Today I cleared the second-to-last hurdle before I can be ordained. WooHoo!
This morning I had "Final Assessment" with the Committee for Preparation for Ministry. If I passed (and, obviously, I did), then I would be approved to be examined on the floor of Presbytery. That examination would be the last hurdle I have to clear before I can be ordained, which will happen at the end of February. The end is in sight!
How did it go? It was absolutely one of the worst experiences of my life. So far, my meetings with the CPM had been fairly non-traumatic. This meeting, however, was everything I dreaded and feared in these meetings. No matter what I said or did, it was the wrong thing to say or do. There was absolutely no pleasing these people. Of course, they did approve me to be examined and to receive a call (which I already have, which is why I'm in Alaska), so I guess I did something right. I'm not going to go into details on the experience. Since I passed, I don't need to belabor it any more. I did that most all day today. It's probably time to let it go.
So now I turn my attention to helping my wife and son adapt to life in Alaska. We fly back on Monday. Additionally, I will being preparing for being examined at Presbytery at the end of the month. With some tweaking of my statement of faith, I should be able to avoid some of the annoyances of today. I won't be able to avoid everything, but I should be able to smooth out some rough spots. And, I don't think I'll have as hard of a time in Alaska as I did down here.
It's supposed to snow in Anchorage at the end of next week. That'll be nice.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Ok, So Maybe I'm Wrong... but I'm still not convinced
The latest issue of Mobile PC has an article comparing driving drunk to driving while talking on a cell phone. The gist of it is that it's better to drive drunk than to talk on a cell phone (hands-free or not) while driving.
So maybe talking on a cell phone while driving is a bit more distracting than I tend to think. But I'm still not fully convinced.
So maybe talking on a cell phone while driving is a bit more distracting than I tend to think. But I'm still not fully convinced.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Cell Phone Idiocy
Allow me to qualify this post with a disclaimer: There are a lot of stupid people who do stupid things when driving and talking on a cell phone, and those people shouldn't be allowed to drive (or breed, probably). Heck, they shouldn't be allowed to walk and chew gum at the same time, either.
That being said, I am absolutely against any type of legislation that makes it illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving (hands-free device or not). I heard a morning DJ ranting about this and how cell phones should be banned in cars, yada, yada, yada. I must confess, it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Why do they want to ban cell phones? Because it's a distraction. That's true. But unless you are playing a game or trying to write a text message on your cell while driving, is it really any more distracting than having a conversation with a passenger in the car, changing the radio station, or changing CDs? Nope.
So I say, fine, ban cell phones from cars. Just be sure to be consistent about it and ban conversations, changing radio stations, CDs or anything else that might be distracting. Heck, let's just make it easier and ban people from cars altogether. That should solve the problem - along with a lot of others as well.
That being said, I am absolutely against any type of legislation that makes it illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving (hands-free device or not). I heard a morning DJ ranting about this and how cell phones should be banned in cars, yada, yada, yada. I must confess, it's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Why do they want to ban cell phones? Because it's a distraction. That's true. But unless you are playing a game or trying to write a text message on your cell while driving, is it really any more distracting than having a conversation with a passenger in the car, changing the radio station, or changing CDs? Nope.
So I say, fine, ban cell phones from cars. Just be sure to be consistent about it and ban conversations, changing radio stations, CDs or anything else that might be distracting. Heck, let's just make it easier and ban people from cars altogether. That should solve the problem - along with a lot of others as well.
Alpenglow
Ok, while not technically fitting the actual definition of alpenglow, the mountains last night and this morning were simply incredible. There was a full moon that cast this stunning, luminescent sheen on the snow. I'm pretty sure I've never seen anything like it, and guarantee I never saw anything like it in Florida. The mountains never look the same two days in a row.
Just about everywhere we've travelled, folks have said something to the effect of, "if you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes and it'll change." I've heard this in Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, Alaska, and a few other places. And everyone says it as if theirs is the only place with that characteristic. I've come to the conclusion that everyone is lying. With the exception of transitional places (like where the mountains and plains meet), I just don't think it's true.
However, I can genuinely say that every day here in Anchorage is different and unique. The temperature, the weather, the mountains, the Inlet - each day is different than the one before. Compare that to Florida where, with the exceptions of hurricanes, the summer forecast is 98 degrees with thunderstorms at 3 PM, and the winter forecast is 75 degrees and sunny. Every. Day.
Many people say that Florida and other tropical destinations are paradise. If that's the case, then this is heaven.
Just about everywhere we've travelled, folks have said something to the effect of, "if you don't like the weather, just wait ten minutes and it'll change." I've heard this in Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, Alaska, and a few other places. And everyone says it as if theirs is the only place with that characteristic. I've come to the conclusion that everyone is lying. With the exception of transitional places (like where the mountains and plains meet), I just don't think it's true.
However, I can genuinely say that every day here in Anchorage is different and unique. The temperature, the weather, the mountains, the Inlet - each day is different than the one before. Compare that to Florida where, with the exceptions of hurricanes, the summer forecast is 98 degrees with thunderstorms at 3 PM, and the winter forecast is 75 degrees and sunny. Every. Day.
Many people say that Florida and other tropical destinations are paradise. If that's the case, then this is heaven.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
So...This is Alaska...
If there was any question in my mind before, there is absolutely no doubt now. This is Alaska. Yesterday the temperature never rose above 0 degrees farenheit, and today it snowed all day long. It is simply amazing. Each day I am overwhelmed by the wonder and beauty of this small portion of this magnificent state. I look forward to seeing more of Alaska in the coming months and years...and even more, I look forward to sharing this incredible place with my wife and son after they arrive.
Some news reached my ears from Florida today: One of the pastors at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oviedo, FL (which meets at Reformed Theological Seminary, from which I graduated) died while preaching Sunday. Coincidentally, he was preaching on heaven and had just said "When I get to heaven..." You can read the news article about it here.
I also learned that one of my former professors, Dr. Ron Nash recently suffered a major stroke. I do not know the status of his condition, so please keep him and his family in your prayers.
It has been a busy week of learning names and how things work around the church. Trinity has an incredible spirit about it, and there is definitely a sense of excitement with the new pastoral staff coming on board. The new senior pastor, Rev. Tom Letts, and his family arrive later next week. I'm looking forward to meeting him and partnering with him and the church in ministering to Anchorage.
Some news reached my ears from Florida today: One of the pastors at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oviedo, FL (which meets at Reformed Theological Seminary, from which I graduated) died while preaching Sunday. Coincidentally, he was preaching on heaven and had just said "When I get to heaven..." You can read the news article about it here.
I also learned that one of my former professors, Dr. Ron Nash recently suffered a major stroke. I do not know the status of his condition, so please keep him and his family in your prayers.
It has been a busy week of learning names and how things work around the church. Trinity has an incredible spirit about it, and there is definitely a sense of excitement with the new pastoral staff coming on board. The new senior pastor, Rev. Tom Letts, and his family arrive later next week. I'm looking forward to meeting him and partnering with him and the church in ministering to Anchorage.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Friday, January 07, 2005
The Illusion of Control
As of yesterday at 3PM ET, everything in my life that is precious to me is now in someone else's hands (from my deep, emotional side: my wife and son; from my shallow, materialistic side: my cars and every single thing we own) with the exception of very little (from my deep, emotional side: my cat; from my shallow, materialistic side: my laptop, pocket pc and some clothes). I didn't realize how much I didn't like that idea until I watched the movers drive away. Saying goodbye to my wife and son this morning just hammered it home.
I think the incredible natural disasters of the past six months, combined with the war in Iraq and the like, has made it pretty clear that there is very little that anyone actually has any control over. I don't think that people actually desire to be in control, although we phrase it that way. What we want, really, is the illusion that we have some modicum of control over our lives. Cognitively, I know I have no control over my life. You go through four hurricanes in 6 weeks and try and tell me you have control over your life. However, my heart still wants to think that it has control over my life, no matter how small, no matter how much of a delusion that might be.
Perhaps that's why I haven't been sleeping so well lately. There is a dissonance between my head and my heart, and my heart doesn't like it. However hard it might try to cling to the illusion of control, right now it just isn't possible.
So, I find myself leaning on the Lord in a way that I haven't for a very long time.
I think my heart would find that comforting if it would stop being such a control-freak for a moment. But that would mean letting go of the illusion of control.
Ah, nothing like a nice catch-22 to give a fellow a headache.
I think the incredible natural disasters of the past six months, combined with the war in Iraq and the like, has made it pretty clear that there is very little that anyone actually has any control over. I don't think that people actually desire to be in control, although we phrase it that way. What we want, really, is the illusion that we have some modicum of control over our lives. Cognitively, I know I have no control over my life. You go through four hurricanes in 6 weeks and try and tell me you have control over your life. However, my heart still wants to think that it has control over my life, no matter how small, no matter how much of a delusion that might be.
Perhaps that's why I haven't been sleeping so well lately. There is a dissonance between my head and my heart, and my heart doesn't like it. However hard it might try to cling to the illusion of control, right now it just isn't possible.
So, I find myself leaning on the Lord in a way that I haven't for a very long time.
I think my heart would find that comforting if it would stop being such a control-freak for a moment. But that would mean letting go of the illusion of control.
Ah, nothing like a nice catch-22 to give a fellow a headache.
Still not yet, but almost!
I'm still not writing from Alaska, but nearly so. Right now I'm hanging out in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for a couple of hours. Thank goodness I don't have to go through that Orlando-Seattle leg again. 5 1/2 hours in the same seat with no legroom just isn't exactly my idea of fun.
I'd probably be more excited about this trip if I had gotten more than 4 hours of sleep last night, and more than 5 the night before. It's odd, insomnia has never really been a problem for me before, but sleep just didn't want to happen the last few nights. Hopefully things will be better tonight, considering that I'll be dealing with approximately a 28 hour day.
Doesn't that just sound like fun?
I'd probably be more excited about this trip if I had gotten more than 4 hours of sleep last night, and more than 5 the night before. It's odd, insomnia has never really been a problem for me before, but sleep just didn't want to happen the last few nights. Hopefully things will be better tonight, considering that I'll be dealing with approximately a 28 hour day.
Doesn't that just sound like fun?
Monday, January 03, 2005
Well, not yet anyway...
For now, it still 'From Florida, with love.' But only for a few more days. The move and transition begin later this week.
This is my entry into the world of blogging, bringing my family with me. What can you expect to find here? Various ruminations on living in Alaska, following Christ, ministry, the Church (big 'c' means universal) and the church (little 'c' meaning demonination or local, context should make it clear...emphasis on 'should') as well as life in general.
How often will it be updated? Whenever the mood strikes me and the time is available.
Enjoy!
This is my entry into the world of blogging, bringing my family with me. What can you expect to find here? Various ruminations on living in Alaska, following Christ, ministry, the Church (big 'c' means universal) and the church (little 'c' meaning demonination or local, context should make it clear...emphasis on 'should') as well as life in general.
How often will it be updated? Whenever the mood strikes me and the time is available.
Enjoy!
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