Month: April 2010

Even one preoccupied has to make room for his obsessions. (Further obsessive tendencies revealed here.)

For quite a while I have been persuaded by experience that my Nigel Rudolph mug retained heat better than any other mug in our cabinet. I asked Nigel and his wife Cheyenne about that recently and they could offer no reason why that should be. These are not, you should know, ceramic hacks. Nigel and Cheyenne know much about the science of clays, and as far as they knew, there was nothing in the mug itself to bring about my perceived result.

So, making tea for a guest the other night, I decided to put my perceptions to the test.

I selected three mugs, a tall skinny Hope Presbyterian Church mug, a wide mouth Nigel Rudolph mug, and a medium girth Krispy Kreme mug. I put 7 ounces (by weight) of hot water in each, and took measurements every minute for ten minutes, then every five minutes, and then at 60 minutes.

This was a very efficient use of time, as our guest, Barb, and I sipped our tea and talked while the measurements were being recorded.

Our guest, though, laughed at me. We love her anyway. I have been accused by friends in Los Alamos, NM (having, in my estimations, more PhDs per square inch than anywhere else on the planet) of suffering from LAPD, (Los Alamos Personality Disorder). Diagnosis is, no doubt, hereby confirmed.

What we discovered was that my perceptions were wrong. The wide-mouthed, Nigel Rudolph mug lost heat at a greater rate than the tall and skinny-mouthed Hope mug. Our conclusion was that the surface area of liquid exposed to the air is the variable which determines rate of cooling.

I also concluded that I simply need to drink my coffee faster. All science aside, I’m not giving up the aesthetic and personal pleasure of using Nigel’s mug!

To any who have been wondering what happened to my posting frequency, whether I’d fallen into a hole, been swept away by a rogue wave, or gotten myself stuck on the MTA (“…and his fate is still unlearned…”), none of those theories is true.

I’ve simply been preoccupied. Really preoccupied. Getting-a-house-ready-to-sell-and-possessions-ready-to-move preoccupied.

The best way to explain is to post here the announcement that was read/sent to the members and friends of Hope Presbyterian Church a few days before Easter. This should explain our preoccupation. (Comments afterward.)

To the congregation and friends of Hope Presbyterian Church:

Change is in store for me as a pastor and consequently for you as the congregation of Hope Presbyterian Church. While sometimes exciting, often scary, and never comfortable, change should never surprise us when we serve a God who is laboring for our growth in his grace.

Recently another PCA church, Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oviedo, Florida (near Orlando), voted to issue a call to me to be their pastor. Barb and I for years have wrestled with whether and when we should move on from our ministry here at Hope. We have decided that the time has come, that God is showing us his will, and that we should therefore accept this new call.

I don’t know how to soften such an announcement as this, nor do I have the insight to know what this change will mean for me or for you. I find comfort, and I hope you do as well, in the fact that God’s leading is wise and that his heart always inclines to bless us. He is writing a new and good chapter in our lives, and he can be trusted to do that well.

Since no one is forcing this decision or asking for it, this has been one of the most difficult decisions we have ever made. We will be leaving people whom we love, and by whom we have been loved far beyond what we deserve. Leaving will separate us from dear friends and precious memories and we will always be grateful to God for each one of you. 

We are not certain how quickly this transition will come about, though it looks as if it will be complete by summer.

There are, as you can imagine, a lot of details yet to be worked out. We wish we could have communicated this to each of you individually, but obviously that is not possible.

This weekend we celebrate the greatest act of God’s love, the death of his Son on the cross, and the greatest act of his will and power, the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. These are realities which should strip away any fear and uncertainty any of us might have regarding the future. Though we cannot see the future, the future in the hands of such a God is good.

That which remains unchanged, whether we are together or apart, is the hope that God would continue to use each of us individually and his church corporately to the end that “the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” 

May it always be so.

With deepest affection,

Randy

This is an exciting, and bittersweet, piece of news. In equal measure we look forward to the new ministry and new relationships awaiting us in Oviedo, and we sorrow and grieve for the separations that must take place in Bradenton.

God has opened up this opportunity and we are looking forward with great anticipation to the wonderful things He plans to do.

What this means for Somber and Dull is that posting will be erratic and unpredictable for the foreseeable future. Be patient, and join us in this new adventure.

To God be all the glory.