I’m a college graduate as of two weeks ago.  It didn’t take as long as I thought for that reality to sink in.  So what am I doing now that I don’t have school?  Well…..a lot!  Now that I’m home for the long haul, my priority has been to organize my life for such permanence.  There’s a website called ZenHabits which has been very helpful in how to declutter and simplify your life in all areas (more on that in later posts).  When I say “organization” that’s probably an understatement, seeing as I’ve been organizing for at least a couple hours everyday for the past two weeks, and I still have a couple days to go.

What could possibly require that much organization?  Well, I’ve cataloged all my books with Delicious Library 2 (view my library).  Digitalized every piece of paper and photo I have in an effort to live a paperless life (not including my current books, but all future books will go on my Kindle).  Throwing out about 6 trash bags full of things I don’t need or use anymore.  Meticulously creating a filing system on my computer.  Going through my Gmail contacts list and editing and whittling it down from 700+ to 200+.  Going into my Google Reader and taking it from 86 feeds down to 11 feeds.  Deleting and adding applications on my Mac to declutter and increase productivity.  Right now my most used apps are Stickies (digital sticky notes), iGTD (advanced to-do list), MacJournal, iCal, and Address Book.

So is that all I’ve been doing since I’ve been home?  Nope!  I’m on staff at Calvary Community Church as a pastoral assistant.  I’ve been getting up to speed with everything going on in the church, and my greatest desire is to empower people to be better ministers of the gospel in church and the community.  How am I doing that?  Good question, I’m still figuring that out by learning about the needs and spiritual gifts we currently have in the church.

Also, I’ve been gone for three years, as a result, I don’t know a lot of people in Knoxville.  So, I’m taking every opportunity I can to meet new people, build relationships, and have some sort of network (personal and business).

Is that it? Not even close, but I’m going to stop there and go more into detail in later posts.

We should be live blogging the conference, but more on that later. Just putting a quick shout out before we hit the road for the next 5hr.

A joint venture of this conference is the Band of Bloggers which is a fellowship of bloggers that meets for a lunch seminar on blogging for Christ.  We’ll here from a panel of top Christian bloggers as they share and relate their methods and philosophies of blogging with a Christian perspective. Speaking of blogging, assuming there is internet in the convention center, I’ll be live blogging this event.

At both conferences, we’ll be receiving a number of books.  I’ve listed them below, and there will be a number of drawings for other books.

• Finally Alive by John Piper
• Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different by Tullian Tchividjian
• Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them by Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley, and Jason Hayes
• The Soul of Life: The Piety of John Calvin edited by Joel Beeke
• Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl
• The Advent of Evangelicalism: Exploring Historical Continuities by Michael Haykin & Kenneth Stewart
• Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption in Christian Families and Churches by Russell Moore
• The God I Don’t Understand: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith by Christopher J.H. Wright
• ApParent Privilege by Steve Wright and Chris Graves
• Perspectives on Christian Worship: Five Views edited by J. Matthew Pinson
• Journal of Ministry and Theology
• ESV Study Bible
• The Bookends of the Christian Life by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington
• Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell D. Moore and C.J. Mahaney,
• Jesus: Dead or Alive by John Blanchard and Faith Cook
• Christianity Explored-How to Run the Course
• Getting the Gospel Right by Cornelis P. Venema,
• One Minute After You Die by Erwin W. Lutzer,
• Marks of a Disciple by Lorne C. Sanny
• Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis
• A Proverbs Driven Life: Timeless Wisdom for Your Words, Work, Wealth, and Relationships by Anthony Selvaggio
• The Gospel Story

Just by briefly looking at the site, it looks like some really good resources for Christians. I think it’ll prove to be helpful for supplementing some of the devotionals with your quiet time or to use for future sermons.

Located in Dunbar, Northland Ministries announced today the formation of Northland International University to expand and adapt its approach to Christian education, equipping its students for making a difference around the world. The university’s mission is to prepare the next generation of servant leaders to fulfill the Great Commission, reaching the nations with the truth about Jesus Christ.

“Northland is responding to what’s happening around the globe,” said Dr. Les Ollila, Northland’s chancellor. “Northland International University is our answer for providing the necessary biblical, practical training and resources to churches and Christians worldwide to fulfill the Great Commission in today’s exciting global culture.”

“Innovations in technology, transportation and communication have led to unprecedented opportunities to proclaim Jesus Christ,” said Dr. Matt Olson, Northland’s president. “The new name more clearly represents how Northland will use these innovations to accomplish the mission God gave to reach all nations with the good news about Jesus Christ.

“With this training, graduates will be better suited to cross borders that were once impenetrable by foreigners sharing their faith,” continued Olson. “The training and degree from Northland International University will provide Christians with skills to enter and exist in international and cultural settings–all with the goal of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Northland International University consists of four divisions: Northland Baptist Bible College, Northland Graduate School, Northland Online and Northland Center for Global Opportunities. Videos of university administrators discussing the changes can be viewed by visiting the university’s website, www.ni.edu. Ollila and Olson are joined by Dr. Sam Horn, vice president of ministry training and Dr. Jim Bennett, vice president of academic affairs.

The Bible College will remain Northland’s foundation. Northland Graduate School is now separate from the college and continues to expand. Northland Online will be the outlet to equip churches and Christians worldwide who are unable to attend the physical campus. The Northland Center for Global Opportunities serves as Northland’s collection of practical resources to create opportunities locally and internationally to live out the Great Commission.

Founded in 1976, Northland International University exists to train the pastors, missionaries, teachers and godly laymen of tomorrow. Located in Dunbar, Wisc., Northland enrolls approximately 650 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, representing 45 states and 11 foreign countries. Northland International University offers more than 30 undergraduate programs and five graduate programs to students who are preparing to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ around the world. For information, visit the website at www.ni.edu.

SOURCE: Northland International University

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It looks like we’ll also be helping with a homeless ministry tonight while the other half of our group helps with a youth rally.  I’m looking forward to this.  To be honest, my sanctification is hard to start up this morning.  I’m going to keep hitting the Book and talking myself back to the cross.  God is good, and today will be no exception to his goodness.

1. Shut off your computer and TV an hour before bed.  The type of images that those displays put off make it difficult for your brain to shut down.
2. Meditate.  Meditation helps cool down the engines of your brain.  So, doing some light pleasure reading or praying for 15-20min works.
3. Take a hot shower. Taking a hot shower immediately before bed helps loosen up tense muscles.  It also raises the body temperature so that when it drops back down, it actually causes your body to relax and fall asleep easier.
4. Keep electronic devices 3 feet away from the bed. Electronic devices, including cell phones and alarm clocks, send out electronic impulses which affect your brain waves in turn disturbing your sleep.
5. Wear socks to bed. I know the majority of you are going to hate this one, but it all depends on how well you want to sleep.  Your feet have the poorest circulation of blood which causes them to be the coldest part of your body.  It’s important to have a an evenly regulated body temperature in order to sleep more soundly.  Hence, you need to wear those socks.  Don’t worry, you’ll get use to it.
6. Be consistent. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time everyday.  The waking up at the same time is more important then when you go to sleep.
7. Visualize your morning. It actually helps to have positive thoughts about waking up the next morning.  Try to picture your alarm going off, imagine feeling rested when you wake up, and think about some exciting things you’re going to do the next day.
8. Don’t look at the light.  Once you go to bed, keep the room as dark as possible.  Even the smallest sliver of light will disturb your sleep.  That means try to use the bathroom before bed so you don’t have to go in the middle of the night.  If you end up going at 2am anyway, try not to turn on the light.
9. Find your sleeping cycle. Our bodies sleep in cycles.  There are multiple times during the night where you’re sleeping deeper and other times when you’re sleeping lighter.  The key is to wake up on your light sleeping cycle.  So, you may be able to wake up easier at 4:30am and feel more rested than you would if you woke up at 6am.  That’s something you’d have to experiment with.  I recommend trying different times in increments of 30min and you should be able to find your cycle somewhere in a 2hr block of time.
10. Create artificial light. If you wake up before the sun comes up, try to set up something that will automatically turn on light to help recreate the naturally awakening process.  I use my computer which automatically turns on at 5:30am.  There are alarm clocks out there with lights on them made specifically for this purpose.
11. Use more soothing alarms. The more soothing your alarm, the better.  It’s key to have a pleasant wake up.
12. Don’t wake up fast. Jumping out of bed like you’re in boot camp can seriously jog your brain and leaving you feeling tired and possibly with a headache the rest of the day.

That’s all I’ve got for you.  Saying it’s worked well for me is an understatement.  Let me know what your thoughts are if you try this.  I only ask that if you are going to try it, please don’t leave critical feedback unless you tried doing all the steps.  I’d also like to know what your methods for sleeping better are if you have any.

• A consistent walk implies an ongoing action which means that having our devotions everyday isn’t the only thing that constitutes as being a consistent walk because it’s something that happens at one point throughout the day.
• Consistency in our walk means taking a thought from our devotions and prolonging it through meditation throughout the whole day.
• Consistency in our walk means striving to be more dependent on God throughout the day by becoming more habitual in bringing things (even the small things) to God in prayer.
• Consistency in our walk means striving to retain the mold of the image of Christ for longer periods of time.
• Consistency in our walk means letting the love of Christ control our every though, word, and action.