I don’t know what possessed me to do it.

As the time for the trip drew near, I grew more excited. I looked forward to the trip because I dreaded the thought of staying home all summer. I had spent the last few summers taking care of my mom, who had been sick with cancer and had recently passed away. I don’t think I could have stayed home with those memories.

In the months after her death, my soul grew weary—I was literally walking in the valley of the shadow of death. But God says that when we’re in that valley, He’s with us and we need not fear. I trudged forth and climbed out somehow, but I thirsted for rest. Rest from the pain. Rest from responsibilities. Rest from school. I needed something different, something healing.

The thought of seeing somewhere green instead the dirty brown of Phoenix thrilled my senses. I also looked forward to my two classes about the history and literature of the British world but I expected in this great adventure to also include quite a bit of loneliness. Being a Christian, I knew I’d probably be different than the 40 other college students tagging along on my adventure. But God knew I wouldn’t be lonely. He had something else in mind.

Making friends and memories

I made friends instantly. Three other girls and I roomed together for almost the entire trip.  We did everything as a group – completing homework, and visiting parks in London.  We even found our way to the Irish Sea.

But these girls were quite different from me. One of them was a Taoist, the other two were agnostics. You might think we never broached the subject of religion, but it seems that every day there was a new conversation involving our beliefs.  The girls actually told me that they were amazed by me because they’d never met a Christian who would talk to them about beliefs without condemning them cruelly to hell.

Never alone

In spite of these differences in beliefs, I never felt lonely, but not because the girls were with me everywhere I went. God was there, too. Constantly. He permeated every conversation I had. I felt a calm reassurance whenever I had to negate the others’ claims or argue my own point.

Not only was He there when I was debating points with my friends, but He guided me in every experience I had. I’ve always been a person who wanted everything planned out, and as I’ve realized, the world doesn’t work that way. God stretched me that summer. I had to discover things on the fly and make decisions without knowing every consequence possible.

But the beauty of discovery was in knowing that God’s hand was pressed firmly against my back the entire time. It was just Jesus said a long time ago, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God’s presence resonated in all of nature as well. As a favorite song of mine says, “Mountains bow down and the sea will roar at the sound of Your name.” Every tree, every mountain, every valley whispered to me the secrets of the glory of God. In response, my heart longed to climb to the top of one of those mountains and spin around like Maria in The Sound of Music.

Something I had feared before I went on the trip was being left in my room while my roommates went out drinking. It did happen a few times, but those times became some of my favorite evenings. I read my Bible, wrote in my journal, and spent genuine quality time with my Savior. He showed Himself to me in so many ways that summer. Verses I had never remembered reading before popped off the page.

An unexpected rejoicing

Rather than feeling sorry that I was left alone in my room, I felt so blessed to have that time with God. It was time I might not have discovered otherwise if it had not been “forced” upon me. I look back now and remember one of my favorite passages: “Rejoice in the Lord, always. I will say it again: Rejoice! … The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:4, 5b)

My faith matured a lot in the summer of 2005.  That experience deepened my knowledge of God. I knew Him better than I ever had before and I realized more than ever that He had always known me.

 Take the next step:

Are you ready to take a risk in your faith walk?
Leap of faith: As followers of Christ, we will be called to step out of our comfort zones.
Take our online lesson: Developing a heart of worship

Have you ever heard God tell you to talk to someone but fear took over instead? God may be working in your life to reach out to someone who is at his or her rock bottom. You could be the person to change their life – you might even save their life. God can reach our world through you. He has a plan for your life. Do you know what that plan is? Watch the video

Take the next step:
Join the conversation with “Take a Step of Faith” discussion questions
Evangelize? Who, me?
God in every day conversations

Struggling in your marriage? Talk to a mentor.

“Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against You’” (Malachi 3:13)?

No one likes to hear back talk, whether it comes from a three year old, a teenager, an employee or a student. Arrogant and disrespectful, back talk is a manner of speaking which disregards the authority of the parent, employer or teacher. No one would consider talking to God in that way. Or would they?

The book of Malachi is a prophecy against the people of Israel.Each time Malachi pointed out an area of disobedience in their lives, instead of heeding God’s rebuke; they questioned the validity of His statement:

•    But you ask, “How have we despised Your name?” (Malachi 1:6)
•    But you ask, “How have we defiled You?” (1:7)
•    “How have we wearied Him?” you ask. (2:17)
•    But you ask, “How do we rob You?” (3:8)
•    Yet you ask, “What have we said against You?” (3:13)

Basically, they argued with God.

As the words of Malachi penetrate my heart, I am convicted. Will I not see the Israelites’ arrogance and repent of my own? Like them, I have become a master of justification, able to argue and explain away and refuse to accept any accusation that puts me in a bad light. Like the Teflon coating on a pan, nothing sticks to me.

But if God is Lord of our lives, we must allow Him to show us the areas of our lives that are not honouring to Him. When He rebukes us, we should repent. When God speaks to us – through His word, by His Holy Spirit, through the pastor’s sermon or the gentle rebuke of a friend – humility, rather than arrogance should be our attitude.

Holy God, I confess that I am guilty of arguing and talking back to You. Forgive my arrogance.Please help me to listen to Your rebuke and respond to Your correction. Amen.

Questions: Why do we argue with God? How does pride keep us from seeing the truth about ourselves?

Approximately one in three American college students drops out.

By now, you’ve been at college/university for a few weeks. Maybe a trip or two back home, maybe not. Whether it’s your first year or your “final” year (hopefully this year will be the year!) sometimes school sucks.

And it’s not always the classes. I’d wager that a large part of the struggles people face at school have nothing to do with academics. Loneliness, depression, uncertainty, lack of direction … these distractions can cast their shadow over any academic success you can hope to achieve. If you feel like you just need someone to talk with about it, but aren’t sure your new friends (or old friends) will really understand, feel free to contact an online mentor to talk about it; it’s free and confidential, and they will reply to you in the next few days.

In the meantime, in the interest of helping you adjust to your new life at school, here are some articles that we hope will be helpful:

FROSH: Freshmen Survival Tips – Here are the top 10 survival tips for frosh; “Survival Advice for Life”

STRESS: 10 Ways to Manage Stress in College – Feeling stressed?!?! Some amount of stress during college will be unavoidable, but here are some ways to manage it better.

LONELINESS: How to Meet People in University: Conquering Loneliness – Tyrone, a Queens University student who says he’s “really shy when it comes to meeting people” explains some ways to conquer loneliness

SUCCESS: Get through Life Without Really Trying – Economics professor Douglas Allen of Simon Fraser University reveals his “secrets of success”

BELIEFS: What do you Believe, and Why? – University is a time to rethink our beliefs and determine if they cohere with reality. Maybe some of your struggles are the result of an inaccurate worldview?

Let us know how your university experience is going so far: Good or bad. What have you found unexpectedly wonderful? Surprisingly terrible? Enlightening? Disappointing? Let us know!

When the Harvard University does something, you can be sure people will take notice.

And what they’ve decided to do recently is get rid of final exams:

Earlier this year, the university announced that it would no longer expect its courses to conclude with final examinations. In the past, professors were supposed to obtain approval if they did not intend to give a final exam; from now on, though, they will need to notify the university if they do wish to give one.

Conservative critics quickly pounced on the news, decrying Harvard’s new policy as a symbol of everything that ails American schooling. “Harvard is yielding to education’s most primitive temptation: lowering standards and waiving measurements for the sake of convenience,” wrote Chester Finn and Micky Muldoon, both Harvard graduates.

The author of the article, himself a college professor, argues the decision is a good one: “Final examinations reflect an antiquated and largely discredited theory of learning, which equates knowledge with factual recall. By discouraging exams, then, Harvard is hardly forsaking academic rigor. Instead, it’s clearing the way for a more engaging, challenging, and truly educative college experience.”

Personally I’m torn on the issue. On one hand, I can see the author’s point, that often final exams (in their current form) emphasize regurgitation of memorized facts rather than evaluating actual knowledge, and such facts are usually quickly forgotten after the exam is over. Exams also tend to put a lot of undue stress on students.

However, I can also see the value in having final exams. At a time where plagiarism is seemingly so pervasive, having a final exam can be a good final check (though not fool-proof) of evaluating whether a person deserves credit for a course. It seems as though if the final exams were re-written to test actual knowledge rather than memory, they would be quite effective. And in some disciplines (ex, math) final exams as they exist today seem like entirely appropriate measurement tools.

What do you think? Is this precedent set by Harvard something other schools should follow?

If you are returning to school this year or know someone who is, check out our Top 10 Back to School Resources to help make sure you (or they) will have success this year!

Nope, we’re not pregnant, nor planning on being pregnant ANYTIME soon. (God willing.) But this is the main thing we have  been asked about since we got married. “When are you having a little Jason? When do we get to meet a mini Brittany?” I must confess…I have been the one asking those questions.

We all love babies. We love the way they smile in their sleep, and giggle and cuddle – the list goes on. Babies are a gift from God.  I was reading in a book by Darlene Zschech, she talks about how babies are “the kiss of heaven”. So true.  So what do you in between the wedding day and the day you find out there is a little baby growing inside of you?

Enjoy this new love that has taken over life

Anyone that truly knows me, knows how much I love kids – babies, toddlers, children, tweens, preteens, and teens. I love young adults, and adults too. Looks like I’ll be in luck once the babies come.  I enjoy people in all stages of life.  Basically, I love life, and life has become all the more beautiful since getting married.  So even though I can’t wait to be a mommy, and share that gift with the love of my life, I want to enjoy today.

I was sitting on the couch this morning, after spending an hour studying for my History of Israel final.  I was just flipping through the channels thinking there is NOTHING on this morning. Nothing good on Regis and Kelly, nor The View. The house was cleaned all last week, so I really just need to tidy. I had scanned through all updates on Facebook.  We had yummy left-overs so even dinner was taken care of.
I was thinking about how on this day off, it would be so fun taking care of a sweet little angel. There I go again, always looking ahead and wanting what is supposed to happen in the future while not being content with today.

I decided to blog, to ponder the reality of the whirlwind of being a newlywed. It stops every so often, just enough for me to think about the babies. Yet these are the moments where I am reminded to be so thankful for what I am given today. Everything else will happen when the time is right.

This is for you other newlyweds that are often asked about babies: just enjoy today. Enjoy your role as a wife, taking care of the home when you have time in-between work. Spend time with your husband. How cool is that?  Today, is a glorious day. No matter what day it is.

Today is a good day

As we wake up in the morning, we need to soak in the beauty of the morning and the reality that we get to live for our God today.  We need to bless the people we come into contact with. This goes for everyone. Yes, I am speaking to the newlyweds this morning, because there seems to be so much fun pressure to have babies and get that life going! Yet, there is SO much to be learned today. I know there is so much to be learned once babies come, and learning never ends.

I want to enjoy being a new wife, enjoy my husband, and the freedom we have today.  This isn’t for those that seem to ask when we are going to get pregnant.  This is for me to remind myself to slow down anytime that maternal desire starts to poke at me deep in my heart. This is for me to remember that God has perfect timing, and that I want to take life one step at a time.

It’s been quite the year of transition for Jason and I. There were some incredible mountains to climb and yet, with God, we climbed them.  Now I want to soak in the sunshine.  I want to continue enjoying the “in-between”.  What a beautiful place to be.

What a blessing it is to be able to have a day with such freedom like today, with no little man needing attention, or little princess needing even more. Those blessings, those kisses from heaven may come in time, if God chooses.  I don’t want to waste a single day of the in between.  I want to run after what God has for me, for Jason and I, today.

Upcoming online chats: Join us for daily online chats! One of our features will be “The Rest of My Life” on August 30 at 10:30 am EDT Please join us to discuss how  what “The Rest of Your Life” looks like to you.

1) A degree does not entitle you to a job
When I graduated, I somehow had the idea that I would graduate and be handed a job. This belief might have been partially true 40 years ago but not today. Think about the 1000′s of other students on your campus; they are all going to be competing with you for jobs. A college/university degree has become the new high school degree.

2) Find what you love to do
If you’re like me and many other grads, over the four years at school you’ve realized that what you expected you’d do when you graduated is not what you want to do anymore. Don’t expect that you’ll land your new dream job immediately, but start thinking about how you can work towards that eventual goal.

3) Learn how to interact with people
It used to be the case that IT people could get away with having poor interpersonal skills. Those days are over. All the booksmart knowledge in the world won’t help you keep a job once you get it.

4) Learn to cover your butt
Office politics is present in pretty much every job. Your task will be to mitigate its effects as much as possible. Keep records of everything. Document things in writing. Make sure your t’s are crossed and your i’s are dotted, or it can come back to bite you later.

5) Build and maintain a new social network
When you’re in residence at university, you’re pretty much forced into social relationships. But after moving back home after school, you may realize your childhood friends are gone, your college friends are far away, and your main social interactions are with your coworkers. Try to find other social opportunities, such as sports or hobbies groups, or a young career group at your local church.

One more to add to the list: Pay off your student loan as soon as possible! If you are like many college grads, you will graduate with massive debt. Paying off your student loan ASAP is critical to avoid paying huge amounts of interest.

Do you have any tips for new grads? Share with us below! And if you are a student who needs someone to talk with, about jobs, finances, or life in general, please feel free to contact a mentor anytime via email, just to talk privately.

Related interactive link: If you find yourself searching for significance after college, try our online interactive life lesson, “Living With Significance“!

I went to university to become a lawyer. Then I switched to pre-med to become a dentist. I finally decided to get a degree that I enjoyed and just get out of school. So, I graduated with a degree in History and Human Geography.

History gave me insight as to who we are as a society. Geography incorporated so many disciplines that I got to experience a little of everything. Oh ya, geography also had a lot of field trips!

To be a history / geography major, you have to have a good mix of an analytical mind and a philosophical mind.

To excel in history, you need to look at it as a story which will give purpose to whatever you are reading.

For human geography, treat it as a vehicle to making the world a better place.

My advice for students in these majors? Volunteer or work in your field as much as you can. This will help you comprehend the material in class and help you find work once you graduate.

At university, I liked the freedom to do whatever I wanted – when I wanted. I liked the the thought that I was accomplishing something great. I liked the all-you-can-eat dorm food.

I didn’t like the prof’s expectations.

>I didn’t like students who weren’t being real – they did whatever the crowd was doing instead of what they believed in.

I learned to be patient. To start early. To test ideas before I accept them.

University taught me that I had a long way to go if I ever wanted to be someone who had strong convictions. It was easier to be quiet than to say what I believed. I didn’t like the risk of being ridiculed.

I realized how much I needed acceptance. It was a pretty important thing for me.

I took a philosophy class at university that started me thinking about values. I used to choose my values by saying, “I don’t like that, so I’ll be like this”.

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I was attending a private school and my mother could not afford the tuition. Someone sponsored me anonymously.

I really liked the principal and admired him for his convictions and personal strength.

I opened up my mail and immediately realized that we had received his mail by accident. It was my tuition form saying that he had paid my tuition.

I never told him that I knew he was the anonymous donor. My admiration just got deeper for him. He taught me a lot about being there for someone in need.

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Integrity is a huge thing for me. I try to be the same person when no one is around as when there are people around.

I want to be myself – not a person who tries to please other people by acting in a way that is not me.

I have a dream to see that hundreds of thousands of people’s lives are better today because of how God used me in this world.

I’m a hockey fan if the Canucks are playing and a football fan if the BCLions are playing.

I might consider dying for a loaded pizza, a banana split, or a steak and potoatoes.

I’d hate to be without my wife and children.

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The rules have changed for the document that sells you on the Internet!

The standard resume style that worked so well in the paper and pen world just isn’t good enough for today’s web-based job market. Employers seeking applicants are relying more on computers to sort, categorize, and narrow their search. In order to capitalize on these changes, rework your old resume to reflect the expectations of this technology.

First, let’s consider just how an employer will find you among the field of qualified applicants.
Use keywords to get noticed

If an employer is searching a database, they’ll most likely use keywords to narrow down the field. Keywords are primarily nouns, not verbs. Computers that scan resumes into a database use these keywords for sorting and categorizing.

For instance, let’s say that one of your accomplishments is “implemented inventory tracking and improved loss control procedures.” By thinking in terms of keywords, nouns and noun phrases can extend your resume’s life in a database and bring more hits from a search. Examples of keywords might be Inventory Management, Systems Analyst, or Total Quality Management.

Designing your resume

Your electronic resume should have the following characteristics:

1. Use standard fonts such as Helvetica, Times, or Courier. Keep font size between 10 to 14 point (avoid 10 point times). Keep 1/4″ between lines and do not condense letter spacing.

2. Do not use underlines, italics, colors, or other text enhancing styles (exception is bolding/capitalization as noted in #3).

3. Bold or capitalize section headings.

4. Use a single column format. Do not use borders, lines, indents, or centering.

5. Place your name at the top of the page on its own line.

6. Place your address below your name in standard 3 line format. List phone numbers individually on their own lines.

7. Save and Submit your online resume using ASCII text.

Sample outline of an electronic resume

NAME
Address Line 1
Address Line 2
Address Line 3
Phone #
Fax #
OBJECTIVE:
Text here.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
Most recent employment here.

Next line here.

EDUCATION:
Text here.

SKILLS:
Keywords here.
Make your resume stand out!

During my days as a hiring and firing guy, there was nothing I hated more than wading through a resume searching for the person’s familiarity with specific programs or applications.

If I couldn’t get through to the meat of the resume in under 10 seconds, my eyes would glaze over and my tacky finger would uncontrollably reach for the next resume. Make it easy for an employer to see that you’ve got experience with Excel, LAN, C++, or whatever your skills may be.

An innovative way to do this is by placing your keywords in a skills or areas of expertise section closer to the top of the page. Who says your resume has follow the same cloned format everyone else uses?

Why not? It’s a new era!

Article by Brett Krkosska. Brett’s site has helped 1000′s find home-based work options. For FREE home business startup assistance visit www.homebiztools.com Too busy to visit? Subscribe to Work At Home E-News! It’s Fresh, Original, and Free.

I think I have always believed that God existed. I also believed that Jesus was a good man but I didn’t understand how that made a difference to me.
My sister had become a Christian. She asked me if I had ever invited Christ into my life. I did not understand the question… Later someone told me that God loves me but I had a problem called sin. Sin created a wall between God and me. I had hoped that God loved me and had no doubt that I was a sinner. They also said that Jesus Christ had died to pay for my sin. Well I knew the story, but never thought about it from a personal point of view.

My sister’s friend told me that the Bible talked about Christ knocking at the door asking
to be invited in but we had to invite Him into out lives to experience his love and his forgiveness of our sins. I thought, “This is a good deal.” So that day I prayed and asked Christ to forgive me and to guide me though life.

One of the ways was to see His influence change my family. My parents were both alcoholics. My family life was a mess. It seems like a bad dream now. After I became a
Christian I began to pray that my mother would become a Christian. Five years later she did and one year after that she stopped drinking cold turkey. It was amazing! This is the woman that would take me, the youngest of 4, and walk 6 Kms to get a drink while my brothers and sister were at school.

Some very hurtful things happened growing up in a violent alcoholic home. At times I have felt sorry for myself, angry and disappointed in life. Hope has permeated my
life by understanding that God has a special plan for each person and that He will cause all these things to shape and mould me into a unique person that He can use to make a wonderful impact on the lives of others.

At points, in dark moments, I have thought that life was not worth living, I have thought about suicide. Even in the good times I felt empty inside. God has given me hope. Life is more than business, achievements and friends. There is a plan. Understanding God’s love and forgiveness has transformed my relationships, starting with me to family and friends.

How does faith affect my everyday? Faith is a stress reliever! Trusting God with the pressure of school, work and relationship has made life a lot more fun. God gives me the strength to face each day.

We are all spiritual beings. We can go through life with that part of life empty
but it takes away from all the other areas of life or we can let God fill the spiritual void and make an amazing difference in every other area…

Read more about Mike