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  • Christianity,  Fun,  Uncategorized

    Senior High Ministry

    I know I just wrote about my time in junior high ministry last month but I am so excited to move on with many of the same kids and be there for them as high schoolers…at least for a little while. What’s unique about my situation is that I’ll be the only leader who hung out with all these graduating classes of kids that are current high schoolers, in middle school. From the moment I was done in senior high youth group I missed it, and then I loved junior high ministry, but coming back to senior high as a leader will be a new experience. I’ll be working with a…

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    Do Your Boss a Favor – Praxis Wednesday Response

    Last night was Praxis Wednesday, and this time it was a group discussion. It was fun to catch up with those from other modules.  We had the chance to discuss the past month with other current participants and then heard from 3 Praxis graduates. It was helpful to hear how they had been successful in their fields, and what to do in order to succeed ourselves. Take steps to impress your business partner/boss, and show them what you want to do to add value in your own way, they just might appreciate your initiative. Whether it’s taking them out to lunch to suggest an idea of yours or suggesting a…

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    If You Go to College Please Be Smart About It

    I went to college for 3 years and part-time for another year. I had a free year of college due to my PSEO (Post Secondary Enrollment Option) years. I didn’ t know of any other way to reach my goals at the point of enrollment. Plus I know that my degree can never be taken away from me. College was an investment for me, and I accepted the consequences, good and bad. I went three years of private school, and a year of community college. They are very different. One is the lowest cost college, the other the highest. I made my decision this way so I could do the most…

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    A Forest in the City

    There’s a number of oddities in Minnesota, from our state having two major cities less than 12 miles apart, to having uniquely high and low temperatures throughout the year, to having a forest in the city, Theodore Wirth Regional Park. It’s located 4 miles from the downtown skyscrapers. Sometimes you don’t have to go very far to see something new, fun, and out of the ordinary. I had been to the park before but yesterday my family decided to take the 15-minute drive to the park and walk around. It was fun to drive through our area, and we got to see a new building, and its where my sister skied in…

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    A Legendary Entrepreneurial Difference

    For Praxis this month I’ve also been reading a book called Niche Down. It’s about “how to become legendary by being different” (Niche Down, 0). It’s been a convicting read concerning how to create great businesses, and what makes a business fail or succeed. I enjoyed the read, it helped me understand the business world better, and made me think about the problems in our world and what potential solutions could be. Many businesses pop up in every field, from clothing to restaurants, to tech and beyond. But what creates staying power? Niching down. Admittedly the first thing I notated in the book was a statistic that mentioned that we’re at the lowest levels…

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    The Magic of Authenticity

    I have finished reading The War of Art (TWoA). It was a bit different than any other book I had read before. It had an odd layout but one that was relatively easy to read, actually. The third, and final section was called “Beyond Resistance: The Higher Realm”. This section focused on the challenge of initially starting something and staying with it, as well as finding our talents and using them well. When we write and create via our authentic selves we are doing what we were meant and designed to do as individual people. As the author puts it: “Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal…

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    Grand People

    My grandparents are all amazing people. From American war veterans to wonderful housewives, and so many other qualities beyond. They have learned a lot, and done a lot in their lives. They are inspiring. My Grandma Parkin helped to raise three children while having a husband who worked for the phone company and volunteered in the police force. In addition, I love seeing the history from this corner of the family, and I’ve even seen pictures of many ancestors including one of my great-great-great grandmother. It’s all well-cared for genealogy that has allowed me to meet so many family members over the years, even if its a bit confusing. It’e also…

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    No More Writing for Rubrics – Praxis Wednesday Response

    I’ve told a lot of stories on this blog so far, and it’s been fun for me. From retelling memories, to explaining some of my favorite things, I’ve actually enjoyed writing and while that’s not entirely new to me, getting to write how I want mostly is. I’ve tried to write with my own voice, and a lot of what we discuss last night for Praxis Wednesday was cleaning up our writing voice for the sake of our readers. Making things flow better so that even though its our voice, it will be easy to read. We edited our past articles as a group and found the strong points and…

  • Learning,  Uncategorized

    Education and Me

    I’ve been through every kind of school, with perhaps one or two exceptions. All of the different experiences led to new ways of learning, and understanding the world around me better. First I was home schooled. When I was really little my family lived in the small town of Grand Marais, Minnesota, and rather than go to the tiny tiny school my Mom decided to start homeschooling me. It was simple preschool lessons the first year, and great kindergarten lessons the next.  After we moved to New Brighton, we continued to home school, we had good, Christian-based curriculum, and got involved with a home school co-op for a little while…

  • Praxis,  Uncategorized,  Work

    Always Think Professionally

    I just finished the second portion of The War of Art Book. This section was all about Combating Resistance – Turning Pro. Turning pro is about commitment, its about having the drive to do something all the time and put your all into it. Professionals focus. Professionals don’t talk about their work, they quiet down and do it. They find their concentration, buckle down, to beat resistance, and create new things. Whether that’s a painting, a program, a plate of food, or a campaign. They do their work out of love. The professional also has to practice patience. They have to understand that timing is everything, and sometimes even if…