by Shelly Burke
What’s that line about the “best laid plans of mice and men”? (After looking it up to make
sure I got the quote right I realized the tragic ending of the book it came
from, “Of Mice and Men.” Why do so many “classic” novels have sad/disturbing
plotlines and endings? Guess that’s for another post.)
Anyway, although I'm not a mouse
or a man, I knew last week would be busy; it’s the week of the
month that I gather all of the articles and other information needed to put out
the next issue of the “Nebraska Family Times” newspaper (if you would like a FREE
sample copy of the paper, please e-mail your request, along with your mailing
address, to
shelly@shellyburke.net.
I promise I won’t put you on any other mailing lists! My goal with the articles
in the “Nebraska Family Times” is to “inspire, encourage, and motivate you on
your Christian walk.” We cover local as well as state and national news from a
Christian point of view.)
The previous Saturday, when I usually get a start on the
paper, I spent shooting guns—as a part of the Citizen’s Police Academy. The CPA
is a 14 week class for civilians. During the time we learned about many of the
different things that the police force as a whole, does. I’m planning to write
an article about the Citizen’s Police Academy in the June issue of the “Nebraska
Family Times.” It was a nice day to be outside—we haven’t had many “spring”
days in Nebraska yet—and I learned a lot about firearms.
On Saturday afternoon we began setting up for a book signing
for my friend Deb Burma’s new book “Stepping Out: to a Life on the Edge.” You
can read more about her book on her blog,
Fragrant Offerings and an
excerpt at
Stepping Out . The book signing was Sunday
afternoon and we had a great turnout! A lot of people put a lot of work into
arranging the signing and it was nice to see things come together. Deb’s talk
left people encouraged and her book will too. (I already read it when I did
some editing and proofreading back in September, before she sent it to the
publisher).
As well as putting the paper together and working on the book
signing event I worked at my nursing job on Monday and Wednesday morning. I
work at Columbus Surgery Center and we do cataract and other eye surgeries (OK,
“we” don’t do the surgeries, the doctor does, but “we” –the nurses--get
patients ready for surgery and care for them during and after surgery). I only
started at the end of January but I really feel like I’m learning my jobs—and loving my jobs—and all of the people I
work with (on Mondays I’m the circulating nurse in the operating room; I make
sure patients are ready for surgery, take them to the operating room, help as
needed with medications and supplies during surgery, and take them to the
post-op area after surgery, and on Wednesdays I’m one of the pre-op nurses who
gets patients ready for surgery).
On Tuesday I spent the entire
morning in a police car! It was fun to post that as my status on FaceBook—I
try to be a “good girl” so I think it shocked some people! I spent the morning
in a police car as part of the CPA.
Being busy is not an excuse for getting behind on the A to Z
Blogging—but as we all are, I’m doing the best I can! Here are my thoughts on
the letters I missed:
L – I am loving
my new job and thanking God for it!
M-Morals. I
had a great devotion, about morals, planned for the A to Z Challenge. It’s
based on 1 Corinthians 15:33, which says, “Do
not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.” This is a good lesson for
our kids—and for adults too. (I’m still planning to write the devotion!)
N-names in the
Bible. It struck me last night how many are so strange—like Aristarchus,
Agrippa, Lycia and Cauda (the last two are locations)—and how many are still
used today, thousands of years later—like Paul, Rachel, Phoenix, Philadelphia,
and right here in Nebraska—Syracuse!
O-Opportunities. I’m
so thankful God has given me so many, with the “Nebraska Family Times,”
writing, friends, job, etc. What opportunities are you thankful for today?
P-Citizens Police Academy—one of the most interesting, most fun things I’ve done in a very
long time. Many cities hold their own Citizen’s Police Academy—check it out in
your city!
Q-I am so
thankful for the quietness of the
last few days…after some really busy days, and having a cold, I needed them!
R-I was going to
blog on Resisting Sin for the
blogging challenge. I’ll still write the devotion, but for now I’m going to
share the verse it was going to be based on—James 4:7b “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Thankfully
James also gives us some suggestions as to how we can do this—with God’s help.
Immediately before this verse he says, “Submit
yourselves therefore to God…” and right after he tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to
you.”
S-is for the stuffy nose and cold I picked up last
week! Thankfully it’s going away…but slowly…
Ecclesiastes tells us that “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under
heaven. (Eccles. 3:1). Last week, my time didn’t go as I had planned…so
today is time for catch-up. Come back tomorrow when the letter for the day is “T”.
On the “Nebraska Family Times” blog the devotion will be based on “thought” and
on the “Home is Where the Mom Is” blog I’ll give you my thoughts about teaching
your kids about “temptation” and what they can do about temptations in their
lives.
God’s blessings to you today!
In these verses God assures us that He can do a “new thing”
in us. My Bible study notes say that we should not forget the “former things”
but instead focus on the future. We cannot (and should not) ignore the “things
of old”—many, if not most of those things can teach us valuable lessons. However,
we cannot perceive the “new thing” God is doing unless we change our focus to
what is ahead. 
