Well, I made it to Ohio to help out after mom’s surgery. She’s doing well and appreciates the prayers.
I’m wondering about something though . . . I’ve only flown twice since 9/11. On this my second trip, I wound up being booked on a broken plane. So, I got re-routed. Everything went well, I made it to Dayton at midnight, so that was fine. It’s just the extra time spent at DFW and Charlotte. It’s like life ends, a quasi-existence, surreal. I didn’t know anyone, couldn’t find a comfy chair and couldn’t stay focused on my book. I have a new appreciation for all you road-warriors. You have been in purgatory and paid.

brad

Tim Phillips has been inviting Teresa and I for months to go to experience HimProv. HimProv is a Christian improv comedy group that performs at BentTree Fellowship once a month. We went and brought along Teresa’s mom last night. It was great! What a wonderful show. We definitely have to let folks know about these talented actors. Teresa and Faye and everybody were laughing so hard that many were folding over in their seats. At one point I was worried a fella in front of me would go into cardiac arrest. But hey, it’s not such a bad way to go.

I laughed a lot, but many times I noticed I was truly enjoying the show, but not laughing out loud. I figured out why. I spent 11 hour days this week in an Interview and Interrogation Class. Excellent training and a huge amount of information to process. The goal, to find the truth. That information ranged from why people tell the truth to why they lie, what happens consciously and subconsciously, behaviors, speech patterns, you name it. We also discussed and read and watched interviews of subjects. Many of the subjects had committed horrible crimes, killing their babies, abusing women, murdering an ex, and other really bad stuff. Yes, I do have an opinion on the OJ case now. These were subjects that seriously needed to be held accountable for the truth. I realized during the show how much emotional energy these cases had sucked out of me. So, here’s the miracle. I believe God led Tim to invite my family to HimProv to fill us up with the fun of life. This morning, the view from my front window was again full of vivid colors.

There’s probably a lesson in my note somewhere . . . but, we’re headed over to a friend’s home to play cards and eat snacks. Just want to make sure my emotional fuel tank is topped off.

Your brother,

brad

PS: 2 bowling balls walked into a restaurant and asked the waiter to call a cab. Their ride had split.

PPS: 2 bowling balls walked out of a restaurant and knew they were in trouble when they saw their mini-van had a flat tire. Yep, no spare.

Ask Teresa or Tim about my jokes.

Well, here we go with a new teaching series on Sunday mornings. Dan Kirby took my theme and came up with a great title, Maintaining the Machine.” We are going to dig into the New Testament Book of Philippians and apply the insights we gain to our relationships. They will apply to relationships across the board: marriage, dating, friendship, parent/child, you see where I’m going.

Then, we will go back through Philippians a second time and apply the insights we gain to our parenting/youthing. Ok, I made up a word. Young or old, in-between or in-denial, we all have parents and many of us have children. So, let’s apply God’s Wisdom to those relationships too.

Your assignments: Be there . . . or be square (sorry, dating myself). Read the Book of Philippians. It’s only 4 chapters so you will feel a great sense of accomplishment quickly. You will see some of the wisdom from God we will be studying. You will hear God’s voice whispering to your heart.

See you Sunday,

brad