2-16 #vocare

I recently decided to begin coordinating a weekly tweetchat that focuses on issues of vocation and calling. This week was the first! These chats will happen every Tuesday at 9p EST and last for 1 hour. You can join for part or all of the conversation by searching for #vocare on twitter. When you post a reply simply add #vocare to your post. On Wednesdays I will recapture the discussion on this blog.

TAShanks Tiffanie Shanks 

Q1: How has vocation impacted your life? #vocare

ithinkyoureneat David Allen 

@TAShanks I have no clue. #vocare

lilmeezer Alison Carmack 

Q1: If you would def. vocation as work, well, went to work to earn a living. Then I seminary geared my work towards my call. #vocare

lstreight Lisa Streight

#vocare Q1: My current vocation with a faith based organization brought faith back into my life...I had lost faith prior to beginning this work

TAShanks Tiffanie Shanks 

Q2: What is your vocation/calling? #vocare

lilmeezer Alison Carmack 

Q2. My calling is to work with children & adults. 1st w/underprivileged children, matriculated to teaching all ages in the church. #vocare

lstreight Lisa Streight 

#vocare Q2: Not sure I would call it a "calling" but I've always seemed to be drawn to creative work, marketing, and customer service.

TAShanks Tiffanie Shanks 

My calling/vocation is to nurture a call in young people. It took me 10 years to come up with a simple way to state that. #vocare

TAShanks Tiffanie Shanks 

Q3: What is the definition of vocation? #vocare

Thoughts on Tiger Moms (#TNGG)

If you haven't noticed... I stopped posting.

At first this wasn't intentional but slowly became such. I fully intend on continuing to blog on this site. When I return, the blog will be tailored to fit the interests of the single, young adult, woman, following a call in ministry through my reflections on life (as a single... young adult... woman... following a... call... in ministry). I'm also in the midst of redesigning this page to portray more aspects of my life and who I've grown to be. While I was in college this was a place where I shared reflections as I grew in my faith. I needed to revisit the purpose and spend some time re-branding this site. Thank you for your patience as I continue to work through that process.

In the meantime...

I began writing for a few online magazines and other blogs! I will post all of those articles here as well. The first is an article for The Next Great Generation (TNGG) on the media hype surrounding Amy Chua, the Tiger Mom. Feel free to share your thoughts and, as always, enjoy!

Anyone who is anyone has noticed the recent hype about the so-called “Tiger Mom.” It started with the Wall Street Journal and made its rounds through Time Magazine, the New York Post,Good Morning America, NPR, PBS and eventually into most local news sources—the hype around the claim for superiority of Chinese parenting has infiltrated every media channel available. The WSJ excerpt from Amy Chua’s book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, sparked the desire to challenge her perspective and defend one’s own in any parent who thinks they are decently raising their children.

So let’s all give a standing ovation to the marketing professionals at Penguin Press for landing the WSJ placement!

Read more

"the me I want to be" Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Surrender: The One Decision That Always Helps

Reflections

"I will keep this area, this pattern, this relationship under my own control. I will hang on to this grudge. I will enjoy the pleasure I get from this habit. I know you want full surrender but I don't trust you."

I will... and I know... but... I DON'T...

When I read this quote I immediately thought, "Wow...that really hits home right now." I consider myself a faithful servant of God. Someone who has truly given her life to Christ in such a way that it is no longer her own. Many of the decisions I made have felt like true leaps of faith (but that's a long story, for another post, at another time). However, there is one thing that is hard for me to surrender to God, to completely relinquish control of.

"the me I want to be" Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Find Out How You Grow

Reflections

"The Bible does not say you are God's appliance; it says you are his masterpiece. Appliances get mass-produced. Masterpieces get hand-crafted."

What an awesome perspective to adopt!? There is a stark difference between an appliance and a masterpiece. The way they are created, treated, shared, engaged, valued, ... the list goes on. It is important to think about how God perceives each one of us. We have to perceive ourselves that way too. There is not a one size fits all approach to our lives, our circumstance, our spiritual devotion and discipline. Engage in those things that feed you when it comes to devoting time to God. This doesn't mean that discipline is easy...