Ah, life. It's good these days, just a little on the busy side.
On Saturday my son got to take his first SAT. So, I got to do the drop and pick thing, and in between do a 4 corner brake job on the chief vehicle. Changed out all 4 within the 5 hour window, and managed to catch Kuznetsova beating Sharapova too. (Eased the pain a little bit of having had to watch Kuznetsova take out Hingis, knowing that she went on to beat everyone else, too.) The brake job eliminated 85% of my wierd noises. The car still emits some unpleasant sounds from the front right corner, and from the nut behind the wheel when the radio is on.
On Monday, I got to start the day by having the selfsame son at the airport by 6:30 so he could check out St John's College in New Mexico. That is the ex's choice. I would vastly prefer him to be at Hillsdale. Hillsdale is highly conservative, 50% Christian student ratio, $25k per year with room and board, and a tremendous classics program. They have majors in Latin (Keith has taken 5 years already) and Greek. We'll see how it turns out.
Upshot, I was up early every morning this week. Coupled with the mandatory late nights, and the time shift, I'm about useless for blogging.
Oh yeah, and I got my new toy. I'm telling you, kids don't know how to get excited about toys. They need to watch a 40 year old man giggle at a UPS box to understand excitement. I bought a tennis ball launcher. 33 years I've been at this game, and I finally broke down and did it. I've been out with it 4 times so far, and I'm still giggling. I am delighted to find that it cannot hit a ball so fast I cannot hit it back, but that it can hit a ball so fast that I can only control 1 of 5 returns. It can flat over-power me. Cool! I have even learned something new playing it. Just tonight I was working my backhand against low, fast, and away balls and noticed that if I picked a contact point on the ball the same way I would in billiards, I was able to control the ball much better. I had never made that connection before. Yeah, I'm jazzed.
OK, now. I promised an equivocation, a wavering, a repentance actually. I must back off from this statement from M & C - 4:
FWIW, this M & C - 4 is not about dreaming up castles in the sky, or a holy wish list. What I describe here I will either find somewhere or I will try to build it.
That little bit of locker room bravado just isn't true, so I figured I'd just admit it and get it over with.
I'm a little frustrated with the pastor of the church I currently attend. I have placed 4 ideas in front of him, expecting them all to be rejected. I was shocked when he rejected none of them. 4, I realize, is a huge number of ideas to throw at a pastor in only 7 or 8 months, so for him to start looking a little askance at me would have been completely understandable. That's not what happened, though. He ate my ideas up like candy, and said they would happen.
So far, he is 0 for 4.
I am not a naturally patient person, so for me to be a little anxious to get things rolling is not out of the ordinary, and for a pastor with a 12 month plan not to have implemented the plans of a frequent visitor is hardly rare. All in all, everything is still good, and I am a little frustrated. In other words, situation normal.
The point is that my bit of bravado says that I will either put my shoulder to this church, or drop out and start trying to make a church on my own. While either of those things might be natural for me in my fallen state, the Spirit seems to be more interested in watching me just fellowship and help out a little in this sweet little church that I am enjoying so much.
It's hardly a hardship. :-)
Must remember not to say things I have to munch on later.
May the Lord bless!
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17 comments:
The car still emits some unpleasant sounds from the front right corner, and from the nut behind the wheel when the radio is on.
I have that same problem, does it get your kids to scream?
I'd love to send my son to MIT for his college.
They need to watch a 40 year old man giggle,
I work in a home improvement store, you boys and your toys.
One thing that I have leared in my walk with the Lord is: Not in my time His. You may be learning a lesson some where. I know I've had a few learned. I always picture God standing with his arms folded smiling at me, shaking His head, with a, I was just waiting for you to figure it out, look.
I'm glad you got a new toy to play with. You work hard so play hard.
I know that some day my kids will leave. (cause if they don't they will be paying rent) It will be so hard.
This up coming mission trip already has me about to cry.
We are Blessed to have our kidos!
It seems to me that you are looking for a few kindred spirits with whom you can share equal zeal for the Lord. You have have a past similar to mine. So I know the intense longing you feel. I long for the way things were when everyone was fired up and equally committed to the Lord. But I have come to realize a coupla things. First, my life situation has changed. 16 years ago I was rooming with 6 brothers, and 5 more across the street. It was fantastic.
But now, most of those brothers, thankfully including myself, have off and got married and have kids. Even if the zeal were the same, the ability to go "into all the world" at the level we used to would simply not be possible without sacrificing family, (And possibly maturity on my part).
(1 Cor. 7:32-34, I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord. [33] But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife-- [34] and his interests are divided.)
The passage works even in your situation simply because you have children whose needs must be met. And your the dude to meet them.
The second thing I have learned is that, even if my time is now divided, I should never settle for having less zeal than I had in my single days.
My goal for this year is to find a group of brothers who will "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep (thier) spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." (Romans 12:11)
I know that even if the time is not there, I can still be sharing in the Spiritual act of worship with brothers who want to be perfected in Christ and want to perfect others.
Hillsdale! I have several friends who have children that have been there. We tried to get my stepsons there but they weren't up for winters in Michigan.
Having lived in Albuquerque for many years, I can tell you that these two schools are dramatically different. Of course you probably already know that! I wonder what he wants as you said your choice and her choice but did not mention what he wanted.
This post is proof positive that tennis is good for the soul. You are sounding sane and happier!
Excuse formatting problems. I am on the phone at swim lessons trying to kill some time!
That was me. It wouldn't let me post with my blogger account!
Thanks, Milly,
Not in my time His. You may be learning a lesson some where.
I'm sure I am. I don't even need to know where or when. Really, I am happy with what the Lord is doing, and happy with what He has me doing. I am just trying to speed things up. Praise the Lord that He is not in the hurry that I am!
This up coming mission trip already has me about to cry.
For every reason, I'm sure. The separation, the growth, the delight that your boy wants to serve others. Praise the Lord, and hang tough. I can promise that they are happy to get home when these things are over, and that's a pretty cool feeling.
... because you have children whose needs must be met. And your the dude to meet them.
I agree whole-heartedly, but that's a part of the problem. The children have reached the age that one really wants nothing from me, and the other not much. I'm still here, and I'm still serving, but my time is freeing up.
My goal for this year is to find a group of brothers who will "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep (thier) spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."
That's great, Danny. I think I need to spend some labor in that direction, too.
Andreia!
Excuse formatting problems. I am on the phone at swim lessons trying to kill some time!
Wow! I have done that phone browsing, and you have my respect. I don't know whether I could be bored enough to try it again. :-)
I wonder what he wants as you said your choice and her choice but did not mention what he wanted.
Great question.
It's a tough one!
He wants to go to school for free. He wants to get out of school without debt. So, he wants to go locally to Ohio State University.
Problems:
1) OSU gives $0 in aid.
2) I have no roots in this town. It is nearly a lead-pipe cinch that I will be moving away somewhere, and that my ex will be moving to Atlanta. So, the money he wants to save by living at home will probably not happen. Hence, the price of OSU goes from $8000 to $16000.
3) The education at OSU is way below his abilities. The kid is really smart, and wants to major in the humanities - Latin specifically. He wants a school with a 4 year Latin program and an environmental science department. Hillsdale does those things. St Johns is a unique thing with there 100% classical curriculum, but they only do 2 years of Latin. OSU probably does Latin, but do they do it well enough to justify the $16k? I doubt it.
In the end, it will be his choice. If I had to lay money on the final decision: Some place none of us has ever heard of offers him a free ride and he takes it. I will still put Hillsdale in front of him, because it seems like a really special place.
Being a dropout from a junior college myself, this is about the only place that might really make me jealous. Seriously, Milly, I love engineering and wanted to be a theoretical physicist, but I don't think I would be jealous of MIT. It sounds like a bit too much to me.
Codepoke,
I have moved from swimming to soccer. Why do we do this to ourselves?
As I was reading this I thought codepoke should go back to school with his son.
My friends that have kids at hillsdale love it. Did you know they give parents business cards because they figure they are the best recruiters. Too cool!
Okay my bbery is smokin and we are all finally done! Yea!
I agree whole-heartedly, but that's a part of the problem. The children have reached the age that one really wants nothing from me, and the other not much. I'm still here, and I'm still serving, but my time is freeing up.
Hey!
You are the daddy! They need you to be a stable dad. You are. Knowing that when you are going to be there when needed is huge. I called my dad when I need help with cars and money. He always came and still would. You just being a part of their lives right now is huge.
I guess we all go through the empty nest thing. Not look forward to that. (Most days)
Know that the fact that you answer the phone for a dead battery is a lot of love to give. I honestly think she is trying to figure out growing up.
As I was reading this I thought codepoke should go back to school with his son
Kindest thing anyone's said to me in a while. :-D Of course, I think Hillsdale would frown on the primary wage earner dropping back into college at just that moment, but it's a fun thought.
my bbery is smokin
The Crackberry is an evil thing. I just can't resist it, though!
Milly,
Hey!
Hey! back at'cha!
I said I was still here, and I meant it. :-)
Just trying to figure out what life should look like.
The little bugger is a genius.
Within a few hours of arriving at St John's, he had decided he was not going to go there, because the education was too impractical. By midday the next day, he had changed his mind. He realized that studying the best minds humanity had ever known was a mind-expanding thing, and that it was probably more valuable in life than studying a career-type subject.
I could not have been happier than to hear the way he thought through that stuff. Very cool.
He wants to visit Hillsdale, too, so I am a happy camper. I would not be unhappy about him attending SJ, if I can pull off the extra money, and if it makes him happy. I would just be happier if everything went according to my plan!
There ya go planning again. Heh. I'd love to see my boy at MIT or TU. MIT means travel and both are money. I think he will look at Christian Schools pretty hard.
I've explained the reason to keep working hard so that he can have some credits under his belt before he starts college. He likes that idea.
I hope all turns out the way you want it.
Okay, no crackberry comments. The remark was not fair. : ) The fact that I have spent 2 hrs this morning trying to get RSS feeds on it (instead of doing taxes) has more to do with hating idle time than with my phone being addicting. uuuhhmmmm. yeah. that's it.
Glad to hear he's finding his way. Santa Fe is a wonderful place full of interesting and unique people!
Hmmm. Tomorrow I hope to talk a little more about the CrackBerry, but it will not be because of this conversation. Please forgive :-)
---
Tonight was drain snake night. Son-child comes out of the bathroom, where he has evidently been bailing out the tub. Good father that I am, I show him how to fix it, but I'm the one doing the snaking.
Well, I got half of it.
Tomorrow he has his instructions, tools, and 8 hours of free time.
Wish us both luck. {:-D
Hopefully, this weekend I won't be pulling the basement ceiling down to cut up the plumbing and unstick the snake.
Codepoke,
I hope all went well with the plumbing. I have a great respect for it. I've been without before.
My son wants to be a rocket scientist or something in that field. He loves science and eats up how things work and how it's made.
The thing about Tulsa University is that if you work for them even cleaning toilets your family goes free.
I may be looking for a job.If it's still like that. He could at least get the basics out of the way before moving on.
My son wants to be a rocket scientist or something
I don't think it's a secret that DugALug is in such a field. He may have thoughts.
I hope all went well with the plumbing.
The shower worked perfectly this morning, so we are not going to fix what ain't broke.
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