Well hello there...
It's been forever since I've checked in, not that I haven't wanted to, but the schedule has been such that I've not been able to think clearly enough to write about anything. *whew*
But now YB and I have been back from NY for a few days and we've had what I would call the Indian Summer of Christmas vaca. I was able to leave work early on Friday, take the day on Saturday and Sunday to do nothing except try and beat this cold out of my body, make sure G is doing alright with his first cold ever (that I gave him...boo) and work a half day today. Tomorrow starts the insanity again, well, kind of like easing an old man into a warm tub except that the tub is 20 feet deep; you know what you're getting into before hand and so you're sort of mentally prepared.
January and February will be full of projects at work and freelance on weeknights and weekends. I almost got an NBA game Sunday, but that's another story.
For all intents and purposes, today I am the diver standing on the edge of the platform. Tomorrow I'll be the same guy except jumping. Before I get into today's story, I'd like to that YB for getting me an Apple Magic Trackpad for Christmas. I'm loving it as I write this post on my iMac.
I don't think I ever realized how much of the government workforce lives in our area. In the past two weeks my commute has gone from 25 to 35 minutes to 20 flat. I drive 19 miles to work. I entered my tunnel today at 65mph. That generally only happens at 3am during the year, given there is no construction. Normally there is a half to one mile backup at this tunnel at 6:30am when I'm traveling in so when you can count on two hands the number of cars with you in the tunnel reality begins to set in, my tax dollars at work have been sleeping in for the second half December and beginning of January. Not that I mind all that much, of course, I'd pay to keep the hooligans out of their offices. But then I remember that I hate paying for nothing and I can't believe how much waste there is in America these days. I'm glad for two things. First, that I don't live in DC. If the commute here is this good, how much better is it there? And second, I'm not jaded enough to wonder how I missed the boat with a government job that lets me take a three week paid leave of absence. I think I'd go out of my mind if I worked at a job with that little to do and benefits like that. You know most of it has to be busy work.
Without revealing too much, and please be discreet in the comment section, I had quite the conniption at work today. Needless to say I was biting my tongue pretty hard. I work on a Christian campus which does not have a chapel. No, check that. I work on a Christian campus which has a few rooms constructed to be chapels...pretty large rooms to be somewhat precise. You could fit a nice sized congregation in them. Since growth has been sustained on this campus the leadership has decided to build a building with a dedicated chapel. Announced a few years ago and officially starting construction tomorrow, this chapel will be seemingly the crown jewel of the campus, the missing centerpiece that we have been without for far too long. If we weren't a Christian campus before, we will be now...because we are going to have our own chapel. And this chapel is going to make a difference and bring people together and create unity and make our campus even more excellent because we are finally going to have an acceptable chapel. Except, you see, we already have a few chapels. Sure, they may not be big, or exquisite, but they sure are functional.
If you're not familiar with western Christianity, it was one of those moments that you just had to be there, like the time somebody prayed over a cake as a symbol of years past and years to come, in order to understand just what I'm getting at with this story. If you are familiar with western Christianity you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you're jaded by western Christianity I hope you'll listen to what I have to say.
I don't have a problem with building a chapel. I have a problem with over and super spiritualizing the building of a chapel. A chapel will make a campus better just like the Ark of the Covenant was supposed to save the Israelites battling the Philistines. There. I said it. David wanted to build a temple. Solomon finished the work. But strangely I don't remember the Bible over spiritualizing its construction. I don't remember the precedent set by Solomon, or even Nehemiah with the second temple, saying that we should make lots of noise and almost rationalize the building of place for God to dwell. You want to build a chapel? Fine. I have no problem with that. Need to cast a vision to raise funds? Fine. I've got no problem with that. But I do have a problem with people making chapels out to be the Saviour of the campus, like God can't dwell there because there's no chapel. Guess where He lives? Your heart! Oh crap! I said it again!
Anyway, that's all I have for today. In the coming months I'll be sure to post more. It'll probably consist of pictures from different trucks I've worked in that day or over the weekend and maybe a synopsis of the day if I have the brainpower to do it.
