Today we went to the Russo-Steele auction, a totally different operation. Almost all the cars were in very good or near excellent condition and all ranked as desirable. No oddball vehicles, just cars that had intrinsic value.
We saw lots of cars worth having, and it was a tough decision, but I settled on this one - a 1928 Chrysler. Good mileage, room for five, no a/c but good flow-through ventilation. Lots of tread left on the tires, too. Pam just got home and she loves the color.
As we walked out I asked Scott if looking at all these great cars the last two days made him want one, like it does me. We agreed that the key is to talk ourselves down - remind ourselves that wisdom means ordered priorities, careful use of funds, and a commitment to good stewardship of the resources God has given us. That and the fact we couldn't afford any of the cars at either auction. Nothing like reality to keep you in line.

Which reminds me of a saying I heard years ago: "The difference between temptation and sin is opportunity." Maybe not always, but a lot of the time!

Scott and Mark will hit the road at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow so they can get gas, turn in a rental car and be through security in time for an Alaska Air 8:00 flight back to Seattle. That's the same flight I took last month that made an unscheduled stop in Las Vegas.

Again this week I'm more than ready to get to Sunday morning. This week we'll look at Gen. 13, the narrative about Abram and Lot returning from Egypt. It's one of those passages that looks like nothing more than a story of a journey and a decision. But dig just a little deeper and it has some real interesting and powerful lessons to teach. Practical stuff, too.
In the second hour we'll be talking about how big a church should be. Pathway Bible Church is nowhere near viable yet, but wisdom requires these issues be discussed now. We've already discussed the adage: "Act like what you want to be, not what you are." That means deciding how big you want to be so you can build an infrastructure adequate for, but not too complex for your ideal size.
Come on over and join the discussion. I think both hours will be interesting and profitable.

Tomorrow after Scott & Mark leave we'll get some chores done, but Pam's had a cold for most of the week and worked today, so nothing very ambitious on the agenda.
If you get Speed TV check out the last day of the auction, televised live. It really is fun to watch these very cool cars and the people who can afford to buy them.