MrsDrPoe: Campus Snapshots

Happy Foto Friday, all! At the beginning of this week, I journeyed to Starkville, MS, home of the MSU Bulldogs (and former home of the Poes). I truly miss seeing *MSU* bulldogs all over the place, like the one outside the union:


And I miss the beauty of the campus at sunset. The tower in the background is part of the Chapel of Memories, where Mr. Poe proposed to me oh so many years ago:


I also miss my cubical office, which I never thought I would; although, it's probably more the processing speed I miss than the actual cube. Of course you can't mention Starkville without mentioning the wonderful people who reside there...people Mr. Poe and I love and miss very much.

Going back to Starkville is like going home.

MrsDrPoe: Spiritual Summer Challenges Update

Good morning all! To start this Theology Thursday off, I'd like to update you on our progress with the family mission statement and summer Bible reading challenges I discussed a few weeks ago. The reading is going well; I've adapted one of the plans for myself, and it was worked out great thus far. Mr. Poe and I have also finished our family mission statement! Grammatically, it's a bit simplistic, but I love the symmetry:

We are the Poes.

We serve the Lord, Jehovah.
We serve our neighbors.
We serve each other.

As Poes we multiply words,
but we prefer numbers.

We are growing.
We are content.
We are blessed.

We are the Poes.

Have you accepted the challenges? How are you progressing?

MrsDrPoe: Family Mission Statement

This Theology Thursday, I keep throwing down the gauntlet. You guessed it- I have another challenge for you! But first, a riddle:

He could not see, but he knew what he would be...what did he have though he didn't?

...vision! Goals are what drive us all to do what we do. The apostle Paul had one: "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" Phil 3:14, and it was this goal that caused him to serve and teach others while giving up personal freedoms and enduring persecutions. Last night was the final class on the fruit of the spirit in marriage, and in class we discussed the benefits of creating a vision for our marriage, a vision for our families and/or a vision for ourselves and how we could create this vision through a family mission statement.

Mr. Maxson states that, "A personal or a family mission statement gives you a map, a compass, and a rudder. Like a map, it lets you know where you want to go. Like a compass, it gives you a sense of where due north is. Like a rudder, it gives you a sense of control over where your life is heading." Basically, we make a statement that defines who we want to be and how we want to relate to God and our neighbors, and even though we may not always be the person in our statement, we have a tool to help us get back on course to being that person.

The process of developing this statement involves brainstorming about various considerations (principles that govern our behavior, how will we serve others, our ultimate goal, etc.), and summarizing these ideas into a general "statement of purpose." One example from Stephen Covey's book, "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families," is:

Our family mission:
To love each other... To help each other... To believe in each other... To wisely use our time, talents, and resources to bless others... To worship together... Forever.

Mr. Poe and I are still working on our current "Family Mission Statement," and I think that if the Lord blesses us with children, we will have them help us write a revised version so that the kids have a sense of ownership in it. Do you have a personal or family mission statement? If not, my second challenge for you is to develop one. Are you up for it?