Okay, I am not normally one to rave about the Post Office, BUT they have finally come out with a winning product. I am going home for Christmas and when I saw all the gifts piled up, I realized there was no way they were going to fit into my one suitcase and carryon. American Airlines charges $25 each way for an extra bag, so it would cost me $50 and a bad back to lug all that stuff home and back.
But the Post Office now has flat-rate priority mail. The rate depends on the size of the box, not the weight or destination. You pick up a pre-printed box (there are various sizes) at the post office and take it home. After you pack it, you can either print out your postage online and schedule a pickup, or take it to the post office yourself. You can ship all you cram up into it to anywhere in the US or APO/FPO addresses.
I shipped two boxes home for under $25. The large box was HEAVY. I’m sure both Fed Ex and UPS would have charged much more. I didn't get insurance or tracking, but hey, I'm willing to take a little risk for this big of a discount. If this catches on, the PO may give a little challenge to their competition. This is a great deal, so check it out!
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
18,587 -- Lessons Learned from NaNoWriMo (continued)
When I look back to my college years (when I first trusted in Jesus as my Savior and began a personal relationship with Him), I saw more mature believers and thought that it would be impossible to ever have that kind of faith. But I learned some lessons over the years about THAT as well:
1. Although people sometimes look perfect on the outside, we cannot see their inner struggles. That is one of the reasons honesty is so important, not to discourage others, but so they won’t have an unrealistic idea of living a perfect life while still inhabiting a sinful body. Even those ‘perfect people’ in church are struggling with some issues. As you read Paul’s letters you find that at the end he, the apostle to the Gentiles, called himself the chief of all sinners. As God reveals more to us as we walk with him, we come to a deeper realization of just how depraved we really are on our own, and then love Jesus even more deeply for what he did for us on the cross by paying for our sins.
2. We must depend moment by moment on the control and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we trust in God to direct our paths, we can live a life pleasing to God, but in His strength, not our own. As soon as we take back control, we screw up.
3. Read the Bible and pray every day. So often it is easy to get distracted and neglect this. But even if only five minutes, do this daily. The Bible is God’s love letter and instruction manual to us. When I was in the Navy, I eagerly awaited mail call hoping for letters from home, which I then read avidly. I wanted to hear how they were doing, how the kids were growing, etc. And I wrote to them. Often we shared deeply personal thoughts in these letters. You have to spend time with someone to get to know them. To get to know God you need to read his letter (the Bible) and talk to him (prayer).
4. Encourage one another. Hebrews 10:24 says, “. . . let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” We will grow in our faith much faster when we give each other encouraging words and teach the truths of the Bible. And even when we fail, our faithful friends can help show us where we err and get us back on the right path. We are also to bear one another’s burdens. By whatever name (small groups, Bible studies, Community groups, etc), find a group of believers you can trust to keep confidences and take care of one another – physically, emotionally and spiritually. That is the true church – not a building.
5. Don’t get discouraged. Only Jesus lived a perfect life. We are NOT him. But as you mature in your faith and God works in your life, you will be able to look back and see REAL progress. In my B.C. (Before Christ) days, I was NOT a nice person. I could hold a grudge for days, was sarcastic and demeaning to people, and was very selfish and manipulative. If you don’t believe me, ask my sister! God has done a mighty work in my life and has changed me drastically. Although I will always have these sinful tendencies of the flesh, God really has transformed my personality. Romans 12: 2 says: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Let God change you from the inside out.
Obviously this list is not exhaustive, but just a few short reminders.
1. Although people sometimes look perfect on the outside, we cannot see their inner struggles. That is one of the reasons honesty is so important, not to discourage others, but so they won’t have an unrealistic idea of living a perfect life while still inhabiting a sinful body. Even those ‘perfect people’ in church are struggling with some issues. As you read Paul’s letters you find that at the end he, the apostle to the Gentiles, called himself the chief of all sinners. As God reveals more to us as we walk with him, we come to a deeper realization of just how depraved we really are on our own, and then love Jesus even more deeply for what he did for us on the cross by paying for our sins.
2. We must depend moment by moment on the control and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we trust in God to direct our paths, we can live a life pleasing to God, but in His strength, not our own. As soon as we take back control, we screw up.
3. Read the Bible and pray every day. So often it is easy to get distracted and neglect this. But even if only five minutes, do this daily. The Bible is God’s love letter and instruction manual to us. When I was in the Navy, I eagerly awaited mail call hoping for letters from home, which I then read avidly. I wanted to hear how they were doing, how the kids were growing, etc. And I wrote to them. Often we shared deeply personal thoughts in these letters. You have to spend time with someone to get to know them. To get to know God you need to read his letter (the Bible) and talk to him (prayer).
4. Encourage one another. Hebrews 10:24 says, “. . . let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” We will grow in our faith much faster when we give each other encouraging words and teach the truths of the Bible. And even when we fail, our faithful friends can help show us where we err and get us back on the right path. We are also to bear one another’s burdens. By whatever name (small groups, Bible studies, Community groups, etc), find a group of believers you can trust to keep confidences and take care of one another – physically, emotionally and spiritually. That is the true church – not a building.
5. Don’t get discouraged. Only Jesus lived a perfect life. We are NOT him. But as you mature in your faith and God works in your life, you will be able to look back and see REAL progress. In my B.C. (Before Christ) days, I was NOT a nice person. I could hold a grudge for days, was sarcastic and demeaning to people, and was very selfish and manipulative. If you don’t believe me, ask my sister! God has done a mighty work in my life and has changed me drastically. Although I will always have these sinful tendencies of the flesh, God really has transformed my personality. Romans 12: 2 says: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Let God change you from the inside out.
Obviously this list is not exhaustive, but just a few short reminders.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
18,587
Well, November is now gone. And National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is over. For the first time, I tried to write a novel. This project was more difficult than I expected and I learned some lessons.
1. Plan before you start. I didn’t learn about this annual November writing challenge until late, so I didn’t have much time to prepare. For next year, I need to do much more research and at least outline the basic plot before November.
2. Write some every day. The goal was to write at least 50,000 words (the length of a short novel) during this month, or about 1,667 words each day. So of course I got distracted, didn’t stick to the schedule and rapidly fell disastrously behind. About mid-month I learned that the best time for me to write was after my quiet time but before starting my regular work day. And by breaking up the goal into small achievable pieces, I was not overwhelmed by the overall goal. By sticking to this plan, I actually saw myself make some progress.
3. Encourage one another. We had a group from church who challenged each other to do this project. Our group only met a couple of times. We tried to encourage each other, but I noticed we basically groaned about how little we had completed. So now we are discussing how we can help each other from December through October to finish what we started and prepare for the next NaNoWriMo.
4. Don’t get too discouraged if you fall short. I only wrote 18,587 words, which is far short of my goal, but much more than I would have had if I didn’t start. And I learned some valuable lessons, so all was not lost.
As I read this advice, I realize that these basics can be applied to just about any project. See my next blog about this topic.
1. Plan before you start. I didn’t learn about this annual November writing challenge until late, so I didn’t have much time to prepare. For next year, I need to do much more research and at least outline the basic plot before November.
2. Write some every day. The goal was to write at least 50,000 words (the length of a short novel) during this month, or about 1,667 words each day. So of course I got distracted, didn’t stick to the schedule and rapidly fell disastrously behind. About mid-month I learned that the best time for me to write was after my quiet time but before starting my regular work day. And by breaking up the goal into small achievable pieces, I was not overwhelmed by the overall goal. By sticking to this plan, I actually saw myself make some progress.
3. Encourage one another. We had a group from church who challenged each other to do this project. Our group only met a couple of times. We tried to encourage each other, but I noticed we basically groaned about how little we had completed. So now we are discussing how we can help each other from December through October to finish what we started and prepare for the next NaNoWriMo.
4. Don’t get too discouraged if you fall short. I only wrote 18,587 words, which is far short of my goal, but much more than I would have had if I didn’t start. And I learned some valuable lessons, so all was not lost.
As I read this advice, I realize that these basics can be applied to just about any project. See my next blog about this topic.
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