Sunday, July 24, 2011

"I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them." - E.V. Lucas


I took two audio books with me on vacation to help pass all the time behind the wheel, most of it w/o Pam. On the way to Seattle I listened to the mystery "Stone Cold" by David Baldacci. A good listen, typical of what I consider summer reading - literary junk food that's engaging and entertaining. On the way home from dropping Pam off at SFO I listened to "The Perfect Mile" by Neal Bascomb. It takes 12 CD's and I didn't finish it before getting back so I've been listening to the last two CD's as I drive around here on errands and the like. I finished it on the way home from church this morning.

It's not for everybody but I loved it! It's the story of three men who raced to be the first to break the 4-minute mile barrier: Roger Bannister (British), John Landy (Australian) and Wes Santee (American). Bascomb does a great job of weaving the three men together with alternating chapters about each and their incredible physical regimens to be the first. I knew before I started the audio book which of the three was the first to break the mark (do you?) but the account had me hooked. It's detailed but maybe because I used to run a lot and now ride a lot I could get into the account. It also gave me a new respect for athletes, especially those who train in the solo events of track and field, and the total commitment it takes every single day to be the best.

I'm proud of the people of Pathway Bible Church. Corporately they get it, they understand what it means to be the Body of Christ and live it out. Individually some of them are living out what it means to be a child of God in particularly stressful situations. It is my privilege and honor to be their shepherd.

Besides, they put up with a preacher who's whacko. Sunday afternoons he listens to his sermon as he preps the sound file for posting on our web site and can't believe how he preaches. Somebody give the guy a pill! No wonder he's wasted on Sunday afternoons.
And Monday mornings.

So how in the world am I going to pull of nine 50-minute sessions at camp beginning a week from tonight? And IV drip of coffee mixed with Diet Coke?

Looks like we're going to have a football season. May be pretty ragged at the beginning because they've already missed a lot of their preseason training, but there will be parity in that regard.

The free agency market will kick into high gear as soon as their agreement gets signed, and those of us who live in AZ will watch eagerly. The Cardinals don't have a QB worth putting on the field. The day after Kurt Warner retired the Cards went from Super Bowl to cellar. The sports gurus think Kevin Kolb is the most likely acquisition in a trade with the Eagles (they will start Michael Vick) but I'm hoping they get Matt Hassleback from the Seahawks. Besides being a very good QB he's a lot like Warner - a class act who is open about his Christian faith. Warner wasn't just good on the field, he was good in the community. He and his wife Brenda did lots of charity work, most of it undercover. So we'd read about star athletes with other teams getting in all kinds of trouble and be grateful for our QB's character.

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