God handles the small stuff

At the risk of sounding totally lame, I'm going to share this story anyway. :)

Last Thursday as I was getting myself ready to head off to class my furnace was making a really ugly noise. It was really loud and no matter how high I turned up the volume on the TV I couldn't ignore it. Since I've been out of touch with most people you couldn't possibly understand the state of mind this put me in. Over the last 5 months I've been dealing with problems with this particular appliance and it always comes at especially inconvenient times. Anyway, with last week being the start of a new semester and new obligations I really didn't want to deal with this again.

From the moment I heard that terrible noise up until my tax class started (about 2 1/2 hours) I just kept talking to God. I was saying stuff like, "God, you know I really can't deal with this over the holiday weekend" and "I know this seems trivial and stupid but I'm worried about my sanity" and "I have so much else going on God, please make it so I don't have to deal with this right now" and "I know you have the power to fix it so PLEEEAAASSEE...". I even called my cousin and asked her to pray about it. I know I know, it seems really dumb but it was really important to me at the time.

After class had started and my day began I tried really hard not to think about it. There was this continuous nagging that I would have to deal with it when I got home that night, but I was really trying to just trust that God would handle it. He may not decide to make it go away, but He WOULD give me the grace (some how) to deal with it.

Later that night when I got home the furnace was fine and it wasn't making that noise anymore. How cool is that? I know it's a prehistoric furnace and my troubles with it aren't over, but I really feel like God gave me the weekend. Skeptics would call it a coincidence, but I really think that God heard me and let me know that He does actually care about the little things. What's great for my faith is that if He cares about what seems barely significant....how much does He care about the larger things in my life??? That gave me something to chew on.

Bring me an apple

Tomorrow I'll begin teaching managerial accounting to a new crop of sophmores.

This is my 3rd time teaching this class and it is always the highlight of every semester. I never thought of myself as a teacher and I'm not sure I do even now, but it is always an awesome experience. This is a business core class, meaning that all business majors are required to take it, so it is an understatement to say that students aren't too thrilled to be there. In fact, I usually only have about 2 or 3 accounting majors in any given class. The cool thing is that I have the opportunity to let these guys know that a basic understanding of accounting is beneficial for any business person. I don't push for converts.... but its always fun to bring someone to the other side =)

Something new? The business college has implemented an honor code that holds its students to the utmost in integrity. In other words, everyone has to sign a contract stating that if they cheat, or observe someone else cheating and don't report it they accept the strict punishment that the college requires. This is to set our University apart from others and present not only well educated but also ethical leaders to the world upon graduation. I have the privilege of explaining this to my class, listening to their feelings about it and observing their willingness to sign. That should be interesting.....

Back to School...

Ah...another semester of higher learning. Ain't it grand??

By the end of this term I'll have a limited understanding of how technology is the new wave in supply chain management (fancy for inventory control), be able to win lots of money playing dice (statistics), understand culture by interpreting inantimate objects, and best of all...be able to do all my friends tax returns. Can you sense my excitement?

I've decided that student bookstores are evil entities. Maybe that's cause I just forked over $650 for books and supplies. If only Barnes and Noble carried "West Federal Taxation".

Christmas (excuse me..WINTER) Break was WAY too short. I'm not ready for the stress again, that's for sure, but it is nice to see my accounting posse' again. ;)