November Already?

As I drove to Beverly today, admiring the last of changing leaves and the multitude that have already fallen, I began to ponder all the changes I have experienced since moving to New England. The landscape has changed the most, going from the lush green of summer to the vast array of reds, yellows and golds the fall season has to offer. While "peak weak" has past, many trees are still clinging to their vibrant leaves making my route to work a scenic route.

I began to think about the changes in relationships. I have been so blessed to find a church that I can be a part of. My relationship with the pastor of the church has become so valuable to me. Being a Gordon Conwell graduate and from the Midwest has allowed her to understand so much about what I am going through. Her and her husband have really engaged me - both have lent me a number of books. One I am currently reading, Dakota, is from an author who lives in Lemmon, SD. It is a book I think I could only truly appreciate now that I do not live in SD. Sometimes it takes leaving a place to appreciate it, and I do. I appreciate where I am from.

I thought about the changes and challenges to who I am: my theology, my personality, my goals for my time here. Some of you who read this are well aware of my theological challenges since I have been here (esp. my wrestling with Calvin). I am grateful for the wrestling - sometimes great things come from wrestling. Jacob wrestled with the Lord and although he remained injured for the rest of his life, he was also extremely blessed by the Lord. Not to equate Calvin with the Lord - but sometimes it good to wrestle with minds greater than our own.

This is such a minor note that I probably shouldn't even waste space on my blog by mentioning it, but I am so excited about it: I got netflix this weekend. That means I will be getting DVD's in the mail - just one at a time. I also get so many hours of instant viewing online every month. I love to watch movies and have been neglecting that love since being here. Watching a movie is so refreshing to me - and I'm always in a better mood after watching a good movie. So, that little luxury is going to be a wonderful blessing and probably a curse in that it will further enable my procrastination. Oh well - take the good with the bad!

My immediate goals:
1. Get stuff done prior to Bridgett's arrival in 9 days.
2. Enjoy the company coming - the friends who are giving of themselves, time and money to visit.
3. Finish the semester so I can come home for awhile and see my family and friends. That is as far as I am willing to look in the future at the moment. And this is all I am willing to write.