Well, Emilee and I decided to try out LuLu.com and publish our own book. We worked on it these past months in our spare time (Which was very little), but we made it through the process and published it. Check out the link in the sidebar with a picture of the cover. It looks good online, but I just put in my first order for a copy to see how it looks in our hands. I'm anxious to get it. This was an experiment to see how this self-publishing website works from start to finish. Has anyone out there used LuLu or a similar self-publishing site before? Your feedback here would be most helpful.
1. Teaching Math In 1950s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?
2. Teaching Math In 1960s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Math In 1970s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Math In 1980s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Math In 1990s
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok.)
6. Teaching Math In 2009
Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?
I found a new show that I like to watch. It's one of those makeover shows, where they come in and makeover a disorganized and cluttered house. I love to see an utterly hopeless mess get transformed into a clean, streamlined space. We had our own makeover recently, where we moved from a small house with very little storage space for our needs, to a larger house with lots of closets and storage. Getting all of our clutter from one house to another was no easy task, but it's really great to have a place for everything...well almost everything. In 30 minutes, our living space can now be completely company-ready, instead of having to start cleaning days earlier.
Remembering what it was like for us to have stuff all over, I can really relate to some of the people who can't seem to get their act together and put away their belongings. But I really realized after one particular show that for a lot of people, they have a problem organizing and solving their own problems, because they lose the ability to make decisions. On the show in question, the designers came into a very sweet lady's home and besides the general clutter of clothes and huge furniture in small rooms, one of the biggest fixtures taking over her bedroom were the mountains of books! She had a large mountain in one corner of the room and her closet was full of them. Now, I can certainly relate to having too many books, and especially having no place to put them all, but these were novels that she seemed to be buying and consuming and then tossing them in a corner.
The clincher or turning point in the show was when they talked through her situation to try and find out why she wouldn't give them up. It seems her husband had passed away a few years earlier and it was suggested that she might still be grieving. At first she protested and kind of laughed, but then she paused for a few seconds. It took me by surprise when she suddenly started sobbing. She said she had never even thought she might still be grieving. She agreed to give up her books and I found myself tearing-up at this victory for her, but there were more tears to come after they sent her away for a few days while they remade her rooms. Her reaction at the sight of her new bedroom was very poignant. She was so touched and tearful and then her face immediately showed hope and promise. The host of the show pointed out what was patently obvious: now this sweet lady can move forward. She had been unable to recover from her loss, but now she could see the possibilities.
As I've watched more episodes of this show, I have seen over and over again, people unable to make decisions and make their life work for them, because they are grieving some loss: loss of a parent, a divorce, loss of a spouse, etc. The producers of this show must realize this reality, because some of the most dramatic moments are in convincing the people to give up important items. They convinced one lady who recently lost her father to give up family heirlooms, a clean freak was talked into selling one of his vacuums, a college student who was really into video games was talked into giving up 2 game consoles and over and over again, I've seen people get choked-up over having to sell their stuffed animals. The theme with all of these clutter-busting episodes is...grow-up, go forward, heal, thrive.
It's starting to look springy around here. The dogwoods and redbuds are beginning to bloom. On Sunday, we took a drive after church and I kept pointing out the dogwoods and our 6yo would say, "Where? WHERE?" When he finally realized what I was talking about, he said he was tired of my constant discussion about flowering trees and he didn't want me to say that word anymore. So, leave it to Emilee and Ryan to say, "Oh...look...there's a DOG next to...some...WOOD!"
Everything looks so much better in the spring. It inspires me to go outside and pick-up the trash laying around, even if it isn't ours. It encourages me to rake and mow and repair things. When the Lord starts to spiff up the place, then I want to join in. And when I join in, it's a funny thing what happens. When I'm outside, others start to come outside. When I'm washing my car, every kid in the neighborhood wants to hang around and help...especially if it means spraying the hose at their sister. When the neighbors are out cleaning and helping, I want to be out cleaning and helping, but the same principal works in reverse. When people are fussing and arguing, it puts everyone on edge. Check out this blog article: Encouraging Discouragement.
We know that kindness and encouragement are the best choice, but it's so easy to slip into discouragement. I was discouraged in my heart yesterday, but by the end of the day, I was laughing. We are blessed to have children that love each other. They're fun and funny and they won't let a discouraged heart go to bed without hugs and a kind word...or several very funny words. Cross words are quickly forgiven. Peace is the goal...but it seems like unrest is always waiting to pounce.
So, how can we be prepared? Practice, practice, practice. I read a story, or perhaps heard it in sermon, about a concert pianist who had been captured and held for years as a prisoner of war. When he was finally released, he returned to the concert circuit within a matter of months. He explained that while in prison, he never stopped practicing, even without an instrument on which to practice.
A great bible study today would be to look up all instances in scripture where we are told to encourage others, to practice righteousness and goodness and faithfulness....and observe how what you practice impacts others.
The above link is for a great article... I could live out of a backpack. I like simplicity and minimalism, BUT I am plagued by stuff. I've gotten so frustrated at times that I haven't even attempted to give it away, but I've stuffed it into a black plastic trash bag, tied it up and put it out for the garbage truck. I've burned it in the burn pit. If I have a yard sale, I try to give as much away as as possible. The goal for me is not the money, but rather, not having to put it all back in the basement. Last week, we were driving around as a family and mulling over the possibility of taking a few months off, (maybe a year!) and putting the least amount of stuff possible in storage and hobo-ing around America. Our 11yo asked, "Would we really be hobos?" I said, "We would be hobolicious!"
I remembered recently that I had read an article once about a man who had a phobia or "fear" of sleeping on a used pillowcase; even one used by himself. So, he had to have a brand new, high-threadcount pillowcase every night or he couldn't sleep. I was thinking about what kind of culture we must live in, if we can indulge those kinds of "fears". At first, I thought it was a wealthy culture, but today, I decided that it's not wealth per se, but more like ingratitude. I heard a prayer/poem read by Ravi Zacharias, where the writer thanked God for everything from the newspaper to his toothpaste, to the smile of a child. In regard to the article that I linked above, I am excited and happy to see people willingly adjust their lifestyle and their "must haves", rather than whining about the economy. Lowering one's standard of living is a great time to assess our level of gratitude...are we thankful for having pillows, let alone a pillowcase to go with it? How about a bed to sleep on, instead of a floor mat or the ground? We may miss our morning latte, but are we thankful for clean water to drink?
Instead of saying "Yes, of course, of course I'm thankful," Let's pray our thankfulness out loud to God today:
"Our heavenly Father, thank you for the sun that's shining today. Thank you for electricity and a computer that waits for my input. Thank you for a happy and healthy family, loving and respectful children, a warm house and a kitchen full of food. Thank you for friends that would never let us go hungry, both physically and spiritually. Thank you for our church family and for their encouragement and love. Thank you for a beautiful building, where we meet. Thank you for grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins that share in our joys and sorrows. Thank you for music that ministers to us, calms and soothes or fills us with joy. And thank you Father, for being mindful of us. Thank you for letting us participate in your will and your ways. Thank you for challenging us to seek you and find you. And thank you for saving us from ourselves."
"...what we have to do is first of all be honest about the fact that we really have a conflict of interest between what we want to do and what God wants us to do. I think we have to feed our souls with the Word of God so that we can get what God wants us to do clear in our mind and then build a strong desire to obey. " - RC Sproul
