Impatience with Christmas

Many people are stranded today at various airports as they wait, hoping for better weather in the Northeastern United States, so they can finally get a flight to their Christmas destinations. Some are waiting patiently with understanding regarding the unusual snowfalls this year. Others are demonstrating a great deal of impatience believing that somehow the airlines are at fault for the weather conditions.

Shoppers are finding crowds and long lines at many stores as they try to complete last meeting gift buying. Some are handling it with a relaxed Christmas spirit almost breaking into song from time to time. Others, however, are still complaining about why the store doesn't have more clerks working even though every cash register is in use. Some are also wondering why so many people waited so late to shop (of course they have a very good reason for themselves)!

I know a young couple who are expecting their first child sometime today. The word impatient would not apply but they are definitely ready as are the grandparents. As I was thinking about this family this morning, a song from church yesterday came to mind - "A Baby Changes Everything." Wow, that is such a true statement. This young couple will be great parents with extended family surrounding them with love and encouragement. But the birth of their baby will definitely change their schedule and routine, their leisure time, and their personal sleep.

Never has the birth of a baby changed everything as it did that first Christmas in Bethlehem when Mary gave birth to Jesus. The world was in a state of impatience. It has been since Adam and Eve had sinned in the Garden of Eden and broke that perfect relationship with God that had existed in creation. Generations had come and gone waiting for God to fulfill His promise of His intervention into human history. The birth of Jesus was the beginning of the fulfillment of that promise. God had taken on flesh and come to dwell among men. Jesus would grow into a man; live a sinless life; die on a cross for the sin of everyone else; and be raised from the dead by God the Father completing the fulfillment of His promise of a Savior for all who believe.

Jesus' birth changed everything then and continues to change the lives of people today. When the pressure of the calendar and the clock instill impatience in our lives, we should stop and remember that the greatest need we have (greater than a gift to buy or a plane to catch) already has an available solution, patiently waiting upon our response of faith - Jesus the Christ born as a baby in Bethlehem is ready to change our lives today.

May all of our Christmas celebrations be filled with patience and with the reality of Jesus Christ.

It Is Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

The song "It Is Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" was written in 1857, but it has been the song that has continued to go through my mind all day today. Actually, in some communities and in many retail stores and shopping malls, it was beginning to look like Christmas well before Thanksgiving. The decorations, both for sale and for viewing, were already in place. In the neighborhood where I live, several people have lights hung and strung, inflatable yard ornaments, and Christmas trees visible through the front window. Some radio stations are playing Christmas music throughout the day. A number of people are already reporting that their Christmas shopping is already completed.

While I am still digesting turkey, dressing, and pecan pie, I don't have any real problem with the early Christmas sightings. While I would prefer to complete one holiday before going to the next, I know that Christmas is a "biggie." I just wonder if our rush to Christmas causes us to not have enough time to consider why Christmas is a "biggie."

My desire for all of us is that during our mad dash to December 25th we keep in mind that it is the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, that we celebrate. While it is fun to shop for gifts for the grandchildren, there is no greater gift to have than the gift that God gave us on that first Christmas when His Son was born to a humble family traveling to a distant city to be counted in a census so they could be taxed. They spent the night in the last available space, the shelter that was reserved for the livestock of those staying in a nearby Inn. Approximately 33 years later, Jesus, who lived a life of sinless perfection, was put to death on a cross in fulfillment of God's plan to offer His own Son as a sacrifice for the sin of all of us.

Even while writing that last paragraph, I felt myself slow down and become more thoughtful regarding this Christmas season. Taking seriously the real meaning of Christmas certainly will take more than just a day or two, maybe more than a month or two. It should take my entire life to just celebrate Him and what He has done for me and for you.

Now, if the stores will just hold off on Valentine's merchandise untile after New Year's.

When You Can't See the Answer

(This post is a reprint of a regular article I write entitled "Leading Forward" for the Denton Baptist Association newsletter Connections. This article appears in the November 2009 issue.)

One of the techniques I use to try and keep my mind sharp (or at least not too dull) is to work Sudoku puzzles. These nine-square puzzles, with each square containing nine squares, are completed by placing the numbers 1-9 in each of the inner squares. The trick is that each number is to appear in any row or column only once.

What I have discovered about these puzzles is that sometimes my brain reaches a point that I simply can’t discern the next placement of a number. The solution to this dilemma for some is to cheat by turning to some answer key. Because I abhor the concept of cheating, I usually focus on something else for a minute or two. The result is often that the next placement is obvious when I return to the puzzle.

We have all experienced that same phenomenon when struggling to solve a math problem in school or reconcile a bank statement in real life. Most of us have discovered the resolution technique of walking away, taking a break, or sleeping on it. And yet, we are still amazed when we follow one of these steps and it works.I wonder why we limit the use of this type of problem-solving or assessment of a situation to puzzles and numbers. Is it just possible that issues involving people – conflicts in marriage or between friends; decisions related to strategies or methodologies in a church; disruption and disagreements among co-workers – call for the use of a step back and refocus time before making a hasty decision or speaking some ill-advised words?

The situation may not involve personal conflict. Rather, it may be a time when the right decision must be made. Assessing the problem from all angles with various pairs of eyes at varying times may yield insight that was simply missed during the first look. Have you noticed that when a child is missing, a large number of people go out together to search an area? They may return to that same area a second or even third time in the hope of finding something they missed the first time.

Too often within the realm of ministry, when we can’t see the answer immediately, we either give up or make a decision without all the facts. I believe that all of us – individuals and organizations – must learn to take some time to refocus and allow our minds to both see and comprehend all that is happening. Based on a refreshed assessment, we will make better decisions with people and with critical issues. Maybe that is part of the truth of God’s Word when He states: “Be still and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10)

Some of the problems we will encounter today appear to be unsolvable at first glance. Taking a step back and refocusing upon God will give you a fresh look at the situation. That moment of refreshing may be all that is needed to move from not seeing to seeing the answer that God has for you.

How Much Can I Impress You?

As most everyone knows by now (how could you have possibly missed the stories, videos, specials, etc.) the Dallas Cowboys (professional football team for non-sports enthusiasts) have a new stadium. In the season opener they set a new regular season attendance record for the NFL (National Football League - info for same non-sports group) with over 105,000 fans there. Of course, 30,000 of those bought "standing room only" tickets to watch the game on monitors at the stadium (I thought that was why we have televisions at home!)

Tonight, the Cowboys play the Monday Night Game. The Guiness Book of World Records is to be there to certify that the video screen suspended above the stadium is the largest in the world - 60 yards long and cost more than the previous entire Texas Stadium where the Cowboys used to play. Many fans report that they watch the game on the screen (at the stadium) rather than watching the players on the field. Players are often caught on camera looking up at the screen to try and see themselves and the play they just made.

Both of these "records" bring one question to mind - Why? The answer is obvious - someone is trying to see how much they can impress you. That is easy to discern regarding this $1.1 billion dollar stadium. However, I do wonder how often we try to impress others - with what we know or at least think we know; with who we know; with where we have been; or with how much we have or have spent.

The scripture speaks about removing the beam from one's own eye before trying to get the speck out of someone else's eye. While we all may try to impress someone else from time to time, we are more often guilty of criticizing or judging someone else based on their attempt at impression. Self-eye exams are probably a much better idea than trying to fix everyone else's eyes.

There Is Always More to Learn and to Do

Last week I was an attender at a conference that our association helps to locally co-sponsor along with one of our churches. Each year at this conference I experience an influx of new information, challenging thoughts, and a plethora of possible actions. It serves as both a "wake up" and a "challenge" for how much more there is to learn and of the great and noble deeds that need to be done.

In the next few days I will begin to process some of the specific thoughts. For today I will simply mention a few of the resources that I will be exploring over the next several weeks:

Books
Wess Stafford - President of Compassion International
Too Small to Ignore

David Gergen - CNN Political Analyst and Adviser to 4 Presidents
Eyewitness to Power

Timothy Keller - Presbyterian Minister in New York City
The Prodigal God

Gary Hamel - Director Management Innovation Labs
The Future of Management

Website
Jessica Jackley - Founder of Kiva - online peer to peer microlending
http://www.kiva.org

The list is not long - YET! But, like most forms of education, one source or resource leads to another which leads to another. There is always more to learn, and as one learns, there is always more to do. Setting priorities and developing accountability all tie in here but those are topics for another day along with several others. Today - I will review my notes, decipher my poor excuse for handwriting, and prioritize my new resources (and the ones that I will order).

Does Great Talent Equate with Great Person?

Over the last few days every media outlet has saturated us with information, adulations, and memorializations of Michael Jackson. During this extravaganza of video and commentary, there has been a tendency to not only recognize the musical genuis of Jackson, but in so doing, to equate that musical genuis and greatness with personal greatness. Is that reality?

My personal opinion, which probably only has value to me, is that just because one possesses great ability or talent does not mean that individual also is, or was, a great person. The truth is that some people with great ability are actually quite mean, arrogant, selfish, and even cruel.

Don't misunderstand me. I never met Michael Jackson. I only know him as most of us do from his music, from news reports, and from interviews. He was a gifted performer. He could moon walk before we had a name for it. He could sell albums because the music drew us in and was different from most of his contemporary musicians. But he also held his child over the balcony ledge. He was addicted to pain killers. He had major personality and emotional issues.

So - if the microscope is placed against my life or against yours, we probably all reveal some good, strong traits, and some pretty strange behaviorial issues. In other words, as John Ortberg revealed in the title of his book: Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them, we are some of those "everybodies."

My whole rant is this: I want us to start looking for greatness in the lives of those people who make a true difference in the lives of other people - those who make the most money, get the most publicity, and have the highest popularity are not necessarily the greatest people. There are teachers, police officers, firefighters, doctors and nurses, farmers, writers, and even an occasional minister or two who may measure up past those who were blessed with great talent and ability.

Day Nine and Counting

I am not a coffee drinker. Over the years I have saved a great amount of money by not having to buy a Starbucks' drink one, two, or three times a day. Of course, I have found other ways to spend that money.

While I don't drink coffee (or alcoholic beverages), I am a great consumer of Coca Cola - not the diet stuff - the real, leaded, red can, classic stuff. Three or four a day has often been my pattern. But in an effort at better health and in an effort to become less wide, I am in day nine and counting of time without a Coke Classic.

Why do I tell you that? Well, my co-workers would rather me write than complain. Actually, I have done better than I expected. To this point, I have not had road rage; have not hit anyone; have not yelled at anyone; continue to shower and shave every day; and have gotten out of bed and gone to work each day. Not bad for someone in the major throes of withdrawal.

I have developed a growing concern though. In light of today's economy, I hope that my not drinking all those Cokes is not adversely effecting the bottom line at the corporate office!

Nostalgic Closing

The local news in Denton, Texas, this week included the closing of the two Piggly Wiggly grocery stores in town. While this doesn't compare to the President speaking in Cairo or the Texas Rangers leading their division, it does elicit a certain sense of nostalgia. These are the last two known Piggly Wigglys operating in Texas. I may be one of the people responsible for their closing. In almost two years of living in Denton and fifteen years working in Denton, I have only been in one of the stores and that was only one time. I think I bought some candy - not a big purchase.

But my nostalga is not about the last ones in Texas; rather, it goes all the way back to my childhood in Temple, Texas, where my mother seemed to always shop the small grocers - Dooleys in Troy, Wrights, Spot Cash, and Piggly Wiggly all in Temple. The thing that stands out to me fifty plus years later is that all the employees seem to know your name and knew where everything was on every shelf. As a child, I often ate a package of Mrs. Braid's chocolate cupcakes while we shopped. At the checkout counter, the clerk rang up an empty wrapper. If you went to one of these stores to run an errand for your Mom, you could tell the clerk what you needed and they could tell you what brand your mother usually bought. It was a day of personal service that has slowly slipped away as the smaller gives way to the larger. The need today is to recapture the friendliness and customer service of the smaller and place it in the larger. I just shop better at the grocery store if I am eating chocolate cupcakes.

Is Virtual Reality, Reality?

Allergy medications may cause strange thoughts - certainly cause drowsiness. In the midst of the two, the question surfaces - is virtual reality really reality? Of course it is! Am I crazy or just drowsy? But - Presidential speeches being twittered; finding friends on Facebook; and texting on cell phones! Where have all the people gone! Gone to digital everyone.

Now don't get me wrong. The truth is that I like and use most of the digital forms of communication. I text three, four times a month - with proper spelling and grammar of course. I have a blog - actually, I have three - this personal one and two related to my job. I have a Facebook page and even have a few friends on it. Email accounts at work and at home easily accessible through my IPhone which also has a level, access to USA Today, and pool, bowling, and golf games (for when I am not working).

Could I get by without all of these devices in the world of virtual reality? I probably could, but I don't want to. I may be addicted - although I can quit anytime I want - I just don't want to.

But what about real people? Friends are more than digital transmissions through space. At some point friends must be real people that you shake hands with, that you hug, that you eat a meal with, and that you laugh and cry with. Sure you can do some of those things (at least metaphorically) online. And when distance separates you, online is a great way to stay in touch (metaphorically speaking). But we all need real, live people around us also. These are people that turn virtual into reality. These are people that can read your body language when words don't come from your mouth or from the keyboard.

Today is a good day - even with the allergies - to give some thought to the real people who make a difference in my reality while my fingers touch this keyboard in a virtual, sometimes real, always changing world.

Iraq, the Economy, Swine Flu, and Everything Else

The headlines from the world's newspapers would all be alike if they were written in a common language. The fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan held the most column inches for an extended period of time. Our minds were focused on how many troops were being killed each month or each week.

The only thing that moved our thoughts from the loss of human life was the loss of money out of our pockets. Suddenly, people lost jobs, corporations and individuals filed for bankruptcy, and homes went into foreclosure. The economy replaced Iraq as our number one news concern.

I that how we will pay for dinner would still be at the top of our list if a pig hadn't coughed on a bird that flew over a person depositing some virus into the air that was inhaled and the swine flu became a reality. School closings, reported cases, number of states reporting cases, cases world wide, and number of deaths from the swine flu has grabbed the spotlight in the papers, on television, and across the internet.

Makes you wonder what's next! Don't misunderstand me - I am not making light of any of these happenings. Each one is very serious. Each one is greatly affecting human life. Each one increases anxiety. And yet, we have survived them one by one. Just as we have survived countless other headline grabbers.

Does that mean that we will always be survivors? Not necessarily. But I do think that we must keep in mind that life is filled with crises. These come in the forms of war, crime, economic upturns and downturns, disease, accidents, relationship breakups, and countless other subject headings. The focus I must maintain in all of these situations comes together in these three statements for me:

• While the events of life may surprise me and even catch me off-guard, God, the creator of this world and redeemer of it through Jesus Christ, is never surprised by events and is never caught off-guard. I will trust Him.
• While I don't know the answer to every dilemma that I encounter, I know that God does. My job is to work and respond under His leadership in both times of peace and times of confusion. I will obey Him.
• While I have no desire to be killed in war or die of a pandemic disease or become homeless, I will not be afraid and will not go into hiding because such possibilities exist. I will live this life to the full extent that God gives me strength and capacity. I will serve Him.

How we choose to live life is a choice. I have made my choice. Have you thought about how you will choose to live your life?

Given a Chance - People Will Surprise Us

Although I would say that I am opposed to making determinations about individuals based on their appearance, the truth is that I am probably as guilty of this as most of us are. I came across a clip on You Tube yesterday that is from the reality show "Britain's Got Talent." The clip is seven minutes long. But I encourage you to watch it in its entirety before going on with this essay.

The questions are simple - was I in the group that laughed and thought it must be a joke? How often have I chosen friends, employees, or even who to sit by in a doctor's waiting room based on appearance or age? Is is possible that I have missed some of life's greatest gifts and experiences by not taking the time to discover their hidden talent and thus discover the genius?

In the Bible there is a passage in which one of God's prophets is sent by God to annoint a man to be the next king of Israel. The prophet goes to the home of a man who has seven sons. Upon seeing the oldest of the seven, the prophet knows this must be the one who will become king because he is tall, strong, and regal in appearance. But God reminds the prophet that God looks upon the heart of a person, not upon the outward appearance. The one who is eventually annointed or chosed to be the next king is not the eldest son but the youngest. He was not waiting in the house but was out taking care of the sheep.

So how do you think we should look at people now?

Where Is the Please?

Well, there is no doubt; I have to remember to pray differently than I am used to praying - especially if The Lord's Prayer is involved. Why a change? It is all tied to a very interesting insight supplied by my six-year-old granddaughter in Belgium.

At the chapel on the nearby base (our son-in-law is a major in the Air Force), The Lord's Prayer is often recited in unison by the congregation. After a recent service, our daugther commented to our granddaughter that she had heard her reciting the Lord's Prayer and that she had done very well. Our granddaughter replied that the prayer wasn't very nice. When our daughter inquired as to why the prayer wasn't nice, our granddaughter responded: "It says 'give us this day our daily bread,' and you don't even say 'Please!'"

Caught me off guard. But it did start me to thinking. How often do I (or any of us for that matter) pray to God with an attitude that we are deserving and He needs to take care of our needs right now? While I don't believe that was the attitude of the scripture regarding The Lord's Prayer, I do believe that has been my attitude on occasion. What about you?

The truth is that I am not deserving of God's blessings or His provisions. He has chosen to offer those because of His love for all of us. But He is sovereign in the distribution of blessings. He can choose to bless you in a certain way, but He is under no obligation to bless me in the same way. In fact God knows that I am better off if He tells me "No" rather than "Yes" about some things. He also knows that I am not ready to properly receive or use the blessing that I may have requested.

Having taught our children (and now they are teaching their children) to say "Please" when asking for something is part of the process of developing good manners and being polite. While we might all consider the use of the word "please" with God, there are a few basics that are absolutes and not just considerations:

• God does not owe any of us anything.


• God is the giver of every good and perfect gift.


• We are deserving of nothing.


• Every blessing we receive from God is specific to who we are and to what we need.


• We are to approach God remembering always that we are the created; He is the Creator!

I think that I will listen to children more - they catch some things that we adults just overlook. My granddaughter made me think today!

Avoiding Collisions

I have just finished writing an article that will appear in our associational newsletter regarding preventing collisions in church. Today, I want to rewrite that article changing the focus from churches to individuals and their colliding relationships. The first two paragraphs are total plagarism (can you plagarize yourself?). The remainder is almost new!

"A small rock designated 2009 DD45 and measuring 60-150 feet in length missed the earth early on the morning of March 2, 2009, by a scant 40,000-46,000 miles. While 40,000 miles would be a very long trip by car or even airplance, it is less than 1/5 the distance between the earth and the moon. But remember it was a small rock! Of course, a small rock of approximately the same size struck the area around the Tunguska River in central Siberia, Russia, in 1908. It destroyed millions of trees in the Taiga Forest, totally flattening 830 square miles (oh, incidentally, Denton County, where I live, is approximately 990 square miles in size)! Personally, I am glad this small rock missed.

Everyday, things do collide with other things resulting in various kinds of destructions. Collisions happen in relationships, in churches, in nations, and in cultures. The aftermath is often reminiscent of Humpty Dumpty whose pieces could not be put back together even by all the king's horses and all the king's men. Maybe Humpty's situation, like some of ours, would have been better had someone intervened and kept Humpty from falling and colliding with the hard ground."

So what are some essentials in keeping our relationships from colliding and becoming irrevocably broken into pieces? My suggestions are just that - suggestions. But they are some that I believe are good preventative choices.

• Listen more and speak less. It is so tempting to get in the first blow by stating your own case without ever hearing what another person is trying to say. When my son was around 4, he told me he wanted a motorcycle. Having seen people killed or severely injured in motorcycle accidents, I began a strong "Dad" speech about how they were dangerous and as long as he lived in my house he would never have a motorcycle. As the tears flowed from his disappointment, he managed to say, "But Daddy, it is red and little and only costs a dollar at the toy store. Make a special effort to understand what others are saying. Most of our major conflicts and collisions are results of misunderstandings or are over matters of little consequence.


• Maintain relistic expectations of your spouse, your children, your parents, and your friends (and anyone else you work with, go to school with, are related to, etc.). The painful truth is that none of us are perfect. We all have some strengths and some weaknesses.


• Change is coming. We age; we mature (most of the time); alter our thinking on various topics; learn as we go (trial and error is a favorite in the real world); and forget a lot of things (this is of course a blessing and a curse). Change is happening to everyone and not just to us. Remembering that can sure make collisions less painful.


• The Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you. One small boy was asked why he had hit his sister - because she hit me first. I was just following the Golden Rule. She hit me so I knew she wanted to be hit. Yeah, well, too often as adults we still are living by that mistaken interpretation.

Certainly there are many other ways to avoid collisions in our relationships. But for this next week, why not try these and see if some of our collisions might be prevented. My thought is that I may not can do anything about rocks, small or large, that go flying by our planet, but I can do something about preventing collisions in my relationships.

The Shallow End or the Deep End?

As a young child, the question was simple to answer. I wanted to be in the shallow end of the pool because I didn't know how to swim. Somewhere around the age of 8, I caught on to swimming, floating, treading water, and assorted other water related activities. Again the question was simple to answer because it was more fun and more challenging in the deep end of the pool.

Most of us are not trying to decide about whether to go swimming today (in Texas the air temp is to be about 80 but the water temp is still too cool for most of us). But I do wonder today if we are thinking in the shallow end or in the deep end. I wonder if we are reading in the shallows or in the depths. I wonder if we are living on the surface or plunging into the regions of hard work and diffult choices.

Does your mind drift to the dwindling 401 (k) that you were counting on for early retirement so you could pursue your favorite hobby or spend extra time with the grandchildren? Or instead is there a focus upon those who will spend today, this week, and their final days in the process and pain of starvation?

Is my biggest thought today about a receeding hairline or about the global millions who are infected with AIDS? Am I already thinking about where I will eat lunch (currently 10:05 AM) or is there some thought about where my friends and neighbors and the people in the office next door will spend eternity? Were the comics my most thought-provoking read of the day or was there something I read that will stimulate my actions in some aspect of making the world a better place?

It is pretty easy for me to confess that some days the shallow end of the thought pool puts this underworked brain in a very comfortable and relaxed position. But occasionally (tho' not often enough) I was to go to the deep end, think and read about that which is most important, and in someway make a dffierence in this world. My best thought today - I want to go to the deep end far more frequently until it becomes the norm of my life. So, what are you thinking about today?

Thinking Back on a Trip

My wife and I were privileged to go to Belgium for three weeks over this past Christmas and New Year's time. The trip was made easier and more enjoyable because our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren live there (courtesy of NATO). My initial impressions were these:

• The country looks like it does in the movies
• There is a calmness and ease about the country (not everyone is on a cell phone)
• There is a quaintness that is typlified by businesses located in people's homes along neighborhood streets
• A lot of people walk, ride bikes, or scooters (even in the cold winter)
• The local bakeries know how to bake bread and eclairs
• Euros still seem a little like monopoly money but they cost more than real dollars

We had a great time being with family; visiting, playing games, building a snowwoman, and seeing the sites. The sites included a castle in The Netherlands, the uniqueness of several nearby villages, the lavish buildings of the plaza in Brussels along with some very good chocolate, and even a side trip to Paris and the historic stops in the city including Notre Dame; The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and countless architectual and artistic marvels. Yes, we did see the Mona Lisa (famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci that is in The Louvre) and she seems to be holding her age quite well. She is more petite than I imagined.

One thing that is very humbly about Europe is the age and history. Buildings that were constructed in the 12th and 13th Centuries are still in use and retain so much character and even charm. That gives new definition to the word "old." The old houses in our town or the old car that someone owns is really new in comparison to the castle we toured that was begun around 1150 and finally completed in the early 1800s.

Three weeks went by too quickly but with great enjoyment. Hopefully, we will be able to go back while they are still living there. Spring or summer would be my choice. Winter is cold there. But being with family is a warm experience anytime of the year.

What a Day!

Yes, today is a Monday, but it is a rather remarkable day. First, we actually had some rain this morning in North Texas - not much - but some. Second, today is our daughter's birthday. It seems impossible for her to have already reached this age (no, I am not telling how old she is, but she is still a young adult). After all I can still remember all the details of her birth. Now she is married with children of her own. And finally, today is the first day for our grandson (one of our birthday daughter's children) to return to school after a simple accident resulted in a small rupture in his spleen that was able to heal itself over a period of two weeks. While he did have a hospital stay of one week followed by another week being quiet and still at home, he did not have to have surgery to remove the spleen as earlier had been feared.

So today, we (my wife and myself) are thankful for the rain that came to a dry yard; we are thankful that God blessed us with two wonderful children, the younger of whom celebrates another wonderful year of life today; and we are thankful for four grandchildren, one of whom was healed without having to have surgery and has returned to most of his normal activities as of today. It really is a very, very good day!

Why Haven't You Written?

My loyal readers (both of them) have severely chastised me for failure to update this blog since the early part of December 2008. What can I say - I have no excuse - well, maybe I do:

• December company (great fun)
• Trip to Belgium - 3 weeks (great fun and soon to be written about)
• Stomach issues (enough said)
• Return to work (lots to do)
• Out of the habit (well, I don't wear a habit!)
• Out of excuses (that is why I am writing now)

All that is left to say is watch the site the next few days as I try to catch up on all that has happened. By the way - notice that I posted a new picture of our grandchildren that includes all 4 of them. Of course it was taken last May. For an article based on the picture, go to http://www.dentonbaptist.org/leadingforward.bigpicture...littledetails.htm . It is a good article even if I did write it myself.