January 2012
35 posts
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"I can start things because I'm a teacher."
Last year when I was taking a class at a small Bible college I kept a list of quotes from my Pentateuch teacher. This is another quote of his, and though it was meant to be sort of snarky, there’s a lot of truth to it.
One of the best sermon series I have heard was on “Gift Mixes” by Dr. Daniel Brown. Gift mixes is a term he uses to describe spiritual gifts/ministries, the...
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Music Monday—Franz Peter Schubert Edition
As I mentioned in this post, Franz Peter Schubert is my favorite composer. German leider has consistently been a favorite genre of classical music. What I love about Schubert is first the texts that he chooses to set to music. Poets include Goethe and Müller. And then the way he sets them are absolutely beautiful. German composers are...
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Finish Year-Week 4
Finish SNAP application
Find another source of income: Got unemployment sorted out. Still working on getting on the sub list.
Finish and stick to budget: (Same as last week) I have made a projected budget, and really need the other source of income to pay bills. In the meantime, I don’t spend money.
Record an album: Didn’t work on this goal this week.
Read 52 books and review them: 10...
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“Leland Hamsfeld broke his boat
just threw it ‘gainst the curb
he bent...”
– David Striepe from Miniature Ships
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I’ve written about the ideas of blessing and abundance before; they are things that I find challenging to understand because I don’t see them reflected in my life. I was reading in Luke 19 recently. Verses 11-26 tell the story of the ten servants. What caught my eye this time around were verses 24-26. Here we have the idea that God blesses those who handle their resources well....
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My students are working on a speech unit in English. One of the preparatory assignments had to do with language choice, using non-ambiguous adjectives and clear, succinct sentences. This assignment had them re-write several sentences that needed different word choice. The given sentence for one problem was “The person in the next room is weird.” My student re-wrote the sentence to...
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Finish Year-Week 3
Finish SNAP application
Find another source of income: Got unemployment sorted out. Still working on getting on the sub list.
Finish and stick to budget: (Same as last week) I have made a projected budget, and really need the other source of income to pay bills. In the meantime, I don’t spend money.
Record an album: Didn’t work on this goal this week.
Read 52 books and review them: 6...
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“[Dad] really likes books; he loves to talk to them.”
– My dad’s baby book
So that’s where I get it…
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“I wish the weather would figure out that this kind of precipitation is so...”
– One of my clarinet students when it was announced that it was snowing outside
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“Just remember: if there’s chaos today, tomorrow there will be...”
– -My Pentateuch teacher
He reminds me a lot of Clarence from It’s A Wonderful Life
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“Are you available to God anytime? Can he mess up your plans without you...”
– Rick Warren from The Purpose Driven Life
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Finish Year-Week 2
Finish SNAP application: Done! Will pick up card Tuesday.
Find another source of income: Called unemployment several times, and the line was busy each time. Will keep trying. Talked to band director friend about sub list, and we will schedule a meeting with his administrator this week to get me on the list.
Finish and stick to budget: (Same as last week) I have made a projected budget,...
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One of my clarinet students captured perfectly what we do as teachers. He was in a band that a friend of mine student taught with. My friend did a great job student teaching. Part of growing as a teacher is trying new methods to learn what works and what doesn’t. Here’s how my student described it: ”He tried some things that worked really, really well, and some things that...
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“It is very imprudent, it is tragic — but, ah, it is so beautiful! Bit by bit...”
– Upton Sinclair from The Jungle
This quote reminds me of two things. One, that my life is lacking celebration at the moment. And two, that I can’t give in to feeling defeated.
(To clarify, the veselija is a Lithuanian wedding celebration.)
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Submit
Since August I have been working in a local coffeeshop, and it’s been really difficult. I don’t want be unprofessional by saying negative things about this job, but I do want to share what God has been teaching me through it.
My boss is not a kind person. He doesn’t generally make eye contact or speak to me unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’m not sure if...
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New Music Discovery! Here’s a link to a...
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Finish Year-Week 1
Finish SNAP application: Submitted online, pay stubs faxed, and waiting to hear back.
Find another source of income: Tried to file for unemployment online, can’t, so I will make an appointment tomorrow. Sub list appears to be closed, but I’m checking with some teacher friends to try and get an in.
Finish and stick to budget: I have made a projected budget, and really need the...
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“Deep in the human unconscious there is a pervasive need for a logical universe...”
– Frank Herbert from Dune
As my world falls apart, I can sympathize with this need, and am struggling to accept in spite of what I don’t understand. Grown up life isn’t logical or fair. But I trust that there is a reason for it all and that looking back, maybe I’ll be able to see...
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st-rita replied to your photo: GPOYW Finish Year Edition
These are all great goals! Mind if I borrow the 52 book review idea?
DO IT! I use this website because it lets me keep track of page numbers for multiple books, post reviews, and has a books-read-in-2012 widget. AND there are book giveaways!
http://www.goodreads.com/
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On the first Sunday of the year, my church invites members of the congregation to share their testimonies from the previous year rather than do a sermon. I really value this a lot because I very much believe in the power of story. Really, the Bible is mostly people’s stories, and much of the gospels are full of stories (parables) that Jesus told. Here are a few things that were shared...
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At twenty-four years old, I’m trying to learn how to be a grown up. In November I moved into my first apartment (campus housing doesn’t really count). It’s been an experience for sure. I sort of feel like every area of my life is falling apart. My job at the coffeeshop is terrible; I come home crying because of the way my boss treats me. Teaching is stressful even though I...
