My Adventures with God: 39: A Leap of Faith

Chapter 39 A Leap of Faith

While I was doing research on the morality of abortion and lamenting the paucity of Anglican moral thinkers a conviction was growing. I began to think that I should go back to university and study moral philosophy and try to plug this gap.

I talked to Sue about it and she supported the idea. By cashing in my superannuation we could fund ourselves for a bit. Sue was able to work some now, and doctors can always find work, so we could feasibly do it and keep the kids at private schools, which was important to us.

I talked to the Philosophy department at Melbourne University and they made encouraging noises. The first step since I had a master’s degree in engineering, not arts, would be a catch-up year – basically taking 150% of a normal undergraduate load. Obviously I would select philosophy and ethics subjects from all year levels. It was starting to sound possible.

Obviously Sue and I both prayed about it because it really was a leap in the dark. We both thought it was what God wanted us to do. So we decided to do it.

I went to see the bishop and told him my plans. Whatever he may have thought, he made positive comments. He said he would appoint a “senior clergyman” to Lang Lang. I thought by this that he realised the importance of what we has achieved there and was assuring me he would find a high calibre replacement. But no. I was mistaken. Subsequent events demonstrated that he meant he saw no future for the parish and would put in a clergyman who was approaching his “use-by date”!

After I left the bishop appointed a half time locum minister who disbanded all the youth ministry because he was not interested in young people, didn’t teach RE in the schools for the same reason, and let our hard won achievements waste away. Despite some sound, if elderly, rectors serving there, in time the parish declined and was amalgamated with a neighbouring one. I seems to me that the Diocese was simply not interested in preaching the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ to all people in their area! Of course they said they were, but in reality what they wanted was to continue doing things their way and have God fall into line with their plans and priorities. When God demonstrated - as he did through our efforts – a way he was prepared to back, they would not see.

But back to the story

I sent in my official resignation, which the bishop duly accepted “with regret”.

Now starts the interesting bit. We had still to get the kids into schools and find somewhere to live. We settled on Melbourne Grammar, which is one of the most prestigious schools in Melbourne. When Sue went to see the bursar he laughed and said “You have got to be joking! People put their children’s names down almost before they are born to get into this school! We cannot possibly take your children” He mentioned in passing that as they were an Anglican school they did have special arrangements for children of Anglican priests and that perhaps if the bishop gave a recommendation they could consider us further. Sue rang up the bishop who very kindly wrote to the school. The bursar rang Sue and said “We appear to be taking you children, I do hope they are at least bright!”

One problem solved.

Sue was offered a half time position as a doctor at Bethlehem Hospital in Caulfield. Another problem solved.

Since both the hospital and Melbourne Grammar’s junior school were at Caulfield, this narrowed our search for an area to live in. But we could not find a house. We searched. We called on all the estate agents. We looked at everything that was offering. We felt God was saying “no” to all of them (which was a relief because they were not nice).

We set the move date. We booked a removal team. But we still did not have a house to go to!

Sue, as I said several times is very up-front with God. This time she prayed and gave specifics of what she would like in the house! There were five things she asked God for: A nice house; a house with five bedrooms; a house on a tram line to Melbourne Grammar; it had to be near a park; it should ideally also have a tennis court.

God was incredibly kind and indulgent to us.

We did the rounds of the estate agents yet again – now only two days before our moving date! One said “Oh I have this one which is just on the market. People bought it but could not sell their old house, so the want to rent it out for a year, it is not really a rental property at all.”

The house was a really cute Californian Bungalow with a modern addition on the back so it had all the cuteness factor of an old house with a modern family area and … guess what! Five bedrooms! It was convenient to Bethlehem Hospital where Sue was to work, it was just by the tram line which ran Past the Melbourne Grammar Junior school, and which continued on past the Senior School where our eldest would go, and then on through the city centre to Melbourne University where I was to study! And the beautiful Caulfield park was just a few hundred yards away. It had all the things she asked for except one. Sue had cheekily asked God for a tennis court. No it didn’t have a tennis court. The tennis court which was over the back fence was owned and maintained by the council and could be hired – so I think that counts as even better!

So many times the sheer overflowing magnitude of Gods kindness just swamps me. There we were, we had in Sue's depression and the other attacks of the devil “passed through the valley of the shadow of death” but through God we had survived. We were still together as a family. The kids were going to be in one of the best schools. We were renting this absolutely beautiful house in a lovely garden suburb. God had just been so kind.

So February 1990 we moved to Melbourne for our next adventure with God.