Happenings in life.

So much has happened the past three years, it's hard to really catch things up here on my blog.  I really need to try and post at least once a week.  Right now Chris and I are taking Course of Study classes as a continuing education with the Methodist Church.  We are required to take a certain number of classes, to be done within the next 8 or so years.  The church offeres them twice a year, spring and fall.  We are in the middle of our first round and it is quite challenging.  Since I have had not formal education since high school, it's a little intimidating.  I have never written college level papers and it's proving to be a very difficult thing to try and compose.  My brain just does not function very well when it comes to forumlating answers to the questions and well as the one long paper we need to write for this class.  Chris is helping me a little, this kind of thing comes much easier for him.  But,he can't help me too much or it will be obvious to the insctrutor that I'm getting a lot of assistance.

Needless to say, I will be glad when this first round is over.  It's a lot of reading, a lot of thinking and a lot of composing the answers and papers.  I must say, tho, it's very interesting and I am finding it helps me understand the Bible better.  It also helps me to better research scripture for upcoming sermons.

I'm still here.

It's been over three years since I last posted in this blog.  I guess you can't call it a blog unless you put something in it regularly.  Maybe that's why I always failed at keeping a diary when I was a teenager.  No matter, the last three years have been busy with it's shares of ups and downs.  One of the ups is I went on a trip last May with my best friend from high school to Scotland.  We toured Scotland for 13 days with the author, Liz Curtis Higgs, and about 45 other women.  It was truly a trip of a lifetime.  I will try and do a blog post about it soon with some pictures. For those who might be reading this who I'm friends with on Facebook, you guys saw all those pics when I posted them last year.

Another exciting thing is I complete Licensed Local Pastors classes within the United Methodist Church and am now a pastor with my husband at a little UMW church near Kentland, Indiana.  The church is called Raub UMC.  I really don't take a salary as Chris is the main pastor, but I can help him if needed since he works full-time.  I preach one Sunday a month and can fill in for funerals, etc. if need be.  I am also taking Course of Study classes with him which is required by the Methodist Church for Local pastors.  We have about 8 to 10 years to complete them.  They are held twice a year and to be honest, I'm not sure how many we have to take.  I just know I am finding the classes intimidating.  There are college level papers we need to write and having had no experience with this, it's not easy.  At all!  I will be happy if I pass these classes each time with a D+ or C-.

Chris has gone through some difficulties with work.  I have seen him struggle with this more since the accident he had in 2002.  Not sure if there is a connection or not.  He recently lost his job at Advanced Auto.  It was a very stressful job and he was working 60 to 80 hours a week.  He had very little time to pastor the church and no time to work on what would be needed in the COS classes.  While it was a shock when he was let go, and a  struggle financially.  I have to wonder if God had stepped in here.  He now works at St. Joe college here in town as a groundskeeper.  He took a fairly big pay cut, but he seems much happier, much less stressed and has time now to pastor the church better and to devote time to the class assignments.  God works in mysterious ways.  While it will be more of a struggle financially, I see him being much more relaxed, less tired and generally happier.