Busiest week ever! (Except not really, because I bet there will be lots more coming.) I really feel like I've been lesson planning my face off (and grading other things off...) lately. Bad news is that I'm a leeetle short-slept. Good news is that our review "centers" (or stations, as I usually call them) went well for the most part today.
More good news is that Bible study tonight was FANTASTIC. I would tell you all about it, but it's late, so for now I'll just leave you with that emphatic-but-vague descriptor until I have time (or Daniel does) to fill you in. =) Also tonight was great because the lady on worship team with us this week has a good strong soprano voice, so the three of us (plus Scott, the lead/leader) were making some beautiful harmonies! It felt really good to sing again. =)
Goal: A *real* blog update soon... like with anecdotes and paragraphs and stuff.
Goal: Bed ON TIME tomorrow. Let's do it.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Daniel´s Homework
As we´ve STARTED to get on top of the moving in / becoming grownups logistics, I´ve started to move into doing "homework". One of the important things for me to be doing while we´re down here is to research and study some areas of passion/interest/calling of mine that my biochem regimen did not allow me to study much in college. Of course, my time of self-guided study in the next year or so will greatly influence what kind of study/work I´ll want to move toward next in life.
So, to do that, I have to make myself homework, and deadlines. Here is some homework I assigned myself a week and a half ago, including indications of whether I actually did it. I kind of fell off the horse after the long weekend, missing my "simple living" homework deadlines. But I am crawling back onto the horse. I´m realizing that I can´t just be all-or-nothing, housework or homework. It has to be a blend, or I get dreadfully behind on one, and then over correct... etc.
So, to do that, I have to make myself homework, and deadlines. Here is some homework I assigned myself a week and a half ago, including indications of whether I actually did it. I kind of fell off the horse after the long weekend, missing my "simple living" homework deadlines. But I am crawling back onto the horse. I´m realizing that I can´t just be all-or-nothing, housework or homework. It has to be a blend, or I get dreadfully behind on one, and then over correct... etc.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS / ASSIGNMENTS:
Ø THU, SEP 1: (DONE.) What is our current financial reality, and how does it project into the future?
Ø IF I CAN SNEAK IT IN: (DONE) A general assessment of room for improvement of our lifestyle in relation to resource usage.
Ø FRI, SEP 2: (DONE) How would owning vs. liquidating our car affect our financial reality over time?
Ø MON, SEP 5: (NOT DONE) Give a BRIEF overview of types of simple living communities.
Ø TUE, SEP 6: (NOT DONE) Assess (preliminarily) what communities and in what ways I/we would like to visit to learn about, and explain choices. Include summaries and thoughts about selected communities.
Ø WED, SEP 7: (INVITED) Invite pastor Chuck to coffee. At coffee, ask about many things:
o Simple living: what have you seen, what would you want to see?
o What is CCC like? (staff, volunteers, hierarchy, affiliation, belief and action statements, comparisons, etc.)
o Hispanic outreach: What aspects have you considered? (TALK ABOUT THIS W/ RSJ FIRST)
o Various ministries: How to get involved? (youth, music, spanish)
Ø FRI, SEP 9: (STARTED) An introductory summary of “where I´m at and what´s next with worldview” with questions of epistemology, faith, scripture, value, etc. Make references to previous papers I have written. (This will include organizing some old archives into a more permanent storage system.) Make brief reference to authors already read, but do not attempt to “further develop” views through additional reading. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and suggest next learning needed.
Ø WED, SEP 14: (Assuming that “where I´m at”, as expected, leads imminently to questions of scriptural authority) “Where i´m at and what´s next with belief in scriptural authority” Describe my current view of scriptural authority, including explaining and then evaluating my various lines of evidence and reasoning.
So, I wanted to share my self-homework with you all. In the absence of a professor, the accountability of having to write (honestly) DONE or NOT DONE on my assignments on the blog is good motivator. It actually helped me finish one assignment and start another just tonight. So thanks all for your accountability help, just by being interested enough to read up!
Peace,
Daniel
Thursday, September 8, 2011
A Short List of Things
First -- Sometimes blogging is weird. Why? Because it's sort of like a journal... but anyone who finds the website can read it. That's weird.
Second -- Funny story from school today. So my kids are writing stories (about whatever they want), and one is writing "West Middle School from a rat's perspective". He got to where he had finished his plot outline and was starting his rough draft, and his start was that his "owner" took him (as the rat) to school and it was horrible. So I told him, "Why don't you put in some more description of WHY it was terrible? Like they pull your tail or pet you or something and it stinks." His eyes lit up -- "Oh! Yeah, I can put how they pull me out of the cage and pull my tail and touch me all weird..." SO FUNNY. I couldn't resist, so I said, "Just be careful to be very specific and precise when you describe that part..." And then he realized what he said and just started laughing. Like crying laughing. HILARIOUS. ilovemykids.
Third -- GOOGLE PHONES! Don't worry, you can still call us at our regular phone numbers, but the cool news for us is that now our phone bill will be wayyyyyy cheaper! We're transitioning at the moment, so if things are funny that's why, but we're super excited to have a nicer phone bill and still keep our numbers. =)
Fourth -- My Committed CD came in the mail today!!!!! In case you haven't heard about my latest music love, click this link and prepare to be AMAZED. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5LHVnGD4wQ They were on the TV show "The Sing Off" this past season, and I just fell in love with their amazing voices and their commitment to God and to each other. They are truly amazing musicians, and it seems like they have the hearts to back it up as well. I highly suggest you check them out if you have any liking for a cappella music. They rock!
Fifth -- I'm gonna go write a lesson plan for a figurative language jigsaw activity now. (If you know what that means, then you must be a teacher!)
PEACE OUT!
~Rebekah
EDITED to add that if you're interested, you can preview Committed's new album here!
Second -- Funny story from school today. So my kids are writing stories (about whatever they want), and one is writing "West Middle School from a rat's perspective". He got to where he had finished his plot outline and was starting his rough draft, and his start was that his "owner" took him (as the rat) to school and it was horrible. So I told him, "Why don't you put in some more description of WHY it was terrible? Like they pull your tail or pet you or something and it stinks." His eyes lit up -- "Oh! Yeah, I can put how they pull me out of the cage and pull my tail and touch me all weird..." SO FUNNY. I couldn't resist, so I said, "Just be careful to be very specific and precise when you describe that part..." And then he realized what he said and just started laughing. Like crying laughing. HILARIOUS. ilovemykids.
Third -- GOOGLE PHONES! Don't worry, you can still call us at our regular phone numbers, but the cool news for us is that now our phone bill will be wayyyyyy cheaper! We're transitioning at the moment, so if things are funny that's why, but we're super excited to have a nicer phone bill and still keep our numbers. =)
Fourth -- My Committed CD came in the mail today!!!!! In case you haven't heard about my latest music love, click this link and prepare to be AMAZED. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5LHVnGD4wQ They were on the TV show "The Sing Off" this past season, and I just fell in love with their amazing voices and their commitment to God and to each other. They are truly amazing musicians, and it seems like they have the hearts to back it up as well. I highly suggest you check them out if you have any liking for a cappella music. They rock!
Fifth -- I'm gonna go write a lesson plan for a figurative language jigsaw activity now. (If you know what that means, then you must be a teacher!)
PEACE OUT!
~Rebekah
EDITED to add that if you're interested, you can preview Committed's new album here!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Respawesome Labor Day Weekend
First, you should know that "respawesome" is a combination of "respect" and "awesome" that my kids made up to write on their social contract. I rather liked it, so I'm stealing it. =)
Second, this past weekend has been FABULOUS! I will now proceed to tell you why.
ROUND ONE: RESPAWESOME KIDS
This past Friday was really exciting because I finally got to put up some of the posters that my kids have been working so hard on. I was SO STOKED to see the fantastic work some of them did! And I can't wait to see the faces of the kids whose posters made the bulletin board! Here's what it looks like:
ROUND TWO: RESPAWESOME DISCUSSIONS
Bad News: This weekend I found out that a friend of mine who has been married less than a year is getting a divorce. Sad day! And it made me get kinda scared, because yeah everyone and their mother is getting married right now... but then this was a reminder that just because they're happy now doesn't mean it will last. Not all the unions are solid ones. Sad/scary/aughhhhhhh!
Good News: Talking about that realization was really good for us. In true Daniel And Rebekah Fashion, we actually talked about what would cause us to get a divorce if we ever got to that point. It was fantastic and connective (as many of our hard discussions are) to be able to be so open about what is hard for us to deal with in our marriage. In the end, we mainly just decided that we really really like each other, but we also had some good discussion about a few other things, which fed into some of my later realizations (see below).
ROUND THREE: RESPAWESOME CHURCH
Heard a fantastic sermon (and participated in a fantastic Bible study) on Sunday about urgency -- like who knows how many days we have on this earth, and what would we do differently if we knew the number of our days? That sort of thing. We also talked about our "inside (the body of Christ)" and "outside (the body of Christ)" callings. This basically led me to two further realizations: One, life is too short to leave things unsaid (so I wrote a letter to apologize for some things that have been weighing on my heart for a long time). Two, life is too short to keep putting off changes until tomorrow.
To expound on that second point, I realized that I share Daniel's call to simplify -- including potentially going auto-less, pending much deliberation, research, and bicycle-training (and some weather data-gathering about Liberal winters!). I really like the idea that we could do so much more in terms of tithing and ministry support with the money we currently spend on a vehicle. Plus I'd actually be exercising -- something I don't really do but have been meaning to pick up ever since I stopped playing volleyball in high school. (FYI, in case you're wondering "But how will you GO anywhere?????", the answer is, from near to far, "bikommuting" aka bike commuting but I like my word better, "hire a ride from our awesome neighbors who have already expressed willingness to chauffeur a bit", or "take the Greyhound from Garden City". Or, in the case of emergencies, "fly from Liberal via Denver".) Basically this weekend I just had the "perfect storm" of Daniel's poking, great thinking/reflection time, and a "holy 2-by-4" sermon to make me realize that simplicity isn't just Daniel's crazy deal -- it's part of our shared calling together.
ROUND FOUR: RESPAWESOME HOUSE-OLDIFYING
This weekend we also finally got around to putting up all our wall decorations. It's funny, because it looks really good and all... but having nice framed photos and paintings in our bedroom definitely makes me feel old! My brain is like, "What? Where are the Legos and taped-up posters? What about all my cool drawings? How about the notecards and picture collages from college? Where did they go?? WHY IS MY ROOM SO ADULT-Y????"
So that's a little weird, haha. But we'll get used to it. It does look nice... I'm just not used to having my bedroom be "nice"!
Anyways, that's about all I've got. But man, was it a great weekend! =D
Off to go on a sunset bike ride -- hope you all are well, and do please drop us a line sometime!
~Rebekah
Second, this past weekend has been FABULOUS! I will now proceed to tell you why.
ROUND ONE: RESPAWESOME KIDS
This past Friday was really exciting because I finally got to put up some of the posters that my kids have been working so hard on. I was SO STOKED to see the fantastic work some of them did! And I can't wait to see the faces of the kids whose posters made the bulletin board! Here's what it looks like:
The elements of plot, by my awesome 8th graders! (You can't really see, but on the third one over the climax of the story is taking place in the form of an epic ninja fight on top of a volcano as a meteor is about to strike. And yes, one of the examples for conflict is a picture of Jesus armwrestling the Devil. I LOVE MY KIDS!!!)
ROUND TWO: RESPAWESOME DISCUSSIONS
Bad News: This weekend I found out that a friend of mine who has been married less than a year is getting a divorce. Sad day! And it made me get kinda scared, because yeah everyone and their mother is getting married right now... but then this was a reminder that just because they're happy now doesn't mean it will last. Not all the unions are solid ones. Sad/scary/aughhhhhhh!
Good News: Talking about that realization was really good for us. In true Daniel And Rebekah Fashion, we actually talked about what would cause us to get a divorce if we ever got to that point. It was fantastic and connective (as many of our hard discussions are) to be able to be so open about what is hard for us to deal with in our marriage. In the end, we mainly just decided that we really really like each other, but we also had some good discussion about a few other things, which fed into some of my later realizations (see below).
ROUND THREE: RESPAWESOME CHURCH
Heard a fantastic sermon (and participated in a fantastic Bible study) on Sunday about urgency -- like who knows how many days we have on this earth, and what would we do differently if we knew the number of our days? That sort of thing. We also talked about our "inside (the body of Christ)" and "outside (the body of Christ)" callings. This basically led me to two further realizations: One, life is too short to leave things unsaid (so I wrote a letter to apologize for some things that have been weighing on my heart for a long time). Two, life is too short to keep putting off changes until tomorrow.
To expound on that second point, I realized that I share Daniel's call to simplify -- including potentially going auto-less, pending much deliberation, research, and bicycle-training (and some weather data-gathering about Liberal winters!). I really like the idea that we could do so much more in terms of tithing and ministry support with the money we currently spend on a vehicle. Plus I'd actually be exercising -- something I don't really do but have been meaning to pick up ever since I stopped playing volleyball in high school. (FYI, in case you're wondering "But how will you GO anywhere?????", the answer is, from near to far, "bikommuting" aka bike commuting but I like my word better, "hire a ride from our awesome neighbors who have already expressed willingness to chauffeur a bit", or "take the Greyhound from Garden City". Or, in the case of emergencies, "fly from Liberal via Denver".) Basically this weekend I just had the "perfect storm" of Daniel's poking, great thinking/reflection time, and a "holy 2-by-4" sermon to make me realize that simplicity isn't just Daniel's crazy deal -- it's part of our shared calling together.
ROUND FOUR: RESPAWESOME HOUSE-OLDIFYING
This weekend we also finally got around to putting up all our wall decorations. It's funny, because it looks really good and all... but having nice framed photos and paintings in our bedroom definitely makes me feel old! My brain is like, "What? Where are the Legos and taped-up posters? What about all my cool drawings? How about the notecards and picture collages from college? Where did they go?? WHY IS MY ROOM SO ADULT-Y????"
So that's a little weird, haha. But we'll get used to it. It does look nice... I'm just not used to having my bedroom be "nice"!
Anyways, that's about all I've got. But man, was it a great weekend! =D
Off to go on a sunset bike ride -- hope you all are well, and do please drop us a line sometime!
~Rebekah
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