Be Careful What You Pray For -- or You should have listened to your wife

Well, we are finally home from our trip down to South Alabama. We went with several purposes in mind: to bring my pickup truck back home, to check on Sonya's mother, and to spend time with our girls (and Jon and Rob). We were almost 100% successful. We checked on Sonya's mom and had a great time with the girls (and Jon and Rob). The bringing the truck home didn't work out too well. Let me give you a little background. Jon and Ashley borrowed my truck to take a large dog from North Alabama to South Alabama. That was months ago. When they started to bring the truck back, Jon decided to get the oil changed. On the way, he gave me a call and asked, "Does your truck always overheat?" The answer of course was, "No, it never has!" To make a long story short, a belt had broken and the water pump wasn't working. They got it fixed, and it worked fine. We arrived down south on Sunday, and Sonya drove the truck on Monday. The belts squealed and the air conditioner didn't work very well, so when she got back, she said, "We probably should take the truck somewhere and let them check it out." Prophetic words, to say the least. Like a husband, I responded, "No, it will be okay. We'll get it checked out in Decatur." So we left Friday around 11 a.m. to head home. Before we left, I prayed, "God, please just give us air conditioning all the way home." Not, "protect us while we travel." Not, "take care of the truck all the way to Decatur." "Just give us air conditioning all the way home." Now understand, He did just that. We had a/c all the way to Bay Minette where we stopped at Burger King. We had a/c all the way to the Rabun/Perdido exit. But then the truck died, and we barely limped into the gas station. But the a/c worked. The lady from the car dealership in Atmore came to get us, and the car had a/c. The car we bought in Atmore had a/c all the way back to Summerdale and all the way back to Decatur. So God answered my prayer. Now I just have to forever put up with, "I told you you should have had the truck checked out." I say forever, because the statute of limitations never runs out on "I told you so." At least in our family it doesn't. Now it is usually said in fun, so it really is okay. But I just have to wonder -- what would have happened if I had just listened to my wife.

I Love Vacation Bible School

O. I., O. I'm living God's unshakeable truth.... What a great song! Everything about VBS excites me. The first day was kind of shaky with all the running around like crazy and the crying for mommy. But the teachers eventually settled down, and everything went smoothly. No major accidents. Just a few bumps and scrapes. At the end of the week, though, we saw nine children profess their faith in Christ. And I know that all of the children heard the message of hope and salvation from the teachers and workers. Everyone from the snack ladies to the music ladies to the sound man (and everyone else) deserves a great big thank you. Especially Tanya and her family for the countless hours they put into getting it all together and leading it. More than once, however, I have heard a truth spoken that is irrefutable. We could not have done it this week without our youth workers. They were a tremendous help and support. Having said that, I can't decide what my favorite part was (professions of faith excluded because that always goes without saying). It was either the chocolate sundae cake (thanks Sara Henderson), the Cajun crab dip (thanks Mrs. Mary Anne) or the Mississipp Mud brownies (I have no idea who brought them). Maybe it was seeing all the smiling faces come Friday afternoon. Or the little children painting tables with shaving cream. Oh, I just don't no. But I will be singing "O.I., O.I." for a long time.

Doctor's Appointments

I had one this week. I waited two and one-half hours to see him. He breezed in wearing jeans with holes all up the legs -- no kidding! From there it turned into an Abbot and Costello routine. You see, I was there to get the results of blood tests checking my cholesterol levels. It went something like this:
Doctor: I've got some good news for you.
Me: Great. My cholesterol levels must be down.
Doctor: No, they are up a few points.
Me: Oh, that's bad.
Doctor: Not really. It's only up 3 points and its in the good level.
Me: Oh, that's good.
Doctor: No, that's bad because your good cholesterol went down and it's in the red zone.
Me: Oh, that's bad.
Doctor: No, that's good because your bad cholesterol went down, too, and it's in the good zone. So all you need to do is take a few thousand milligrams of niacin and a coated aspirin every day.
Me: Oh, that's bad.
Doctor: Yeah, you bet that's bad because now your daughter is going to say you're an old man because you have to take an aspirin a day.

And he was right.

We Will Miss You

She was a "one-of-a-kind" lady. She always smiled. She was always ready to "go." In fact, she would tell you, "Don't ask me if you don't really want me to go." And then when you did, she would simply say, "Let me get my purse." She was a small woman, but she was full of spunk. You knew that from the sparkle in her eye and the stories of mischief that were shared. Also because a few years ago she threatened her full-grown nephew with, "I'm going to turn you over my checkered apron and play who'd of thought it." Apparently, she had lots of funny sayings. Only days before she died, she said she looked like "a Tennessee mule walking on ice." But most importantly, she never let anyone leave without telling them, "I love you." In fact, the last words she spoke to me was, "I love everybody." And she did. And everyone loved her, too. That was evident by the hundreds of people that came out to the funeral home in spite of the rain. It was evident by the number of people that gathered around her hospital bed at a moment's notice when we thought she was passing. She never had any children, but she had a LARGE family. A family that was blessed by her life and inspired by her death. We were inspired because we knew where she went. She had finally made the trip of a lifetime that outshined that long-awaited Alaskan cruise that she never went on. She went home to see the two men she loved best: her Savior and her husband. Goodbye, Mrs. Sallie Clemons. We will miss you for now, but we will see you again.

Memorial Day

The unofficial first day of summer. The start of beach season. Not only is Memorial Day misunderstood as the kickoff to vacation time, but also it's significance is missed by many completely. From "remembering" people who have died in the past year to honoring current veterans, it seems that most Americans have no idea what it's all about. Here are the facts: Memorial Day started out as "Decoration Day," a day to honor Union soldiers who died during the Civil War by putting flags or flowers on their graves. (Perhaps this is why hundreds if not thousands of church members skip church on Sundays in May to go to Decoration Days around the world to put flowers on graves of loved ones.) After World War I, the holiday was expanded to include all soldiers who have died in any war. So while we need to remember our beloved dead from the past year and all years past, and while we need to honor our veterans, let's get back to the true meaning and remember that the blood that was shed by our military men and women has purchased freedom for people all over the world. Thank you to these men and women. Thank you to their families. We will never forget your sacrifice.

I Have an Office?

Wow! I really do have an office. In fact, I have two offices. I have an upstairs office and a downstairs office. My upstairs office is large, comfortably furnished, and nicely decorated. My downstairs office is more like a study. It's not as nice as the upstairs office, but it has a private bathroom with a shower -- it's perfect for a quiet place to study or talk to some of my senior adults who have difficulty with the stairs. It's great to have two offices, but in the last 8 days, I think I have spent about two hours there. I just want to say that it's not because I'm goofing off. It's the same reason I haven't posted on here for a while. Our church family has been hit hard with grief in these last 8 days. I've preached at four funerals and attended two others. All six of these were somehow connected with our church family. So if you read this, please pray for these families who are grieving over the loss of their loved ones. But at the funeral I attended today, the pastor made a statement that really summed it all up. Here it is: "When Randy was born, he cried, but all around him people were smiling and laughing. On Saturday, when Randy died, everyone around him was crying, but Randy was smiling and laughing because he went home to be with Jesus." What an amazing thought.

Stress Relief

Three funerals in one week. Two in one day. Someone asked me how I deal with the stress, so I thought I would share my secrets. By going to a great high school band concert -- great job Drew, Whitney, Emily, and the rest of the Hartselle band students. By watching a Little League baseball game -- good games Cole and Matthew. By the prayers of God's people -- thanks Southside family. By listening to a man who tragically lost his father comfort his sisters -- "blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted," Mitch. By spending time with my staff laughing and eating sandwiches -- you are the best. By talking to my daughters or their husbands on the telephone -- thanks for being there, guys. By walking with my lovely wife around our yard looking at the beautiful flowers God has given us -- thank you, my love. By walking with the God of all comfort who "supplies all my needs according to His riches in glory." My brother constantly reminds me not to neglect that most important aspect of my spiritual life -- and he calls me his mentor. Thanks, Rick, for listening and for understanding. You're the best big brother I ever had.