Laura Lately

I seem to have gained a stronger compulsion for making lists since a) graduating from college and now b) having a full-time job. My desk has post-it notes galore spread about its surface. And it truly is as if I would forget what I need to do in life were in not for ordered or bullet-pointed neon colored square pieces of paper. How did it come to this state of mind?

I'm not sure when I took my first "spiritual gifts survey" but it must have occurred during my senior year of college because that's when I was most quote-unquote active in church. At that time I scored highest (23-24/25) range with three spiritual gifts: exhortation, service/helps, and mercy. Conveniently enough I answered the same spiritual gifts survey a couple of weeks ago with my middle school kids at church. I scored nearly the same on every gift with the inclusion of administration residing in the high score range. So what do these four spiritual gifts mean to me now? Well, as they i.e. LifeWay Christian Resources puts it...
- Administration: Persons with the gift of administration lead the body by steering others to remain on task. Administration enables the body to organize according to God-given purposes and long-term goals.
- Exhortation: Possessors of this gift encourage members to be involved in and enthusiastic about the work of the Lord. Members with this gift are good counselors and motivate others to service. Exhortation exhibits itself in preaching, teaching, and ministry.
- Service/Helps: Those with the gift of service/helps recognize practical needs in the body and joyfully give assistance to meeting those needs. Christians with this gift do not mind working behind the scenes.
- Mercy: Cheerful acts of compassion characterize those with the gift of mercy. Persons with this gift aid the body by empathizing with hurting members. They keep the body healthy and unified by keeping others aware of the needs within the church.
Not surprisingly, I identify strongly with all of these four spiritual gifts. Gifts like prophecy and evangelism though are definitely not my forte. It is so interesting when surveying oneself to see similar categories or terms continuously reappear in defining you.

The latest and greatest radio station I've become obsessed with is 90.1 KSYM, San Antonio College's own homegrown radio station. Their weekly schedule is so eclectic, I never get tired of tuning in. Whether in the mood for some piano jazz, techno tronic, or some indie alternative folk music, I'm down with KSYM. http://www.accd.edu/sAC/ksym/schedule.htm

I've been examining friendships lately. What I need in a friend, who do I define as a friend, how can I be a better friend, etc. All very fascinating conclusions that still remain open-ended.

I fear that my job will end soon due to dropped funding and poor program outcomes. I hate non-profit work at times.

Currently engrossed in "Boomsday" by Christopher Buckley. Glimpse of inside cover synopsis: "Cassandra Devine, an idealistic, straight-A student, was like any other seventeen-year-old Yale hopeful until she learned that her father spent her tuition money on a dotcom start-up, and she would be forced to join the army. Ten years later, Cassandra has become a frustrated Washington spin doctor and devoted nighttime blogger who rails against the excesses of the "Un-greatest" generation and their negligent handling of the mounting Social Security debt. After she learns that her father has remarried and bought his dim-witted son's way into Yale, she politely suggests on her personal blog that Baby Boomers be given government incentives to kill themselves by age seventy-five. This modest proposal catches fire with millions of outraged citizens and an ambitious senator seeking the youth vote for his presidential bid. With the help of Washington's greatest PR strategist, Cassandra and the politician try to ride the issue of euthanasia for Boomers (they call it "Transitioning") all the way to the White House. Their opposition includes the president of the United States, who's running for reelection; a pro-life preacher, who may have killed his own mother in a mysterious automobile accident; and, of course, multitudes of Baby Boomers, who are deeply offended by demonstrations on the golf courses of their retirement resorts." Catchy plot, eh? So good.

I need rest.