Hire Ed Grinds On...

Recently, my beloved had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Chris Hall, Bible and Theology Prof at Eastern in Phila. (now he's the Dean! Cool, eh? ... oh, and he's an editor of the super cool series to your right and in our bookshelves). They had a wonderful conversation which reminded Q and I of conversations with Chris from a decade ago. I had forgotten, but at some point in Dr. Hall's career advice to Q he warned:

Higher Education is one of the most painful and devastating fields you can go into, particularly in Biblical and Religious Studies. The Academic sphere will chew you up and spit you out - repeatedly. You may feel that God is calling you to into Christian Higher Education, but you must not accept the call lightly. You have to seriously consider whether you are ready for the years and years of pain ahead of you.

Well, Q heard considered and informed me of this advice before I married him. But, what I didn't realize at the time was the extant to which I would be accepting Q's calling when I married him. Oops. I did not believe then, and I still do not believe now, that the woman must forsake her own calling when she marries a man. Rather, I believe strongly that the married couple must cooperate and coordinate that which God would have them do, honestly seeking what God would then have THEM do together.

BUT - I dumbly figured at the time that our visions would co-exist on a straightforward expedient track, that success would come naturally with effort, and that by now - in our 30's - we would be settled in and living our dream. Well, one's dream is not one's calling. Those for whom these align are truly blessed, but they are not one and the same. I believe that we are doing what God would have us do together... it just seriously pisses me off that it ain't what I thought we'd be doing. I just didn't realize that when Q responded to the call of Dying a painful career death for Christ, that I had signed on as well. Bummer.

Nonetheless, here we are... grinding on... We are now in the hiring phase of Higher Ed. My own career death for Christ will continue as well. But, it would seem that we are beginning to see that dim light at the end of the tunnel, and the with God's help - it ought not to be a commuter rail.

As for the Dr.'s advice? "He was riiiight, Luke, He was riiiight. Vader IS your PhD Advisor, Luke -- He was riiiiight...."