Controlled Chaos

Too Busy is a Real Thing

With a little more than a month remaining in the semester, I thought it would be good to post an update on how things are going.  The best way I can describe how things are at the moment is controlled chaos.  Between changes at work, family needs, church commitments, and school, I've been crazy busy and I'm learning that there is such a thing as being too busy.  There are battles raging for my time and admittedly, I'm not doing as well on these fronts as I could - but you already know this as this is my first post in over a month.  Today I'll share a bit about this and how I plan to get things back on track in my crazy life!

The Pernicious Road to Wrath

 Evidence of God's Wrath in Society Today

I'm still struggling a little bit with the mechanics of my Spiritual Life class (palm meet forehead), but the course material and lessons are really good.  As I was viewing the course video "The Results of Sin" I was really struck by a point Dr. Anderson made while arguing for the case that one result of sin is that we live under the wrath of God.  What really slapped me in the face was his interpretation of the evidence of this in society today.  I had my first, ohhhhhhh, moment of the semester yesterday.  I'm calling it the pernicious road to wrath and I think it might be interesting to continue to reflect on this today.

Spiritual Life and Evangelism

A Tale of Two Classes

I'm a little over a week into the Spring semester and I thought I'd post a little update on what I'm up to.  This semester I'm taking PM101OL Spiritual Life and PM102OL Evangelism.  What is surprising to me right out of the gate is how differently these courses are structured and it is obvious to me that this semester will very much be a tale of two classes.

Fall 2017 First Month Review

That Passed by Quickly!

Over the weekend I realized amazingly that we're already through the first month of classes.  Man, that passed by quickly!  So I thought it would be good to give a quick first month review of what I've been doing, how things have been going, and what I've learned thus far in my classes.  I can definitely tell you that two classes is a little more challenging than one class, but it didn't take me long to get organized and into a groove.

The Best Intentions ...

Blog Update Fail

Yep, as you can see, I've been doing a bang up job keeping you updated on my journey this semester at DTS.  I'm feeling great and I'm headlong into my courses, there just never seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything I want or need to do.  So I apologize for the blog update fail thus far.

So I finally feel guilty enough to post something this evening.  Well that and I've hit a little writer's block on one of my assignments, so this will be a short but needed distraction for a few minutes.  I'd love to tell you that I'll get back in my posting groove soon, but sometimes the best intentions...

In general, though, I really like my classes thus far this semester.  Both are exercising new thought processes and changing the way I look at and see things.  While I haven't been posting, I'm keeping good records and hopefully, I'll soon have some time to catch up with more specific details.

New learning, new books, new tools.  Just one tired student at the moment :).

Limping to the Finish Line

Fall 2016 - That's a Wrap

Well, it was a real difficult finish for me as I struggled with my health over the past month, but by God's grace, I pulled it together and finished out my first semester at DTS.  While I haven't been well enough to keep my posting schedule here, I had just enough strength to limp my way to the finish line and I submitted my final assignment just before Christmas to close out the BE101 course.

Difficulties notwithstanding, I had a great semester and I have high expectations for an excellent grade.  Here's a brief wrap of my final month of BE101 and in the coming days I'll write more about my overall experience at DTS this semester.

The Great Module Unlock

 Lots of Work to Do

Yesterday was a big day for my online BE101 class.  A total of 7 new modules became unlocked which will take me all the way to December 7.  I actually like this as now I have plenty of time to roll along at my own pace over the coming months.  Some of the learning activities are going to be pretty involved, so the sooner I get going on this great module unlock, the better.

Pseudo Fall Break

A Lazy Cool Fall Weekend

I had a challenging week this week outside of school so I kind of took the week off.  I needed it.  Given that I was a full week ahead on my assignments, this isn't a big issue.  But my latest learning activity is giving me a little heartburn.  I still have 5 more days to work on it and a full 4 more days until the next assignments unlock, so it's not the time to hit the panic button just yet.  Just a little time for a self made Fall break.

What's in Your Worldview?

Perspective

Your worldview matters.  It shapes how you approach everyday life and the plethora of challenges that always seem to be hidden around every corner just out of sight.  Your worldview can steer you to hope or destroy you with fear.  So today I'm going to pose the question, "What's in your worldview?"

Also going to tackle my weekly class wrap-up and roll out a new graphic for my BE101 statistics!  Hard to believe that I've already put 20% of this course in my rearview mirror.  Some very interesting numbers are emerging which are testing some of my original hypotheses.

Just Keep Swimming

The Yo-Yo Effect

Life has been downright wacky for me lately.  I fell a little behind schedule in class. Then I got ahead of schedule. Now it looks like I'm going to fall a little behind again in the coming weeks.  Things do happen and there is no sense getting flipped over by the things you can't control.  So when life gets you down ... Just Keep Swimming...

Week Three Debrief

Taking Things in Stride

Time for the week three debrief.  Well, I've been thrown off my schedule a bit due to some things that are happening locally, but I'm still slightly ahead.  Just have to take these things in stride.  Besides, what would life be like without getting served a curveball every now and then?  Hence the importance of planning ahead!

Week Two Wrap-Up

Trying To Find My Pace

As I wrap-up another week, I find I'm settling in quite well.  I've managed to get slightly ahead which is both good and bad.  Good in the sense that it is always better to be ahead than behind.  Bad in the sense that I hit a little lull in the action by mid-week and I'll need to wait until next Wednesday for my next round of assignments.

Overall, it was another good week.  First assignments, first grades, and more getting to know my classmates.  My schedule seems to be working so far and I'm certain that by October, I'll find an even pace in my work.

Getting My Feet Wet in Class

First Day of Class Recap

Yep, it's finally here.  I felt like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning; I was so excited to get started.  Spent a lot of time at work yesterday looking at the clock, waiting for the day to end so I could start focusing on the class.

Okay, okay...  I cheated a little on my lunch break and did one of my reading assignments.  I just couldn't help myself - sue me.

One would think that the first day of an online class would be a little boring.  Consider me surprised that in fact, there was a lot of interesting stuff going on.  It was nice to finally get my feet wet in this experience.