Mid-Week Break & A Picture From the Wedding

THESE ARE MY TWO FAVORITE PICTURES FROM THE WEDDING (SO FAR ANYWAY). THE FIRST IS MY BEAUTIFUL SISTER, DENISE, BEING WALKED DOWN THE AISLE BY OUR DAD.
THE SECOND ONE IS ELISABETH (MY DAUGHTER) AND VICTORIA (MY COUSIN'S DAUGHTER). THESE TWO BECAME BEST BUDDIES DURING THE TWO DAYS THEY GOT TO SPEND TOGETHER.

ARE YOU HUNGRY???

We are a busy people. Many days our schedules are full. And yet, many times our spirit is empty.

There are so many people out there today who wake up on Sunday morning and decide if they WANT to go to church, or go just because it is expected of them – like my husband says, “They are fulfilling their obligation and clocking in their hour.” How many people sit there in the pews and expect God to bless them, yet their minds wander to the things that they think they need to do or people they want to talk to after the service? Those people leave just as hungry for God’s food as they were when they walked in. Why?? Because they really had no desire to be fed when they came in.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Babies need to be spoon-fed in order to receive their nutrients each day – and baby Christians need that too. But with each bite that baby should be growing up. But if you’ve been saved for years and still need to be spoon-fed then your growth is stunted. How many Christians are still sitting in the pews waiting to be fed some nice warm milk, something to tickle their tummy and make them feel warm all over, but would choke if they were given a juicy piece of meat?

1 Peter 2:2...."As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby"

1 Corinthians 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

There are many Christians today who claim to have been saved but never grow to mature children of God. Why? Because they are starving themselves by not eating the Word.

How can the Holy Spirit teach us, if we aren't spending time alone with Him? How can we have nutrition stored up in our hearts, if we aren't putting it there by reading our Bible’s and studying?

Psalm 119:11..."Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

There is a battle being fought. Satan has no desire to see us grow. He does not want us to know what is that good and true and pure word of God. He wants to keep us stagnant and empty and hungry, so that we have no weapons to use against him.

Yet, what does God say to do? God says we are to fill ourselves up! Feast on God’s Word and all that He has for you. Enter God’s house and leave with your cup overflowing!!

Ladies, is your heart empty today? Let's start filling ourselves up, so that we can help others do the same. There is a world out there starving to death and we have the Food they need to live.

John 14:26..."But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

Lesson 4 - Part 3.....

Last night I was working away on this assignment and during my research I found a great article. I got my blog all ready and went to add the link for everyone and guess what.........I end up with a message saying Internet Explorer has encoutered a problem and most shut down. And then it did just that!!!!! GGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I was so frustrated!! For the life of me I cannot find that article again - although I am determined to keep searching now! Now it's become a matter of wills...my will against this computer's ~~ and I WILL win (eventually.)

I did find another good site this morning that I thought I would share with everyone. It is called "Virtual Office." Here is the link:

http://www.objs.com/survey/vo.htm

The one section I really liked was the one that discussed the advantages and disadvantages of virtual working. There are also several other resources and links listed throughout the web site.

I am now off to search for the lost web site from last night.......I now it's out there someplace!!!!

Lesson 4 - Part 2

FINDING A QUALIFIED VIRTAUL EMPLOYEE

As I am discovering more and more, not everyone has what it takes to be a virtual worker. That means that an employer needs to know what to look for when they are looking for someone who won't be working in the office with them. Reading through an article written by Jeanne L. Allert entitled, "You're Hired, Now Go Home" - virtual companies and employee recruitment, I found some traits that employers should look for when looking for a virtual employee. These traits are:

1. Values and being mission-based
2. Multiple communication skills
3. Decision-making confidence
4. Tech savvy

Here's a link to the rest of the article - there is a lot of informative and interesting research in it.

LookSmart's" FindArticles - "You're Hired, Now Go Home" - virtual companies and employee recruitment
Training & Development, March, 2001, by Jeanne L. Allert

This Has Been On My Heart All Day......

Mark 15:25 And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

A medical doctor provides a physical description: The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood.

Quickly he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. The cross is then lifted into place. The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed. The victim is now crucified.

As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain—the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet.

As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.

Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.

It is now almost over—the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level—the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues—the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. He can feel the chill of death creeping through is tissues. . .Finally he can allow his body to die

......all this just for YOU

All this the Bible records with the simple words, “And they crucified Him.” (Mark 15:25).

We need to let go of the hustle bustle and let this really penatrate our thoughts...

Lesson 4 - Being a Virtual Employee - Part 1

This lesson was very interesting to me, mainly because I am a virtual employee. I love hearing different people's views and thoughts on the subject, so I spent some time this week asking people about it.

I was amazed at how many people said they could never work from home. Here I am thinking it is the ideal opportunity, but many of the people I talked to said, "NO WAY!!" There seemed to be two main reasons for their feelings....first, they didn't know that they could separate their work life from the their home life, and second, they felt they were more of a "people person" and that they needed to be around people more. They didn't like the thought of not having regular interaction with people.

While I was researching this I found an interesting web page that discussed the drawbacks of managing a virtual employee. It covered both of the things I mentioned and more.......

http://www.groupsplus.com/pages/tqo0198.htm

I'm going to end this portion of my blog now - since nobody really likes to read long, drawn out, blogs. But throughout the rest of the day I will be posting a couple more parts to show some other aspects of the virtual employee.

Have a great Easter weekend everyone - and take some time to remember all the Christ did for each of us.

It's All About Your Attitude....

James 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Things happen in our lives that we can’t always control, but one thing we can control is how we react to what happens to us. Our actions and attitude will not only effect how we handle things, but also how those around us handle things. We can either get bitter or we can get better. And believe me “better” is better ~~ bitter is miserable!!!!!!

A poor attitude about it only makes the situation more difficult -- it adds fuel to the fire instead of helping to put it out. A bad reaction to a bad situation can easily make that situation permanent instead of temporary. The choice is ours.

In order to have a Godly attitude you have to have a strong relationship with the Lord ~~ a daily relationship, and a faithful prayer life.

James 4:7-8 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Don’t let life control your emotions – let the Lord control your life. How you go through your day is really up to you. Personally….I am going to choose to ~~~

Psalms 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

I've spent the morning playing.....

I must admit that technology amazes me more and more all the time!!! This morning I have been playing with MS Live Meeting and I really like it. There are so many features that make having a virtual meeting seem like you're all in one room. I am really impressed (but then again, it doesn't always take much to impress me!!)

Up until this point in my week I have been getting ready for my baby sister's wedding this weekend. Thursday night I will be traveling to Minot. The wedding is on Saturday. I am so thrilled for her!!! We already have family arriving from all over the country and more still on the way. I'll be sure to add some pictures when I get home.

Now ~~ back to trying out some more virtual gadgets!!!!

Looking at the virtual workplace....

This last week I have been doing a little informal research as to what people think of when they picture a virtual workplace. Here are some of the top three answers I heard:

1. Someone who works on their computer but never goes to a real office.

2. Companies like eBay, that you can only find on the Internet.

3. Home offices.

So, what exactly is a virtual workplace?


Wayne F. Cascio of University of Colorado wrote an article entitled, "The Virtual Workplace: A Reality Now." In his article he has a great definition. Here is his opening paragraph:

"Consider the new paradigm of work—anytime, anywhere, in real space or in cyberspace. For many employers the virtual workplace, in which employees operate remotely from each other and from managers, is a reality now, and all indications are that it will become even more prevalent in the future. In and of itself, this represents a dramatic change in how we work, and it presents new challenges for our profession. The challenges stem from the physical separation of workers and managers wrought by such information-age arrangements as telecommuting and virtual teams. "How can I manage them if I can’t see them?" is a question that many managers ask."

http://siop.org/tip/backissues/TIPApril98/Cascio.htm

Here are some terms to become familiar with in the world of virtual business:

1. Telecommuting - defined as the use of telecommunication to work outside the traditional office or workplace, usually at home or in a mobile situation.

According to one study, telecommuting has been growing at 15% a year since 1990 in North America. 80% of Fortune 1000 companies are likely to introduce it within the next two to three years. Although work at the company premises is not likely to disappear, new forms of telecommunication such as voice and picture communication and groupware are likely to make telecommuting more social in the future.


2. Telecenters - a facility that offers community members the ability to use ICTs in a publicly shared manner. Telecenters often provide the only connectivity available to many community members, and their services may be offered with or without a fee.


3. "Hot-desking" - refers to the temporary physical occupation of a work station or surface by a particular employee. This work surface could be an actual desk or just a terminal link. In any event the concept of the hot desk is that the employer furnishes a permanent work surface which is available to any worker as and when needed. There is no personal domain pertaining to a particular worker and physical facilities are employed as and when needed.

4. "Hoteling" - Refers to a company in which employees don't have traditional office space in a building but instead work from home or the road and reserve conference rooms or offices at a building, usually the company's headquarters, when they need to meet with clients, colleagues, or their departments.

5. Virtual teams - a group of individuals who work across time, space, and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by webs of communication technology. They have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose, have interdependent performance goals, and share an approach to work for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.



Over the next few weeks I know I will be learning more and more about this world of virtual business - learning more and partaking more in it. And as I learn I will share it here with each of you who take the time to stop in and spend some "Time with Tami."

We all survived our first chat......

Last night was our first all-class chat session for Virtual Business and I really enjoyed it. Doing all your classes online means that you don't usually have much interaction with the rest of your class mates, so last night was a great chance to learn a little more about those I'm "in class" with.

One of the comments that really got me thinking was one that was made by Stuart (I think.) He mentioned that he had read an article that talked about how the Sears Roebuck Catalog was one of the first "virtual" business ideas. I never would have thought of that, but it is so true.

Now it seems like we are surrounded with virtual businesses and concepts. They are now a normal part of our daily lives. I mean, think about it - there are people all over the world (I was going to say country, but I know Susan will be reading this too!!) who will have immediate access to what I am going to post. Before the Internet, communication had to be by telephone or the postal service, but not anymore. Now we have email, chat rooms, instant messaging, and the list goes on and on. WOW!!!

I have many friends who are missionaries in other countries. Ten years ago we corresponded by letter (phone calls were way too expensive) and even those letters were only a few times a year - and I was fortunate if I got the see them every few years. Now, I can "talk" to them everyday if I would like - either through email or instant messaging - and we can even send pictures of things that took place that same day. And don't forget things like Webcam's!!!! So, what is your favorite tool in this virtual society we currently live in??

Whose Fault Is It?????

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. (John 9:1-3)

Many times when “bad” things start going on in our lives we examine ourselves to see if there is sin in our hearts or lives that is causing these things to happen. We ask ourselves if there is something we did to bring this terrible calamity upon us.

We need to remember that Jesus says that it is not necessarily our sin or our guilt that brought the terrible things that happened. It may be that God has a higher plan in mind and this is part of what is needed to achieve that higher goal.

When we lost Steven we actually had people ask us what sin was in our life that caused God to take Steven. Don’t think we didn’t search our hearts – we did. But the answer we got from the Lord was that Steven’s life AND HIS DEATH had a perfect purpose.

If you’re going through some tough and trying times and you know that you are right with God and in His will – you need know what you are going through is for a good purpose (even if we can’t see what that purpose is at the time.)

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

A Day of Reflecting......

Yesterday was Elisabeth's 9th birthday. I cannot believe how fast the years have flown by!! Looking at Elisabeth most people see a happy, healthy little girl - very similar to many other little girls her age. As I was looking at her yesterday I began reflecting on everything that led up to her birth - it is truly a miracle.

You see Jeff and I had been told we couldn't have any more children. With each of her older brothers I went into labor earlier and earlier in the pregnancy. We knew having more wasn't good for me or for the baby. But there was a wonderful lady in our church back in Minot who was convinced that we needed a little girl - this lady was Grandma Clare.

From the time Nicholas was three years old Grandma Clare prayed daily that I would get pregnant and have a baby girl. Several times a year she would ask me if I was pregnant yet, to which I would reply, "Grandma, we can't have any more children." She would just give me a hug and smile, then tell me that God had told her I would have a little girl. We would smile back and promise her if we ever had that little girl we would name her after Grandma.

When Nicholas was 8 years old Grandma Clare's prayer was answered ~~ I was pregnant. Jeff and I were completely shocked, but Grandma wasn't. When we went over to her house that morning (something we did quite regularly) she told us before we could ever tell her. By this time Grandma was almost 90 years old and had several health problems, in fact, they only gave her a few more months to live.

I was very sick from the very beginning of the pregnancy and at 14 weeks things had gotten so bad I was told by the doctors that I was going to lose the baby and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it from happening. I was heartbroken. Each day I woke up wondering if that would be the day I would lose this precious baby - and each day Grandma Clare would call and tell me it wasn't going to happen, that she had prayed and God had given her complete peace in the knowledge that I would have "her little girl."

At 16 weeks my midwife said if I could just hold on 4 more weeks my baby would have a chance - and I did just that. At 20 weeks we had an ultrasound and found out Grandma was right, we were having a little girl. We took her the ultrasound pictures, thinking it was the only way she would ever see the baby. You see for each day that I continued to stay pregnant Grandma continued to deteriorate in her own health. At that time my prayers were, "Lord, let me have this little girl and let Grandma live long enough to hold her."


Well, grandma held on and on March 24, 1997 - the day before Grandma's 90th birthday - she called Jeff and told Jeff to make sure I was well rested because I was going to have the baby tomorrow......on Grandma's birthday. We tried to tell Grandma that they wouldn't let me deliver that early (I still had 11 weeks to go and they had already stopped my labor several times.) Why did we ever question Grandma on this?????

At 1 a.m. on March 25th my water broke unexpectedly. There was no way to stop the labor this time. At 7:30 a.m. I called Grandma to wish her a happy birthday and tell her that I was in the hospital - of course, she wasn't surprised.

At 4:15 p.m. Elisabeth Clare Olson was born - she was born on Grandma Clare's birthday. She was 11 weeks premature - but perfectly healthly...yet another miracle. Yes, she was tiny, but other than that there was not one single problem!!!

Grandma Clare got to hold her little angel two days later. To see the two of them together brought tears to everyone's eyes. So many answers to prayers were right there between the two of them. I know Grandma prayed that she would live long enough to see her prayer request answered - and she did. Grandma lived another 4 months and spent many hours with Elisabeth. Even today we have pictures of the two of them hanging in Elisabeth's room.

Elisabeth may not remember Grandma Clare in person, but she will grow up knowing just how special her birth was and the special lady that "prayed her down from Heaven."

Thanks for reading as I reflected on a very special day, a very special lady, and my precious little girl!!

Boy, Oh, Boy - I have got some excited kids

We are going to the Monster Truck show in town this evening. Now, this isn't really my type of thing - but living with a bunch of boys means doing lots of "boy" things. So this evening Elisabeth and I will put in our ear plugs and join Jeff and the boys to watch big, loud trucks do crazy things!!

My boys think this is the greatest thing and not only do they get to see the show, but we also have pit passes, so they get to go into the pits and meet the drivers before the show ever starts. Last year they even got to ride in one of the trucks they had there.

Maybe someone can explain what is so exciting about this, because I sure don't see it. These things are loud and stinky!! (HAHA - sometimes that describes my boys too!!) I'm really not complaining though, I love when we can all go out and do something fun like this. It never fails that something will happen that we will spend the rest of the weekend laughing about.

Hey Jamie.......

Did it work????

I learned something new today....

I learned that I am a "virtual worker"!! A virtual worker is "someone who performs assigned duties at an alternative site (usually home) during some or all of their work hours." THAT'S ME!!

I do accounting, bookkeeping, and taxes for 3 different businesses and several individuals ~~ and I do 90% of it from my home. I do have an office at one of the businesses, but most of what I do is from my home....and I love it that way.

I love my work - but what I love more is being home for, and with, my family. I love being the one to get my family ready for the day, preparing the meals, teaching my children, and caring for my home. Being able to bring in an income while doing what I love the most is a great blessing.

There are so many benefits to this arrangement - for me and for those I work for. I never take sick days, my productivity level is higher than that of the person my company used to have come and work for them in the office 40 hours a week, my kids know I am always there for them, no daycare expenses, my children are healthier and happier because of it, and most importantly for me ~~ my husband and family never take second place to my work.

These are not the only benefits to virtual organizations and virtual workers - but for me they are the important ones. God gave me a great responsibility in caring for my home and family; one I don't take lightly. He also gave me the ability to work well with numbers, finances, and computers ~ and now, through virtual organizations, I can do both to the best of my ability!!

To my fellow students.......

As most of you can tell, I already have several posts in my blog. That is because I started this quite a while back and Lisa said it would be fine to continue using it instead of having to set up a new one.

You will find out plenty about my family and I through the older posts, but I will also give you a quick overview now. I live in Bismarck, where my husband is pastor of Bible Baptist Church. We have 6 children ranging in age from 20 to 6, three of which are still in school ~ and we home school. And as if that doesn't keep me busy enough, I also do accounting for 3 businesses here in town, along with working on my Master's degree.

I am really looking forward to this Virtual Business class. I am amazed more and more with all that can be done because of technology today!!

SETTING AN EXAMPLE

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Christianity Today did a survey of over 5000 youths from age 13-16 and asked them who was their greatest example of religion. When I read their answer I was very puzzled because I had never heard of this “person.” The person that over 50% of them chose was Ned Flanders.

That name meant nothing to me – I actually had to ask Jeff who that was, (since he was the one reading the article to me last night.) He went on to read that this is a character off the television show “The Simpsons.”

How sad is that???? It wasn’t their parents, or their preacher, not the pope, or some televangelist – but some cartoon character off of a show that we won’t even allow to be watched in our home.

It sure made me think, that’s for sure. So last night during family devotions Jeff asked each of our kids this same question – I was relieved to hear that we were their greatest example, because according to God’s Word that is our responsibility.

Here is my question for each of us today – are we being the example we should be to those around us…even if you don’t have children of your own, you are still being watched ~~ are you an example of the believers, as Paul wrote about in 1 Timothy?

Well, I'm doing better here......

I may not be updating this every day, but I have done better this last week!

This week has been a week of adjustment. I've been out of college for a year now and am having a hard time getting back into the swing of things. I'm glad I only have one class going right now because it is so time consuming. It is only an 8-week course, so there is a lot to do in only a short amount of time. I just got done submitting the roughdraft for my mid term!!

DJ, my kitten, is continuing to recover from being declawed and nuetered, but his eye isn't looking much better. If we don't see a definite improvement by tomorrow we will be calling the vet again to see what they suggest. Please keep praying for him.

Well, thats about for the Olson household right now. We have church here in a couple of hours and company coming over after that, so I guess I should get into the kitchen and get things ready for that. Have a great Lord's Day!!!!!!

My baby is sick.....

My baby kitty that is. D.J. is our 9 month old Ragdoll kitten. This picture of him was from when he was about 6 months old - he is a lot bigger now.

His eye started watering the other day and then yesterday we took him to the vet to get him nuetered and declawed. We asked them about his eye and they said it should be okay.

When we picked him up this morning to bring him home they gave us antibiotics and eye drops and said it might look worse before it gets better. So now the poor little guy has a yucky eye, sneezes, his paws hurt, and he just got nuetered!!!! I feel so sorry for him!! And then they tell me the stress of everything will make his eye look even worse.

If you read this will you please take a minute and pray for DJ to recover quickly and with no complications.

He is such a sweet and lovable little thing and it just breaks my heart to see him look so miserable.

My husband turned the Big 40 today.....

We have had such a good time today. We treated Jeff to a birthday lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken (his choice I might add) and then a wonderful evening with dinner, cake and ice cream. The kids had a great time teasing their dad about being "over the hill".......and so did I (since I am younger than him!!!!)

Tomorrow will be a busy day. We are having a company come in and clean all the carpets and furniture, then church tomorrow evening. All that and I am already working on my midterm for my first class.

Usually I am such a consistent person - but I admit that when it comes to keeping up with my blog I am HORRIBLE!!!!! But it is the start of a new week and for those that have asked me to update this (especially my family that lives far away) I am going to TRY to post a little something each day......please note that I only said TRY!!!!! :)

Things have been hectic here lately and I'm not going to try to write a book to play catch up for all the things I haven't kept everyone up-to-date on (that would be one LONG blog!!!) I will give a short overview though.......

1. Last Sunday we had a missionary and his family in. They had 4 children. We had a great couple of days with the Hazards and truly enjoyed learning more about what God have called them to do.

2. Last Tuesday a group of people broke into our church - they stole several thousands of dollars worth of equipment and ransacked most of the building. We have spent most of the rest of this last week cleaning things up from that. But God is good and the criminals were arrested on Friday evening.

3. Wedensday the Petricks came to visit us. They are dear, dear friends that we have known for over 10 years. We had such a great time visiting and reminiscing about the years we have served together. (Bro. Petrick performed his first baptism on ME....and that is a story in itself!!!!!)

4. And last, be not least....for those of you that don't already know - I am a Graduate stduent now!!! As of Tuesday I am working on getting my Masters in Information Systems from Minot State University.

It will all be done online and, Lord willing, I will graduate in May 2008. Upon graduating I will have the opportunity of becoming a professor at the university and teaching onlines college courses myself! I am very excited about that!!

The kids are all doing well. We are enjoying a very mild winter, so they are doing lots of playing outdoors (something that is very uncommon in North Dakota in January.)

I have an assignment due by this evening, so I best get to it. We have church this evening, so I want to get it done before we leave. I definitely don't want to put it off too long....especially since "24" starts this evening and I know my hubby will want me to watch that with him.

Have a great Lord's Day my friends ~~~ and I'll TRY to be a little more consistent!! :)