After my last post I received quite a nice compliment for my blog. Now that I know that someone, whose job isn't to like my blog, actually thinks that my blog is awesome, I hope that I don't develop any performance anxiety...
Anyway, that also let me know that my core readership is now up to a whopping total of five. I actually only know four of those people in real life. My fifth reader is actually some person in Russia who checks my blog almost everyday. In terms of page views Russia constitutes my second largest readership behind the United States. здороваться! Приветствую Владимиру Путину нашего Господа и Спасителя! Мой он вести Россию-матушку в славное возрасте богатства и процветания, как он едет верхом без рубашки. Хахаха шучу, но я надеюсь, что Олимпийские игры идут хорошо на Soxhi. США США!
January in Review
Before we get too deep into February I figured I would write about what happened to me in the past month. A lot happened in January: I moved, a new semester started, and I experienced an interesting string of events. These events taken individually will seem small, but taken together and given their proximity to one another they seemed quite providential. Now, I'm not saying they were miracles...
But, they were providential nonetheless, and hopefully you didn't actually watch that video. Also, I think that our reluctance to call something a miracle is simply a product of our modernist bias against the supernatural as well as not wanting to be branded as one of those people who calls even the most trivial things a miracle. That is another blog for another day.
The first event in the line of providence occurred shortly after I moved out the snuff film set that my landlord called an apartment. I left that place for four reasons: it was a piece of crap, the particular odor of marijuana emanating from my neighbors apartment, I found out that the building manager is an alcoholic has a history of assaulting tenets, and I found out that one of the dorms at TEDS is cheaper and less of a hassle. So I thought.
While it is cheaper it did not turn out to be devoid of issues. When the first polar vortex of this year made its way down to the Chicago area to chill out the pipes in the dorm froze. Then when the thermometer rose to a balmy 15 F outside the water came pouring out of the ceiling. Only two occupied rooms were affected by the deluge. Guess who was living in one of those rooms, - that's right Mung. Guess who was living in the other one - that's right me.
Some of my things were damaged such as my mattress, my phone charger, and, most tragically, my complete set of Barth's Church Dogmatics. However, the school has been cooperative and is replacing my damage goods. Also, the school moved me into a bigger and nicer dorm room, which is about $1000/a semester more than what my first dorm room cost, for no extra charge. My new place is set up like a three bedroom apartment with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. I share all this with two other people.
Speaking of roommates their names are Mung and Danny. Mung is a Phd candidate from Burma who is working on the final stage of his dissertation, and Danny is an M. Div candidate in his last semester. Danny is also body builder and a jazz musician.
Doctorate. Body building. Jazz.
Mind. Body. Soul.
At least I'm a whole person when it comes to my image issues now.
Later that week I went to get my oil changed and my tires rotated at Merlin, it's kind of like a slightly less shady Jiffy Lube. Only go there because an oil change is only $19 before 10 AM. After they changed my oil and rotated my tires they tried to sell me on a whole package of good that would be necessary because my car has a whooping 24k miles on it, also my air filter was "dirty." I know that the air filter is the oldest trick in the book, but I figured it would be worth the $10 to get them off my junk. Well, they no sooner swapped out my air filter, and undoubtedly laughed it up, when a transformer down the street blew. This meant they were unable to open the giant bay doors to get my car out. After making me sit for a half hour they finally decided to open the bay doors manually. The manager then told me that everything was on them because they had made me wait. That and the registers didn't have any power, but I'm sure it was because he felt bad for making me wait.
Then the day before the second polar vortex came calling I hit a pot hole on my way back to school from Beth's house. It was also late at night and frigid. Since my wheel wasn't ripped off the axle I didn't think anything of it, but as I was about halfway to Deerfield I heard a thumping sound and noticed that my car was tilting. So, I pulled into the parking lot of a shopping center. My tire was completely shot.
I had never changed a tire before. My parents are night owls so I gave my mom a call so that I could talk to my dad, and get some pointers. After I got off the phone with him, I consulted the manual and got to work. I was having a slow go with and I screwed up the jack placement which added body panel damage to my car's woes. A man in pickup truck with a plow on it pulled up next to me. The man rolled down his window and asked, "You okay there?"
"No, my tires flat."
"Ha! I don't have time for that, I have to clear of this lot."
After that beloved child of God apologetically told me that he couldn't help, I got back to work. Then another snow removal guy came over to me.
"You need help man?"
"Yeah my tires flat."
"Alright, don't worry me and my dad got you. He fixes cars all the time."
"Thank you so much. My names Ben by the way."
"I'm Carlos."
"Good to meet you, and what's your name?"
"Carlos, too"
"Oh, ha, well good to meet you guys."
"Yeah man my dad does this kind of stuff all the time. He also owns this snow removal company."
It took Carlos Sr., no more than ten minutes to change my tire. He was something to behold. His jack rotation technique was fluid, and we worked with the deliberateness of an artist. When he was done both Carlos and Carlos Jr. refused anything in return. The younger Carlos simply said, "Naw, we all been in those places man. Get home safely.
The first man who stopped to ask if I needed help looked like me and sounded like me. Male, white, and from the Midwest, he should have been the one to help me, but he was too busy.
Carlos and Carlos did not look like me, and Carlos Sr., didn't even speak English, or at least not very much. However, they both took the time to help. What's more Carlos Sr. was the first guy's boss yet he was not too busy to help someone out. If you are familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan you know where this is headed. If you are not familiar go read, because I don't have time to recount it all here.
There have been a lot things that could have easily discourage me in the last few months as I have studied in seminary: not seeing my friends as often as I would like, classes that repeat what I learned in my undergrad, alcoholic building managers, worrying about paying the tuition and rent, and other things. Thankfully, January gave me a lot to be happy about, and overall it was a good month. Indeed, it was a providential month.
But, they were providential nonetheless, and hopefully you didn't actually watch that video. Also, I think that our reluctance to call something a miracle is simply a product of our modernist bias against the supernatural as well as not wanting to be branded as one of those people who calls even the most trivial things a miracle. That is another blog for another day.
The first event in the line of providence occurred shortly after I moved out the snuff film set that my landlord called an apartment. I left that place for four reasons: it was a piece of crap, the particular odor of marijuana emanating from my neighbors apartment, I found out that the building manager is an alcoholic has a history of assaulting tenets, and I found out that one of the dorms at TEDS is cheaper and less of a hassle. So I thought.
While it is cheaper it did not turn out to be devoid of issues. When the first polar vortex of this year made its way down to the Chicago area to chill out the pipes in the dorm froze. Then when the thermometer rose to a balmy 15 F outside the water came pouring out of the ceiling. Only two occupied rooms were affected by the deluge. Guess who was living in one of those rooms, - that's right Mung. Guess who was living in the other one - that's right me.
Some of my things were damaged such as my mattress, my phone charger, and, most tragically, my complete set of Barth's Church Dogmatics. However, the school has been cooperative and is replacing my damage goods. Also, the school moved me into a bigger and nicer dorm room, which is about $1000/a semester more than what my first dorm room cost, for no extra charge. My new place is set up like a three bedroom apartment with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. I share all this with two other people.
Speaking of roommates their names are Mung and Danny. Mung is a Phd candidate from Burma who is working on the final stage of his dissertation, and Danny is an M. Div candidate in his last semester. Danny is also body builder and a jazz musician.
Doctorate. Body building. Jazz.
Mind. Body. Soul.
At least I'm a whole person when it comes to my image issues now.
Later that week I went to get my oil changed and my tires rotated at Merlin, it's kind of like a slightly less shady Jiffy Lube. Only go there because an oil change is only $19 before 10 AM. After they changed my oil and rotated my tires they tried to sell me on a whole package of good that would be necessary because my car has a whooping 24k miles on it, also my air filter was "dirty." I know that the air filter is the oldest trick in the book, but I figured it would be worth the $10 to get them off my junk. Well, they no sooner swapped out my air filter, and undoubtedly laughed it up, when a transformer down the street blew. This meant they were unable to open the giant bay doors to get my car out. After making me sit for a half hour they finally decided to open the bay doors manually. The manager then told me that everything was on them because they had made me wait. That and the registers didn't have any power, but I'm sure it was because he felt bad for making me wait.
Then the day before the second polar vortex came calling I hit a pot hole on my way back to school from Beth's house. It was also late at night and frigid. Since my wheel wasn't ripped off the axle I didn't think anything of it, but as I was about halfway to Deerfield I heard a thumping sound and noticed that my car was tilting. So, I pulled into the parking lot of a shopping center. My tire was completely shot.
I had never changed a tire before. My parents are night owls so I gave my mom a call so that I could talk to my dad, and get some pointers. After I got off the phone with him, I consulted the manual and got to work. I was having a slow go with and I screwed up the jack placement which added body panel damage to my car's woes. A man in pickup truck with a plow on it pulled up next to me. The man rolled down his window and asked, "You okay there?"
"No, my tires flat."
"Ha! I don't have time for that, I have to clear of this lot."
After that beloved child of God apologetically told me that he couldn't help, I got back to work. Then another snow removal guy came over to me.
"You need help man?"
"Yeah my tires flat."
"Alright, don't worry me and my dad got you. He fixes cars all the time."
"Thank you so much. My names Ben by the way."
"I'm Carlos."
"Good to meet you, and what's your name?"
"Carlos, too"
"Oh, ha, well good to meet you guys."
"Yeah man my dad does this kind of stuff all the time. He also owns this snow removal company."
It took Carlos Sr., no more than ten minutes to change my tire. He was something to behold. His jack rotation technique was fluid, and we worked with the deliberateness of an artist. When he was done both Carlos and Carlos Jr. refused anything in return. The younger Carlos simply said, "Naw, we all been in those places man. Get home safely.
The first man who stopped to ask if I needed help looked like me and sounded like me. Male, white, and from the Midwest, he should have been the one to help me, but he was too busy.
Carlos and Carlos did not look like me, and Carlos Sr., didn't even speak English, or at least not very much. However, they both took the time to help. What's more Carlos Sr. was the first guy's boss yet he was not too busy to help someone out. If you are familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan you know where this is headed. If you are not familiar go read, because I don't have time to recount it all here.
There have been a lot things that could have easily discourage me in the last few months as I have studied in seminary: not seeing my friends as often as I would like, classes that repeat what I learned in my undergrad, alcoholic building managers, worrying about paying the tuition and rent, and other things. Thankfully, January gave me a lot to be happy about, and overall it was a good month. Indeed, it was a providential month.
