hiccups

OK, so I have no excuse this time. I (Kyle) actually have two blog posts rumbling around in my head, fighting for the chance to make it onto this posting. Each idea is good (very good, in fact) and knows that it is worthy of your attention. But, they also know that I have begun to exhibit a reputation for giving ideas rare opportunities to display their wonderful talents of grabbing a reader's attention and entertaining him/her for hours at a time. So, I must choose and hope that the other idea will not fall into relative obscurity within the confines of my brain.

Well, no one said living here and venturing after God's will was ever going to be easy. In fact, I seem to recall several passages in a widely-known, 66 volume book that explain that it won't, in fact, be all rosy and peachy-keen. This is not to say, however, that we are facing overwhelming obstacles. I just mean to say that we are experiencing several annoying "instances" that threaten to rob us of our sanity. And, since I have, within the past three years, developed a slightly annoying habit of hiccuping frequently, I have affectionately begun to think of these not-so-easy portions of our new life as 'hiccups.' [caution: not finishing this entry could result in the reader jumping to false conclusions.]

Hiccup #1 - The Debit Cards
As both Genesis 2 and the Spice Girls have correctly pointed out, marriage involves the meshing together of two individuals into one. What is often missed, however, is that this meshing process encompasses so much more than...well...what normally comes to mind. Two days ago, we began to notice that we had yet to receive our new debit cards. Before we moved to New Orleans on July 5, we had visited Becca's bank (which has locations in both Birmingham and NOLA) to 1) change her name, and 2) to put my name on the account. When we got to NOLA, we went to a branch to order debit cards. After two weeks of waiting for our cards, we called the bank to figure out the hold-out. Come to find out, neither Bec's name, nor our address had been changed, which is why we have yet to receive our cards.

Hiccup #2 - The Cell Phones
Before moving, we also transferred Bec's cell phone over to my plan. Well, something was lost in translation, which has resulted in a sudden, unexplained disappearance of minutes. The further result of this cellular caper is that we no longer have any minutes (no rollover milk-minutes or anything) until July 28 (which is not good, considering all the phone calls we have had and still need to make in order to complete the moving process). It's a shame that the cellular company told me that they can't do anything about until that bill clears after the 28th.

Hiccup #3 - The Driver's License
Unfortunately, I did not realize that I was going to need both my social security card and my birth certificate in order to get my Louisiana driver's license. Since I do not quite know where my social security card is, I had to go to the social security office (which is strangely located in the Clearview mall across from the food court) to order a new one. And, my birth certificate was sadly left in Birmingham because I did not think that I would need it. So, I must wait to get my license.

Hiccup #4 - The Transcript
This one is actually funny. Bec is supposed to go into the Jefferson Parish Board of Education office on Monday to fill out all of her paperwork. She will need her Univ. of Alabama transcript and her Alabama teaching certificate. The teaching certificate actually hasn't been a problem. I praise God that, after all that we have been through to get that certificate, she was actually able to hold it in her hands yesterday. The transcript, on the other hand, is a different matter. I ordered Bec's transcript about 10-12 days ago. As of yesterday morning, we had yet to receive it. We called UA and found out that they sent it on July 15. That was 10 days ago! Then an idea popped into our heads. We called the Seminary Registrar office. Surprisingly, we found out that Bec's transcript had been sent there instead of our P.O. Box! It makes a little sense, considering the only thing separating our address from theirs is the "#261" tacked onto the end of ours. So, we went to pick her transcript from the Seminary Registrar office yesterday afternoon.

There are a couple of more, but you probably get the picture. I want to be clear. I do not share these with you as a means of venting. I never want to use this blog as an avenue for complaining (Philippians 2:14-16). That would waste both your time and mine. My reasoning for mentioning these 'hiccups' to you is two-fold: 1) We covet your prayers in these matters - that we would be able to work all of this out before Bec's first day of school (Aug 11); and 2) because these areas pose a great temptation. Paul urges us in Romans 12:2 to "not conform any longer to the pattern of this world." We rightly think that this pattern consists of the "ultra-sinful" practices like sexual immortality, murder and hate (Romans 1:24-32). However, we sometimes fail to consider that the pattern of this world involves anything that hinders us from seeking after the kingdom of God as our first and sole priority (Matthew 6:25-34). The pattern of our daily lives is perhaps one of the greatest hindrances to the advancement of the gospel and God's Will in America today. We get up, go to work, go to church, pay the bills, and take care of everything to ensure that we have food, clothing, and shelter. Sometimes, the advancement of the gospel and God's Will gets lost in all of the hustle and bustle of our lives. Succumbing to this temptation is sinful.

So, Bec and I ask for you to pray with all of this in mind. We want to see God eliminate these hiccups so that we will not be distracted from our ultimate purpose here. We thank both you and God in advance. Although these seem little, they could trip us up like a small stone can trip a runner and cause him to break his leg and not be able to finish the race.