Bohling Family Sites

During this semester i’m taking Journalism 102. I get to write articles every week with the potential of being published in the school news online! Two of my works have been published so far! Here are the links! Read and join me in my excitement!

http://padme.cochise.edu/kaleidoscope/?p=1103

http://padme.cochise.edu/kaleidoscope/?p=1140

This short clip packs in the best of Meyer’s most recent milestones:

1. Laughing

2. Inward laughing

3. Almost standing on his own (sort of) (even though he hasn’t rolled over yet)

4. Focusing on something farther than 18 inches away.

5. His superior command of the canine species.Meyer commanding moe smaller

This, among other poignant scriptures, has refined my “method” of becoming a more disciplined individual.  Two posts ago, I shared my obsession with setting 21 day goals in an attempt to make some notable improvement in my character.  As a result, I have simply discovered one more way that man’s attempts are insufficient for overcoming his flesh.

Since the birth of our son, Meyer, each consecutive day has (on average) proven to deliver an equal or greater amount of stress accompanied only by an equal or lesser amount of sleep.  This trend, if multiplied and projected a month ahead, shows a dangerously high amount of stress with only 30 minutes of sleep per night.  Needless to say, making that type of calculation adds stress to the current load, and amplifies the effect exponentially.

This, I have determined (with the third party perspective and input of Pastor Hector and others) is a wilderness experience.  Each day seems to demand a little more strength, endurance, tenacity and perseverance, but allows for less restoration, preparation and motivation.  When you are in the desert, for example, each day feels hotter and dryer, especially when you are not eating, drinking, or sleeping.  The body is weakened.  The mind is confused.

The realization this led to is amazing in many ways, two of which I will divulge here:

1. When in the desert, God provides manna.

2. When the flesh is weakened, battling it is less of a chore.

By considering what life might look like a month ahead (in terms of stress and exhaustion), I am only heaping more weight on to the day at hand.  The beautiful thing is that God provides enough strength for today.  He equips me to endure the trials of today.  He empowers me to tackle my duties and responsibilities tenaciously today.  His manna is sufficient for today.  If I try to store some of it for the next day, it goes bad, and if I try to eat what I have tried to save, it will make me sick.  God’s provision is the perfect amount for today.  Beyond that, I don’t need to worry about it, except to (the next morning) invite God’s provision once again.

“The Spirit wars against the flesh.”  -Galatians 5:17

“The flesh profits nothing.” – John 6:36

With my flesh in a weakened state, I can work more closely with the Holy Spirit to overcome my fleshly desires.  Why spend 21 days trying to make my flesh a little better?  Why work to strengthen my flesh?  “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” – Eph 2:9  Even if I have a shred of success in making my flesh a little better, that is an accomplishment I have made of my own accord, for which I could strut around with my chest out.  If I even begin to believe that my flesh is worth something profitable, it makes the spiritual battle that much more painful.  After all, “the flesh profits nothing.”  By “beating my flesh into submission,” or simply camping out in the wilderness, the opportunity to rely on God today is immediately available.

Having vision and values is a different situation, but it must not trump my daily need for God’s provision.  I am blessed that each day puts me deeper and deeper into circumstances that demand my reliance on God’s provision for my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  Praise be to the Almighty God who can provide everything I need and leave me overflowing at the end of each day.

Hey Everybody.  It’s Saturday.  Let’s do some chores.Extreme Chores quicktime

I’ve decided to go to grad school.

Specifically, I’m going to get my MBA.

Eller Business School here at the UofA offers an evening program that concludes in 18 months. It sounds like an excellent program that is both cheaper and quicker than a standard MBA. The trade-off is that you have to work like crazy.

I’ve decided to get an MBA and get it from Eller for these reasons:

1. I’ve always wanted extended education, but finding a topic is incredibly difficult. You can’t go to grad school for graphic design (at least at UofA ), and I can learn everything I want to know about computers from books or industry experience.
2. The program is quick.
3. It’s as cheap as it’s ever going to be.
4. Starting a business at some point is something I want to do. Having the MBA will help me have the confidence to give it a shot.
5. I’m good at technical work, and I love it, but I like being part of a bigger picture. Business will help me think in ways that will put me in a position to do that.
6. The ladies love it (especially my lady).
7. Eller is as convenient as it can get.
8. Eller has a good reputation (#31 in the nation, according to their website)
9. I’ve always been fascinated by small business owners. I don’t know how they do it; they just think on a different level. I am likely very naive, but I’m mystified by these creatures and want to understand their processes better.

I’m still struggling with whether the value I get from the MBA is worth the cost, but I keep coming back to YES. Education is almost never a bad idea, and I enjoy business enough to get a lot out of the program.

My application goes in next week. We’ll see how it goes.

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES

According to google, there is much research showing 21 days to be a milestone maker in the industry of forging habits, either good or bad.  There is probably an equal amount of debate on the matter, but I have set out to establish a habit of committing the first minutes of my alert day to spending time with our Creator.  So far this has consisted of reading Romans and the first few chapters of I Corinthians, and listening for The Spirit to speak.  This also, admittedly, has involved warding off a new sub-habit of falling asleep in the process. All in all, day 12 has come and gone showing 12/12 on the scoreboard.

For me, I hope it works.  So many times in the past I have told myself “Self, from this day forth, you shall not drink milk from the carton again.”  Inevitably, I find my lips pressed madly against the jug sucking the liquid down in the hopes that nobody will see me as I rush to wipe the drizzle from my chin and slam the refrigerator door shut before they stroll into the kitchen.  Sheesh.

Forever is intimidating, and that means change. Who wants to change who they are?  I like to think that I’m OK just the way I am.  By forming a habit, you’re simply adding to who you are.  21 days is less intimidating.  If I can do this for 21 days, there is hope for a sliver of discipline in me (by the grace of God, naturally), and that if I allow, God can accomplish something in me.  Even if it is small.

As a human, and of the male orientation, and arguably ADD at that, I find that I only have about 512 MB of RAM with which to store my habits.  My hope is that by cultivating a new habit once in a while, I’ll have less room for the old ones.  This is my logic at it’s finest.

Using man’s wisdom to implement a Godly habit: also debatable, but this is my starting point.  Thoughts on the matter are welcome.

Isn’t it great to be alive? We have so enjoyed all these years of parenting. What a variety of personalities God built into the six kids that he loaned to us in these past 29 years! And now we are getting to meet the next generation and see another round of personality traits appear. It is so cool! If I ever figure out how to stop long enough to read and even make entries more often, I could really have fun…and who knows what I might learn MORE about my adult children. Yes, they are ALL adults now. Neal, I think you are beginning to understand what drove your Dad and I to take that “risky” step into missions….and you can probably see why some thought we were totally out of our mind! Seth, you are now getting a glimpse into the 6 ring circus that we enjoyed for so many years. Matthew, you haven’t a clue….yet! Laura, I think I can almost read your mind. I’ve been there. Lily and Leah, Daddy and I DO remember what it was like to be your age….believe it or not!
We are so proud of each of you and excited to see what you will choose to do with the life God gave you. We’ll continue to cheer from tlhe sidelines! Love you all so much!!!

I want to completely lose it.

I’m not talking a casual flirtatious dance with disaster. I’m not talking about just thinking about it. I want to jump in whole-heartedly and lose control in my desire and passion. To completely be sold out day in and day out.

I want to work for myself and run my own business, successfully.

However, I’m sensing more and more that the only way I can do this is to completely lose my mind.

I have a great job with a great future. My paycheck pays my bills and lets me do what I enjoy. Why would I muck that up?

What would happen if I don’t succeed? Where would I live, what would I do? How would I provide for a family, or even just my own big mouth?

These are the things that stop me. My stupid rational mind weighs risk and potential gain and tells me it’s not worth it.

But the other part of my brain, that part that yearns for freedom and creativity, screams at me daily to get off my tuckus and prove myself. This and other desk jobs will always be around. Your ability to create may not. Get out there and use it; take risks; be genius.

So this is my new goal : lose my damned mind! and become so entrenched with desire that it becomes ridiculous to not follow through.

And then, prepare.

Hey.  I made up a word cloud based on the text of most of the posts on our collective blogs.  Anyway check it out.  The bigger the word the more often it happened.