Still Kicking

The New Normal

Even by my standards, it's been a while since I posted.  As busy as I've been it's probably a good thing that I wasn't in school this semester.  Life just seems to find a way to eat away at any free time you think you might have - it's just a new normal.  That said, I still have that itch and I'm hoping to find a way to get back into formal studies before too long. 

Rest assured, however, I've been working on several things, many of which I hope to be able to share here soon (as my time allows).  Just as a teaser... First, I want to demonstrate how I've put my studies into practice.  Second, I want to share some of my research regarding other online academic opportunities.  Third, I want to share some of my personal reading that I've been plugging away on - lots of good stuff ;).  Forth, I want to get around to cleaning up this blog.  And finally, I'm working on a large project to produce a properly formatted ebook from an out-of-copyright gem.

So I had my little season of feeling sorry for myself (and no, that wasn't a good thing, I know) and I'm still kicking.  I've learned that it's not the education that is important, it's how you use what you know in service to others.  It would sound pretentious of me to spell this out in detail so all I will really say is that it's very humbling, encouraging, and awesome.  And for this, I give God all the glory and praise.    

BE201OL - Critical Review

BE201OL - Spring's Unfinished Business

 

In hindsight, it would have been preferable to have written this a month or so ago but as my previous post indicates, I was preoccupied with trying to find a solution to another challenge.  That said, better late than never and as I try to teach my own children, it's important to finish strong - especially in the face of disappointment and adversity.  I'll continue to write here of course, however I haven't quite decided how or what that is going to look like moving forward.  Regardless, it's time to take a look back at BE201OL to reflect on my experience and proffer some advice on how to get the most out of this course.

I Miss Being Sick

Being Reminded of the Important Things

Even though I’m only auditing a course this semester at DTS, I’m still required to attend chapel sessions.  It seems far too easy sometimes to simply treat this as another tick-in-the-box exercise that is common in academia.  But every now and then, I stumble upon a message that deeply moves me and reminds me of the purpose of my education, and more importantly, my life.  As the kids scampered off to their Saturday morning activities, I watched a service by Michael Easley that struck me in such a way.  But not in the way you might think, I actually reflected on the fact that I miss my pain.  

ST104OL - Critical Review

ST104OL - Summer's Unfinished Business

 

It took a little while to get over my jetlag after a nice little family holiday in August, but now I'm home and getting back into the groove of a new school year for the kids.  I realized though, that I had a little unfinished business in posting a critical review of my ST104 summer class.  So with the kids tucked neatly into bed this evening, I've got a little time to share some of my thoughts on the course and how things went.

PM101OL - Critical Review

PM101OL - Highlights and Lowlights

The final grade was posted a couple days ago for PM101OL which means it's time to reflect on how things went in the course.  So I'll offer a critical review of the class and my performance throughout.  As with any endeavor, there were things that were done well, and things that could have been done better.  Without pulling any punches, here are my highlights and lowlights.

PM102OL - Critical Review

PM102OL - Highlights and Lowlights

The final grade was posted a couple days ago for PM102OL which means it's time to reflect on how things went in the course.  So I'll offer a critical review of the class and my performance throughout.  As with any endeavor, there were things that were done well, and things that could have been done better.  Without pulling any punches, here are my highlights and lowlights.

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.

ST101OL - Critical Review

ST101OL - Highlights and Lowlights

The final grade was posted a couple days ago for ST101OL which means it's time to reflect on how things went in the course.  So I'll offer a critical review of the class and my performance throughout.  As with any endeavor, there were things that were done well, and things that could have been done better.  Without pulling any punches, here are my highlights and lowlights.

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.