Good morning

Yes, good morning. Yesterday went long and I didn't have it in me to post last night. Good day, just long.
I was getting ready for church when Jeff knocked on my bedroom door. "You want to preach this morning?" I assumed he was kidding, but not the case. Paul came down with a serious case of the flu overnight and needed a replacement. So I got the opportunity to preach at Celebration again, the first time since we left in April of '06. That was fun. One of the best parts about the morning was looking out at faces I did not recognize, something a returning pastor loves to see. So not only did I get the fun of being at Celebration, I got to preach, too.
After Sunday School we went out to dinner - pretty much took over Red Robin. Jeff's family was in town for the ballet, so by the time we added his kin, the Norders, the MacDonalds (minus Paul) and myself we took over the booths in the back corner. I sat in a booth with Debra and Connor, and it was nice to visit with them. Debra is a sweetheart, even if she is family, and I had a good time catching up.

I went to visit Pam's mom in the afternoon, came back to Norders' to crash for a bit and then took Savanna and Annabelle out to dinner at Applebee's - their favorite. They ordered their favorite, mac & cheese (go figure). We all had dessert and I let them choose whatever they wanted. They both thought the "Mud Slide" picture looked pretty good. The coffee taste of the Kahlua-flavored ice cream was a little less appealing.
Back at the house Jeff and I played 18 holes at Pebble Beach on his PS2. I got to be Tiger Woods, and I want to take this opportunity to formally apologize to him for the humiliation he endured on my account. A sound thrashing by John Daly should not happen in a just universe.
Theodicy.

It's raining here, and while I can't see outside it sounds like it's a pretty hard rain. Weather.com says it's going to do this all day as temps fall, with the precip changing to a "wintry mix." That's midwest-speak for, "Nature is going to play one if its dirty tricks on you, and just when you think it's bad it will get worse."
I brought my winter clothes with me, which means I brought long pants.

A 17-year old girl lost control of her car on icy roads here Saturday morning. She crossed the centerline and was hit by a truck that drove her car into an embankment. Rebecca now lies in a hospital bed with severe injuries, the most serious of which are to her head and brain. She's in a medically-induced coma and her prognosis is not good. With God all things are possible, and friends and family are praying for her. Rebecca has already lived longer than the Dr.s expected, so hope continues.
Rebecca has been one of Jen's students at the dance studio since she was a little girl, so the concern is felt deeply here at the Norders'.

Ecclesiastes describes life as hanging from a silver thread. There is no guarantee of any length of days, and death may come after a long battle with disease or in the briefest of instants. The admonition, "Prepare to meet thy Maker" is timely every day we spend on earth, for any of them could easily be our last.
This post ends on a subdued note, but the occasion of Rebecca's uncertain future reminds us how fragile we all are.
So, are you prepared?