"Come over here!"

"They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them." -- Acts 16:6-10.

My friend and pastor Matt Chapman shared this passage with me last week. It is interesting that the Holy Spirit specifically forbids Paul and his companions from doing things... we tend to think of Him only as empowering and urging us towards specific goals. I am not sure why we think that: God is not a machine - a set of cosmic rules. Rather, He is our Father, directing us where we ought to go and guiding us away from the things we ought to avoid.

I did not get an interview at the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute. If you read my previous post you will see that God directed events to this effect, leading me away from what in MY wisdom would have seemed a fantastic opportunity. God wants me somewhere else, and the first step in getting me there might be through tutoring.

Read this.

A few days ago my close friend Jeff sent me the contact info for a tutoring position at Lakeside School in Northern Seattle. He had found the position, hoping to work as a part-time tutor while still in school, but he was unable to work the mid-day hours they were looking for, so he sent me the job. It turns out that:

(1) This job pays between $45 and $50 per hour
(2) They need tutoring help in General Chemistry and General Biology
(3) The job is at Lakeside School, where Bill Gates and Paul Allen went to High School, considered by many the best private school in the whole of the Northwestern United States.

I went in today and interviewed for the position; I have another meeting with more school staff on Friday morning. This will only be a part time position if I get it, and it will only last for two months, as I am essentially only filling in for a regular tutor. But it will certainly pay my bills for the time that I have it, and, as I understand it, this school has a fairly limited and exclusive tutor list... once you are on it, parents or students can contact you freely for help in your subjects of strength!

What this will force me to do, at the very least, is to learn introductory chemistry and biology inside and out. I already know them, but I will really need to know them. Whatever else my furure holds, that knowledge can't hurt. If the Spirit led me away from SBRI, is He leading me to Lakeside?