July 2011
1 post
Let's go for coffee...
When I first started taking online classes, I was excited because I like working independently, but I thought I still might miss the connections and friendships you develop in face-to-face classes. I had not really thought of this much since I began, but just last week I realized that I DO have relationships with my classmates, and the connections are close and caring. Sure, we can’t just go out...
June 2011
3 posts
The perfect combination
Okay, so it turns out that the perfect summer combination is a not-too-heavy first week of class (which bodes well for the next 6 weeks too), and well…summer.
I was able to breeze fairly easily through the first week of discussions, an essay, and even a quiz, especially since I am only working the equivalent of about 3-1/2 days per week right now (due to a lighter summer schedule at work and a...
And so it begins... (again)
First day of class for us Summer II online students! Can I just say how excited I am to be back in class and to “see” everyone. I’ve missed my fellow students and it is really great to be starting a new course. I’ll keep you posted over the next 7 weeks as things progress.
But for now…I’ve got to hit the books! I forgot how much reading there is to do for...
What I'm doing on my summer vacation
Remember those “what I did on my summer vacation” essays you used to have to do in grade school? Well, it has been a long time since I’ve thought of those, and now here I am…spending much of my summer in classes. Because in the online world, courses continue through the summer, with a few breaks in-between. I’m getting ready to begin the Summer II course next week, and do you know what? I’m really...
May 2011
3 posts
Late night thoughts (when I should be sleeping)
Sometimes we get to see wider implications to some of the concepts we learn in our classes and how we apply them to our real lives. Because I don’t know about you, but I have found myself reflecting a lot in the past few weeks about Jesus’ call for us to “love our enemies”. And here’s why…
I think I am mostly a pleasant and agreeable person (if I do say so myself :-), and I don’t...
Stuck in the moment
When I took acting class in high school, they always talked about being “in the moment” – and I strive to have that kind of focus in my real life. But it seems that in today’s society, our lives have become so busy that we are never really “in the moment” anymore. We are always thinking of what we need to get done or what we didn’t get done or what we want to get done. I’ve experienced a...
Happy Easter!
Sure, it is not Easter day anymore, but with the celebration of Easter last Sunday we have now entered Easter season…so it IS still appropriate to say happy Easter! One of my friends said on Monday, “Well, the Easter celebration has ended. Now, Easter living begins!” It really got me thinking about what it means to be Easter people…and these thoughts connected me back to some of the rich...
April 2011
1 post
More of a break than I thought...
Well it has been about a month since I’ve posted something. Wow, I didn’t even realize it had been this long already. It has been a challenging few weeks for me. As I started to pick up the blogging again, I re-read some of my previous posts and it was interesting to note that I’d talked about balancing or juggling things before. Sometimes I think it would be nice if everything else could slow...
March 2011
1 post
It is all Greek to me...
My first week of Greek class and I’ve already memorized the Greek alphabet, learned about diphthongs, nominative and accusative cases, and grammatical gender, and learned a few dozen vocabulary words. Not bad, considering I also had a bad case of the stomach flu this week.
But I’m happy to say that I’m feeling better, and while I am playing a bit of catch up on my assignments, I am actually really...
February 2011
6 posts
Hello Sunshine!
I don’t really want it to be true that something as mundane as the weather can really affect my psyche. So when I’m feeling gloomy I’m always looking for some causal factor – some “reason” why I’m in a grumpy mood – because if I find the reason maybe I can “reason” my way out of it, right?
But this morning I woke up with the sun streaming through my windows, and I leapt out of bed, bouncy and...
Ready for a break? Um...yeah.
Whew! Last week of class before a week break! Can I just say…. Woooooo hoooooo!!!!! I am SO ready for a break!
Yes yes…I AM enjoying my classes and in particular my New Testament Studies class (it is awesome and I’m learning sooooo much). And I do still have to write my final paper. But with some major changes happening in my life right now, and some beautiful 60-degree weather after weeks and...
Valentine's Day nostalgia
A little bit of me misses being a kid, when Valentine’s day cards, stickers and notes were given to classmates, relatives, friends and acquaintances somewhat indiscriminately. When I was in elementary school, my mom would buy a little box of 1/4 page Valentines with cartoon or Disney characters and hearts on them, and I would carefully sign my name to every little card and address them by name to...
Thoughts on Super Bowl weekend...
I love football. I really do. But I struggle to understand a world where football players are paid millions and corporate America spends millions for 15-second advertising spots during the game, and there are still millions of people without enough food to eat.
And then I heard about the Souper Bowl. Yes, you heard (read) me correctly – the “Souper Bowl of Caring” has been happening since 1990 (I...
Just in time...
Okay, so…I really do love the flexibility of online courses. The idea is great, right? You get to fit studying and schoolwork into your schedule, and thus can attend school when it otherwise would be impossible. There are still due dates and deadlines like other courses, but the overall structure is more flexible since you can pace your week and fit in schoolwork and discussion time whenever it is...
Last week was a gift
This might be the first time it has happened since I started online classes at Sterling (theology and ministry program!), but last week I … wait for it… did NOT have a paper due! That’s right – a week of class without having to write and submit an essay or major assignment. What a gift!
Of course, I still had class discussions to contribute to, and tons of reading, and well, you know, all the...
