Week 2

Well, as you can see I haven't posted for a while. I think since my last post I have written several papers, read 300-400 pages, and have tried to figure out what exactly it is that I am supposed to be doing since there is a lot of confussion amonst my collegues as to what exactly we are supposed to be doing. I've pulled some late nighers staying up until 2:30 or 3:30am while I am still kinda sick. I would like to post several times a week but I have not been able to even think about posting and spend time doing it until now. I feel that I have been eating, breathing and sleeping CICS classes, homework and my graduate assistant ship (GA) in the Nursing lab for IT. I have had a few down times on the weekend to spend more time with friends and have down time but I don't really get that at all throughout the week.



Before I had come back from LT with my church this summer I had many goals I wanted to initiate so that I could continue pursing God. The goals in and of themselves weren't the accomplishment, the goals were simply a way of discipline in hopes of spending time pursuing and encountering God in the context of alone times and with others.

I am at the library right now, just got done with class at 9:15, so I don't have all my goals with me, actually I think they are in my phone...standby...Here are the original things I had:

• wake up 30 min earlier each day than I need to, in order to spend time in the word, reflection, or prayer in hopes of starting off the day with some sort of purpose or direction

• initiate Bible study (mark) with family

• initiate Bible study throughout the year with bro and friend (justin and austin)

• have a weekly goal to single out aspect of character/faith/etc and be intentional with it (ie showing grace) in hopes that it would become habbit

• be transparent and honest with my close friends and hold each other accountable for pursuing God

• get involved with homeless or children one on one or in an organization to connect with the community around me

• try to continue a 2 chapter a day reading of where I left of in the Gospels in North Carolina

• extended quiet time (2-4 hours)

• prayer list to pray over every day (preferably in the morning)

Some of the goals changed while I essentially got rid of others. It turns out that I became much much much busier than I had thought I would be.
Currently:

• wake up 30 min earlier for time in the word (currently in John), one chapter a day, reading the commentary, reflecting and journaling.

• My family and I went through the book of Mark during the 5 days I was home before coming back to Ball State

• A co-pastor at Virginia tech, who I built a good relationship with while in North Carolina, told me that the best book on Jesus he had ever read was by Phillip Yancey The Jesus I Never Knew. I decided to buy a copy for my fam and my bro's friend Austin. My hopes is to go through a chapter a week and then to discuss

• If I do have any goal for singling out an aspect to work on, I'll just use the message of that week at church

• I have been able to meet with some people about my experience at LT and others I haven't had the time yet. I have been wanting to sit down as an apartment (4 of us) but our schedules have not really lined up yet and it just hasn't happened yet

• I was going to drop the homeless/children idea since I couldn't really commit to that, but one of my friends who went to LT had wanted to start going to a Nursing home to talk with them. He said he feels there are 2 main groups of people largely neglected, elders and children and he wants to go in and just talk with them to talk about their life and to let them know people care. So I told him I would be interested in working that out. We will probably try to go once a week for an hour or 2 or however long on the weekend.

• One thing that I needed to continue very much was the extended quiet time along with journaling. I have been able to take 2-4 hours on Saturday mornings to just head out on foot and talk with God.

Ultimately my number one goal that can simplify all the previous goals is to:

• 27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'^[a]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'^[b]"

Luke 10:27

After last weekend I wanted to post some things after my extended time, but our internet hasn't worked for over a week and I can only get on at the library really.

Last Wed (over a week ago) our house church met and we talked about what we wanted it to look like for the year and to have some sort of vision for the year to seek and be used by God. We want to be a community that grows close to the Lord together and we can be there for each other through any and everything whether good or bad.

It has been so hard keeping up with studies and work, but this is a great opportunity to truly learn how not only manage my time but be effective with it. I can't possibly do all the work required unless I dedicate all of my time since I am not a fast reader, so I might have to start learning how to skim and be real effecient. I have yet to get an organizer to help know what homework I have to do and other various tasks.

I hope to get into some more detail over what I am learning and thinking about in general and in my faith. peace out.