Ho Ho Ho

It's CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!
I am so very excited that Christmas time has finally arrived.
Joe and I have been buying and wrapping gifts, and cannot wait to visit Alabama to give them to our families!

...there's just one thing...we are still in Kentucky. bleh.
Saturday morning we will have our "christmas morning" together, I can hardly wait! there is a package under the tree for me that is wrapped in a long box. I cannot figure out what in the world could be in there. So excited!

I have one more paper left to do befor eI am finished with my first semester of grad school. This should be an easy paper, but I am having a hard time with it. It is supposed to be my philosophy/theology of discipleship. It's due tomorrow and I have one page done. (I just spelled "done" as "dun". WOW)

Anyway, I noticed that I hadn't updated in a while.
So that's that.

Ok, so after multiple conversations, prayer, your great input Al Jones, prayer, and careful consideration, I have decided to stick with Christian Ed. I looked over the degree requirements for CE and CL and realized that there are a lot more classes in CE that I want to take, and really only 3 or 4 classes in CL that I want to take. So, I'll be able to continue on with CE and still take the few leadership classes that I want to take. I have heard many times that people with a CE degree get treated as if they got a degree for Sunday School. Hopefully that will not be the case for me. I have also come to find (though conversations with different professors) that I really don't even have to decide for another year. All of the classes that I have to take this semester and next can go towards either degree.
That's the update for now.

Leadership? Education? Leadership? Education? Leadership? Education?

I've been going back and forth all week between the two. I am trying to decide whether or not to continue with Christian Education or to go with Christian Leadership. I can't decide. I have asked different professors their opinion about which would better equip me for what I want to do and it seems I have a 50 50 response for everyone. actually, that is not true, it has been suggested more often that I continue with CE. One professor simply responded "Pray about it". Thanks. I am praying about it, but as of now feel no particular direction. In fact, I wonder if this is even what I should be doing. I have struggled a lot with the question of why I am doing what I am doing.

Hmmm. I have more thinking and praying to do...

Christian Education:
The Master of Arts in Christian Education is designed to prepare students for a vocation of nurture, formation, and life-span discipleship in parish, institutional, or cross-cultural settings. They will be equipped to provide leadership for educational ministries that effectively seek to present everyone mature in Christ.

Christian Leadership:
The Master of Arts in Christian Leadership program equips persons to function effectively in a variety of leadership positions. The program serves future leaders who are called to local church settings, parachurch organizations, college student development or in the marketplace.

No updates lately because I have given my time over to reading and writing for classes. I get my first two papers back tomorrow and wednesday, yikes! one of my friends didn't do well, so that makes me a little worried.

It's getting really cold up here. I wasn't fully prepared for "fall" (more like winter) to hit so quickly. At least in Alabama when it gets cold, it will get warm for a few days...but not here! it's been in the low 40's....coooolllldddd.

I am looking forward to spending Thanksgiving and Christmas in Alabama. Mostly I'm just looking forward to being with everyone!

Joe and I am doing great. We are enjoying our time together more and more. He has been trying to teach me how to play football on the wii (that was given to us by Nathan). It usually ends in frustration followed by tons of laughter. I am not good at all.

This week I will be making candied apples and caramel apples, just because I've been craving them.

Required Laughter

I have been experiencing a strange situation where the man who is head of the IT department says something not so funny and everyone, as if on cue, bursts out in laughter. He stomps through the office every morning with his little sweater vests of bright colors and complains for about five minutes straight, all the while the other workers laugh with him at his misfortune and complaints. It just feeds the fire I believe. He is not a funny man...in fact he is a little immature for having a doctorate. I guess it is a required thing to laugh when your boss laughs, or is making a joke. I refuse to laugh though. It's not funny. I just pretend to not be listening as I continue to work on audio files and then he eventually moves on to other places and more work. I wonder if the other workers ever wonder why they laugh with him.

I don't know.

uh...come again??

I had my first days of class, and they all went well.
I have Foundations of Discipleship for 2 hours and 45 minutes on Tuesdays,
Foundations of Leadership on Wednesday and Fridays for a little over an hour (with Joe!!!)
Vocation of Ministry on Wednesdays for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

My discipleship class is going to be interesting, and I feel will have a lot of busy work. The professor is a very nice woman though. And I met a girl from Enterprise who knew about me and Joe from a friend of hers at Troy.

Leadership will be awesome. Mostly because Joe is in there :0) but the man who teaches that is interesting and I think will keep things exciting.

Oh man- and the VoM class just may be difficult. It was one of those things where I had to sit there with dictionary.com open so I knew what in the world the man was talking about! there were also quiet a few argumentative folks in there as well.

Over all I think I will be learning a lot of great things about ministry, myself, and other goodies, as well as growing with Christ. And for that I am super excited!

first

I'm sitting in my first grad class. I haven't been so nervous walking to a class since the wallace days...which was...a long time ago.

I found the place ok though.

It smells weird in here. A mixture of old chinese food and B.O. YUM!