Potpourri: Shortchanged

Each of these deserve a blog post, and I’ve been trying to assemble them in my head, but it’s just not happening. So, rather than not post at all, here are some highlights.

1. Went camping in Big Sur last weekend with Lovey. We had a great time talking, talking, talking, praying and talking some more. We stopped in Point Lobos where I saw my first wild otter and first baby sea gulls.
   
   We camped, biked and hiked through Pfeiffer State Park. We endured a Family Army camped all around us: they chatted until late at night and rose early to play badminton in the road in front of our site.
2. Having been trained in the Jrex School for Solitude and Silence, this was not the sort of camping I’d expected. I guess I’d forgotten all the camping vacations from my childhood—in state parks that were JUST as crowded.
3. In our prayer time Sunday morning, Lovey prayed about me and James staying ready, even if the dreams are fulfilled when we’re old. (i.e. dreams of starting an orphanage/medical center in a foreign country). That confirms two other times when people have prayed for me about those dreams and had the impression it wouldn’t happen ‘til we’re old.
4. I was reminded of the Lord’s nudging in recent weeks to give him my dreams for my “A” life and even my version of the “B” life. To yield all that to him and find out what he’s dreaming for us. To obey that nudge, I downloaded a book that’s kicking my butt, “Plan B: What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought he would?”
   Here’s a link to a video summary of the book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m3UE6JKNPQOMHK
5. My Dad and sister loaded up a semi with all his stuff (including his 18-year old Saab) this past weekend. He’s moving to Seattle as we speak!
6. Jrex was cc’d on three email forwards where the person he’d contacted said, “This guy sounds great, let’s set up a time to talk to him.” Those three are Vanderbilt (Nashville), Thomas Jefferson (Philly) and Southwestern (Dallas). He also got a call from Portland and they asked him to set up a time to come up for a 2-day interview. (Yeah!)
7. He hasn’t even sent out all his letters yet! He’s trying to research each program to have a pertinent paragraph at the end about what they do and how that ties in with his skills. At this point, I’m telling him to go generic and get them all out. He could get offers before he emails final inquiry. (ok, ok, that’s just me being melodramatic, it will all still take awhile)
8. In a reminder that we aren’t in control of our futures (see Plan B book), right after his call with Portland, he had a meeting with his advisor. Nice Egomaniac informed Jrex that Jrex’s salary may not extend past December. Jrex has been telling the jobs he’s hoping to start in the spring or summer (it takes a while for the University to set up a funding package). He was really hoping to use this year to get some good data so he can get grant money. Now the future is all even freakier.
   
   
   
9. Not our will, but yours be done, Lord. Your timing. Your wisdom. Your guidance. (repeat until it sinks in!)