I put instant coffee in a microwave and almost went back in time.

Highly paid and skilled doesn’t exclude stupid.
Two players with the NBA’s Washington Wizards were playing cards in the locker room before a Christmas Eve game. Javaris Crittenton got in an argument with Gilbert Arenas for not paying up on his losses. Next thing you know Arenas pulls a gun on Crittenton, who responds with a piece of his own. Nobody was too concerned, however, since the 10 and 20 Wizards can’t hit a shot to save their lives, or to take one.

Instead of cutting the bead board I decided to prime all the doors. I’ll cut the paneling tomorrow and maybe get started on installing it in the frames. If the hinges get here in time I might just get these installed before I leave for Seattle.

Sad news from two directions today. In Michigan, David’s dad died this afternoon after a battle with cancer. The end came suddenly and somewhat unexpectedly. He had been a pastor until his retirement a few years ago. (David and his family attend Celebration.)

Just an hour before I got that news I learned Bill also died today. We were students together in Bible college, though he was a couple of years ahead of me. He married a gal who entered as a freshman the same year I did. Bill has pastored a church in rural Ohio for many years and was famous for his easy laugh and his loyalty to the Cubs.

Both men are now with the Lord and thoroughly enjoying themselves. They start the new year in God’s presence, but for their families the first day of 2010 brings a difficult transition. January 1 will always be the day their loved one died.

Note: some of you will remember a post from while back about a family in ministry who were suddenly without employment and a place to live. Many of you asked for information so you could help them out. (Again, thank you!) Bill was her dad.

The consensus seems to be that the last decade was a bummer. Terrorism, an economic meltdown, increasing levels of animosity and incivility in the political arena and famous people behaving very, very badly.

As I look back on the “oughts” I don’t view them negatively at all. We moved twice in the last decade, once into a magnificent century-old home that we restored, and then here to AZ three years ago. I changed jobs and then changed again. Pam went from being a seamstress to a unit coordinator at a G.R. hospital, then to Phoenix Children’s Hospital and finally to Del E. Webb Hospital closer to our home. We survived roll-overs, surgeries and a myriad of near-disasters that only God knows about because he kept them at bay.

By his grace we enter 2010 in good health, debt free (apart from a mortgage on our seriously smaller house) and thoroughly enjoying all aspects of life. At the top of that list goes relationships with family, but friends, new and old, also bring smiles to our days. Given the vicissitudes of life we dare not make predictions about the decade of the 10’s, or even about the next week. But he who holds the future is faithful. So I’m not sweatin’ it at all.

In fact, in the spirit of naive optimism (or foolishness if you ask my youngest son who works in the medical field) I’ve decided to designate 2010 the year of sports achievement. My plan is a half marathon, a half century (bike) and a P.R. in the triathlon this fall. (The “half” part is an accommodation to the limitations that come with age.) The half marathon comes first - on March 6 if the training goes OK. That’s a fairly aggressive schedule, to be ready by then, but having a serious deadline keeps me motivated and disciplined.

An important part of any training regimen is adequate hydration and nutrition. Which is why I’m headed into the kitchen for another Diet Coke and more cookies!

While I'm gone check out this clock