How do I get there from here?

I've never been someone who had trouble figuring out where I should be going. To me, moral choices have always seems pretty clear. I don't claim to have always made the right ones, but I haven't been fooled much by the fog that sometimes blinds people to where the line between right and wrong is. The problem that has plagued me the most in my faith walk (and life) has been trying to figure out how to get where I want to go. There have always been roadblocks (an apt metaphor with all of our road construction projects) that have sent me on detours despite my desire to head straight toward the goal. One of those long trips led me to my wife Nicole, another led me to my ministry at First Baptist of Palo. Now it seems that this new path, toward the Army Chaplain Corp (Reserves), will be a long and winding road as well. At times I just want to wake up and start this new ministry, make a difference, realize my calling. I'll still be walking down this road that leads through Grand Rapids Theological Seminary for the next several years. The question remains, how will Nicole and I make it through the journey? One thing is certain, we'll walk this road together, God has made us one, we don't walk alone anymore. Another thing that seems certain is that God has little detours (some scenic perhaps?) planned for me along the way.
I've spent seven years working an alternative education teacher, a rough stretch of road, all the while hoping to get back on the full-time ministry path. God has been able to use me to work with this troubled teens though, and despite my desire to move on, he has a purpose for me here as well. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11
Indeed, the Lord is good, the Lord knows the path I must travel, the Lord will give me the strength to walk the path he has chosen, and the Lord will make me useful along the way.

The Edge of the Dark Sea

I'm 2/3 of the way through the first quarter in which I've taught "On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness", by Andrew Peterson, to my class of ninth and tenth graders. This book came to my attention last year when my wife Nicole bought it and we read it together. Peterson is a Christian author, a famous singer/songwriter to boot, who wrote a great series that speaks to both kids and adults (I used it in Summer enrichment w/ 3-5th graders, they loved it). This book would be great for any kid to read (no fear of anything objectionable), and it contains solid moral principles of family, duty, and honor sprinkled throughout the narrative. On top of that, it's nuts. Not in the way of something that doesn't make any sense, but rather in the laugh-out-loud sort of way. The 2nd book in the series is, "North, or Be Eaten", the 3rd book will be out in 2011.