Economic Principles Explained

Here is a great explanation of basic economic principles.

A Day at Pullen Park

Henry licking Verdell's ear.

Verdell waiting for a treat.

Henry in puppy stride.

Teaching them to run the bases in reverse order.

Teaching sit.

Resting after a long play period.

Hanging out with Julianne. Note: Verdell has on his gentle leader, not a muzzle.

Sleeping together.

Puppy belly.

Sleepy puppy.

Hanging out in the batcave.

We took Verdell and Henry to Pullen Park on NC State's campus. We all had a great time!

7 Traits of a Stress-Free Christian

7 TRAITS OF A STRESS-FREE CHRISTIAN

Summary of sermon by Chad Harvey

Based on Psalm 37 1:9

Don't worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong
For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord,
and e will give you your heart's desires.

Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don't worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.

Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper--
it only leads to harm.
For the wicked will be destroyed,
but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

This Psalm was written by David and hits on problems which plague a huge percentage of the population: worry, stress, an anxiety.

1) Stress-free Christians TRUST in the Lord (v 3).
Trust is having confidence tat God is in control.

2) Stress-free Christians do GOOD (v3).
If you are feeling stress, worry, or anxiety coming on, speak a word of encouragement to someone else. Do something to make others feel better about their situation and you will find peace with yours.

3) Stress-free Christians keep living their lives (v3).
Be faithful to the life God has given you. You cannot put your spiritual life on hold simply because you are faced with stressful situations. Not attending Church, giving, and praying will only make your problems seem worse. Being in the presence of God can alleviate all worry and stress.

4) Stress-free Christians DELIGHT themselves in the Lord (v4).
Delight means to be soft or dainty towards. Look forward to your time with God. Don't look at it as time spent away from other activities, or as something you have to do. Enjoy it!

5) Stress-Free Christians COMMIT their ways to the Lord (v5).
Commit your problems to God.
"Commit" (Hebrew "Gallal") means to ROLL.
Roll your burden to God. It is no longer yours when you do this. The problem you are facing is now God's, and God takes care of everything.
Look at Peter 5:7.

6) Stress-free Christians REST in God and WAIT on God (v7).
Give it to God and rest and wait patiently. This does not mean give the problem to God for a day and if it has not resolved itself, take it back. Stress-free Christians know from experience that God works in his own time and way, not necessarily ours. I think this is the key to stress-free living. Resting and waiting.
Also look at Isaiah 40:30.

7) Stress-free Christians don't waste their energy getting ANGRY (v7).
Stress leads directly to anger. Stress and anger can destroy our health. Heart disease is the number one killer and its origins can be traced back to stress. A little stress can shade all of life. One stressful moment in a day can affect the rest of your day in the same way. One thing goes wrong, therefore everything else seems worse. It's a vicious cycle that can only be stopped when we roll our problems to God and wait (stress-free) for him to move.
Most of our stress is unfounded. Many people worry about the what-ifs in life. There are a million of these and if we stressed out about all of them, we would not be able to live a single moment.


It is possible to live without being stressed out.

My First Publication!!!

Just got word today that one of the articles I was working on was accepted by a peer-reviewed journal. It is my first publication and I hope one of many. The journal is Cliometrica.




Cliometrica provides a leading forum for exchange of ideas and research in all facets, in all historical periods and in all geographical locations of historical economics. The journal encourages the methodological debate, the use of economic theory in general and model building in particular, the reliance upon quantification to buttress the models with historical data, the use of the more standard historical knowledge to broaden the understanding and suggesting new avenues of research, and the use of statistical theory and econometrics to combine models with data in a single consistent explanation. The highest standards of quality are promoted. All articles will be subject to Cliometrica's peer review process. On occasion, specialised topics may be presented in a special issue.

The title of the article is "Convergence (and Divergence) of the Biological Standard of Living in the United States , 1820-1900" and is coauthored with Areendam Chanda (LSU) and Lee Craig (NCSU and my Dissertation Chair).

Abstract:

Standard economic indicators suggest that the United States experienced long-run economic growth throughout the nineteenth century. However, biological indicators, including human stature, offer a different picture, rising early in the century, falling (on average) mid-century, and rising again at the end of the century. This pattern varied across geographical regions. Using a unique data set, consisting of mean adult stature by state, we test for convergence in stature among states in the nineteenth century. We find that during the period of declining mean stature, heights actually diverged. Later in the century we find a unique type of convergence indicating that stature among states tended to converge to a new, lower steady state. Only towards the end of the century do we find classic convergence behavior. We argue that the diversity of economic experiences across regions, e.g. urbanization, industrialization, and transportation improvements, explain this pattern of divergence and then convergence.



I pushed for the title, "Convergence of the Other White Meat", but it didn't fly.

One down, many to go!

Our New Chairs!

While browsing in Marshalls, Mom and I spotted two perfect chairs to complement our recent purchase of our sectional. Below are pictures of the duo.

NC State Basketball Pictures in win over UNC

Enjoy the photos and captions of the pictures below. I love the Sean May caption.

Summary of Chad Harvey's Sermon: Your Partner in Persecution

I have been attending Raleigh First Assembly for almost 9 months. The services have focused my attention on the important things and each week I feel myself making spiritual progress. Of course, I haven't been perfect, because I still stress out about the little things, or panic a bit too much. But I am getting better!

The pastor at Raleigh First is Chad Harvey and he is nothing short of sensational. Direct, honest, funny, and "sold out for Jesus Christ". He frames contemporary problems in a fresh, biblical context.

You can download his sermons at:

http://www.raleighfirst.org/

Below is a summary of the most recent service, Your Partner in Persecution.
This sermon references John 15:18-16:11. The outline is what we received in Church and the sentences following that are mine, not Pastor Harvey's.

Why do you have problems?

1. Life is tough.

Romans 8:18-26 confirms it. In a nutshell, what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. So yes, life is tough now, but the afterlife will be amazing! In verse 24 and 26, "We were given this hope when we were saved. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness." Life is tough, but the Holy Spirit is there to guide you along the path God has chosen for you until we do receive His glory later.

2. The world.

The world is one of the biggest obstacles for Christians. What is popular is generally not consistent with Christian priniples. Your friends will test you, your job will test you, your dog might even test you! Everywhere you look, the world is bombarding you with images that are inconsistent with how God wants you to live. The constant temptation means you must have a strong support group to help you in times of weakness and you must stay close to God. If you lack either of these things, temptation will appear closer and closer in your rearview mirror.

The World is used in three ways.

a. Creation. Psalms 24:1.

b. People in the world. This is supported by the familiar John 3:16 passage.

c. Organized spiritual system that opposes the things of God.

Many people have the more, bigger, and better syndrome. Whatever they have is not big enough, expensive enough, or advanced enough. This drives people to take inventory of their lives: but not spiritually. This constant checklist of things to do, things to buy, or places to go can lead you astray from your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When you feel the pull of the world, you need to reevaluate your spiritual status. When things cause you anxiety, worry, and stress, think about refocusing your thoughts and time and align them with Christian principles.

Jesus says three astounding things about this world system:

i. The world hates Jesus. John 15:18. "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first."

ii. The world hates Christians. John 15:19. "The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you."

I love this passage. It just seems to make so much sense. People will like you if they see you as someone with similar values or interests. Therefore, if the world likes you, you must be sending the message that you agree with what it is doing and saying. So why would you want the world to like you? You don't belong to it, and the longer and harder you fight to stay in it, the further away you are from reaching the glory of the afterlife. Friendship with the world is enmity with God (direct quote from CH).

iii. The world hurts Christians. John 15:20. "Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you."

I think this is a good verse to remember. The Christian life is not always an easy road and nothing says it better than this verse. This does not mean the Christian life cannot be rewarding or enjoyable, but your faith will be tested and people might not like your beliefs and you have to be willing to go to bat for your beliefs to make a difference.

How the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome the world:

a. By witnessing about Jesus. John 15:26.

b. By helping Christians witness about Jesus. John 15:27. You must bear witness. "And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beinning of my ministry."

c. By convicting the world. John 16:8. "And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of Gods righeousness, and of the coming judgement."

d. By always being with us. John 16:7. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be everywhere at one time."

END SUMMARY


Some memorable quotes from Sunday:

"The moment we stop being radical, we lose our edge."

"The world won't always like Chrisitans. It would be bad if they did."

"You must love Jesus Christ more than acceptance from the world."

Remember, we have not been given a spirit of fear!

I hope you were able to get something from this. Feel free to leave comments. Remember, this is only a summary of the service. Please visit Raleigh First's homepage to make your own! By the way, I use the New Living Translation version.

Do you have one foot in the world?

Our new Gabrielle Sectional Sofa

We bought a new sectional sofa last weekend. My husband and I were both ready for something fresh. As we were perusing the aisles at Costco, Pete pointed out the sofa and we both really loved it.

The Gabrielle Sectional was listed as a buyer's pick in the online magazine, Costco Connection. Brett Jackson, a furniture buyer, had this to say about it.

"Few pleasures in life are as simple and pure as stretching out on a comfy couch. This month Costco has the perfect suggestion for doing just that. I think the Gabrielle sectional, which includes a chaise and ottoman and measure more than 7 feet long, is the idea place to lounge, watch a film or read a book.

Not only is the sectional comfortable enough for the family room, it's attractive enough to be used in the living room. The color is a beautiful sage green or rich chocolate, and the fabric feels like velvet. The tailoring provides clean lines, while the cushions are sewn to give a tufted look.

An added bonus of the microfiber covering is how easy it is to clean. Just about any spot can be taken care of with a little soap and water, followed by a few dabs to dry it.

While this sectional costs nearly $2500 elsewhere, Costco has it for $1000. A coordinating swivel chair is also available."

Pretty convincing!

The sofa is amazing. I love the chaise and the ottoman too. Verdell wasn't sure about it at first, but he has come around today. We attached pics!

Gavin Grant Breakaway Dunk vs. UNC on Saturday

I teased you with similar dunk earlier...now the real deal is below!

Andy Katz's article on NC State Basketball

Sidney Lowe in his red jacket. Classic.

Andy Katz wrote a great article on NC State's recent victories. You can find more at espn.com.

ARTICLE BY ANDY KATZ

"Can't say I saw this coming. That would be a lie. But what I did see way back in November, when NC State came back to beat Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, was a team that had plenty of heart, desire and passion, and believed in everything its first-year coach said.

The Wolfpack maybe didn't get enough credit earlier in the week for a surprising win at The Wolfpack maybe didn't get enough credit earlier in the week for a surprising win at Virginia Tech. Maybe that was because the win came on the same night Indiana beat Wisconsin, while Texas' Kevin Durant lit up Texas Tech for 37 points and 23 rebounds. But clearly the victory in Blacksburg set up Saturday's raucous win over rival North Carolina.

The atmosphere at the RBC Center seemed Stanley Cup-like, at least through the TV screen. The Wolfpack continued to attack the Tar Heels and never seemed to be fazed as UNC responded. What has made this season so hard to predict is the way the Tar Heels smoked Arizona one Saturday in Tucson only to get pushed around, and look a bit displaced, seven days later in Raleigh against a collection of gritty players.

Every game will still be a struggle for the Wolfpack, but be certain about this: NC State won't be an easy out under Sidney Lowe. This week, the Wolfpack became the headline team in The Triangle -- and with UNC and Duke as competitors, that's something to savor."

Gotta love the publicity!

NC STATE STUNS CAROLINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you not fortunate enough to view the UNC/State game, you missed a classic! A team that goes 6 deep beat one of the most talented and deep teams in the country! An incredible team effort. Hillsborough Street was rocking after the game and tons of students were running in the middle of the street.

In the game, Gavin Grant had a nasty dunk on UNC, making up for some of the embarassment we suffered last year when they dunked on us at our house. I have included a link to a video of a nearly identical dunk in another game at the bottom. Enjoy!!!

Below that is film of an incredible dunk by Courtney Fells vs. VA Tech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1XFxco06eE

Snow Day!!!!

Which ones are Charlotte's?



Look how trim her waist is!!




Look at me! I am bundled up! Where are my boots?


Just when I had given up hope of a snow day, I check my email and classes are cancelled at Wake Forest!!!! SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!

I think teachers probably enjoy snow days even more than students.

We had a few inches of snow here, but now it is melting and the temperature is dropping...so we are bracing ourselves for ice.

Here is Charlotte in her snow gear.