A couple weeks ago I blogged about a new goal format for the year - setting goals in 52 day chunks throughout the year. The smaller time period would allow me to change goals that aren't working rather than scrapping them all together. The idea came from Jon Acuff.
Here's an update of how my goals are working so far in this first 52 day section of the year:
Spiritual (daily devotions) - I love the three apps I am using. As of this past Sunday (I check in on my goals each week on Sunday to keep them in my head and to refocus where I have gotten off track), I have only missed one day. I would like to keep up with this goal for the year and I feel like I've set a good foundation so far.
Financial (use gift cards, not credit cards to buy books) - as I was pulling together financial records for our tax preparation, I was embarrassed by how many books I bought for the school. A few is a nice gesture. This was ridiculous. This was manic. I want to exercise more self-control this year. Hopefully the plan to only buy books with gift cards will help with that.
Physical (Weight Watchers) - I have signed up for Weight Watchers and am slowly getting back into the swing of that. So far, we have been eating like we usually do and figuring out what points values go with our usual meals. The next step is to find some alternatives that don't burn through the points so quickly. I get about half the points each day that my husband gets (which is annoying), so I have to be much more careful in my planning.
Social (be more social) - I've discovered that I have an inertia problem. (Inertia is a body at rest wants to stay at rest). Once I get home on Friday afternoon, I don't feel like doing anything on the weekend. I just want to rest, dig into home activities, etc. I have to make the commitment to being social and force myself to follow through. I always have a great time once I go, but getting myself there is what requires the work.
Mental - my goal for this (reading on an e-device) was kind of lame, but I have done that. I have finished 4 books on my Nook this month.
Career (put 10 new books in the library every week) - In the three weeks of the school year, I have placed 83 new books in the school library. I found myself pretty sick of new books by the end of last week, though, so I started on a new project. We'll see if I keep up with 10 new ones this week or if I take a break.
Family (reclaim bedtime routine of reading) - we have gotten back into the routine of reading a book at bedtime during the school week. We finished the first book in the Wings of Fire series (The Dragonet Prophecy) and have started book two.
So far, I am pretty happy with my progress. I feel like I am taking manageable steps to form a life I want for myself and my family. Here's to the next half of the first 52 days!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Please Pardon My Plank
I have been enjoying my devotional reading this month, but I realized one day that I was spending an awful lot of my time reading thinking things like, "So-and-so needs to read this" or "This is just what that situation needs."
But I've realized that it's God's job, not mine, to speak to so-and-so or into this or that situation. It's my job to look inward, to apply the wisdom to the "plank" in my own eye, so to speak, and let God deal with me. There's plenty there to work with.
But I've realized that it's God's job, not mine, to speak to so-and-so or into this or that situation. It's my job to look inward, to apply the wisdom to the "plank" in my own eye, so to speak, and let God deal with me. There's plenty there to work with.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Shine On
"Like light in a closed pot, showing through the cracks, God works through our imperfections."
As I have mentioned before, I am an only child, and I come by my perfectionism honestly. This quote is very comforting to me as I get older and realize how futile perfectionism is.
I read a book once, about childhood memories and how they shape us. The author suggests the reader examine how he/she would finish this sentence: "I only matter when ...." My answer is "when I get things right." I hate failing and I hate making mistakes. I get stressed out at school because I want to have the "right" plan, the "perfect" plan right now. I want to have the big picture already figured out. But that's ridiculous - I haven't even been in my job for 2 years and the dynamics of classes and students are changing all the time.
This idea of God, shining through the "cracks" in my not-so-perfect plans, is a comforting reminder - one I probably need to stitch on a pillow or something so I will practice it until it becomes part of the fabric of me.
~ Joyce Meyer, A Confident Woman devotional app, January 5, 2012
As I have mentioned before, I am an only child, and I come by my perfectionism honestly. This quote is very comforting to me as I get older and realize how futile perfectionism is.
I read a book once, about childhood memories and how they shape us. The author suggests the reader examine how he/she would finish this sentence: "I only matter when ...." My answer is "when I get things right." I hate failing and I hate making mistakes. I get stressed out at school because I want to have the "right" plan, the "perfect" plan right now. I want to have the big picture already figured out. But that's ridiculous - I haven't even been in my job for 2 years and the dynamics of classes and students are changing all the time.
This idea of God, shining through the "cracks" in my not-so-perfect plans, is a comforting reminder - one I probably need to stitch on a pillow or something so I will practice it until it becomes part of the fabric of me.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
What's Your Boat?
In my devotional reading a couple weeks ago, the author talked about the passage where Jesus walks on water and calls Peter to get out of the boat. She talked about having the confidence to step out of the boat in faith.
Sometimes we are so comfortable where we are, we are reluctant to step outside that place, even though what awaits us is fantastic.
Is there something God is calling you to that seems scary and exciting at the same time? Will you choose to summon the courage to stand up and step out of the "boat" and take the chance?
Sometimes we are so comfortable where we are, we are reluctant to step outside that place, even though what awaits us is fantastic.
Is there something God is calling you to that seems scary and exciting at the same time? Will you choose to summon the courage to stand up and step out of the "boat" and take the chance?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Required Reading Vs. Choice
A couple weeks ago I came across this blog entry about reading and the power of choice. I really enjoyed it and quickly shared it on FB.
Then I clicked on the comments that were on the original FB post and was surprised to see an angry one from a secondary teacher who felt attacked by the writer as a teacher who uses required reading. While I could follow the person's train of thought, I think she missed the point the writer was making.
My understanding of required reading is this: We require students to read classic literature to create common cultural references. We require students to read one piece so that we can teach them analysis and about symbolism and other skills with a text everyone can relate to.
There's nothing wrong with those things. But many people will tell you that they stopped reading for fun when they became overwhelmed by things they were required to read for school. Many "readers" talk about how nice it is to finish college and get to read "whatever I want!"
Choice matters.
This is one of the reasons I've never joined/started a book club. If I have managed to carve out time to read, I want to use it on something I'm going to like - something in a style I prefer or that has a plot that has intrigued me.
I think there is a place for both. I know that when my son's teacher read a Hank Zipzer book to her class, all the books I have from the series in the library were checked out, many for the first time ever. This teacher exposed her students to material they might not have tried otherwise. This classroom "required" reading was a benefit to the students.
Over Christmas break, I had to coerce my son to finish a book that he had 95% read before break began. He didn't resist because he didn't like it, but he had already taken an AR quiz on it and in his mind, the book had served its purpose. He wasn't compelled to finish anymore. But the day I bought him a new book in a Lego series he enjoys, he was reading every spare moment until he finished it. I no longer had to cajole him into picking up a book - he did it willingly.
Choice matters. I hope we as parents and as educators never forget that.
Then I clicked on the comments that were on the original FB post and was surprised to see an angry one from a secondary teacher who felt attacked by the writer as a teacher who uses required reading. While I could follow the person's train of thought, I think she missed the point the writer was making.
My understanding of required reading is this: We require students to read classic literature to create common cultural references. We require students to read one piece so that we can teach them analysis and about symbolism and other skills with a text everyone can relate to.
There's nothing wrong with those things. But many people will tell you that they stopped reading for fun when they became overwhelmed by things they were required to read for school. Many "readers" talk about how nice it is to finish college and get to read "whatever I want!"
Choice matters.
This is one of the reasons I've never joined/started a book club. If I have managed to carve out time to read, I want to use it on something I'm going to like - something in a style I prefer or that has a plot that has intrigued me.
I think there is a place for both. I know that when my son's teacher read a Hank Zipzer book to her class, all the books I have from the series in the library were checked out, many for the first time ever. This teacher exposed her students to material they might not have tried otherwise. This classroom "required" reading was a benefit to the students.
Over Christmas break, I had to coerce my son to finish a book that he had 95% read before break began. He didn't resist because he didn't like it, but he had already taken an AR quiz on it and in his mind, the book had served its purpose. He wasn't compelled to finish anymore. But the day I bought him a new book in a Lego series he enjoys, he was reading every spare moment until he finished it. I no longer had to cajole him into picking up a book - he did it willingly.
Choice matters. I hope we as parents and as educators never forget that.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
New Year. Same God.
I saw this thought posted on a church sign recently, and it really captured my attention. No matter what season of life you or I are in, God is the same.
God is the same for my friends who finalized their adoption of two children at the end of 2012 as He is for another friend who has chosen to give up her business and home here in the states to live in Africa with the baby she is adopting while she waits for the powers that be to finalize her adoption (a process that has had a slew of road blocks so far).
God is the same for my friends who are celebrating healing in the bodies of their family members and for other friends who have had to say a final goodbye to their parents in the last month or so.
God is the same when I am feeling complete joy or contentment with my life as He is when I am railing at Him for trials and seemingly unfair circumstances.
There is comfort in the unchangeableness (how's that for a word?) of God. I can count on Him to be the same yesterday, today and forever.
God is the same for my friends who finalized their adoption of two children at the end of 2012 as He is for another friend who has chosen to give up her business and home here in the states to live in Africa with the baby she is adopting while she waits for the powers that be to finalize her adoption (a process that has had a slew of road blocks so far).
God is the same for my friends who are celebrating healing in the bodies of their family members and for other friends who have had to say a final goodbye to their parents in the last month or so.
God is the same when I am feeling complete joy or contentment with my life as He is when I am railing at Him for trials and seemingly unfair circumstances.
There is comfort in the unchangeableness (how's that for a word?) of God. I can count on Him to be the same yesterday, today and forever.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Bible Apps
I have plenty of spiritual books and devotionals in my house. I go through seasons where I dig them out, set them by my bed with a notebook and a Bible. I use them a couple times before they become just a pile of things I have to move if I want a pair of socks from my dresser. I thought maybe if I used my phone - something that is with me all the time, and that I use for time filling activities like checking Facebook and playing games - I would be more likely to create a routine that would become a habit. I chose three apps to try these first 52 days of 2013 for my goal of spiritual growth.
The first is a devotional app by Joyce Meyer, called Joyce Meyer Ministries. I picked Joyce because I have always enjoyed her preaching and her down to earth view of life and faith. I've only used the devotional piece, but there are also videos and radio programs to listen to. It was a free app and I've really enjoyed it. The readings are short, but I often find a nugget I want to write down and think about more.
The second is another devotional app by Joyce Meyer, based on her book The Confident Woman. I paid for this one ($3.99), which makes me reluctant to dump it, but I am not enjoying it as much as the free app. It may be that I am more interested in the general life messages of the free app than the "confident woman" messages of the paid app.
Finally, there's the free Bible reading app called BiOY for Bible in One Year. This app reminds me of my favorite part of writing Sunday School curriculum when I did that for the Church of God - the Bible passage commentary. Every day there is an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, and a section from Proverbs or Psalms. You click on the section, and you can read the text of the passage. Click back for the commentary on each section, based on a theme/anecdote that the author uses to tie the three passages together. It's a great resource and I look forward to using it each day.
All in all, I am happy with my app finds and the routine I have started for the year regarding spiritual discipline. Do you have any apps or other resources that you use in your faith journey?
The first is a devotional app by Joyce Meyer, called Joyce Meyer Ministries. I picked Joyce because I have always enjoyed her preaching and her down to earth view of life and faith. I've only used the devotional piece, but there are also videos and radio programs to listen to. It was a free app and I've really enjoyed it. The readings are short, but I often find a nugget I want to write down and think about more.
The second is another devotional app by Joyce Meyer, based on her book The Confident Woman. I paid for this one ($3.99), which makes me reluctant to dump it, but I am not enjoying it as much as the free app. It may be that I am more interested in the general life messages of the free app than the "confident woman" messages of the paid app.
Finally, there's the free Bible reading app called BiOY for Bible in One Year. This app reminds me of my favorite part of writing Sunday School curriculum when I did that for the Church of God - the Bible passage commentary. Every day there is an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, and a section from Proverbs or Psalms. You click on the section, and you can read the text of the passage. Click back for the commentary on each section, based on a theme/anecdote that the author uses to tie the three passages together. It's a great resource and I look forward to using it each day.
All in all, I am happy with my app finds and the routine I have started for the year regarding spiritual discipline. Do you have any apps or other resources that you use in your faith journey?
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