Over the Hump

I'm now done with the first two weeks of class, which in a way means I'm over the hump. I've tended to use the first two weeks of class to settle in, get a feel for my schedule, and make changes if necessary (which always seems to be the case). So now my schedule is firmly set and beyond the point of changing. I think I am generally satisfied with it. Like I said in a previous post, the biggest challenge will be effectively managing my time. I have big gaps of time in my schedule that will make it easy to fall into a false sense of security, so I will have to be diligent about structuring my schedule enough to keep on top of things.

I finally have a car that I can drive on a regular basis, which is a huge sigh of relief. The ability to leave campus and get away from the hustle-and-bustle of campus, plus being able to get to my field ed site without having to rely on another student's generosity is like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I have really appreciated the friends (and really friend) who let me borrow their car so I could get around, but I didn't want to become a burden, so this frees me from having that feeling of being overbearing. It's a '94 Toyota Camry LE, and it drives wonderfully. It's nice having a car with power-everything, cruise control, and cup holders! Sounds so trivial, but I never realized how convenient those amenities can be. Now I just have to get used to not filling my own gas (New Jersey and Oregon are the only two states that don't let you pump your own gas), But I figure I'll take that when I can take advantage of the cheapest gas prices in the country. I guess NJ is not all that bad.

In terms of vocation, I feel that I'm getting close to knowing what direction to go. I feel that I'm getting a solid sense of where God wants me to be, and what capacity I should have in serving the church. I don't think it's going to change too much in what I am currently doing, but there are probably going to be changes. I'm keeping it vague until I feel confident about making those changes, so I apologize for my somewhat cryptic or uninformative statements. I'll let everyone know what's going on when the time is right.

Until then, I'm going to keep chugging along. I give my first sermon in class on Thursday of next week for my preaching class, so it will be exciting to get that critical feedback to know how I can improve. And of course, the thesis continues to eat away at my time, but I'm feeling better about the progress I'm making in research, and hopefully I'll be able to start writing something more substantive than notes in the near future. So it keeps rolling along, and I'm just trying to enjoy the ride while I can.