Thank you

To the couple who spends their Sunday afternoon cleaning the crumbled and left over bulletins, crushed cheerios, and hidden gum in the church auditorium. To the family who spends their hard earned money to buy groceries for a family who cannot afford it. To the teenagers who spend their afternoon preparing a birthday party for a person whom they don't even know. To the people who do the right things, even when it is inconvenient and possibly detrimental to themselves. To the parents who spend time developing their children into loved, faithful, and selfless individuals. To college students who give their time and opportunity for money to love on a bunch of teens whom they had never met prior to an interview and movement of the Holy Spirit. To the girl who smiled at me at the grocery store for absolutely no reason but to be nice ... thank you!

I was moved today by several acts of kindness that wind up being thankless and overlooked wonders. All of the things listed above have happened either to me or people I know and by people I know or have seen within the past week. I have been hurting over people who can't get themselves out of their own vision. What a beautiful thing: to be able to recognize when people do something incredible for others - all the while knowing they won't be recognized and thanked. Find a thankless job as a way to serve others - I promise it will be rewarding to you, as well!

Thank you.

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

I ran in my second marathon this past Sunday. Sometimes I feel "like a runner" and am ready to attack whatever road is in front of me and the rest of the time I feel like a fat junior high kid trying out for the USA Olympic Track Team. For the first 22 miles on Sunday, I ran like a runner! And actually if it weren't for the final 6 miles being uphill and windy (up to 40 mph gusts), I feel like I would have torn up the entire thing! I finished with a time of 3:35:11 and 96th out of a field of 2407 finishers. I am really proud of my time (even if I did miss my goal by 5 minutes) due to the condition and that I beat my first marathon's time by over an hour!

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is special, though! The memorial is really inspiring and pretty spooky at 5 am! Prior to the race, the race director calls for 168 seconds of silence to remember those who lost their lives in the very unfortunate bombing in the mid-1990s. This silence is so different than the energizing bells and whistles so many other directors choose to use in order to begin their races. I loved feeling like I was running for a purpose: to let others remember that good defeats tragedy!

In the meantime, I am going to train to attempt a Boston qualifying time and get two marathons in by next February.

This Week: BUSY!

Last week was only busy in order to prepare for this week! Tonight I am driving to Dallas in order to fly to Chicago with two friends (Chris Hayes and Tye Brooks) for a youth minister's conference (and of course some sightseeing!). We are going to see the Chicago Cubbies tomorrow night, which, to me is the most important part of "what to see while in Chicago." We'll definitely catch the Sear's tower, Navy Pier, and Giordano's World Famous Stuffed Pizza. Do you have any other suggestions for "must dos/must sees" while in Chicago?

I must be a glutton for punishment. Not only am I packing in a week of tourism on top of a conference, I am also ending the week with the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on Sunday, April 26. I am hopeful that my being in Chicago will calm my nerves and allow me to rest my legs by not running as often. I am excited, but as always, nervous about the big run that looms at the end of the week. In my first and only prior marathon (Dallas White Rock Marathon, December 2008) I was happy to finish standing up, since this was my only goal. I finished rather easily just under 5 hours and was ready to "raise the bar." I ran a half marathon two weeks later under 1:45 and decided to aim for the 3:30 club and try to get the OKC in under the 3 hour and thirty minute mark. This is what I am now nervous about: the time goal.

By the way, I have a cousin and several friends running in the OKC Memorial marathon this weekend ... think of us all between 6:30 CST and 12:30 CST. You can track any of us by clicking on this link and they will send you tracking alerts via email or text messaging, but remember to pay attention in church!

I will be blogging this week despite the fact that I will be out of town, so keep checking in!

Let Someone Help

As a minister I learned very quickly that I cannot do it by myself. Sometimes Satan tricks you into thinking that you are or that you can, but it is not true. The body of Christ must work together. We are a family for a reason.

I'm the kind of person who thinks, "if it is going to get done correctly, I must be the one to do it!" About ten months ago on a youth group trip called Trek (if you are unfamiliar with Wilderness Trek, we climb a 14,000 foot mountain in 6 days with a group of about 10-20 teens) in Colorado and I had a revelation: "I must invite others to help me." There was a deeper level to this revelation - I was not allowing people to serve and give of their talents because I was too worried about "doing my job" correctly. As a youth minister fresh out of college, I wanted to impress and calm any potential nerves that anyone may have about a 22 year old college graduate coming into serve as the new youth minister. I came in hard: planning activity after activity, literally making myself sick on the amount of work I loaded upon myself (some weeks I logged 70+ hours), meticulously caring after every minute detail, and making sure I did at least 50% of the work. I backed off a little after our first summer and Fall retreat, allowing some to help in the Spring ... and then the worst happened.

My dad died on March 1, 2008 and I couldn't rebound. I was in this whirlwind of self-doubt and frustration. I could no longer call my dad and hear his reassuring words of confirmation and suggestions. I could no longer focus on one detail without thinking of the hurt inside me and I nearly broke. I began to allow Jacinda (my perfectly sweet wife) to help pick up where I was missing and be a huge part of the students' lives. I stopped caring so much about the activities themselves and began to look more intently at the students. I feel that I have more openly invited their parents and our Christian family to share in their lives. I am listening to the studies that show the more adult interaction students have, the more love they will feel and more opportunity they will have to connect with different adults.

It was on this Wilderness Trek last July where I gave up my control of the group and asked for God to control what we did, how we did it and how much "work" went into it. More volunteers got involved and I began to take a day off. I'm glad to say that my wife and I have grown closer through her incredible involvement with the youth group and their parents. All of the kids say, "this is our youth minister Evan and his wife Jacinda (whisper: she's the cool one :) )."

The reason I am writing this post is to thank all of the volunteers who make our (Jacinda and me) opportunity to serve you in a healthy way possible. We have 25 weekly volunteers and about 40 others who give their time to the teens and are available for personal interaction with these students. One of our elderly members handed one of our volunteers a check last week to "do with it as they pleased the next time the youth group comes over." I LOVE when people recognize our volunteers as the ones working with the students, it's great!

Thank you

Breakfast Song

I love breakfast! My favorite is a three egg omelet with all kinds of veggies (mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions, jalapenos, black olives, bell pepper, etc) and cheese. Then you top off the breakfast with a cup of coffee, two slices of toast, and a side of pan fried potatoes! Every Tuesday I am very thankful for our ladies' 10 am Bible Class. Actually, every Tuesday at 10:01 am! They intentionally leave enough breakfast for the staff to come and mooch off of their spread - I love them! I'm happy they have a Bible class, but I'm talking about breakfast. Sometimes, I decide to eat breakfast for supper because I didn't get enough of it in the morning. It is with my affection for breakfast in mind that the video below makes me sad. My good friend Jessica posted this video to my Facebook wall. My friend and I laughed for several minutes due to the ridiculous video. So pour your bowl of cheerios, grab your donut, and sip your coffee while you enjoy the "breakfast song."

What's your favorite breakfast?

Zest for Life

There is a group of women in the Hillcrest congregation who many people look up to for several reasons: they are giving, thoughtful, caring, nurturing, prayerful, active, and great listeners. To me, one of these women, in particular, is completely full of life. I stopped her yesterday for a short conversation and felt the urge to comment on this attribute of hers and my learning from her to remember to wonder at God's creation and His gift of life. She smiled her kind and gentle smile and said, "a long time ago when I was in graduate school, I had a friend who we threw a birthday party for and theme of this party was that he had such a 'zest for life.' I thought to myself, 'that's what I want:' a zest for life!" I told her, "I think you've achieved it." She smiled and said, "I think I have, too!"

I mentioned in an earlier post (squirrels) that I was attending a conference in Lubbock in which Mark Yaconelli was speaking. The theme was "Down Time" (this is also the title of Yaconelli's most recent book). I had heard Yaconelli speak before and looked forward to hearing him speak again. But something happened this time: I heard what he was saying; I got it! Last time I listened to him speak, I thought, "wow! what great ideas. I really need to do that." You see, the thing is that Mark Yaconelli doesn't necessarily provide ministers with the most 'practical' ministry related toys that are ready for you to apply to your ministry ... "on your mark, get set, DO MINISTRY WITH MY LATEST METHOD/PRODUCT, ETC.!" Yaconelli takes an entirely different approach. He encourages the youth ministers, preachers, volunteers ... everyone who hears him ... to slow down. He encourages us to slow down and take time in "holy leisure" and wonder at God's creation in nature and the humanity around us. Take the time to move at God's pace and see the hurt in the person next to you in traffic, take the time to see the joy in the girl who is celebrating her 6th birthday party in the park, take the time to see the beauty in the sunset, and take the time to grasp the importance of the times we see someone doing the right thing. The last time I heard this, I thought, "great! I need to do this: on your mark, get set ... hurry and slow down!" Wait, this is difficult! I didn't get it. So I kept adding things to my plate. I kept getting busier. And Busier. And. Busier.

The truth is I have made myself too overwhelmed to embrace this 'holy leisure.' I have made myself too busy to have this contagious 'zest for life.' I have always enjoyed nature ... the Creation account in Genesis is one of my favorite Bible stories. But I was missing something! The sunrises and sunsets here in West Texas are unbelievable! I knew that, but I realized that I do not take the time to relish the gifts that God has given us through nature each day. The truth is, typically, every morning I am awake for the sunrise. Typically, I am outside every evening during the sunset. And I have not taken the time to soak in these daily gifts from God. This morning I went to the gym with a friend of mine at 5:30. When we finished our workout about an hour later, I noticed the sun was beginning to rise so I drove home and walked to the ACU campus. Soon I found myself jogging to the newly created Labyrinth between the brand new Welcome Center and the lake on the East side of the campus. I took a seat on a bench and simply watched. The emotions I experienced were in harmony with the colors and ascent of light my eyes were seeing. It was today, that I realized I had never watched the sunrise. Oh, I have seen it ... and do nearly everyday. But I never before had taken the time to watch the sunrise. What a truly spiritual experience!

I encourage you to find the time, even if it is for a brief moment, to slow down and wonder at God's creation. Whether it is in nature, other people, God's willingness and desire for relationship with us, or whatever may drive you, find your time to have holy leisure. Remember to live with a zest for life and appreciation for the gifts of life that God has surrounded us with.

50 Years

Today marks fifty years of existence for the Hillcrest Church of Christ. There is a massive celebration (or "jubilee" as we are calling it) taking place within the confines of the Hillcrest building this morning. But more than a celebration for how long this church has been serving the community and God's Kingdom, my hope is that we remember to celebrate Christ's presence in this world and it is through His death and resurrection that we may have life. It is through this life and God's continued work and presence that any congregation may accomplish anything good and that all of the glory should be given to God. I believe the jubilee planning team has done a great job remembering that it is by God's activity - and despite our best efforts - that this congregation (and all others for that fact) continues to be active and effective.

Today, may we remember great people who have served God's Kingdom and give all the glory and praise to God!

Addendum: I love grilling

Just over a week ago I wrote a post called "what pumps me up!" In this post I attempted to write about many things I love and that however I feel, I feel much better after experiencing these things. I FORGOT SOMETHING SPECIAL THAT PUMPS ME UP IN A BIG WAY: I LOVE TO GRILL! It doesn't matter what it is, I will try to find a way to grill it.

I grilled some pork loin for dinner tonight and just had a very relaxing and leisurely time being outside by a fire and the aromas from the pork and seasoning. It couldn't be better.

Squirrels

Several months ago I read a book entitled Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli. Ultimately, the point of this well written book is to remind parents that practicing the presence of Jesus is utterly more important than doing things in order to have activities. In his opening chapter, Yaconelli makes a point that has stuck in my head, as in the heads of our youth group. As I was reading this book I decided to teach a class on authenticity because our youth group was becoming more and more comfortable with putting on a good show for our brothers and sisters, rather than picking each other up (something very natural to do when you're at a very fragile point in one's social life!). I was looking for a way to say that I had recently felt anxiety while planning our mission trip and various summer trips while grieving my father's loss. And that I felt like I had recently made bigger deals out of small things. And Yaconelli has the analogy nailed in his first chapter, anxiety is "a state of agitation in which we lose our larger capacity to empathize, to love, to respond to the needs of others. When we're anxious we become squirrel-like -- nervous and wary, teeth chattering, eyes scanning for danger, muscles spring-loaded, waiting to scamper up the nearest tree at every sound" (Yaconelli, 35). I proceeded to tell my youth group kids, "I'm a squirrel!" Of course, they found this very funny. Apparently, they still find this very funny. They have given me squirrel stickers, videos, pictures of suirrels with my face photoshopped in, and countless roadkill pictures.

The reason I am writing this today is because I am heading to Lubbock (immediately after I finish this post) to attend a Youth Minister's conference at Lubbock Christian University. The keynote speaker for this conference is Mark Yaconelli.

If you were an animal, what would you be?

This Crazy Family

This past July (2008) our congregation began using a new bulletin format to go along with our newly renovated auditorium. The back of the bulletin is now a space designated for different members to share their thoughts and experiences with the rest of the congregation. The following is an article I wrote for the Jan 25, 2009 bulletin for the Hillcrest Church of Christ in Abilene, TX:

While growing up “family” was an eclectic word. I have always described my family as “crazy.” I have four older sisters, two of whom are adopted. My parents divorced when I was three and remarried when I was four. I now have four older sisters, three step-sisters, two step-brothers, a step-mom and step-dad. My friends tease me because my family tree is so large and tangled. It was definitely an experience!

You may think I regret my childhood, but you couldn’t be more wrong. I was a happy kid! I had a blast with such a large family and love the wild memories that only a large family could create! Yes, I wish my parents did not have a divorce, but my siblings stuck together and found new ways to create familial unity.

When we look at our family in Christ we too easily show the shiny, flawless sides of ourselves and hide the cracks that each of us bear. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes “… you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part.” He doesn’t say, the best of each of you is a part, but all of you – even the broken pieces!

The void left by my dad’s passing is irreplaceable, but I learned a lot about being a member of the Christian family from several of my brothers and sisters who have been there to pick up my broken pieces. The following is a message of love from a sister in Christ, written one month ago:

My dearest friend Evan, I have been thinking a lot over the last six months. I used to hear people say I love them like a brother and I didn't really understand what that meant. But when your dad died I cried all day long knowing that you were in pain. In fact, I am crying right now thinking still of how hurt you must be and how you must miss him. I came to realize that I do know what it means to love someone like a brother. I love you like a brother. You are truly a cherished friend.

Sharon

Please take time today and think of people in your life who have truly been family to you. At times, we overlook one another’s kind acts too easily. My family is “crazy” and difficult to describe. I thank my faith family for being crazy enough to love all of the broken pieces – remember that’s all of us!

I want to challenge you who read this and ask you to call, email, text (however you communicate best) and thank your "Sharon"s for being 'crazy' for treating you like family ... and how grateful you are!

My Dad

When I was a kid I would be asked questions like, "who is your hero?" My answer was always the same, "my dad!" What do you want to be when you grow up? "My dad!" What's your favorite thing to do? "Throw the football with ..." you guessed it "... my dad."

As a boy, I knew my dad would save me from anyone or anything. It didn't matter how far apart we were, he would find a way to be with me. As a teenager, something I took for granted is that he would be at every concert, show, nearly every game, and all important events, even if he did live 2 and a half hours away. Since as early as I can remember, he was my biggest fan and best encourager, regardless of my "stage." As a man, he's the one whose phone has always been on for me to call whenever I needed to vent, cry, or wind down. My dad and I have always shared our greatest interests which ultimately led to several endless conversations about nothing in particular. We've shared memories from late night movies and countless car rides from Lubbock to Amarillo and vise versa to big trips to Los Angeles and a Dallas Cowboys game. My dad is the greatest you could ask for and, to put it simply, he is my best friend.

For those of you who don't know, my dad passed away unexpectedly last March. I've found peace and understanding about my dad's passing and have proceeded living a life of happiness and laughter. But, as anyone could tell you who has lost someone very close, there will be good days and there will be bad days. Yesterday was a tough day: I had a very stressful day in the office, I was tired, and, as silly as it sounds, it was Opening Day without my favorite person to relish it with. I just felt beat up. I woke up this morning and thought of his nearly daily text messages that would begin my day when I read, "Good morning, son! I love you." Sometimes people may ask me, 'what can I do to help?' or 'what do you need?'

The answer is still the same, "my dad."

NOTE: Don't get me wrong, other people have lifted me and encouraged me in ways that words cannot describe. People have stepped in and added presence that needed to be filled and for that I thank you. My mother and step-mom both have shown an unbelievable amount of strength and understanding. And I can't even begin to explain how incredible Jacinda has been and continues to be the best encourager and most loving wife I can imagine.

Check back tomorrow and I will share an article I wrote for our church bulletin a few months back about how I saw the family of God fill my need for family.

Happy Opening Day!

The best day in America and my favorite National Holiday! A day that requires full dress code violations in offices all over America. A day that has encouraged some professors to cancel class and others to throw parties. The day I am speaking of is, of course, the Opening Day of Baseball! Some people confuse the Sunday night game before Opening Day as Opening Day, it's not. The Sunday night game is an adapted game called Opening Night. Opening Day is when everyone else plays and is a day where cities all over North America hear two wonderful words, "Play Ball!"

My wife's favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, played in Opening Night (last night) and beat the defending World Champions 4-1 with a former Red Sox (my favorite team) pitcher, Derek Lowe (pictured left) starting on the mound. It was a wonderful way to begin the season and to prepare Baseball world for the pandemonium that is Opening Day. Baseball fans, the wait is over. It is finally here. Happy Opening Day!

Not My Brightest Moment

Okay, so I don't think some decisions through all the way. Earlier this week I told my running partner that I was cool with getting the Saturday 5K (see the "He looks like a runner" post) in as long as we ran a 20 miler later in the weekend, as well. We decided to run the 20 miler this morning prior to our 9:00 worship. So we got up at 4:15 to begin our run at 5 am. We got a little bit of a late start, but started pretty close to 5:15 and finished our run in 2:51:57. Here is the part where I didn't think the decision through: I'm a minister - I shouldn't be late to church. We ran at a park which is a 20 minute drive from my house. With a few breaks for water, bathroom, snacks, etc. we finished our run at 8:12 am. I got home at 8:37 am. I try to be at church at 8:45, which obviously wasn't going to happen today! I got home, just trying to crawl into the door due to my cramped and worn out legs trying to figure out how on earth I was going to make it to church even close to on time.

Let's just say that my wife rocks! I walk in to the aroma of hot pancakes in the kitchen (she knows I'm cranky without my food :)) with an ironed dress shirt and a suit, shoes, and socks laid out ready to wear, and the bathroom is ready for me to "jump" into the shower. At 8:55, we are ready to go out the door because of J's kind preparations, but we can't find my black belt (I still haven't been able to find it). She looks up from a drawer in the closet and says, "you can wear suspenders!" I guess wearing suspenders was my "punishment" for making a silly decision to run 20 miles prior to Sunday morning worship and Bible class. For those of you who were wondering, I stayed awake during worship and class. Thankfully, I was the one teaching this morning - I may not have made it, otherwise!

The point is that I am very grateful for my incredible wife! She helps "brighten" me up!

"He looks like a runner"

For the past 26 years, the Galaxy men's social club at ACU has hosted the Kirk Goodwin 5K. Kirk Goodwin was a student at ACU, a member of the ACU track team, and a member of Galaxy. While at ACU, Kirk was involved in a car accident and passed away due to the accident. The run was initiated to help the Goodwin family pay for the overwhelming medical bills. Currently, the run helps families of ACU students with high medical bills.

Well, I ran the Kirk Goodwin 5K today! But this post is actually about the registration process. Before I get to that, though, let me brag on the race director, Wilson Rotenberry. Wilson is a student at ACU and put together a VERY organized run this year. The KGR (Kirk Goodwin Run) was timed by Champion Chip, the registration process was easy, and the atmosphere was very fun! While I was waiting at the registration table, a few of the Galaxy men were waiting to be used as volunteers. I could kind of hear what they were saying but wasn't really listening to their conversation. Then I heard one of them say, "yeah, definitely, he totally looks like a runner." I looked at them to see who they were talking about AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT ME! I couldn't believe it. Now, I've relayed this story to two people and they've said, "yeah, well, you are a runner." That may be so, but I'm still a guy who has lost 35 -40 pounds (depending on the time of day!) in the last 19 months and isn't used to people saying, "you look like a runner." I'm telling you, that made my day! I ran with confidence and held my head high because I look like a runner!

What Pumps Me Up

You know those things, that no matter what is going on, they instantly make everything better? I mean, they can be little things or life changing. Sometimes the things that make the biggest difference in our lives are the ones that often go unnoticed. This is my list so that the wonderful things that make my life happy don't go unnoticed (in no particular order):

• Hershey's Chocolate Bar with Almonds
• A good run
• Jacinda's smile
• And how her nose wrinkles when she laughs
• When I see a heavier person running ... and working hard at it
  
• I always want to cheer them on, but then I think that they may think I'm patronizing them.
  
• Receiving cards of appreciation
• Writing cards of appreciation
  
• 24
• When my youth group, or members of such, do something completely selfless and Christ-centered.
• My water bottle during a run
• When I go back home and my mom makes me dinner (AND HER BUTTERMILK PIE FOR DESSERT)
• When I witness someone doing the right thing, even if it screws them over.
  
• When the Yankees lose
• When someone acknowledges that Christ is their Savior.
  
• Waking up next to Jacinda in the mornings
• Christmas morning

Other than Hans and Franz, what pumps you up?

Today's Big Thing: Rapping Flight Attendant

This is why I always choose Southwest Airlines! You've got to see this video. Just click on the title of this post or copy & paste the following link: http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2009/03/16

Blown Away!

Since I am from West Texas, one may read this and think that the wind has finally blown hard enough to send me away, but I am simply using it as an expression. Although, the wind has been pretty ferocious lately!

The few weeks just before Christmas our youth group grew through a three lesson series focused on worshiping God with all of our talents and glorifying Him in all situations with all that we've got. During this series we watched the video that is posted just below this paragraph. We challenged the students and asked them to come up with a plan that we could worship God with what we have AND help our brothers and sisters in this world (since we are all children of God). They decided to save money for three months and then collect the money that they saved to put toward a fresh water well in one of our mission locations in the world: Mumena, Africa. We did some research and learned that it would cost about $1200 to drill a fresh water well. Tonight was the third of the "collection" nights for the well. Our youth group saved $842 and a quart size bag full of quarters!!!! I am seriously moved and completely overwhelmed. I'm so impressed with this generation, in general, and specifically the 100+ teenagers that make up our youth group. Several students came to me after class and said that they didn't save money but that they have decided to and want me to keep them accountable to that commitment. And what's more is that a leadership group (made of about 30-40 students who volunteer their time after class) has decided to save money at the beginning of each month to give regularly to different causes (local and abroad)! CAN WE SAY PRAISE GOD!?

My lesson tonight in class had this premise: every decision we make, as Christians, should be Christ centered. I had lunch with a friend (Jon Mills) today and during our conversation he brought up the old reliable "B's" from our childhood within the Church of Christ community: Believe, Behave, & Belong. And these B's were taught in this order: we believe in Christ, we behave by his teachings, and we belong to our Christian community. We discussed how Christ has a different order of those B's ... take the woman who committed adultery in John 8. He didn't ask her to tell everyone in the crowd that she believed he was the Christ in order to earn her belonging within the group, he allowed her to belong through his actions when he proved that she was like everyone else: a sinner. His order of the B's is as follows: allow to BELONG, BELIEVE due to the difference made by belonging, and BEHAVE because of your changed life. We could use Jesus and the leper, Jesus and a blind man, Jesus and Lazarus, etc... the examples are plenty and the point remains the same: people belonged before they were asked to change their behavior. You may remember the last thing Jesus said to the woman in John 8: "Go and sin no more." Behavior was the last thing he asked of her. I, also, relayed a story from my cousin Trey's blog (treymorgan.net) entitled, "You're a member of the Church of Christ? Aren't you the ones that..." In this personal story, Trey recalls several frightening descriptions and accusations of the Church of Christ ... and if you are a member of the Church of Christ, you know many on the list. His story, however, ends with a lady who says, "Hey! you go to the Church of Christ? Aren't you the ones who are helping people in the community?!" What an awesome question to be asked! So I asked our students to fill in the blank: "Aren't you the church who ... " To that one of our adults in the classroom responded, "When I go to Mumena this summer and visit the village who receives your well I will ask them to finish that statement. I bet you they will say, 'Aren't you the ones who saved my children because you gave us fresh water?'" Again, PRAISE GOD! Trey concluded the aforementioned article by quoting Acts 10:38, "Jesus went around doing good things..." I want to finish that verse, "...because God was with him." I agree with Trey: I like the idea of a church who goes around doing good things and we do this because God is with us and should be the center of everything we do.

I am blown away by our students and I praise God for their parents. I praise God for the support they give one another. And I praise God for caring about all of us on Earth so that He gave us the primary example of how to live our lives! Finally, I praise God for continually blowing me away with His goodness. I'm happy that I get to be part of His grand story.

Mrs Brown and Mrs Newton

Earlier this week I was on a training run and had just finished pushing up the end of a series of hills on my 5 K route. It was 80+ degrees and the first time I had run in several days due to our trip to the UK; I was tired and very sweaty. I had sweat in my eyes and was struggling reading the time recorded on my watch so I kept rubbing my eyes. As I was running up this final ascent I noticed something: I saw two very elderly ladies attempting to lift a small love seat into the back of an SUV. I was so focused on the run that I nearly missed the scenario altogether until I saw them out of the corner of my eye as I was passing by (and the sweat in my eyes didn't help!). Though I was out of breath I said, "Wait! Let me help you with that." Both of them broke their concentration for a moment and looked across the road as I trotted near them. In unison, their faces lit up and thanked me immensely. As I was lifting the piece of furniture, Mrs Brown introduced herself and her sister, Mrs Newton. Mrs Brown informed me that she lived in the house behind her for the past thirty-three years and her children moved her to Royal Estates Assisted Living Home this past weekend. I smiled gently and asked her how she liked the new place (mind you, I was gassed and sweating immensely - still out of breath). She said it was nice and I told her I was happy for her new lifestyle and we joked about how she could "be a kid" again since someone else was responsible. She and her sister then insisted upon me that I take monetary payment for the help I gave them since they "didn't know how they would have gotten that piece of furniture in the car anyway." Mrs Brown added, "I told Mrs Newton that if a guy came running by (I didn't know you'd be literally running!) and offered to help I'd pay him good money." I thanked them for their generous thought and refused the offer by explaining that Jacinda and I are thankful to be very well taken care of with our full-time salaries. We talked a little bit about the food in Mrs Brown's new living facilities and how it would take a little time for her to appreciate the transition, but she was thankful to have children who could afford for her to be cared for in such a way. Then, as I turned to complete my run, she said something fairly simple, "Thank you for stopping to help us two old ladies!" I said, "Of course!" and continued my run. It wasn't until I turned the corner that I realized that I saw about four or five cars pass Mrs Brown and Mrs Newton and they struggled with the love seat. And that I nearly ran right by them because I had sweat in my eye. It hit me: I nearly missed the opportunity to serve someone by doing a simple task (for me) because I had something in my eye. I wonder how many other opportunities I've missed because something was in my eye, but only that it wasn't sweat. The truth is I miss opportunities to serve the people around me because I focus, too often, on myself. I owe thanks to Mrs Brown and Mrs Newton for rmeinding me the importance of looking outside of myself and for the needs of others.