7 Quick Takes - (Vol. 2)

You can visit Jennifer over at Conversion Diary to find other 7 Quick Take posters every Friday.

~ 1 ~

So, riddle me this? Why is it that I have so many little things that pop into my head all week long that would make an interesting Quick Take for you, my reader, but when I log on and go to start typing, they all fly right out the window. I guess I'm going to have to start journaling about these things throughout the week so I'll remember these on Thursday nights.

The same thing happens with longer posts too. I don't forget what I want to write about but I start thinking of how to write them out and have amazing ideas while I'm in the shower, doing my hair, driving to work, sitting in the bathroom at work (I know, TMI) and then it all goes right out of my head when I find a piece of paper and pen. I think I need to go dig up that little tape recorder I used to carry around and start using it.

I can just see it know - me making myself notes about some great Truth about God that has just hit me while I'm in the bathroom at work. People will think I'm even crazier than they think I am now!!

~ 2 ~

So, I'm a total nerd - specifically a homeschool nerd. This week I had a meeting with my daughter's supervising teacher through the charter school we are part of. We meet every 4 weeks and I have to provide a homework sample. This meeting I was to provide a Science sample. I have a Science book that is specific for 2nd graders in California. There are chapter reviews in the book but no tests. So I created a test for my daughter which included fill in the blank questions related to vocabulary, some multiple choice questions, a picture I drew by hand of a butterfly lifecycle for which she had to label the phases and instructions for a Venn Diagram.

My printer here at home it not hooked up to my laptop right now, so this entire test was done by me in pencil. I turned in my daughter's answers that had been graded by me and my test questions for her (she got 100% by the way!!!)

Our supervising teacher told me that she has a teacher's manual at home (her daugther is the same age as mine) and I could copy the tests out of there if I want in the future but I turned her down. She had a supervisor from the school observing her for this meeting. This observer looked up quickly and gave me a funny look. But our teacher (who is also part of my homeschool co-op and part of my church, so we know each other pretty well) just smiled at me - "You actually enjoy making up the tests, don't you?" she asked me.

So that is where the nerd part comes in because all I could do is smile and nod. I loved doing the test and my daughter loved that I had made it up for her!

~ 3 ~

There is no way I can get around mentioning this - gas prices! I paid $2.04 this week and my hubby just paid $2.01 today. I heard on the news that the average right now is $1.99 and they are expecting it to get down as low as $.175. It has not been that low since the spring of 2005.

It is so sad that I'm that excited about paying only just over $2/gallon. I remember just before I moved out here from Arizona the station down the road from us had gas for $0.98/gallon sometimes!

~ 4 ~

Have you heard about these Somalian pirates who have hijacked an oil tanker and are asking for millions of dollars to return it? Turns out they hijack boats quite often. I did not even realize there was a such thing as pirates anymore!

This article I found about them says they are even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages. What is really sad though is due to the poverty around where they operate they are being considered heros because they are the only "businesses" there.

~ 5 ~

Do you remember MacGyver, he could hotwire a car with a toothbrooth or break out of prison with just a piece of paper, a piece of yarn and some chewing gum. Well, this show has been off the television airwaves for quite a few years now, I don't even think I've seen any reruns for some years now. However, he has not been forgotten! He has been voted #1 on a recent tough guy poll - read more here.

~ 6 ~

In history we are learning about ancient civilizations such at Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Greece and Rome right now. One thing that keeps coming up is the gods they worshipped. Today while talking about temples in ancient Egypt my daughter very seriously stopped me and told me - "Mommy, the second commandment of the 10 is to not worship idols." That started a really good conversation between us about idols and how idols in our current world are not as easily identified. They are not necessarily images carved in stone or wood as they were back then.

Then tonight I was flipping through my journal from the past year and found an entry I had done from a teaching about a year ago. I found my notes to be very enlightening and a good reminder.

Idols = Objects of Affection

Idols are tied to desires, our affections. What things in our lives take our affections away from God, where do we go for comfort?

Important Points:
1. Choose to serve the Lord, it is not forced on us.
2. If we choose God we need to follow Him, our lives should show that we follow Him.
3. He wants ALL of us - if we follow Him it needs to be 100%
4. We can not sit on the fence - we must choose
5. God thinks we are beautiful and desires for us to love Him. He wants us to make the choice

~ 7 ~

Thought for the week:

Ephesians 1:4-6
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

God chose to redeem me (you) even before He created the world and He took pleasure in it - He did not chose to redeem me (you) out of duty - He did it because He love me (you) and found pleasure in it!

I (you) am NOT a burden to God!