This past Saturday the Vagabond family travelled about 90 miles north to attend my mother-in-law's family reunion. The last time I attended this function was 12 years ago - when Rose and I were first married. That was quite an adventure in itself, because my mother-in-law is one of 12 children, so I had 11 sets of aunts and uncles to meet plus their children, grandchildren, etc. On that first encounter, I was pretty pleased with myself that by the end of the day I could identify all of the aunts and uncles by name ... the cousins - not so much. On Saturday, even though several years had passed, not much had changed ... at least as far as the aunts and uncles went. My memory was rusty, but names and family ties came back to me for the most part after some prompting.
There were several encouraging events on this trip. One of the second-cousins, who was only about 7 the last time I saw her - she's 19 and in college now, was about to embark on a trip with some of her classmates on a missions trip to Switzerland. All but one of her group was at the reunion. The trip is designed to minister to teenagers there, and the group performed a couple of their skits for us. Needless to say, it was very encouraging to see how the Lord has worked (and is working) in this young girl's life. I look forward to hearing how the trip went when she returns.
Of course, the food there was wonderful too - especially the deserts. Homemade pies, homemade fudge, fresh fruit, cakes, pastries, you name it ... it was good. The other thing I realized is that many of the aunts and uncles have huge gardens, so I also have good reason for frequent visits - if for nothing more than to pick up some fresh from the garden produce. Fresh vegetables taste so much better than the canned or frozen stuff you can buy at the store.
My in-laws are currently staying with some family up there, and they volunteered to keep our kids with them so Rose and I could work on unpacking some of the extra stuff they brought out to us. We now have a dining room table again, along with our sofa and some extra bookcases and additional kitchen stuff and the like. On Friday, I purchased a set of loft beds for the kids. These are especially nice given our tighter living quarters as both beds are elevated. This frees up some much needed floor space for the kids to play in their bedroom. We've had to set down some pretty firm rules about the beds to minimize the risk of injury, but I think they will do fine.
Rose's job interview scheduled for last Thursday was postponed until Tuesday. Hopefully everything will go well with that and the follow-up checks will go quickly. We are still waiting for the house to sell. We lowered the price today in the hopes to draw an offer. We know the Lord has the right buyer for the house already picked out, so we will continue to wait patiently for the right time.
I'm still plugging away at my Greek studies. I have a major exam on Wednesday covering a lot of material. Up to now, I've completed 28 credits in this Masters program - and this class by far is the hardest. Studying for this class leaves you feeling like you're recovering from a hangover ... everyday! I'm hanging in there, but it feels like the train is riding on the edge of the track and if I don't keep up with it ... well the whole thing could come undone. I do get a week off from classes next week - so hopefully I can recoup and try to get ahead a bit for the home stretch!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Together - A Tribute to the Vagabond Bride on Her Birthday
Today, June 26, my beautiful bride celebrates her 35th birthday. So I thought it only fitting to pause the Venture and pay tribute to the best friend and partner a poor Vagabond like me could ask for. In case you are not familiar with the story, I first met Rose in the Lottie Nelson Dining Hall at Messiah College. I knew from that moment, if she would ever be willing, that I would marry her. For the next 3 years I did everything I could think of to encourage her to be willing, but she wouldn't even agree to go on a date with me, much less think about marriage. We were friends, yes - even good friends, but to talk about anything beyond that ... the light turned red, the breaks squealed, and the discussion ended ... abruptly. No negotiating, no pleading, just "No."
Finally, in January of 1996, the armour cracked, the defenses faltered, and she agreed that we could be more than just friends. Not wanting to waste anytime, lest she might change her mind - I proposed to her seven weeks later, and we were married that August.
Since then we have lived in: Bridgeport/Clarksburg, West Virginia; Whitehall/Allentown, PA; Mechanicsburg, PA; and now St. Louis, MO. We have served in at least 4 different churches. We have thus far survived the raising of our two (soon to be three) children. We have known financial comfort and strain. We've built relationships and also seen some dwindle due to laxity and distance. We've shared joys and tears, success and failure, happiness and fear.
Through all of the past 13 years, the truly beautiful thing is that we've done all of it together. My bride has been my biggest encourager. At times, she has helped my vision more than LASIK ever could. She makes a perfect compliment for my weak areas. Together, we make it work. Together we have sought the Lord's will for our marriage, our family and our future. In February 2008, when we were deciding whether we should stay in Pennsylvania, or come to St. Louis so I could go to school, she was the one who had the confidence in God's calling on our lives to give the thumbs up on the move. Our time here in St. Louis is not about me going to school; instead, it is about us - training together for the present/future ministry that God calls us to.
So to my bride I say, "Happy Birthday and I love you!" The Venture would not have come this far, nor been this much fun without you. I cherish our past and look forward to our future together.
Finally, in January of 1996, the armour cracked, the defenses faltered, and she agreed that we could be more than just friends. Not wanting to waste anytime, lest she might change her mind - I proposed to her seven weeks later, and we were married that August.
Since then we have lived in: Bridgeport/Clarksburg, West Virginia; Whitehall/Allentown, PA; Mechanicsburg, PA; and now St. Louis, MO. We have served in at least 4 different churches. We have thus far survived the raising of our two (soon to be three) children. We have known financial comfort and strain. We've built relationships and also seen some dwindle due to laxity and distance. We've shared joys and tears, success and failure, happiness and fear.
Through all of the past 13 years, the truly beautiful thing is that we've done all of it together. My bride has been my biggest encourager. At times, she has helped my vision more than LASIK ever could. She makes a perfect compliment for my weak areas. Together, we make it work. Together we have sought the Lord's will for our marriage, our family and our future. In February 2008, when we were deciding whether we should stay in Pennsylvania, or come to St. Louis so I could go to school, she was the one who had the confidence in God's calling on our lives to give the thumbs up on the move. Our time here in St. Louis is not about me going to school; instead, it is about us - training together for the present/future ministry that God calls us to.
So to my bride I say, "Happy Birthday and I love you!" The Venture would not have come this far, nor been this much fun without you. I cherish our past and look forward to our future together.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Hot, Hot, Hot and A Really Nice Neighbor
I feel a little bad for writing this after I jokingly chided a friend for complaining about the HOT and HUMID Missouri summer weather, but this is starting to get ridiculous. In Pennsylvania it is not uncommon to see the occasional 3 day span of weather with temps in the 90s. If I recall correctly, it happened once or twice last summer, but not more than that ... temps in the 80s were the norm. So earlier this week after a few days in the 90s, I expected things to temper off after a day or two - maybe a few days of showers to cool things off, and see the temps drop back into the 80s ... boy did I have that wrong! We've had at least 4 days straight in the 90s, and after watching the local weather report last night, we can expect these temps to last into next week! The lowest "Hi" temp for the next 5 days was predicted to be 93 ... there was no rain at all in the forecast!
If we had moved to Florida, I would expect weather like this in the summer, the comfort being that we would at least be close to the beach. Not so here. The funny thing is that the locals here seem to be proud of the heat - like it is a mid-west badge of honor or something. The only thing I can liken this to is the summers I spent working in the laundry rooms at Messiah College. Spending summer days working in the basement of an old building with five industrial gas powered dryers was enough to squeeze the last drop of sweat out of anyone.
The bright side to the story is that we have a couple of swimming pools to go to here at the apartment complex - so if you are looking for a safe bet to invest some extra cash - I would recommend a popular sunscreen company because we will be buying plenty of it this summer!
On a completely different note, we received a very nice and completely unexpected surprise late the other night. One of our neighbors works for a popular chocolate company (obviously not Hershey's), and she came knocking on our door bringing a "welcome to the neighborhood" gift ... a nice sized box of chocolate covered strawberries! No secret that those are two of my favorite foods ... not to mention how much a certain pregnant woman was loving that gift as well. Needless to say, we have some really cool neighbors here!
If we had moved to Florida, I would expect weather like this in the summer, the comfort being that we would at least be close to the beach. Not so here. The funny thing is that the locals here seem to be proud of the heat - like it is a mid-west badge of honor or something. The only thing I can liken this to is the summers I spent working in the laundry rooms at Messiah College. Spending summer days working in the basement of an old building with five industrial gas powered dryers was enough to squeeze the last drop of sweat out of anyone.
The bright side to the story is that we have a couple of swimming pools to go to here at the apartment complex - so if you are looking for a safe bet to invest some extra cash - I would recommend a popular sunscreen company because we will be buying plenty of it this summer!
On a completely different note, we received a very nice and completely unexpected surprise late the other night. One of our neighbors works for a popular chocolate company (obviously not Hershey's), and she came knocking on our door bringing a "welcome to the neighborhood" gift ... a nice sized box of chocolate covered strawberries! No secret that those are two of my favorite foods ... not to mention how much a certain pregnant woman was loving that gift as well. Needless to say, we have some really cool neighbors here!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Biking: Not What It Used to Be
As a teenager I would bike all over without a problem. To ride 16 - 20 miles at a time was a normal occurrence. Once I got to college, my biking days pretty much came to an end. The problem is that my memory doesn't account for all of those years of inactivity. So this morning when I decided to venture out on a seemingly harmless 10 mile ride, I found myself in for a very rude awakening. Now being in the mid-west I figured that since the terrain is mostly flat, that there really should be no problems. While the "mostly flat" part is true, there are some decent "bumps" that need to be traversed. Add to that my mostly forgotten knowledge of how/when to adjust the gears on the bike, and what you get is a rather poor old guy struggling to get up one bump just so he can coast down the other side. Age has a funny way of catching up to us.
So before I decide to start biking to class (I made it 85% of the way to the seminary before turning back), I will need to do some more practice runs to get my legs back into shape. It will do me absolutely no good to arrive at school ready for a nap! My hope is that come fall, when the temps get out of the 90s and back into something a little more manageable, my legs will be ready for the task at hand. In the meantime, I'm going to get a haircut so I can try to survive the heat.
So before I decide to start biking to class (I made it 85% of the way to the seminary before turning back), I will need to do some more practice runs to get my legs back into shape. It will do me absolutely no good to arrive at school ready for a nap! My hope is that come fall, when the temps get out of the 90s and back into something a little more manageable, my legs will be ready for the task at hand. In the meantime, I'm going to get a haircut so I can try to survive the heat.
Friday, June 19, 2009
A Week of Mixed Feelings
This week has been one of mostly positive happenings. First, Rose has gathered all the information she needed to complete her job application. This is quite a lengthy and thorough affair, but one that she has been through before, so we pretty much knew what to expect. A big "Thank-you" to all of you have helped us compile information and offered to verify the info if necessary. Rose will go in for her interview next week. During the interview they will literally go through her application line by line (the application was about 68 pages when printed out). Your continued prayers that this process goes smoothly will be greatly appreciated.
Second, I am adapting to the on-going mental exertion that learning Greek requires. I have had 3 quizzes so far ... I aced the first two and did okay on third. This Wednesday was our first exam, and I did well - scoring a 94%! That was a huge relief. Our professor is challenging those of us who are doing well in the class to seek out classmates who are struggling and offer to help them study. I really need to do this, but it will be a challenge on several levels ... mostly logistical, but I should make the effort nonetheless.
We took the kids to the swimming pools here on the complex yesterday. The temperature was in the 90s. Unfortunately, our supply of sunscreen ran out after we covered the kids and Rose ... so needless to say I am rather pink today ... except for a rather peculiar "pac-man" shape on my left shoulder that is completely white. Somehow I got some sunscreen there, but I don't have any idea how that happened.
Also on Wednesday I was able to get a chiropractic adjustment. I went in for a follow-up today. Needless to say I really needed that - my back pain, which was nearly constant for a couple of weeks has all but disappeared. I am going to a health center on the campus of a local chiropractic college. They have a program for full-time students where you pay the regular price for the first visit, but each subsequent adjustment is only $7. So I am being seen by one of the senior interns at the college who is supervised by a professor/clinician. This process is comparable to student teaching, except if the student is having problems, the clinician steps in and does the majority of the adjustment. This has been the case for my two visits thus far, but for $7 a visit I can handle the process ... just so long as I can remain pain free.
On the less positive side of things, the church I have been working with is not doing well. There has been some internal strife that really came to a head just before we arrived last month, and it has pretty much decimated the church body. Attendance has dropped by more than half. 3 of the 5 elders have resigned and left the church. The congregation will meet several times in the next month and then take a vote as to what the future of the church will be. This could involve dissolving the church altogether. Please pray for me and the other leaders of the church that we might have wisdom to appropriately minister to the congregation during this time.
Now that my back is feeling better, I am going to venture into trying to ride my bike to the seminary next week as the weather allows. Our temps have been in the 90s the last couple of days and it looks like the trend will continue throughout the summer ... I am told by the locals that this is quite normal.
Thomas and Jayna continue to adapt well to our new living conditions. We have moved their bedtime back by 30-60 minutes. This seems to help them fall asleep quicker and also causes them to sleep a little later in the morning, which is a good thing most days. They continue to make new friends here in the complex. Yesterday at the pools they made a new friend and had a great time playing with him in the water. This boy is about a year and a half older than Thomas, and he has a lot of confidence in the water. This is a great thing because I believe that it will help push Thomas into wanting to improve his swimming abilities.
Thomas has also been practicing the art of jumping off a swing. I can remember doing this growing up. We had a large metal swing set in the backyard, so I had lots of time to practice. Thomas has been competing with some of the neighborhood boys (both of who are older than him) at the playground. So being the good responsible dad that I am - I took some time the other day when we were over they with no other kids around to give him some pointers. I can see the cogs turning in his brain, and I'm sure he will practice and do better as the summer goes on.
Second, I am adapting to the on-going mental exertion that learning Greek requires. I have had 3 quizzes so far ... I aced the first two and did okay on third. This Wednesday was our first exam, and I did well - scoring a 94%! That was a huge relief. Our professor is challenging those of us who are doing well in the class to seek out classmates who are struggling and offer to help them study. I really need to do this, but it will be a challenge on several levels ... mostly logistical, but I should make the effort nonetheless.
We took the kids to the swimming pools here on the complex yesterday. The temperature was in the 90s. Unfortunately, our supply of sunscreen ran out after we covered the kids and Rose ... so needless to say I am rather pink today ... except for a rather peculiar "pac-man" shape on my left shoulder that is completely white. Somehow I got some sunscreen there, but I don't have any idea how that happened.
Also on Wednesday I was able to get a chiropractic adjustment. I went in for a follow-up today. Needless to say I really needed that - my back pain, which was nearly constant for a couple of weeks has all but disappeared. I am going to a health center on the campus of a local chiropractic college. They have a program for full-time students where you pay the regular price for the first visit, but each subsequent adjustment is only $7. So I am being seen by one of the senior interns at the college who is supervised by a professor/clinician. This process is comparable to student teaching, except if the student is having problems, the clinician steps in and does the majority of the adjustment. This has been the case for my two visits thus far, but for $7 a visit I can handle the process ... just so long as I can remain pain free.
On the less positive side of things, the church I have been working with is not doing well. There has been some internal strife that really came to a head just before we arrived last month, and it has pretty much decimated the church body. Attendance has dropped by more than half. 3 of the 5 elders have resigned and left the church. The congregation will meet several times in the next month and then take a vote as to what the future of the church will be. This could involve dissolving the church altogether. Please pray for me and the other leaders of the church that we might have wisdom to appropriately minister to the congregation during this time.
Now that my back is feeling better, I am going to venture into trying to ride my bike to the seminary next week as the weather allows. Our temps have been in the 90s the last couple of days and it looks like the trend will continue throughout the summer ... I am told by the locals that this is quite normal.
Thomas and Jayna continue to adapt well to our new living conditions. We have moved their bedtime back by 30-60 minutes. This seems to help them fall asleep quicker and also causes them to sleep a little later in the morning, which is a good thing most days. They continue to make new friends here in the complex. Yesterday at the pools they made a new friend and had a great time playing with him in the water. This boy is about a year and a half older than Thomas, and he has a lot of confidence in the water. This is a great thing because I believe that it will help push Thomas into wanting to improve his swimming abilities.
Thomas has also been practicing the art of jumping off a swing. I can remember doing this growing up. We had a large metal swing set in the backyard, so I had lots of time to practice. Thomas has been competing with some of the neighborhood boys (both of who are older than him) at the playground. So being the good responsible dad that I am - I took some time the other day when we were over they with no other kids around to give him some pointers. I can see the cogs turning in his brain, and I'm sure he will practice and do better as the summer goes on.
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Vagabond Children
So we've been in the St. Louis area just over a month now, and some observers have asked how the Vagabond children are doing; whether or not they have been banned from any public places yet; what kind of mischief are they getting into, etc?
The truth is that I am amazed at how well they are adapting to these major (and in the case of living quarters) frequent changes. In PA, Thomas and Jayna each had their own bedroom. For the past month they have been sharing a room. Since moving into the apartment, they have been sleeping in their sleeping bags ... kind of like an extended indoor camping trip. While they have their moments of getting on each other's nerves (not to mention their parents!), they play remarkably well with each other.
Here at the apartment complex, we have a nice playground where I take them most afternoon's when the weather cooperates (unlike today). They have found several new playmates there, and the wonderful thing is that their play time has become a truly multi-cultural event. As we have found out, speaking English is not a requirement in playing "tag" or other playground games.
I asked both kids what they thought of our move to St. Louis. Jayna smiled at me and said, "Fun." I asked her to elaborate and she said the she likes having people live under us, and all the "houses" and she likes living in a "new place". She said "It's good living in a new place ... you should move every day when God tells you."
Thomas says that he likes it a little and a little not. He says that he likes meeting new friends and going to the playground almost everyday. He doesn't like living on the top floor of the apartment, because there are some games that he can't play due to the fact that there are people living below us. Thomas also likes the layout of our new kitchen, as now he can reach more things ... including all the ingredients for PB&J sandwiches - which he makes frequently for Jayna and himself. He also says the air conditioning/heating vents sound a little creepy here.
God has truly blessed my family with two wonderful children. Baby #3 is lucky to already have two great older siblings!
The truth is that I am amazed at how well they are adapting to these major (and in the case of living quarters) frequent changes. In PA, Thomas and Jayna each had their own bedroom. For the past month they have been sharing a room. Since moving into the apartment, they have been sleeping in their sleeping bags ... kind of like an extended indoor camping trip. While they have their moments of getting on each other's nerves (not to mention their parents!), they play remarkably well with each other.
Here at the apartment complex, we have a nice playground where I take them most afternoon's when the weather cooperates (unlike today). They have found several new playmates there, and the wonderful thing is that their play time has become a truly multi-cultural event. As we have found out, speaking English is not a requirement in playing "tag" or other playground games.
I asked both kids what they thought of our move to St. Louis. Jayna smiled at me and said, "Fun." I asked her to elaborate and she said the she likes having people live under us, and all the "houses" and she likes living in a "new place". She said "It's good living in a new place ... you should move every day when God tells you."
Thomas says that he likes it a little and a little not. He says that he likes meeting new friends and going to the playground almost everyday. He doesn't like living on the top floor of the apartment, because there are some games that he can't play due to the fact that there are people living below us. Thomas also likes the layout of our new kitchen, as now he can reach more things ... including all the ingredients for PB&J sandwiches - which he makes frequently for Jayna and himself. He also says the air conditioning/heating vents sound a little creepy here.
God has truly blessed my family with two wonderful children. Baby #3 is lucky to already have two great older siblings!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Some (dare I say it) Good News!
Some good news from the Vagabond family:
- Yesterday (Thursday) we were able to get our (BIG) television into the apartment (thanks in large part to a very nice and strong guy named Steve). This means that the kids can stop using my laptop as their source of movie viewing.
- I aced the Greek quiz I took on Wednesday (including the bonus questions) and I'm pretty sure that I aced the one I took today as well. It's easier to keep the grades high than it is to pull them up.
- Rose got a very encouraging call regarding the position she applied for with the government ... we can't say that she has the job, but after we go through some administrative hurdles - it is looking extremely positive! More to come on this end, please keep praying ... If this comes through, it will be a HUGE stress reliever (for me especially).
- I'm really enjoying getting to know my fellow classmates ... I'm excited to see the possibilities that these families bring to the furtherance of the Kingdom of God!
Thanks to all those who have been praying for us! Please keep it going!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Greek - Day One
Okay, I've been out of the "student" mode for a little while, but I didn't know I was this rusty. During my 3 hour Greek class this morning, I started having flashbacks to my first day in college Calculus back at Messiah. That class was one of the main reasons I switched from being a Computer Science major to being a Music Education major.
I was hoping that on the first day, we'd learn the alphabet - spend a while practicing writing the letters and learning their sounds, maybe look at some vocabulary words ... we'll we did all of that in about 25 minutes! Then we moved into different types of nouns - declinations and parsings, articles and the like. Needless to say my head started swimming - I couldn't copy the notes off the board without getting behind. My brain just doesn't process new information the way it used to.
Anyway, I took the kids over to our playground this afternoon and spent an hour or so going over the material, and feel slightly less stressed about the whole thing. It is confusing though ... trying to train your brain to look at a letter that looks like an "n" and know that it's more like an "e"; the "u" is really an "m"; the "w" is an "o" and on it goes. I'll adjust I'm sure, but the statement "It's all Greek to me" makes so much more sense today than it did yesterday.
I was hoping that on the first day, we'd learn the alphabet - spend a while practicing writing the letters and learning their sounds, maybe look at some vocabulary words ... we'll we did all of that in about 25 minutes! Then we moved into different types of nouns - declinations and parsings, articles and the like. Needless to say my head started swimming - I couldn't copy the notes off the board without getting behind. My brain just doesn't process new information the way it used to.
Anyway, I took the kids over to our playground this afternoon and spent an hour or so going over the material, and feel slightly less stressed about the whole thing. It is confusing though ... trying to train your brain to look at a letter that looks like an "n" and know that it's more like an "e"; the "u" is really an "m"; the "w" is an "o" and on it goes. I'll adjust I'm sure, but the statement "It's all Greek to me" makes so much more sense today than it did yesterday.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
A Busy Week
After many small trips with the van, and eventually with the aid of Rose's dad, we were able to get all of our stuff (minus the TV - that will hopefully come next week) moved into the apartment. If you would like our new address, you can either check my Facebook page, or send me an e-mail, or comment on this post and I'll be sure that you get it.
We do not have Internet access at the apartment right now, so my response to anything Internet related will be delayed.
We are still waiting for the house to sell, so your continued prayers for that are certainly appreciated.
I also intend to start biking to class - at least on occasion and as the weather permits. We are only about 5 miles from the seminary now, so I think my old legs should be able to handle it ... so chalk another one up to the Vagabond family's effort to "go green."
We had new student orientation Saturday. I was able to meet several other new students and I'm excited about the new relationships that can be forged here. One thing I noticed is that Rose and I seem to be "in the middle" of the age range. There are many people younger (10 years or so) than us and some (10 years or more) older than us ... but we didn't see too many in the 30 something range. This is not a disappointment, but just an observation.
Saturday, I also had to take a "Bible Content Exam." Now one would probably think that this should be a fairly simple exercise - a formality really. Unfortunately, I am humbled to say that this was anything BUT a formality. I could only remember 8 of the 10 commandments ... it took me almost 20 minutes to remember the 13th disciple/apostle (the one who took the place of Judas - can you name him without looking it up?) ... I don't know that I ever considered how long the Jordan river would be ... the kingdom's listed in Daniel chapters 2 and 7 - plus the evangelical interpretation??? ... the seven churches written to in Revelation (I got four of them). Now I did get a few right as well, but sometimes it takes a test like this to remind one that the Bible is a BIG book loaded with information. It was a wake-up call to my memory functions that I really need to get back into "student" mode again! Your prayers in this area would be greatly appreciated too.
We do not have Internet access at the apartment right now, so my response to anything Internet related will be delayed.
We are still waiting for the house to sell, so your continued prayers for that are certainly appreciated.
I also intend to start biking to class - at least on occasion and as the weather permits. We are only about 5 miles from the seminary now, so I think my old legs should be able to handle it ... so chalk another one up to the Vagabond family's effort to "go green."
We had new student orientation Saturday. I was able to meet several other new students and I'm excited about the new relationships that can be forged here. One thing I noticed is that Rose and I seem to be "in the middle" of the age range. There are many people younger (10 years or so) than us and some (10 years or more) older than us ... but we didn't see too many in the 30 something range. This is not a disappointment, but just an observation.
Saturday, I also had to take a "Bible Content Exam." Now one would probably think that this should be a fairly simple exercise - a formality really. Unfortunately, I am humbled to say that this was anything BUT a formality. I could only remember 8 of the 10 commandments ... it took me almost 20 minutes to remember the 13th disciple/apostle (the one who took the place of Judas - can you name him without looking it up?) ... I don't know that I ever considered how long the Jordan river would be ... the kingdom's listed in Daniel chapters 2 and 7 - plus the evangelical interpretation??? ... the seven churches written to in Revelation (I got four of them). Now I did get a few right as well, but sometimes it takes a test like this to remind one that the Bible is a BIG book loaded with information. It was a wake-up call to my memory functions that I really need to get back into "student" mode again! Your prayers in this area would be greatly appreciated too.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Emotional Highs and Lows
Waiting for things is never easy. I used to think that my tolerance/patience level was pretty good. Today, I'm not so sure. Waiting for the house to sell; Waiting for the right job to come along; Waiting for COBRA information only to find out that continuing benefits will cost over $1200/month; Watching my bank account quickly diminish; Trying to figure out the Missouri DMV requirements for car registrations and drivers licenses; Getting an interview rejecting notice for I job I never interviewed for. Today all of these things tested my patience ... and by and large they won.
The lone bright spot of the day was Rose finally getting a call from the government about a job she applied for back in February. The job itself would be a huge answer to prayer, however there are 50 people in the candidate pool and the posted hours would mean she would have to work every Sunday and never get to go to church.
I have found that faith is easy when you have some semblance of control in your life ... or at least the illusion of control in your life. I'm at a place now where there are so many things completely out of my control (the illusion is gone) that I feel paralyzed to do anything ... except to get on keeping on. When people ask me how I'm doing, my answer is always the same, "Day by day." The ironic (for lack of a better word) thing is that while I'm in the most uncomfortable place in my life, I still believe that I am exactly where the Lord wants me. I'm beginning to understand Paul more on a personal level when he talks about his weakness ...
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. 2 Co 12:9-10)
I don't know that I'm ready to "boast" at this point, but I understand that unless I go through these trials and emotional lows, then I will never be able to minister to anyone else who will be facing them in the future.
Before we left Pennsylvania, our small group was doing a study on Brian Chapell's book Praying Backwards. The crux of the book talks about what it really means to pray "in Jesus name." One thing that it means is that when we pray in Jesus name we are submitting our prayers, requests and desires in such a way as to allow Jesus to conform them to His will. I confess that I've forgotten that the past several days. I've been trying to force God to conform His will to mine ... a sure recipe for a failure. Again, it all comes back to the issue of control and wanting to accomplish things within your own power. Oh there are so many things I have yet to learn, and one is how to be content in my weakness. Only then can I really claim the scripture passage above.
The lone bright spot of the day was Rose finally getting a call from the government about a job she applied for back in February. The job itself would be a huge answer to prayer, however there are 50 people in the candidate pool and the posted hours would mean she would have to work every Sunday and never get to go to church.
I have found that faith is easy when you have some semblance of control in your life ... or at least the illusion of control in your life. I'm at a place now where there are so many things completely out of my control (the illusion is gone) that I feel paralyzed to do anything ... except to get on keeping on. When people ask me how I'm doing, my answer is always the same, "Day by day." The ironic (for lack of a better word) thing is that while I'm in the most uncomfortable place in my life, I still believe that I am exactly where the Lord wants me. I'm beginning to understand Paul more on a personal level when he talks about his weakness ...
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. 2 Co 12:9-10)
I don't know that I'm ready to "boast" at this point, but I understand that unless I go through these trials and emotional lows, then I will never be able to minister to anyone else who will be facing them in the future.
Before we left Pennsylvania, our small group was doing a study on Brian Chapell's book Praying Backwards. The crux of the book talks about what it really means to pray "in Jesus name." One thing that it means is that when we pray in Jesus name we are submitting our prayers, requests and desires in such a way as to allow Jesus to conform them to His will. I confess that I've forgotten that the past several days. I've been trying to force God to conform His will to mine ... a sure recipe for a failure. Again, it all comes back to the issue of control and wanting to accomplish things within your own power. Oh there are so many things I have yet to learn, and one is how to be content in my weakness. Only then can I really claim the scripture passage above.
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