What I Learned & Things I’m Into: April Edition

Today I’m sharing some things I learned in April with Emily Freeman’s community at Chatting at the Sky and some things I’m into this month with Leigh Kramer’s Reveling in the Now. Some things are serious, others are just random bits of knowledge – the fun, the serious, and the frivolous.

Hope you enjoy this little peak into my last 30 days!

Things I’ve Learned in April

1. When my weaknesses are exposed, the opportunity for growth is the greatest.

In April I started a new position as the business manager of the non-profit I’ve been a part of for the last 10 years. Our Assistant Director has retired after 19 faithful years with the agency and she’s been training me the last couple of months. It’s an exciting opportunity and a welcome change after many years of direct daily contact with cancer patients and experiencing the death of a young client (who became a friend and fellow church member) a few months back.

While training, I struggled through learning areas of nonprofit management I’ve never worked in, leaving my brain exhausted and oftentimes my spirit defeated. Sometimes it was the little things that bothered me – things like mistakenly printing a whole batch of checks backwards and not knowing how to use an adding machine. (For the record, I gave up and just started using the calculator function on my computer. It’s 2014 people!)

It’s only been in the last week or so that I’ve been able to process why I’ve had such a difficult time, especially since I know I am the “lifelong learner” type and love a challenge to learn something new. My weaknesses were revealed in the training process and although I am developing the skills to the do the job well, I have been reminded of the spiritual truth that Christ’s power is made perfect in our weakness. We must recognize that we are powerless before we will submit to His authority and power over our lives. This posture of humility and submission is how we grow the most.

2. Marriage works better when you function as a team.

While I already know this, I was reminded quite poignantly of this truth this month. Each of us has our own struggles and goals. We can either get frustrated and point out each others’ faults or we can support one another and help each other grow.

I’m so glad I’ve found the hero in my husband! 

3. I’m a recovering perfectionist. It’s a process and I’m growing.

If you’d asked me just a few months ago if I identified myself as a perfectionist, I would have told you no. But I’m starting to realize the cycle of fear of failure, feeling like what I’m doing is not enough, and striving, striving, striving for more.

I think it helped to be able to put words to how I’ve felt for so long.

Do we have any other recovering perfectionists in The Mosaic Life community? There’s power in identifying and coming to grips with our ownimperfections. What a blessing that God gives us grace and his mercies are new every morning!

What I’m Into: April Edition 

1. This $9.00 device the size of a flash drive + podcasts have transformed my commute to work.

I live 40 minutes away from my job, so I have a lot of time to fill in the car each day. My car is so old that I can’t hook up my phone to my car to listen through the speakers. And when I try to listen straight from my phone, it’s not loud enough for me to hear over the noise on the interstate.

My iphone {turned ipod touch because I don’t pay for an iphone plan} and 1999 Honda Accord + $9 FM transmitter means I now have an audio classroom on wheels. The little device pumps whatever I’m listening to on my device through my speakers. Love it!

Usually I’m listening to a podcast…my new favorite thing. I just love that you can learn anything, be encouraged, and be inspired…all on demand! Here are some that I listen to on a regular basis:

God-Centered Mom

Inspired to Action

The Art of Simple

2. It’s springtime…finally! April is one of my favorite months, along with September and October. I think I just really love 70 degree weather with a breeze!

My parents have been out of town a lot the last few weeks helping my sister and her husband renovate a smaller fixer-upper near better schools for their kids. This has meant a couple of things – we’ve had to get creative with our childcare arrangements, we’re not eating nearly as well (my mom’s food is amazing AND healthy!), and I’ve gotten to “steal” my dad’s digital SLR camera for a chance at some decent photographs.

Ya’ll. The camera on my iphone3 with no data plan (it functions as an ipod touch) is just not cutting it for photos fit for a blog, so getting to tinker with his SLR “big” camera has me all giddy inside and brings me back to my photography class days in college. Fun times.

3. What I’ve Read

I LOVE {with a capital L} reading. Always have and always will. And I’m still a like-to-have-the-real-book-in-my-hands kinda gal too. Because it’s really hard to use these fabulous smooth-as-butter no-bleed gel highlighters with a Kindle. Just sayin’.

These are the books I finished in April:

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch – as a part of this book’s launch team, I shared how I say “yes in my mess” in opening my home to others

Surprised by Motherhood by Lisa-Jo Baker – an excellent book for any new mom or weary mom

The books of Luke & Acts in the Bible – our discipleship team is reading through the NT – I’m loving the Common English Bible!

I’m currently in the middle of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom fame. I won it in an online giveaway and am fairly certain she wrote it for me. You know, me and the thousands of other people who live moment to moment just trying to survive the day sometimes!

4. My husband’s pastoral life coaching business is moving and growing!

This month Chuck’s been busy researching and finalizing larger office space and additional staff.

It’s also wedding season, so he’s been busy officiating weddings as well. The kids and I tagged along {the couple really wanted his family to come too!} and they did wonderfully! I was stressed about how they would behave, but I really couldn’t have asked for better behavior from a 1 and 4 year old.

I’ve also been tweaking his website and we’ve both worked on some behind the scenes projects to get one of his most popular services into digital format to be available from anywhere instead of just in person.

It’s an exciting time and I can’t wait to share more about it with you next month!

Here’s to a fabulous May. We’re already off to a great start!

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