a few thoughts from the past few days:

- I'm flattered by those who accuse me of having a disdain toward women by not dating. They insinuate that I'm withholding something good from them. A fine compliment. If only they knew, on the other hand, that it would be much more of a show of disdain to make myself available to their romantic desires. I am the most stubborn and self-centered of men, when it comes to my freedom and privacy. "Marriage is divorce from the privacy a man loves." - Jim Elliott

- Though momentary grief might sway the tide of our understanding and our faith as the moon does the sea, the ever-abiding and all-powerful sovereignty of God still rules the entire system of this world--as the sun holds the earth in orbit, though in the night its light is not seen and its heat is not felt. The influence of the moon can be captivating, but the moon is only a counterfeit of the sun: it has no heat or light of its own--we must look at the greifs of our life as false shows of the reality that binds them. though the seas of our emotions will ebb and flow, we must remember that the orbit of our soul is surely locked in the grip of the sun's power. There is a much better and much clearer way to state this, but I haven't the time.

- Regarding our national freedom: it ought to be used for the extension and expansion of the kindgom of our true citizenship: that is, we ought to use our temporal national freedom to extend permanent spiritual freedom to as many peoples as possible.

- much anxiety results from the fear of losing something that is precious to us. If Christ is most precious, and there are few other sub-treasures, we are saved in the treasuring and are secured in that we can never lose Christ as long as he holds that throne.

- formerly my 'big questions' were doctrinal. they still are, but the big question is how do i apply them to the hard situations? how do i apply God's absolute sovereignty in counseling sexual abuse victims?
it is easy in the classroom. but talking to the object of the judgment is another. how do you say, "it happened because you do not treasure God as supreme?" not that i believe that's the only reason why God would let that happen--he is a masterful, ingenious, mind-blowing 'orchestrator' of events and emotions. his ways are unfathomable.

- how do i impart an esteem for gentleman-hood, for temperence, for discretion, for wisdom and sobriety, into a teenage boy? how do i make honor appealing? how do i make learning and intellectual wrestling and spiritual struggling desirable? that is, how do i undo the effects of this entire worldly culture?

just a few thoughts.