Category Archives: Uncategorized

July 16, 2012 · 6:00 am

Asking for Prayer for Rachael

This is Rachael.

Rachael is twelve years old and is a member of my church. Her parents, John and Christin, are in my Sunday school department, and her little sister, Sarah, is in my oldest son’s Sunday school class.

Rachael has cancer.

A few very short months ago Rachael was a normal young lady and a star soccer player.

Now she’s had multiple surgeries, one round of chemo, and is facing several more.

Rachael is fighting– fighting like a girl.

Rachael and her sister, Sarah.

This past week, Rachael had surgery to remove one of the tumors in her lower back. It’s been causing her excruciating pain. Unfortunately, the doctors were unable to remove the tumor. When they got in, they realize that the tumor is quite large and has attached itself to many of her organs.

The hope is that chemo will shrink the tumor. The hope is that soon, Rachael will be back on the soccer field, worrying only about the things other twelve year-old girls worry about.

I’m asking for your prayers.

I’m asking that you pray for healing for Rachael.

I’m asking that you pray for guidance and wisdom for her doctors.

I’m asking that you pray for peace, faith, and strength for her parents.

Clinging to the promise that God is the ultimate healer!

Share with me: Have you known anyone who has had a child go through cancer treatment? Do you have any tips on how to help the parents and the family, other than meals, etc? Any thoughtful insights we can use?

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Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as cancer, Rachael

July 11, 2012 · 6:00 am

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Programming…

Hey all.

Maybe you’ve noticed and maybe you haven’t, but my web presence has been a little wonky in the last week.

I suppose I had visions of grandeur that I’d be able to schedule time for everything in my life, but I’ve added something new and it’s absorbing most of my time right now.

I’ve taken a position with an online university, helping to re0rganize and re-vamp their history courses.

This puts my history and education degrees to good use while I’m not in the classroom, brings in a little extra cash, and cuts deeply into my writing time, both for blogging and novel-writing.

But it’s temporary.

I’m having a lot of fun diving back into writing curriculum and just being in the world of teaching history, which is one of my great loves.

So while I’m working on that, my blog posts are going to be much fewer and farther between, at least until the end of the summer.

Like I said, I had visions of grandeur.

But I want to be able to do a good job on this project, enjoy the last few weeks of summer with my family (school starts around here at the beginning of August) and produce posts that I’ve actually put time and thought into.

So for now, please forgive me if my posts are sparse and my Tweets are more infrequent that usual (some might actually celebrate that…).

I’d love for you to connect with me on Facebook (click on the link to the right) and make sure you are following me on Twitter (@JenniferKHale). I know I’ll be on both of those for at least a few minutes most days.

And I’ve got some GREAT blog post ideas for when I return to my regular schedule.

Until then, I’ll be working hard, hopefully packing in a trip to visit my sister in Nashville, taking my boys to see The Wiggles in concert, and playing chauffeur for soccer camp and swimming lessons and all the other activities we’ve got going on.

Happy Summer, all!

Share with me: What fun events are left on your summer calendar? When does school start in your area?

15 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized, Writing

Tagged as curriculum, history, writing

July 2, 2012 · 6:00 am

I Thought Everybody Had One– Do You?

I have opinions. Lots of them.

I’m what you’d call an opinionated person. It’s rare to find me without at least an inkling of what my opinion is on any given topic, although I try to keep them to myself unless asked. (Unless it’s on my blog, which is, well, my blog, so I’ll write what I want.) 🙂

I wish more people were opinionated.

Do you think I’m crazy?

Perhaps you do because you think the people in your life, maybe even you, are too opinionated and should keep their opinions to themselves.

Let me rephrase– I wish more people had opinions on issues that matter.

We’re quick to share our opinions about TV, movies, music, books, clothes, etc., but in this politically correct world in which we find ourselves, more and more people are going “opinionless” about issues that are socially, politically, and economically relevant.

On a regular basis I find it easy to converse with people about trivial issues, but when it comes to meatier topics, I find that many, many people have a distinct LACK of opinion.

This.is.dangerous.

A lack of opinion makes us sheep. It makes us followers, willing to go along with those we consider to be “wiser” and “in the know.” Most of the time people who claim to “know” really don’t.

So you need to know for yourself. You need to have an opinion. An educated opinion.

The opinionless epidemic stems from two things–

1. The fear of being judged or discriminated against because the opinion isn’t “politically correct” or mainstream. (I.r.o.n.y.)

2. Lack of information and education.

How can you better educate yourself on issues of politics, religion, economics, and social movements? Watch the news, even for just a few minutes a day. Read a few news articles online (go to google and click “news.”) Take the time to stay up to date on what’s happening in the world and why.

Make it a priority so that you’ll have an opinion when it’s time. Election Day, for example.

How can we end the fear of voicing minority opinions? Well, for one, we can practice what we preach about blanket acceptance and actually apply it to all, instead of screaming that we need it and then choosing which groups can have it. And we’ll have to be brave enough to stand up for what we believe in.

There will never be a time in this country that we’ll all get along socially, politically, and religiously (not before Jesus comes back, anyway). There will never be a time when we’ll all get along, so it’s no use arguing your opinion to change someone else’s mind, but it’s certainly wise, prudent, and civically responsible to have educated opinions of your own.

There will be a time when you will need to stand up and give your opinion, even if it’s just through a vote, so make sure you have one.

Share with me: I wish I had a stronger opinion about ________.