Good news. I’ve got some idea what things are going to cost for my and it looks like it is going to be less than I thought.

Good news. I think I have enough funds to pay for the the repairs.

Good news. I’ve been graced by others providing me rides and I have my dad’s car till next Tuesday.

Good news. I found out work will keep me on till March at least. Still waiting to hear if I got permanent spot.

Good news. Although physical intimacy has abounded with my lady, we’ve had a good talk about curtailing things. It’s all about self-control for future grace.

Good news. The New Testament Survey class I am teaching at church is going well and I’ve heard good feedback.

Good news. I’ve finally got into Radiohead (The Bends and OK Computer) and they are dynamite. Can’t wait for more.

Good news. Kalila likes Seinfeld. I repeat, Kalila likes Seinfeld. Very good news.

Good news. I’m getting married in 7 months. Excellent news.

Feel like I can’t get out of it. Let the holiday squeezing begin. Just when I think things were getting easier in my life. Crash. Literally. I am beside myself with anxiety. The damage on my car will probably exceed $800 and all I can do is rehearse the incident over and over again in my head. Why did I overcorrect? If I hadn’t, my steering would be fine. Damn. And to top it off, I don’t know if I will have a job in two weeks. I almost cried when I found out what is exactly wrong. All I can think of is William Cowper’s hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way”:

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs,
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

God, thank you for William Cowper. I feel incredibly hopeless but all I have is future grace. Satisfy me not with the things of this world. Capture me by the beauty of your infinite glory. Suck me in. Absorb me. I am staring at the cloud and I can’t wait to see your grinning face.

Not fun. I was on my way to work yesterday, driving from New Hampshire to Massachusetts, and before I even got out of Manchester I went of the road and hit a guard rail. The aesthetic damage to my car is virtually harmless, but I think I bend the ty-rod (if that’s how you spell it) on the front end. Botton line is that one tire points out a little while the other is straight. Work was very understanding when I called and told me to worry about the car, not getting to work. So I am stranded in NH and am trying to finish up one of my classes. It was great not to have to work yesterday, and I got to spend the evening with my lady, but it was not the reason I was looking for to do so. On top of that, I didn’t get a call today about the car and I have to work tomorrow. Not fun.

Weekend in Philly continued. A few additional tid-bits. First, the Pastors College question. The current stream of ministry leaders for Sovereign Grace almost indefinitely flows through the Pastors College (PC). Danny’s big question which he has had for a while is, “Do I have to go to the PC if I want to be a part of SGM in the future?” Danny, age 41, has had sufficient training and has pastoral experience. The indirect answer to his question is yes. But, it is not a matter of education as it is a matter of connection. The PC is right on the campus of the SGM mother church Covenant Life in Gaithersburg, MD. You get taught by Jeff Purswell, the Dean of the PC, along with an eclectic group of other insructors that will come in and do weeklong seminars. This may include Jerry Bridges, Al Mohler, Mark Dever, and John Piper depending on their availability and the PC’s budget. There are probably about 15-20 students in the PC each year and the instruction lasts for about 9 months. This instructional time is supplemented with a year’s internship at some of the bigger SGM churches. From there, the leadership team will decide how best to plug PC grads into ministry. Which comes back to my first statement about the PC. I should say that the stream flows through the SGM leadership team and the PC is how people connect with the leadership team. So for Danny, he would have to uproot his wife and two little girls to go down to the SGM Mecca so he can “get connected” to the movement. Second, at a Q&A on Saturday, some one asked the question about foreign missions. Not a good idea. SGM really has not branched out too much for overseas training or church planting. So if you want to go overseas and teach or pastor, they would filter you through the PC, test in you ministry in the US, and then maybe send you out (but probably not). SGM is relatively small and young, so I don’t expect them to have it all figured out, but CJ (the leader of SGM) is very good friends with Piper. And Piper can’t speak or write one paragraph without mentioning the nations and missions. Thus you would think they would let us know what is in the hopper for this as a movement. Third, and lastly, I talked to Jeff Purswell (who is the theologian and scholar of SGM, hands down) and asked them how they would deal with a rogue as myself that is willing to go where I think Scripture is leader me theologically. His response was informing and gracious. He just encouraged me to stay rooted in all the theological disciplines (biblical theology, systematic theology, and historical theology) to provide a balance that would safeguard me againt straying too far in one direction. He used D.A. Carson as an example, which was very suitable. He also said that when I come back from Australia in 3 years after doing Ph.D. work, he wouldn’t drill me about where I am on every issue, but would take things case by case. So it still leaves me wondering how things are going to work out in the future. To quote my friend Forest Gump, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

Wedding Stuff. I was having some hang time with my friends Josh Otte and John Borquist at the Wild Horse Cafe (wildhorsecafe.com) in Beverly on Wednesday. I swear I had one of the best brews I’ve every had, Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale. They serve it in a Goblet. Sweet beer. I’m going there tonight to have one with my friend Price. Anyhow, so we are talking about my wedding date and all and John pipe’s up. He says, “Perfect, that’s perfect. My friend from Virginia and I are starting a film company and we need to do a wedding sample. We can video your wedding for free.” Then he goes on to say that it will be a sample of a $3000 package. I was all over it. I called Kalila right there and told her a little about John and his offer and she gave me the OK. And on top of that, I had been thinking about the White Horse as a good candidate for the rehearsal dinner. I looked around on Wednesday and I thought it would be perfect. I took a few pictures on the old phone camera and showed Kalila last night. I told her at all costs I want to do it there. It is perfect. It’s a little rustic, but tasteful, and classy. It’s gonna rock.