Routines

So things have settled into a bit of a routine here in VA. I get up in the morning, pack my lunch, and head off to work for a full day. When I get off work, I usually go home, call Rebecca, and eat dinner. Then I have a couple hours to kill before I go work out to top off the day. Now that I've gotten into the rhythm of things, the time is really passing fairly swiftly. I'm already nearly halfway through the third week out of ten.

Work has picked up quite a bit. Our servers are finally back on-line, and I've been doing some CFD for several days now. It takes quite a bit of computational power for each run, so most of my job consists of running the code, killing time, and then analyzing the results some 30 minutes (at the minimum) later. But I have no complaints. The work is interesting, intense yet laid-back, and quite rewarding. But sometimes I'll catch myself typing commands and realize how strange it would look to someone unfamiliar with CFL3D or Linux. Truth to tell, that just makes me enjoy it more, because it shows me how much I've learned just since I've arrived here.

My mentor is a really nice guy too, and VERY smart. He's got a doctorate in something....probably aerospace engineering. I think he's actually the head of one of the supersonic teams here. He teaches occasionally at a university (can't remember which one), has authored at least one major journal article, and helped pioneer the CFD approach that is currently used in our branch. Suffice it to say he's a good person to have as a mentor.

Things at church are going well. It's such a long drive down there, especially with gas at $4 per gallon, but I do enjoy it. Last week in particular was very enriching. Pastor Keith spoke about the last part of Matthew 7 to the first part of Matthew 9. In this passage, Jesus is healing people and performing miracles in rapid-fire fashion, demonstrating His authority. He proves that He has authority over sickness, the elements, and demons quite persuasively....nothing seems to sway him because his authority is final and absolute. His disciples become more and more convinced. This is all to lay the foundation for when he told the paralytic in chapter 9, "Your sins are forgiven you." Of course the scribes found that blasphemous, but He said, "Which is easier? To say, 'Your sins are forgiven you' or 'Rise, take up your bed, and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to forgive sins...." And of course He healed the paralytic.

What a huge moment! The last chapter had all been to prepare for this monumental claim, that He had the power to forgive sins. After the previous events, who could doubt His authority? He spelled it out in no uncertain terms: "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to forgive sins..." The healing of the paralytic was a final flourish on the awesome display of authority that He had been demonstrating for the past chapter. Of course it is easier to simply say, "Your sins are forgiven you"....no person on earth can verify the truth of the claim! Far harder to tell a paralytic to walk, as the results (or lack thereof) will instantly be seen by all. By healing the paralytic, Jesus underscored His authority....if He can do the harder, He can certainly do the easier.

Although in reality, forgiving our sins was far harder than healing the paralytic.....it cost Him His life. None of Jesus' miracles in this passage ever drained Him or flustered Him with the sheer difficulty of it. A touch, a word, and it was done. He stood supremely confident in His authority. But the miracle of forgiveness of sins was different....that work distressed him to the point of sweating blood. And yet He carried through and completed the work. Praise the Lord! His authority is awesome, His mercy is unparalleled, and His grace is life-changing. What a great God we serve! =D