Scripture says that it pleased the Father to adopt me as His child.
In my mind, I see a Team Captain picking his team. As he calls out his next selection for a player, he says, "I'll take Brenda!" And then, he's so excited to have me on his team that he hugs me and jumps up and down for joy. What value do I bring to the team that makes Him excitedly choose me? None! It is totally and simply His grace that I'm on the team.
Ephesians 1:6: "...to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."
I praise your grace, Lord!
Ephesians 1:7-8: "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us..."
Lavished grace....what a wonderful word picture. There is nothing held back...it's generous....it's overwhelming....it's amazing!!! And, He chose to give it to me!
Words are so inadequate to express the wonder, humility, and thankfulness of my response to God's grace. It is so undeserved...I am so unworthy...why would you choose me?
His answer: "Because I wanted you!"
Next post: Sovereign Lord
Ephesians 1:11: "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."
Out of the billions and billions of human beings that God created, He chose me to be His child. Why would He choose me? What made Him decide to adopt me as His child? Lord, I don't understand your selection process. Why me and not others?
Ephesians 1: 5 tells us, "In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will." Not only did he choose me, the Scripture says that it pleased the Father to adopt me as His child.
In my mind, I see a Team Captain picking his team. As he calls out his next selection for a player, he says, "I'll take Brenda!" And then, he's so excited to have me on his team that he hugs me and jumps up and down for joy. What value do I bring to the team that makes Him excitedly choose me? None! It is totally and simply His grace that I'm on the team.
Ephesians 1:6: "...to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."
I praise your grace, Lord!
Ephesians 1:7-8: "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us..."
Lavished grace....what a wonderful word picture. There is nothing held back...it's generous....it's overwhelming....it's amazing!!! And, He chose to give it to me!
Words are so inadequate to express the wonder, humility, and thankfulness of my response to God's grace. It is so undeserved...I am so unworthy...why would you choose me?
His answer: "Because I wanted you!"
Next post: Sovereign Lord
Monday, February 20, 2012
Wanting Attention
Our two oldest grandchildren (along with their mother) spent this past weekend with us. It was interesting to watch the different antics they used in trying to get attention.
The first born used "in your face" techniques to get attention. She danced around the living room, making sure everyone was watching her. She inserted herself in the pictures being taken. She tried to make a grand entrance when she walked into a building, looking around to see if everyone had noticed that she had arrived. She does not understand the art of subtlety at all! She was seeking attention by being dramatic!
The second born is quite the opposite. He understands subtlety very well! You can see the wheels turning as he thinks about what he is supposed to do and then chooses to do the opposite. At the restaurant yesterday, he was sitting next to me. He knew that he was supposed to stay in his chair. Several times, however, he chose to leave his chair. He walked just out of my arm's length so that I couldn't reach him. He was pretty confident that I wouldn't create a public scene by chasing after him. When it was time to leave, he deliberately walked the opposite way from the table, away from the exit. He stopped several tables away and watched to see what the adults would do. He was seeking attention through his deliberate acts of testing the boundaries.
You might think that my grandkids are just children and that they'll grow up. I would like to think that is true; but, unfortunately, I know too many adults who behave the same way. We all know adults who are classified as "drama queens." And, we all know adults who test the boundaries in their quest for attention.
I'm sometimes guilty of changing my behavior because I want attention. I normally classify myself as "shy" and "reticent", but sometimes I find myself being "loud" and "brash," using my behavior to get attention. I wonder what God thinks about this type of behavior. Did He create our yearning for attention? Or is that a consequence of sin's curse? Is it selfishness? Or is a psychological need?
Next post: Chosen by God
The first born used "in your face" techniques to get attention. She danced around the living room, making sure everyone was watching her. She inserted herself in the pictures being taken. She tried to make a grand entrance when she walked into a building, looking around to see if everyone had noticed that she had arrived. She does not understand the art of subtlety at all! She was seeking attention by being dramatic!
The second born is quite the opposite. He understands subtlety very well! You can see the wheels turning as he thinks about what he is supposed to do and then chooses to do the opposite. At the restaurant yesterday, he was sitting next to me. He knew that he was supposed to stay in his chair. Several times, however, he chose to leave his chair. He walked just out of my arm's length so that I couldn't reach him. He was pretty confident that I wouldn't create a public scene by chasing after him. When it was time to leave, he deliberately walked the opposite way from the table, away from the exit. He stopped several tables away and watched to see what the adults would do. He was seeking attention through his deliberate acts of testing the boundaries.
You might think that my grandkids are just children and that they'll grow up. I would like to think that is true; but, unfortunately, I know too many adults who behave the same way. We all know adults who are classified as "drama queens." And, we all know adults who test the boundaries in their quest for attention.
I'm sometimes guilty of changing my behavior because I want attention. I normally classify myself as "shy" and "reticent", but sometimes I find myself being "loud" and "brash," using my behavior to get attention. I wonder what God thinks about this type of behavior. Did He create our yearning for attention? Or is that a consequence of sin's curse? Is it selfishness? Or is a psychological need?
Next post: Chosen by God
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Another Week is Done!
Did you notice that another week of 2012 has come and gone? We're starting the last full week of February....winter is almost gone, and spring is on its way. I look outside and wonder, is it really only February? The sky is a beautiful blue, the snow has almost disappeared from even the shady spots, you can walk on the grass and not get your shoes wet....it looks and feels more like late March or April than the end of February. This has been a remarkable winter...in my opinion, it has been great!!!
Because another week is done, it's time to evaluate how I did on my 2012 goals for the last week.
1. Finances - I'm happy to report that we've had another successful week of keeping our discretionary spending inside our budget. The tally sheet has been posted on the wall in celebration of our success! My daughter commented to me yesterday that she and her husband should use tally sheets to stay within their budget. I told her that it only works if you are required to post how you do on a blog....my husband and I used tally sheets last year, but since there was no accountability, it was a rare week in which we were successful in making our budget. The accountability of this blog is what has made the difference in our success.
I didn't achieve my plan to calculate our State income tax liability during the past week. So, it's on my "to do list" for this week. Also, on my "to do list" is to calculate what amount of debt reduction we can accomplish during the month of March. March is one of those months for us that has extra expenses --we pay our home insurance quarterly so the premium will be due in March. In addition, one of our car insurance policies is due in March. Even with these extra expenses, I expect to accomplish some debt reduction. How much reduction is possible is the answer I need to calculate this week.
2. Spiritual -- I finished my study in Galatians!!! Galatians 6 had lots of practical applications for my life...some of which I wrote about in this blog. Now, it's time to go on to the next book. As you may remember, my plan is to work through the Apostle Paul's epistles, one chapter per week. I will begin Ephesians this week.
I've not done much work on the memory verses for February. Thanks to 2012 being a Leap Year, I've still got 10 days left. Probably should spend some time this week working on the verses so that I don't have to "cram" next week.
3. Personal -- I went to class on Tuesday without having an idea of what news story to write that deals with Black History month. All of us in class seemed to be struggling with ideas. Our professor bailed us out and made some suggestions. One of them was the annual Women of Color Luncheon that was scheduled for the next day. Oh, I thought, I've got a free lunch ticket to attend...that would a good subject to use for my news story. Thank you to our professor! The article is due this coming Friday, and I've got a good portion of it already written. I'm waiting for a couple of sources to respond to my interview questions. And then, I can finalize the article. In case you were wondering how I'm doing with getting to the 8:00 class on time, I was only late on the first day!!! Thankfully, God's been giving us this mild winter so snow hasn't been much of an issue!
In the blogging world, I completed five posts this week....it seems someone was wordy!!! I'm feeling more comfortable with the concept of vulnerability that comes with sharing my thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc. on the blog. Well, I'm not sure "comfortable" is the best word choice. It's more that I'm feeling "less fearful." The blogging experience has definitely been good for me in the area of accountability. It has also allowed me to take some small, safe steps of stepping out of my comfort zone. Once in a while, I even consider making my blog more public. When I see on Facebook that one of my friends has announced on her wall that she has completed a post, I sometimes want to reply, "Me, too! I've just posted an entry on my blog." But, the idea of the world (yes, even if they are my Facebook friends) reading my blog scares me. That doesn't feel safe to me. So, I continue to write in relative obscurity -- knowing that my three followers and whoever else stumbles into the blog are the only ones reading my posts.
Good Week? YES!!!
Next post: Wanting Attention
Because another week is done, it's time to evaluate how I did on my 2012 goals for the last week.
1. Finances - I'm happy to report that we've had another successful week of keeping our discretionary spending inside our budget. The tally sheet has been posted on the wall in celebration of our success! My daughter commented to me yesterday that she and her husband should use tally sheets to stay within their budget. I told her that it only works if you are required to post how you do on a blog....my husband and I used tally sheets last year, but since there was no accountability, it was a rare week in which we were successful in making our budget. The accountability of this blog is what has made the difference in our success.
I didn't achieve my plan to calculate our State income tax liability during the past week. So, it's on my "to do list" for this week. Also, on my "to do list" is to calculate what amount of debt reduction we can accomplish during the month of March. March is one of those months for us that has extra expenses --we pay our home insurance quarterly so the premium will be due in March. In addition, one of our car insurance policies is due in March. Even with these extra expenses, I expect to accomplish some debt reduction. How much reduction is possible is the answer I need to calculate this week.
2. Spiritual -- I finished my study in Galatians!!! Galatians 6 had lots of practical applications for my life...some of which I wrote about in this blog. Now, it's time to go on to the next book. As you may remember, my plan is to work through the Apostle Paul's epistles, one chapter per week. I will begin Ephesians this week.
I've not done much work on the memory verses for February. Thanks to 2012 being a Leap Year, I've still got 10 days left. Probably should spend some time this week working on the verses so that I don't have to "cram" next week.
3. Personal -- I went to class on Tuesday without having an idea of what news story to write that deals with Black History month. All of us in class seemed to be struggling with ideas. Our professor bailed us out and made some suggestions. One of them was the annual Women of Color Luncheon that was scheduled for the next day. Oh, I thought, I've got a free lunch ticket to attend...that would a good subject to use for my news story. Thank you to our professor! The article is due this coming Friday, and I've got a good portion of it already written. I'm waiting for a couple of sources to respond to my interview questions. And then, I can finalize the article. In case you were wondering how I'm doing with getting to the 8:00 class on time, I was only late on the first day!!! Thankfully, God's been giving us this mild winter so snow hasn't been much of an issue!
In the blogging world, I completed five posts this week....it seems someone was wordy!!! I'm feeling more comfortable with the concept of vulnerability that comes with sharing my thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc. on the blog. Well, I'm not sure "comfortable" is the best word choice. It's more that I'm feeling "less fearful." The blogging experience has definitely been good for me in the area of accountability. It has also allowed me to take some small, safe steps of stepping out of my comfort zone. Once in a while, I even consider making my blog more public. When I see on Facebook that one of my friends has announced on her wall that she has completed a post, I sometimes want to reply, "Me, too! I've just posted an entry on my blog." But, the idea of the world (yes, even if they are my Facebook friends) reading my blog scares me. That doesn't feel safe to me. So, I continue to write in relative obscurity -- knowing that my three followers and whoever else stumbles into the blog are the only ones reading my posts.
Good Week? YES!!!
Next post: Wanting Attention
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