Last Thoughts of 2006, in four parts

Part I: Go to the Back of the Class
One of the reasons I wanted to attend grad school is I felt I had not yet tested the limits of my academic capacity. That is no longer the case. This semester has thoroughly kicked my butt, and it takes some adjustment to accept that despite working about as hard as I could, I have had a semester with no A's at all. They call the first year of economics graduate school "The Year of Hell," and after finals week this year I can understand why. I'm only one semester through and wondering if I even want to finish the two year masters program, much less transfer to OU's four-or-five year Ph.D. program (transferring to a school with faculty researching areas of more interest to me is out of the question at this point).

In some sense there is a great load off my shoulders, as I no longer have to work myself to death trying to get all A's until I send off applications next December. I do not have the gifts to be a mathematician, and never will, so it's nice I can stop pretending. It is high time I stopped trying to depend on my own skill to get me through, and instead worked as hard as I can at what I'm supposed to do while trusting God for whatever the outcome may be.

I find that every disappointment and failure in my life eventually turns itself into the Gospel these days.

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Part II: Un-Mediated Intersession
This last week I started teaching intersession, the first class of my own assembly and operation. We'd gone through about 6 weeks worth of material by our first exam on Friday, and I've been rather impressed at how well the class seems to be keeping up. We'll have to see how the exams turned out, of course. Class starts again tomorrow; no rest for those trying to get requisites out of the way, or their teachers it would seem.

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Part III: Cryogenic Triage!
On Thursday I returned from teaching to find Jessie distraught. Her iPod had passed away in the night, it seemed. I rushed it to Andy that afternoon, and through the medical mysteries of his electronic profession, he managed to revive it long enough to recover all of my wife's songs (which were the real reason she was upset in the first place). Did you know that if a hard drive dies, it can sometimes be temporarily brought back to life by freezing it? I had not heard of such a thing, but after witnessing (and serving as doctor's aid) for such an operation, I can attest to its verity.

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Part IV: So this is Christmas
Last night Jessie and I, along with my parents and siblings, attended a lutheran candlight Christmas Eve Service. It was quite beautiful, and I appreciated the sermon, which was made more for edification than education. One of the congregational hymns was "Once in Royal David's City," which has been the hymn of the month at Christ the King. The Servens were there as well, although we didn't get the chance to talk to them afterwards.

That morning we were offering prayers of thanksgiving, and I felt compelled to offer thanks for what Doug has been in my life. If you go to OU and have not met Doug Serven, you should get on it. He is fun, frustrating, encouraging, and convicting, a needed pastor, a sometimes irritating companion, and an always welcome friend. In short, he is one of the most human people I know, which is a picture of Christ's work in and through him. I am convincing that the last sentence of part one above is due in no small part to how God is at work in this minstry and man.


Grateful for the Incarnation, and for the presence of such goodly and Godly friends, and awaiting the restored presence of still other such friends, and the returning presence of the Incarnate Word, I remain (though continually developing)

Norman
Christmas 2006.