Vox Lucens

My goal for the next months is not conducive to blogging, it would appear.  I guess I could have figured that out on my own, but hey, in the trenches some things are a little easier to see, you know?

My goal is quite simple: work as hard as I can to get as much of the bankruptcy learning curve under my belt before I get married.  I can spend these last months where 60-hour-weeks only effect me working, well, at least 60-hour-weeks.

So far, I’m doing good at accomplishing that practical aspect of my goal!  Combined with a head cold, a chest cold, and an ear infection (and yesterday, all three at once), there are times I have felt utterly overwhelmed.  And yet, I must admit that I’m having fun learning this whole “practice of law” thing.  It is highly satisfying to be able to put so many years of education and hard work into practice.

I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 13:6

I had big plans to post pictures from a cross-country trek.

I had big plans to give gas mileage averages and gas price comparisons from all sectors of I-40.

But when push came to shove, I just drove - long and hard.  And by the grace of God and the help of my family, I made it to a new home in Fresno, California.  With a trailer, it took a bit longer than the 40 hours estimated by Google maps, but my brother David and I made it in three and a half days, spending the latter half of today emptying truck and trailer and piling up stuff in the living room.

We had a few moments of teeth-gnashing right at the beginning before the trailer settled down, one stop in Nashville that was fast enough to be terrifying, and a few moments of terror as my gas gauge rode well under “E” for miles in Middle of Nowhere, New Mexico.  But God is so good, and none of those led to the problems they could have - and the rest of the trip was uneventful, and as enjoyable as such interminable travel can be.

This weekend is for unpacking, and on Monday I add a new job to the new home…thank you for your prayers.

On Friday, November 21, Katie said “yes.”

One reason this post is so delayed is that words just don’t seem to cut it.  So I’m going to skip them and let the pictures do the talking.  (And a huge thanks to Kelly for photographing!)

One of the many things that I have been privileged to see over the last couple of years is how the practice of law can be used to bring honor and glory to our Savior - not just through the actual practice, but also through the ministry opportunities that God opens up through that practice.  Now, the Lord is directing me to my own practice of law and the ministry opportunities that will present.

But that calling will be taking me away from the work that has been such a blessing for me over the past couple of years.  That is to say, it will be taking me away from the full-time work with that ministry, as I will be heading out to Fresno, California at the end of this year to accept a job offer.  And while I am excited at the opportunities that will bring, it is putting it mildly to say that I will miss the privilege of working with Remember full time.

I’d certainly appreciate your prayers as my life takes a huge turn, and I would be blessed by your continued prayers for Remember.  The work will continue to grow and prosper as the Lord opens the doors, and I can’t wait to see what He does through the dedicated people that make this ministry reality.

Therefore, it is with no small amount of excitement (and quite a bit of fear and trepidation) that I announce that my next port of call will be working with Peter Fear, where I will be starting January 5.

What were you doing?

My first - and currently only - experience driving a car with a manual transmission came a few years ago, when the crazy used car salesman was desperate to sell me a little Focus. He was in a unique position; he was forced to butter me up in an attempt to sell me the vehicle, while finding it necessary to be critical enough to save his own life. On the latter he succeeded; on the former, not so much.

[And I still chuckle when I think of the salesman, desperately gripping the handle above the door, telling me "You're doing great!" as I stalled out at a busy red light, and envisioning my poor dad stuck in the tiny backseat desperately praying for survival.]

And now my life is changing gears. My perspective is changing. I don’t need a job to get through law school - I need a career. I can’t choose a job on the basis of inherent coolness - I have to look to the future.  My perspective is changing from years to decades.

I’m discovering that my life is not an automatic.  And I’m very bad at driving stick.  This little perspective shift has left my brain feeling stalled out from time to time, and has certainly caused a great variety of grinding noises as I try to get things moving again.

But this comfort I do have - even in a stick shift, once you get out on the highway, cruising is easy.  It’s just the merging that’s hard.  Once the course has been set, and the highway achieved, things get easier.

As someone much wittier than I once said–

Soon we’ll be out, amidst the cold world’s strife,
Soon we’ll be sliding down the razor blade of life…