Why Regent University?

Regent University offered a unique perspective in undergraduate studies. Christ-centered leadership and biblically centered classes develop students professionally and personally. The campus is beautiful, and I soon found that my professors and my fellow students exuded enthusiasm and dedication to the Lord and their educational pursuits. Classmates prayed with me and for me; studying became a group effort towards excellence and not just another homework assignment.

Why Online Learning?

I was 21 when I started the online learning program at Regent University. I had the opportunity to dual-enroll in a local college while in high school, so my associates degree was partially complete when I graduated in 2002. I hit the ground running by working full time after graduating from high school, attending night classes to finish my associates degree. I guess I got used to the schedule, and when it came time to find a university to transfer to, I knew I'd want a flexible format that would allow me to continue in my professional endeavors.

Why A Business Degree?

My degree is in Organizational Leadership and Management. I chose this concentration because of the unique mix of business strategy and leadership development. In choosing a degree program I wanted one that would emphasize the "people" part of organizations and their strategic development. Some degree programs focus primarily on the financial and strategic side of business development, but Regent stressed the importance of the organization's people and the effectiveness of biblical leadership.

Business Degree

A new semester

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I've had a pretty slow weekend, but that is good because classes start this week. I am taking Old Testament Studies and Senior Culminating Experience. Goodness- did someone say SENIOR? Yes, that's me! I'm so excited to be graduating, but a little sad because my degree will be finished. I got a taste of graduation this week, since I was on break, and I didn't really know what to do with all my free time. I actually missed having studying and discussion board posts to work on. This is because they stretch me academically and spiritually, and it gives me an excuse to hang out at the local Starbucks for hours studying and meeting fellow coffee drinkers/students/friends/new friends.

My time at Regent has been quite a learning experience. I feel that, academically, I received a very challenging and thought-provoking education, as well as a spiritually rich environment that encouraged me to seek out God and His perfect will.

Dear Readers.

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This letter is to inform you that Chelsea's intense 3-class semester has ended this evening. Following 8 weeks of intense study in the areas of theology, human resources, management, and the development of organizations, she is inclined to take it easy for a few days until the next semester starts.

The amount of work needed to complete these classes with excellence required an ungodly amount of coffee, Red Bulls, and actions such as peanut butter sandwiches at 2 in the morning. Moreover, such academic achievement required missed lunch breaks, missed nights out with the girls, bleary eyed did-I-sleep-in-my-contacts-again? mornings, and some emotional outbursts that sounded something like "give me something with the word "chocolate" in it."

Chelsea has been a very good student, a very dedicated reader, thinker, writer, PowerPoint Maven, and scholar. But for the next few days, she wants to enjoy her new freedom and even sit around and have a latte in her underwear, if she wants to. (At home, of course).

Please don't expect anything very noteworthy from her for at least five (5) days. Of course, she could surprise us all and have a burst of creativity, posting it herewith or on another site such as myspace.com, facebook.com, regentchelsea.blogspot.com, or this particular blog.

signed,

me.

Saturday but busy.

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I thought the weekends were supposed to be a time to relax! Not so, apparently. Perhaps I could have if I had not been so busy this week. Wednesday I had a friend over for dinner, Thursday I went to a meeting regarding support for Lew Sterrett, from Sermon on the Mount ministries, and last night (Friday) I went to dinner with a couple of friends. While we were waiting for our male counterpart, my friend and I skipped over to the mall to "sample" the beauty products before we went out for the evening! It's a great way to try out that perfume that I love that is, sadly, $110.00 a bottle. We enjoyed some great sushi and live music at Bay Street. I have a party to go to tonight, for which I am very excited about, for an old family friend.

But being a full time student, I had to pass up a boat ride this afternoon in lieu of studying. Sigh. I have a project due on C.S. Lewis later. As one of my favorite writers, this shouldn't be that difficult. Except that the project is a huge chunk of my grade, and I'm a little nervous that it won't be a good as I would like it to be.

Currently I'm at Starbucks, and I'm dressed for the party tonight so people are wondering if I really get this dressed up to study.

I've been keeping a journal, albeit sporadically, about this new spiritual sabbattical that I am experiencing. I see now why a journal is so useful and is a tool in examining the spiritual life. Following the reading of the book, "Ordering Your Private Word" by Gordon MacDonald, I started keeping a journal. I see now that I have not listed an entry in my little Moleskine journal in a week. So you see that the journal is a bit of of a tally marker, not because God or I keep a record, per se, but it reminded me that I've skipped a couple of days this week in my quiet time.

Tomorrow is Sunday, and perhaps I shall have more time to write.

Ben & Jerry

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I love how people say things to you, even though they don't know you. The other night, I was standing in line at the store, and I was (embarassed to say) buying bread and Ben and Jerry's Half Baked fozen yogurt. Of course, (Side note, sorry) I don't have a "real" freezer, so I actually have half-baked half-frozen frozen yogurt.

I guess I have an ice box...? It freezes water for ice cubes, but doesn't get cold enough to keep Ben & Jerry happy. Hmmm.

So anyways, I was standing in line, and there were two nice looking guys in front of me, buying lots of beer. Behind me, another nice looking guy, buying wine. And I'm thinking, here I am, a single girl, having a date with Ben & Jerry, and these guys are out getting boozed up? So I'm thinking about this, and the chubby security guard (what? he was!) says, "All the ladies are buying ice cream tonight!" I was like, um, YEAH, because we're SINGLE.

Thanks, bud. Like I needed you to point me out on a Saturday night, alone in the grocery store and in my running outfit.

Tonight I rode my bike over to Starbucks, and I wore my Air Force shirt and running shorts. I guess it did look a little funny when I got on my shiny pink bike. And this guy says to me, "You know, NO ONE would steal that bike. You wouldn't even need to lock it." Thanks, Captain Obvious.

I did take the bike over to see my parents, which was much further than I thought it would be. I hope I can sit down tomorrow.

Continuing.

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Today I felt just "so busy" that I wasn't going to be able to have my quiet time with the Lord. But I soon found that trying to forgo this is becoming increasingly difficult. I simply miss having my "Gandhi's wheel," as Gordon MacDonald calls it. Last night I wrote three pages in my journal, including all of the beautiful things that God is revealing to me, through His word, through other people, and through the observations that I'm now seeing through different eyes. Boa says that "In many cases the only time they confront these questions [about life] is when they are faced with tragedy and loss, and even then the window of vulnerability is open for a brief duration." (Boa, "Conformed to His Image). I'm trying to use this window of vulnerability (isn't that beautiful?) to grow, and perhaps one day I can look out this window and see the Lord's will.

The word "wisdom" keeps coming up in my studies, wether it is the texts for school, the Bible, or the things I happen to read and bump in to. I think that the Lord is trying to tell me to develop wisdom through asking him for it, and through learning from experiences. The MacDonald book (Ordering your private world) has been reminding me that I may appear to be ready for some challenges, but if I don't use my time wisely, I may come to a challenge that I'm not prepared for, because I didn't prepare when the time was available. So in preparation for whatever it is that God has in store for me, I'm learning to study His ways and His word. And do you know what yesterday's verse was? "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." (Proverbs 12:1). I was like, "ok, God, I'm listening now."

Tonight I'm sitting at my favorite window at Starbucks, enjoying the fantastic lightning show outside and reading in my Bible and Boa text. I'm feeling rather inspired by his story of Eric Liddel, the runner from Chariots of Fire. Eric was blessed to be a fantastic athlete, and acknowledged that he felt God's pleasure by running. Boa says that "A developing awareness of your divinely ordained purpose should impinge on every facet of your life and spiritualize the whole of your existence... Your calling and purpose are expressed and reinforced in an intentional rule of life. To embrace a rule of living is to seek positive guidelines of behavior that will assist you in fulfilling God's purposes." (Conformed to His Image). I'm wondering what sort of rules I should be applying to my life right now; I guess if I knew my calling this might be easier. For example, if I was a runner, which I'm not, (see below) I would know that daily running exercises should be a priority of the utmost importance. But I don't know what my calling is. I'm not really sure what my gifts are, that I should be honing and cultivating.

Still learning.

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I am aware that part of my sabbath learning experience requires that I go to sleep earlier. And, while I have so much to say about what I've learned today, and what God taught me, I know better than to start writing it all now. All I can say is that when you start deliving into what the Lord teaches, be prepared for multiple lessons that jump out at you in the way people talk, the things you happen to read, and generally your daily walk. Maybe this is the "walk" that Christian leaders talk about. I'm almost feeling like I might, just might, be on the cusp of learning what this is.

Currently rested from my rest of reading in Proverbs 12, and the MacDonald text.

I shall shower and go to bed at a reasonable hour.

What a concept :0)

Sabbatical

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Sab·bat·i·cal [suh-bat-i-kuhl]
–adjective
1. of or pertaining or appropriate to the Sabbath.
2. bringing a period of rest

What is a sabbatical? Well, I am about to find out. A sabbatical, from what I can gather, is a time of rest that one takes from the normal routine. I had an interesting conversation with a friend two days ago, who said that the world should revolve around the sabbath, and not the other way around. Meaning, God wishes us to have rest.

As usual, this pebble turned around in my head for awhile. Without prior knowledge or planning, I am also at the point in one of my books (Ordering Your Private World, by Gordon MacDonald) that is continually referencing the importance of having the inner life and the inner part of my soul to be organized. Not a checklist organization, mind you, and those of you who know me know how much I like my checklists. No, this is that inner peace, the inner stability that comes from...

Discipline.

There, I said it. I know it is one of my words, one I tend to use frequently. But (and I cannot tell you how many times this has come up the last two weeks) discipline in the areas of spirituality have been sorely missing from my life. My desire to go to church, bible study, or any other sort of formal doctrinal experiences is gone. So I pondered this, and wondered, because it is not that I do not wish to become close and intimate with God again. I do desire this- no, I need this. I need it more than the desire for water and exercise and rain and even the deepest desires of my heart. But just as I try to trim around the edges, rather than cut right through something, I need to be very deliberate in my search for this deep and internal stability and spiritual rest with God. Note that I say WITH God, and not from God.

MacDonald (and if you have not read this book, I recommend it) further says that we may appear to be making it on the outside, but our inside is crumbling like a silent sinkhole that one day opens up and then collapses. He tells the story of the day he Hit The Wall, a day when he crumbled in weeping. He talks about how we can appear to be fine, but one day everything catches up to us.

And while I am not going to Hit The Wall, I still have been feeling that God is commanding me to do some serious inner working. Hence, my sabbatical. I'm not even sure what sort of things I'm going to be doing, should be doing, or when such a sabbatical will end. I just know that He is telling me to do this. I do know that there are certain things, every day, that I'm going to be doing. And there are certain things that I am going to take a break from.

I am going to be very deliberate in the area of physical rest and time budgeting, because I am finding that I am squandering the time that is so precious on things that have very little meaning. I firmly believe that God is telling me to spend my time on Him, my family, and my studies. (Pretty much in that order). Curiously, I also feel very driven to schedule time for myself, even when I want to talk myself out of it in lieu of "so many other important things." (And, really, are they that important?)

If you would like to follow along on the journey, please do so. Of course, I'm not going to write or say everything that is on my mind, but perhaps my stumbling along can be an inspiration. And even if it's not, even if no one ever reads this, I know that I've done the right thing and I'm being obedient.

Storming.

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It's looking quite stormy and dark outside, where I can see the wind shake the trees and plants outside of my favorite window at Starbucks. It's actually looking quite scary outside. Interestingly, the weather is matching my mood right now. I'm somewhat torn between going out and doing something fun and being mellow and thoughtful. The weather, too, seems indecisive.

Today I took my LaceyDog for a walk and I'm planning to take another one later. I spent a few hours studying last night so I'm pretty much caught up for school, although I'm doing another assignment now. We are writing about affirmative action and I admit that I know very little about this issue, except that I know that schools use it to keep the school environments diverse. I hope I learn about how this affects human resources!

I feel a bit like a fish at my little window, because anyone who comes into Starbucks looks in. I'm the only one sitting here right now and I guess I look deep in thought because no one is talking to me! Which is fine...

Yesterday I heard that Randy and Paula White, the highly publicized and somewhat contraversial evangelists here in Tampa, are getting divorced. My heart goes out to them, not necessarily because I know them, but because they will have to go through this in the public spotlight. Apparently, the two have grown apart while each has been pursuing their ministry opportunities.

You know, I don't always get great advice from Starbucks baristas, but one time in particular I remember one telling me that we, as men and women trying to find love, are like triangles. We are far apart from each other, but as we reach towards God (the top of the triangle) we in essence become closer to each other. I thought about this as I read the paper's report on the impending divorce, and I felt saddened. In the article, they speak highly of each other. Paula even says that God comes to us in our darkest hours: apparently, the two are expecting some dark hours ahead. I find this situation troubling and I even have a hard time grasping the meaning of their decisions. I must point something out here, and not because I have any special insight into the matter, but because I feel that this is right: I really feel that the two could have demonstrated to their congregation (and the world) that hard times fall on even the most glamorous and apparently happy people. They could have acknowledged their problems and sought help. They could have separated for awhile. But this apparent breakup, this dividing, this clean cut, "we're done" and we're going to move on type of attitude really makes me question their true devotion to anyone or anything: including the ministry.

I think it's funny that people walk by and look at what I'm typing. They think I don't know, but I can see their reflection as they look over my shoulder. Not that it matters: I'm on the internet!

Well... I better get back to my HR studies.
chelsea

As Usual

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As usual, I'm writing when I should be finishing homework assignments...

I have so many other things to do, you see, besides homework. My hot water heater is still on the fritz, meaning that it is quite challenging to wash dishes. My parents gave me a shelf for my closet, so all of those things on the floor now need to go on the closet shelves. I have a substantial amount of pent up energy so I would like to go biking or running or horseback riding or something. Yet here I am, trying to get enough caffeine in my system to motivate me to finish my PowerPoint assignment and a three page paper. Sigh.

Tomorrow starts my marathon semester, where I am taking 5 classes in 16 weeks. I don't know what I was thinking, honestly. This means that I'm going to be studying like a fiend for, oh, I don't know, hours every day. If I wasn't such a procrastinator then I could at least study Monday thru Friday and have the weekends off. But seeing that I like to wait until the last possible moment to get an assignment done, that probably won't happen. Currently I'm at my favorite SOHO Starbucks, at the long glass window that is so conducive for homework and people watching alike. I've got Hinder in my ear and I'm feeling leggy in my platform sandals. It is a good thing I got here early because the place is filling up quickly. I imagine I will be here quite awhile so I'm glad I got a place by the plug-in for my computer.

Friday I toured the Alpha House, a home for pregnant women. What a wonderful ministry! I'm supposed to write a paper on a women's center in my area, and the Alpha House was suggested to me. The place was very clean and homey feeling, with lots of happy and smiling babies about. My tour guide was very informative and helpful in answering all of my questions. It is really nice to know that there are good places like this for women in need, whatever their unique situation is.



Homework is calling.

Rumble.

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Lightning flashes across the sky
A pale hand shaking its fist
Against the world that has done her wrong
Shaking the ground we walk upon

I wish I had my rain boots
Those slick ones I had as a child
Although they wouldn't do much good
'Cuz it'll always rain and feet don't stay small

Saturday is lovely.

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First an update:

I'm moving into my first place, a 1 bedroom over in Hyde Park. Watch here for pictures soon! I also started working back at the Firm. This was my first week. As always, when things change in my life, they change drastically and quickly. The apartment is less than a mile from work so I'm planning to ride my bike some days for the exercise. I'm also walking distance to the trolley stop, which takes you through downtown and to the various places in Hyde Park. Oh, and the Bestest part, I'm only about a block from Bayshore Blvd! So maybe I'll finally run that mile without stopping...

So I stayed up late painting last night, and when I couldn't stay awake any longer I went home to sleep before I started painting again.

I went again this afternoon. I just left, and before I left I attempted to remove the painters tape from the blinds. Oh, I removed the tape, all right. And the blinds. So they are on the floor.

Since I didn't have very much luck with the blinds, I decided to remove the tape from the long, skinny, built-in flourescent bulb along the other wall. The tape came down, and the entire fixture came down. My jaw also came down.

I put it all down, put my clothes back on (don't ask), and decided it was time to get a latte. But it looks nice, it really does! It's coming together, anyways. I can't wait to be fully moved in.

My friends surprised me for my birthday and took me out to Bella's. Thanks, guys! Currently I'm sitting at "my" window, at Starbucks, watching the interesting people and writing. I'm very happy today. They say that certain colors make you happy; Since I've spent the last 10 hours or so immersed in pink paint, I guess I've found the paint that has the greatest effect on me. Today my hair is wildly curly, and I wish I could go have it blown out again. I have paint all over me, including between my toes, and I wish I was wearing a cute sundress instead of my old Levis and my tank top.

When I'm all moved in I'm going to have a party, so stay tuned for an update :-) And since I'm graduating in December, I'm having a graduation party then, too. Oh, maybe we'll go caroling! and have warm stuff like hot tea and cocoa! Maybe we can all take the trolley over to starbucks before we go caroling! Now I'm running away with my ideas again... That's not until December ;-)


Guess I better go put the blinds and the light fixture back up.