Statistics midterm exam

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I don’t know how I fell behind on my required reading … ah, yes – now I remember! I put aside Understanding Research Methods for a weekend and read Shadowfever, instead. Shadowfever is the fifth and final installment in a saucy, spellbinding tale of the epic battle between good and evil. It’s a cross between paranormal romance (and we’re not talking Twilight-chaste; there are some – ahem – heated scenes) and suspense. Personally, I think the author used too much gratuitous swearing, but the storyline was gripping … unlike Understanding Research Methods, which I have to force myself to read. (It isn’t really fair to compare a textbook to a novel, I suppose.)

 

Under the looming deadline of my midterm exam next week, I finally caught up on my required reading. There are no evil fae trying to take over the world in my statistics manual, but I do feel like I’ve been victorious in a small conquest. I have a better understanding of paradigms (not to be confused with paranormal), independent & dependent variables and correlation coefficients.

 

I still need to practice calculating some formulas (prof said there will be word problems along with short answer essay questions) and review the chapter summaries, but I am not as nervous about the test as I was a few days ago.

 

Perhaps I’ll reward my labors with another novel after the test! Next on my list is Android Karenina, a mash-up of Tolstoy’s classic with a steampunk twist. I made it through the first few chapters during the Christmas break, so I’m looking forward to finishing it.

Prayer prompt for Thursday, Feb. 10

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We all have baggage on this journey we call LIFE. Pray for those in your Life group today; ask God to help them unpack their worry-filled bags and give their problems to him. Then, do the same for yourself. God has more room in his suitcase than you’ll ever need; he can handle your worries.

Kindergarteners *do* know how to take turns?!

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It’s true! I caught it on camera! 😉

 

Really, though — I had to re-stage the book reading, since my video camera (ie, phone) was giving me grief the first go-round. They didn’t mind hamming it up again (as you can tell!).

 

The book they are reading was a gift from Nana & Granddad that they bought on an Alaskan cruise. Fun, fun! The boys enjoy the colorful pictures and silly sounding animal names (puffin, warblers, octopi).

 

Without further ado, I present to you this rousing rendition of “Alaska 1-2-3” …

 

The Storms of Life

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On the afternoon of the third worst day of my life, my body shut down and forced me to take a nap. We had a visitation to get ready for that evening, a funeral the next day (Bad Day #2), and I was still mentally and physically fatigued from the Worst of All Bad Days a few days prior. My body was telling me, in no uncertain terms, that I needed to rest.

 

It was an overcast day (like my mood), and when I woke up, the room was dim. I glanced out the window by the bed, closed my eyes again and groaned to myself: “I don’t know how I’m going to do this.”

 

With my eyes still closed, I sensed a bright ray of sunshine flooding the room. I felt its warmth and could tell how bright it was, even with my eyes closed. In that moment, it felt like God was comforting me in my sorrow. I whispered to the Lord, knowing that he would help me get through the day … and all the days to follow: “I love you, too.”

 

As quickly as the sun had peeked through, it was suddenly gone again. I opened my eyes to a dim room and cloudy sky outside but warmth in my spirit.

 

During the days, weeks and months that followed—when I really needed to see a ray of sunshine—I had a Life group that was praying for me. Our Life groups exist so that we don’t have to walk through the storms of life alone. What a difference it makes to know that we’re in this together!

 

We Love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, Invest in each other’s lives genuinely, Fellowship together and Encourage each other. We do LIFE together.

 

This week, we’ll use the acronym for our Life groups along with Hebrews 10:23-25 as our prayer guide …

Prayer prompt for Feb. 5

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We will use the phrase GO WORLD as a prayer guide this week:

 

(Saturday) D – Developing countries. Our focus this week has been  on missions. Hopefully, by now, you realize that mission work isn’t just something that “other” people do in far-off places; we can be missionaries in our own community. However, let’s remember that there are people serving in unreached areas of the globe. Today, pray for God’s workers in the mission field abroad—for protection from illness, physical danger and spiritual attack.

 

Prayer prompt for Feb. 4

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We will use the phrase GO WORLD as a prayer guide this week:

 

(Friday) L – Land. After years of meeting in borrowed and rented     facilities, isn’t it wonderful that Crossroads has a permanent home? God is good – all the time! Thank God today that we have a place to come and worship him freely, and thank him for those who help take care of our facilities and property.