So, now that you know all about my home repairs…

Thanks Willow, BTW, for your comment! It is something to really take ownership of your work… There’s a pride, not a bad one, a good one.

I may have shared this before, but one of my friends from church recently saw the man who murdered her sister sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The murder was 23 years ago! And the family has had SUCH a journey! Here’s the story, if you like to know more: Here

What else? Well, I’m more than half way through my Greek class and still having a good time, although I go through phases of boredom, I must admit. Not because it isn’t difficult, but because I lose motivation sometimes. I bought an Inter-linear Bible on Thursday! Very exciting!!!

Life at work is kind of, well, off the hook is a good way to say it! Remember when I commented on how there were so many people in our office who were working on a transaction at one time and there are only 3 in my department? Well, as of Monday, there will only be me in the office. Thankfully, there’s one lady who reviews from home, and she’s only part-time… But, my direct manager is changing jobs, my other team member is taking care of his family (he’s been out a month, and expected to return at the end of November)… So, it’s just me. For the 27 Sales people, 10 loan processors, and entire nation of appraiser/appraisal assignments. A few other people have picked up to help with some of the more administrative things, but I’m it. This makes me sad, frustrated, and sometimes, I will admit, angry! Ultimately, they finally told us that they were planning on doing a lot of reorganizing of my team. They even called me into the manager’s office, had me close the door, and started the meeting with, “I only fire people on Fridays, but since today is Wednesday, you’re okay…” So, ultimately, the title and appraisal team will no longer exist as a unit, but the appraisal role will be under the underwriter’s wing. This makes sense for a financial institution, it’s just that the pieces they need for this transition are contingent upon hiring of new staff… something they’ve hemmed & hawed over for more than a year and maybe there’s more going on than I’m seeing, but doesn’t appear to be happening aggressively. This, of course, also rests on revamping the forms, procedures and methods altogether, which will also require time, man-power and negotiation/consideration. And in the meantime, I’m told the main reviewer is ME! Friday, though, amidst all of the stress, I was greeted by Starbucks and a pastry when I arrived. And someone else (from another team) gave me a chocolate covered strawberry…. So life has its’ flavor & perks.

Things have also been different since Will went back to work. His hours are completely different than mine and I often want to stay up WAY past my bed time to talk to him and hang out… and then, I’m so tired the next day. He’s the same when it’s time for me to get up and get out in the morning. There’s still some adjustment to be made for this.

I tried a new recipe for Honey and Milk bread! Aside from peanut butter & jam, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Will eat anything that fast! He ate a whole loaf in one day!! Here’s the recipe, if you’re interested:

½ cup of honey
1 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup of sugar (or ½ teaspoon of liquid Stevia)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Celtic salt
¾ cup of chopped pecans
1 egg, beaten

Combine the honey and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until honey dissolves. Stir in the olive oil. Remove from heat and let cool. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Whisk the egg into a cooled milk mixture. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Beat just until blended. Pour into a lightly greased and floured loaf pan and smooth top. Bake at 350 degrees for 65 – 75 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on the rack.

Yields: 1 loaf

Un-leavened!! =) And so appropriate since it came from “What Would Jesus Eat Cookbook”. You read that right! Hilarious!!!

Last weekend, I spent some time with my old house church group and learned about the Muslim faith. Very interesting! Our new church group is focused on ministry to Christians in Muslim countries & sharing the Gospel with Muslims, so this was very timely. The great thing about studying different religions is that the main issues are still the main issues, it’s just learning to understand the perspective the hearer/audience is coming from and tailor the message from their framework. But, it was crazy to hear some of the same thinking that Mormons would argue – a lone prophet with revelation, revelation that changed according to what his needs were, total allegiance to the faith, even over family relations, etc. Pretty wild! Yesterday, we shared with our cell fellowship and over the next week, I will prepare a lesson on Genesis 17-25 for the following Saturday night meeting. The design is that we all contribute something to the group meeting, and I’m afraid, particularly since I am in seminary, people have pretty high expectations of me & what I can prepare. Aside from that, the weekend is full of a birthday party, homework and yes, more house repairs.

Can you believe it’s almost Thanksgiving??? Seriously, folks, WHERE did this year go?

Hope you’re doing well. Take care!!