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Saturday, April 08, 2006

Friday Hodgepodge on Saturday


Tiffany Has Returned

Since the March 25th I have been asking your prayer for our fellow blogger and my sometimes housekeeper, Tiffany. She telephoned me last night and informed me that the majority of her ordeal is over. At the moment she does not have Internet access, so she isn’t able to update her blog. However, I’m sure she will write something within the near future. My thanks on behalf of Tiffany for your kind thought and prayers for her—and especially to those folks who visited her bog, AmOr OnLiNe, and wrote her notes.

Income

Back around Saint Patrick’s Day I mention that I was involved in a week of all-day classes plus evenings of study. I hope that I am about to reap the payoff for that week and all of the study I have done since.

As you may or may not know, I have been without a regular income since May of 2003, when the congregation I was then pastoring decided they could not afford a full-time pastor. Since I had just purchased my house and decided to finally settle down, I did not seek employment beyond a reasonable commuting distance from Louisville. That has meant that I have expended all of my savings, including selling off stocks and bonds, to supplement the small earned income I had from occasional preaching gigs, the online store I no long have (that’s a future blog subject), and the little I was selling on eBay (another future blog post).

I have submitted my resume to literally hundreds of potential employers, primarily in the fields in which I have degrees: education, social work, and theology. I won’t go into the frustration and angst of participating in interview after interview without success.

In early March I was contacted by a potential employer and the interview, as well as the potential compensation, was acceptable. So I spent the week of Saint Patrick’s Day taking a course in preparation for taking the state exam to obtain an insurance agent’s license.

After jumping through several other hoops, including as did my friend, obtaining a replacement Social Security card, I will be taking the exam next Thursday or Friday. In the meantime, I spend a couple of hours each day reviewing all of the information I learned in that course.
I recently told someone that the insurance terminology and law is “Greek to me.” That isn’t true: I have studied Greek (as well as Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic) and Greek is easier!

9 comments:

  1. Glad to hear that employment is in the near future for you. Insurance exams aren't that bad...you'll be in my prayers!

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  2. Sending prayers your way . . . Glad to hear things are better for Tiffany. Sounds like things will be looking up for you too soon. I would love to hear you preach, I bet they really miss having you as a full-time pastor.

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  3. Well, this is great news...Congratulations :)

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  4. Hi Nick ~~ Thanks for your and your cat's comments on Herons Nest.

    I am so glad that Tiffany has returned and I hope all is well with her.

    Good luck for your exams and job. I hope you do really well.Cheers, Merle.

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  5. Hi Nick-

    Are you sure it's safe to have your full name and resume posted? I'm worried about identity theft. I had my mail stolen a while back, and it's a real hassle getting things back to the way they were.

    ~Thomas

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  6. Punkmom—Thank you. I really need prayer, because I would much rather pastor, teach, write, or do social work than sell insurance.


    Nina—Thanks, I need t6he prayers. I have only talked with Tiffany briefly, but at least I understand that much of her crisis is reduced. Perhaps someday she’ll blog the story of what happened and where she ahs been.


    Michelle—Thank you.


    Merle—Unfortunately, as you know, Alex has a habit of writing his won comments! I, too, hope that Tiffany remains OK. And I hope I pass those exams. I have already spent much more than I can office to qualify to sell insurance and, if I don’t pass. it is another $50.00 per test to take them.


    Thomas—I understand your concern; however, I don’t think there is any information in a résumé that cannot be obtained in other places. It was my posted resume on another website that brought me the offer of this insurance job.

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  7. Good luck on your test!! I will be sending you some positive thoughts!!
    Glad to hear Tiffany is back and doing better!!

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  8. Nick, my very best wishes are with you. Good luck.
    Interview times are really frusrating, and when you have to do it when the time is to settle down and relax, it's more unnerving. An elderly friend of mine was going through that ordeal, and now he's kinda settled as an insurance agent. Things will somehow workout even if they appear tough at first. I hope you get through the exams and interview this time and have a great job ahead.
    All the best.

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  9. Kylee—Thank you, I may need the luck on the test. I’ll pass your words on to Tiffany the next time I see her.

    Vishwa—Thank you. I hope in can perhaps “settle” as an insurance agent. Until I really get into it I shall not know.

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