Smooth Sailing

The Benefits of Staying Ahead

Week six is just about to peek over the horizon and for me, that means it's time to start working on Module 4.  I'm still the better part of one week ahead and the extra breathing room is really coming in handy.  It's a nice thing to be able to work at my own pace.

Polishing Off Module 3

The second learning assignment in Module 3 was the toughest one to date.  For that matter, Module 3 was the largest module in the course.  But now it's in my rearview mirror.  I turned in Learning Activity #4 over the weekend and wrapped up the video lectures.  I still have a little work to do regarding the class interaction topic, but that is small potatoes compared to the rest of the assignments.

Over the weekend, I also received my grade for Learning Activity #3 and I'm happy to report that all continues to go well on that front.  I'm very pleased with my performance thus far and while there is still a long way to go, I've at least positioned myself to do well in this class.  Just need to keep the ball rolling.

Module 4 Survey

Module 4 is pretty straightforward and contains 2 video lectures, 1 reading assignment, and 1 learning activity.  Over the weekend (it was a lazy weekend), I managed to knock off 1 of the video lectures and the required reading.  That leaves me with a solid 9 days to complete the learning activity and the final video lecture.

I have been looking at Learning Activity #5 and I have a clear understanding of what is expected.  This assignment is going to be tricky as we're shifting the observational objective to include observing an entire book of the Old Testament.  I set up some note sheets in Word to help me with this activity and then I started to tinker with it a bit.

Unfortunately, in my haste to get a jump on getting into this assignment, I've made a serious but recoverable error.  Yeah, I basically threw everything I've learned up to this point out the window and decided to dive right in.  Bad approach!  I need to just take a deep breath and reapproach this assignment with a fresh mind.

I'm going to forget what I did over the weekend and spend the next couple of days just really familiarizing myself with the text.  That will entail reading it over and over and over again.  Once I develop a suitable familiarity, I'll then be able to utilize the tools I've been given over the previous weeks to complete this assignment.  There are no shortcuts here and I just need to be careful not to put the cart in front of the horse.  Besides, just doing the assignment for the assignment's sake kind of defeats the purpose of the activity and is counter to my personal objectives in training at the seminary.  "Slow down and think" will be my motto this week!

Balancing Life

Had a good weekend at home with my oldest son who is 12.  We enjoyed some movies and worked together on some chores around the house.  Also had to laugh at the fact that we both made time this weekend for our respective homework assignments.  I appreciate the fact that I can model an approach to studying instead of just telling him about how I studied in the past.  I'm hopeful that he'll understand and see that I'm living what I preach and that this will rub off on him a bit.  We'll see.

Also played an engaging game of Axis and Allies.  I put an epic beatdown on him playing Germany and Japan.  He's getting better but the broader strategy of the game is still a little lost on him.  I'm sure it won't be long though when he'll be wiping the table with me.  After all, I can scarcely beat my 7-year-old in chess lately.  Talk about a humbling experience.

I've learned that there is a balance to be encouraging with my children without handing them success.  It's not that I have an ego to protect - I don't.  But kids are smart enough to know when you are trying and when you're not.  There is nothing more precious than seeing the joy your children have when after trying and trying, they finally beat you or do something better than you.  The first time my 7-year-old beat me in chess, he literally beamed for weeks.  Now the little bugger is just down right cocky.  It's funny and special.

Future Postings

Wednesday I'll cover the next chapel session and then wrap the week up with the weekly review.  I'm pretty comfortable with the posting schedule and the truth is, this activity really helps keep me on track.  Funny how that works.  Till then, thanks for stopping by.