Stressed Out and Overwhelmed?

Well, the New Year (as well as the new semester) is underway! If you’re like me, you may feel a bit like an your mind is being slowly compressed in a flower-press. There is so much to do and think about— a list of assignments and homework that is literally as long as my arm, projects to finish, work to do, money to earn, promises to fulfill, friends and family to spend time with, lives to touch, souls to save, problems to solve, prayers to pray and the world to rescue! Who has time to do everything there is to do and experience? I’m wrestling with a thousand questions and trying to figure out my priorities. I’m trying to study for A’s but spend time with family, too. I’m trying to save money but be generous. I’m trying to plan for the future but follow God’s plans for my life. I’m trying to avoid wasting time and also avoid running myself to exhaustion. Can anyone relate?

Hopefully you, unlike me, have not yet dissolved into a useless mass of nerves and mush. Hopefully this will not happen to you at all this semester. Keep in mind the bigger picture of life. What is your purpose in life? Is it getting 100% instead of 92% on your history test? Of course not. At the same time, do not get so overwhelmed by your desire to save the planet and eradicate all forms of social injustice that you totally overwhelm yourself and render yourself incapable of doing anything efficiently. Take your opportunities as they come, and create opportunities for yourself, but realize that you can’t do anything single-handedly. Don’t miss the smaller pieces to the puzzle—you may not be able to go save an entire tribe of South American natives right now, but you can share your faith (and maybe a coffee date) with that lost person in your life. You can stop being busy in order to help someone move. You can look up from your computer or iPhone long enough to notice that someone is having a bad day, and take the opportunity to make it a good one for them.

    And last but not least—make sure to take time every day to read the Bible and pray. To those of us who have been in the Chruch for a while, this advice starts to sound cliché, but it’s the best way to stave of stress and keep your spirit full and your mind clear. Drishat Shalom—Peace to you!

6-27-10 "Books: Best of the Best"

There are a few books that I really think everyone ought to read. Actually, I have a list as long as my arm (literally) of books that I highly recommend. I plan to publish that on http://www.becominggodlymaidens.com/ sometime in the near future. For now, though, here’s a short list of nonfiction books that, in my opinion, make life complete. Please comment and give me titles of books that you recommend! I’d appreciate it. Even if you do not belong to HSB, you can still comment without giving your name or email address.

& Do Hard Things- the book to transform the life of anybody between the ages of twelve and twenty-five and the mindset of all other parties. Stop what you are doing and read this book!

& Rachel’s Tears- this book takes you through the spiritual journey of Rachel Scot, one of the Columbine High School tragedy victims. This was an extremely inspirational book for me. You may find yourself wanting to journal through your Christian walk, too!

& Lies My Teacher Told Me- want to know what you history books got wrong? Curious as to what REALLY happened? Great book – I’ll give it an A for content! Unfortunately, it gets a D for worldview… the author is not interested in following God.

& More than a Carpenter- A great apologetics book. Who was Jesus, and what did he do?

& Kingdom of the Cults- Important for Christians to read. This book lists every cult of the Christian faith, why it is a cult, and what they believe. An important book to at least skim through. Christians need to be informed so they do not get confused.

& What He Must Be (if he wants to marry my daughter)- Homeschool dad, speaker and pastor Voddie Baucham wrote this. I cannot emphasize enough how IMPORTANT this book is to anyone- fathers, daughters, young men, and all other people. This is an non-apologetic guide to doing engagement and marriage God’s way. But don’t wait to read it… if you are in high school or above, this book is for you.

& I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl- Why wait to date? After reading this book, you may not want to date at all! This is the classic book that tells how to please God with romantic relationships in this modern-day world.

& For Young Women only and For Women Only- great way to find out how to relate to guys better. May revolutionize your current or future marriage! Written from a Christian perspective but please note- the first listed recognizes dating vs. courtship as the normal course of things. But don’t let that stop you from reading it. The latter listed is written for married women.

& For Men Only- same as above, only written for guys to understand the female set. I have not personally read it, but as it is the same as the one for women, I would recommend it. I’m not sure if there is one for teens guys out currently and this is written for adults, but I assume it is still very good.

& Good biographies written before 1920, such as The Life of Patrick Henry by William Wirt

& Bible studies and devotional books. I already put some of my favorite feminine Bible study titles online at http://www.becominggodlymaidens.com/homeschool.html/ You guys will have to figure out your own for this one… guy studies are not exactly my area of expertise.

That’s just a few of the cream of the crop!

4-23-10 "Some Thoughts from Henry"

     I am reading Henry David Thoreau’s Walden and Civil Disobedience currently. Walden was interesting enough, to a point; I have never heard of a person leaving civil life and going out to live in the middle of nowhere before. However, I was a bit disillusioned by the fact that Thoreau began a fire in the woods and could not be bothered to clear away the brush around the fire, and thus started a great forest fire, which he barely apologized for. Besides that, some of his ideas are rather odd. I thought to myself,  “What decent things can such a person have to say about government?” I was particularly unexcited about reading Civil Disobedience.

     However, beginning on the first page of said essay, I found several bits and pieces of Thoreau’s writing that we would do well to think on- here are a few.

“Yet this government never of itself furthered any enterprise, but by the alacrity with which it got out of its way. It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate. The character inherent in the American people has done all that it has accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way.”

 

“Law never made men a whit more just; and by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are made daily made agents of injustice.”

 

“I heartily accept this motto- ‘That government is best which governs least’.”

 

“This American government, --what is it but a tradition, though a very recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant losing some of its integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will.” (A bit prophetic, don’t you think?)

 

“A very few, as heroes patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, men, serve the state with their consciences also, and they are commonly treated as enemies by it.”

 

“But when friction comes to have its machine [that is, its government], and oppression and robbery are organized, I say, let us not have such a machine any longer.”

 

“There are thousands who are in opinion against slavery and war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them; who, esteeming themselves children of Washington and Franklin, sit down with their hands in their pockets, and say they do not know what to do, and do nothing... they hesitate, they regret, and sometimes, they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect.”

 

“O for a man who is a man, and, as my neighbor says, has a bone in his back which you cannot pass your hand through!”

 

“How can a man be satisfied to entertain an opinion merely, and to enjoy it?

 

“For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done forever.”

 

“A minority is powerless while is conforms to the majority; it is not even a minority then; but it is irresistible when it clogs by its whole weight.” (Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world… You are not of the world even as I am not of the world… be a light unto the world…)

 

“No man with a genius for legislation has appeared in America. They are rare in the history of the world. There are orators, politicians, and eloquent men, by the thousand; but the speaker has not yet opened his mouth to speak, who is capable of settling the much-vexed questions of the day. We love eloquence for its own sake, and not for any truth which it may utter, or heroism it may inspire.”

 

“If we were left solely to the wordy wit of legislators in Congress for our guidance, uncorrected by the seasonal experience and the effectual complaints of the people, America would not long retain her rank among the nations.” (I think we saw this phenomenon last weekend- that is, of eloquent speakers on the house floor getting other representatives by their “wordy wit” to vote one way, while the enraged people watched on their television sets, their complains ineffectual. So what follows? Presumably, America loses her rank. To whom? China? Russia? Yikes. Scary thought!)

 

3-4-10 "Please Peel Your Vocab Words Off the Tub

  ...Is probably not something that you ever expected to hear your mother tell you. But it may become a regular phrase in your house with this new study technique! This is a perfect study idea, especially for long-haired girls. It sounds completely wacky and kind of strange, but it works very well. Have you ever wished that taking a shower did not seem like a total waste of time? Well, notw, instead of singing off-tune oldies, you can study in the shower. That's right- IN the SHOWER!  And all for less than a quarter! All you have to do is slip whatever you are trying to study into a zip-loc bag, close it tightly, hold it under the water, and stick it to the shower wall. Now, for you girls who have 32-inch locks that take at least a half hour to wash (trust me- I know how frusterating this is!), you have another half hour to study. Thanks to my friend who gave me this tip!

2-11-10 "Ten Easy Steps to Doing Great on the SAT's"

It’s SAT season! I just got my results today- I was one of the “crazy people” who opted to take the test in January. My logic was that if I did not do as well as expected on the test, I could take again in March. Fortunately, it appears as though I will not have to do that.

     I have some SAT tips for you Junior, Seniors, and precocious “Froshes” and “Sophs” who plan to take the SAT.

1) Study. Study! Study! Study! Don’t put it off- start as early as two months in advance. I only studied for two weeks beforehand, but I studied for hours every day. How should you study? Well, for starters,

2) Get a SAT study guide. I liked the one from Princeton Review. However, I did find several typographical errors, including one algebraic error (In an example, they gave the answer for 3⁶ instead of the problem they were showing how to solve, which was 6 ³). I found major errors on the answer page of the “11 Tests for the SAT” that Princeton Review also has. They somehow gave the answers in the wrong order, so instead of giving “a,b,d,c,a,b,d” as a sequence of answers, they would mistakenly put “a,b,b,d,c,a,b,d” and completely throw off the score. Other than that, however, the books are excellent. Cracking the SAT  shows how to solve virtually every type of problem that you will run into on the SAT! I finished Algebra and Geometry last year, so I was a little rusty on both subjects. Luckily, the Princeton Review book gave me a much-needed and easily understood crash course! You can find these books at the bookstore or library. Also, you can sign up to receive the Official SAT Question of the Day in your inbox. This is great way to spend a minute and a half daily improving your test taking ability. Another way to improve your scores is to improve your vocabulary. Study the vocab list in an SAT prep book, and constantly

3)Read. Read what? Classics, dictionaries, high school vocabulary textbooks- whatever it takes. Books such as The Scarlet Letter, Dickens classics, Frankenstein, and other fine literature are filled to the bursting point with words you may come across. Keep a notebook and a dictionary with you as you read. Write down any new words in your notebook and look them up in the dictionary once you are done reading. Find the memorizing technique that works best for you- try keeping a list of words and definitions in your notebook, or create flash cards. You don’t have to memorize the definitions verbatim, just know what the words mean. Also, as you read books and articles, try to make a habit of absorbing the information. Do your best to find it interesting. It may take a complete attitude change in some cases. Also, try to think about what the attitude of the author and/ or characters are. Try to get inside their minds and analyze their motives. If you can train yourself to do this automatically as you read, you will find it mush easier to complete the Critical Reading sections of the SAT. One of the scariest sounding parts of the SAT is the essay. But it’s not so hard if you

4) Practice writing. Write an SAT style essay every day. Sure, its no fun, but it takes less than 30 minutes, and it is worth it. Many SAT prep books have sample essay subjects. Just sit down with a timer, a notebook, a sharp pencil, and begin. Start by reading the subject. Jot down your initial reaction to it. Brainstorm ideas for your essay. Spend no more that five minutes brainstorming. Then create a thesis and write as fast as you legibly can and do your best to avoid errors. An unreadable essay will not get a high score! An ideal essay will have a “hook,” meaning that is sounds interesting from the start. It will have an introduction with a thesis, three supporting body paragraphs (Two is OK, but you may get a better score with three body paragraphs) and a good conclusion. Look up essay helps online if you are clueless on how to write an essay. Your SAT prep book should also be of some help. When you are writing your essay, try to leave a little time for correcting mistakes in your essay at the end, but don’t sweat it. An error or two should not detract from your score. In your body paragraphs, use examples from history or literature to support your thesis. Unfortunately, chances are that biblical examples will not be understood and/or taken seriously by the essay grader, so keep that in mind. The only sections that I have not yet mentioned are the reading, grammar, and mathematics sections. For these, simply

5) Practice! Make sure you understand how to perform algebraic and geometrical problems and that you understand the way that the English Language is properly spoken. Know your commas! Know whether “is” or “are” is correct, which of “They’re,” There, or “Their” is correct, and whether or not a grammarian would say “I saw her holding a pig in a prom dress.” (Hint: He would not, unless the pig was the one wearing the dress.) Your SAT prep book will also help with this. Don’t just assume you have it all down. Make sure you practice the critical reading sections, too. This will help you to be less nervous on test day, giving you a chance to relax as you read the passages. Then you will be able to process more information. You should

6) Take a few practice tests. Get a practice test book and go for it. Most books will help you to calculate your scores. More practice tests means better SAT scores. But it’s not all drudgery, you can also

7)Play games. Say what? Yes, there are actually games that will help you improve your scores. “Rummy Roots” is a card games that improves vocabulary by helping you learn Greek and Latin roots and their meanings. “Mind Trap” enhances critical thinking skills. Another very important thing is to

8) Sleep well, eat healthy, and become hydrated before the test. The day before the test, avoid unhealthy foods and make sure you drink plenty of WATER. Not soda. No, no, no. Also, get to bed at a decent hour (Yes, I do know that it is a Friday night and yes, 9) Bring a calculator, two pencils, a snack, and an ID to the test. Check on the College Board website to make sure that your calculator is approved. Bring number 2 pencils only. No mechanical pencils allowed. Try to

10) Relax! This is a big day for sure, but it won’t affect the outcome of your life. And you won’t have your SAT scores branded on your forehead. It’s just a test- seriously! All it is testing is how well you take tests, a skill that is easily improved. It is not an IQ test.

Good Luck! J