A Day at the Park

We live, we learn.

As we stood outside our daughter's hospital room I said to Angela, "We have had only a handful of bad days together, and this is definitely one of them." I said this as Carley's anesthesiologist was inside her room loading her I.V. with a sedative. We watched from outside as Carley counted backwards and slipped into a comatose state, then the doctors closed the door to keep us out in the hallway while they reset her broken arm.

I spent the last half of Friday Nov. 27 second guessing every decision that lead up to the events that brought us to the hospital that night. If we would have let Carley stay at her Papa's a little longer...If Carley would have gone with her aunt and Gagi to Georgia...If I would have decided against taking a bike ride...If we would have turned left out of the driveway instead of right...If I would have rode beside her with more concern for her safety...then maybe everything would have been okay. But everything was not okay on this Friday evening.

Earlier that day as we sped down the hill on our bikes, I was leading the way ahead of Jacob, Carley, and Taylor. As I completed the decent and began to climb the hill at the end of our road I heard Jacob calling to me. I turned to see no bikes riding toward me and quickly realized something had happened. Then I heard Carley crying out and running in my direction. I got off my bike and ran to her knowing this would not be the typical "you'll be okay" speech I give after a fall. I saw the fear, the pain, and the disfigure arm as she ran pleading for my help. A hug was all I could give.

Jacob headed back home to get help and Taylor pushed two bikes back up the hill as I carried Carley back home. Angela met us half way in the car and we headed to the doctor. Because of our flawed health care system, Carley spent about 7 hours with an untreated broken arm and was only given the equivalent of one Tylenol pill for the pain. That's 7 hours with a completely dislocated fracture of both bones in the left forearm, and virtual no pain medicine at all. She never really cried out in pain but patiently, with tears in her eyes, waited for the relief she trusted her Mom and Dad to bring her way. She's always been tough, but this day she was the toughest!

Relief eventually did come her way. A good staff at Greenville Memorial eventually got the job done and she's now on the road to recovery. She is also looking forward to getting her cast put on this week (they only splinted her arm and wrapped it allowing the swelling to go down before putting the official cast on). Carley is now debating which color to choose for her new cast. We joked "Clemson orange", but she's leaning towards "baby blue".

It was one of the worst days of my life. I think I will always remember her running toward me for help and it will forever break my heart to have her feel any real pain and real fear. But Angela and I both used the experience as a teaching opportunity that benefited both her and us. An event like this is a good indicator of just how grounded you are in your Faith. And I'm glad to say that it is our Faith in God through His son Jesus Christ that made this event not only tolerable, but in many ways, beautiful.

We are working on getting Carley's x-rays, but in the mean time, the above picture is an x-ray from the Internet that is comparable to her break. Doesn't that make you cringe?

Mid-life "crisis"?

Crisis is an interesting word. I just looked up the definition and it simply means "a turning point". Although it is often associated with danger or trauma, a crisis, by definition, is not necessarily a bad thing. So why does the term "mid-life crisis" conjure up so many negative implications? Well, when I hear "mid-life crisis" I tend to think of a 40 year-old balding guy riding around in his convertible Mustang trying to pick up college girls. Or I think of a 40 year old wife and mother getting wrapped up in an affair with her kids' pediatrician. And I guess both scenarios will create the "turning point" in their lives. But while I believe a mid-life crisis is inevitable, I also believe this crisis can be a positive one. One where no one gets hurt and there are no regrets. For example, here's mine:

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Last summer I felt restless. I knew I wanted something but I didn't know what I wanted. But I was pretty sure it was a motorcycle. So as I began looking at Harley's I was getting more and more convinced that the lack of a motorcycle was indeed the void in my life. I had cool images of me riding country roads as the sun was setting. Images with my wife either riding along and holding on tight or waiting at home for me with her newly fueled infatuation and respect for her biker husband....yeah, that was the shape of the hole in my heart...the shape of a motorcycle.

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But Angela didn't agree. So I secretly waited and watched and ever so gingerly slipped the motorcycle dream into conversations to numb her defenses. And I finally got to where I felt I might could get a motorcycle and not a divorce as a result. Victory! But the guilt of Angela's lack of enthusiasm coupled with the guilt of me wasting family money on my toy, lead me to reconsider.

So one day as I was in Wal-mart near the end of this same summer, I was walking down the bike aisle I noticed a road bike. It had thin wheels and rounded handlebars like my old 10spd back in the day. $140.00 later and it was all mine. My visions of riding the country roads in the sunset were about to become reality!

Flash forward 8 months and I'm on my 4th road bike and have logged over 2000 miles. I entered my first Time Trial race a couple weeks ago and finished a strong 81st out of 89 riders. And I'm set to ride my first metric century (68 miles) next Monday. But perhaps the most impressive thing about my new cycling hobby is that I have no desire for a motorcycle. I no longer have that two wheeled shape hole in my heart. I guess a bike fit that hole just fine.

I believe it was God who put that hole in my heart. But it was a hole of a bicycle and not a motorcycle all along. It was in my materialistic, self-centered glasses I wear that caused me not to see a bike. I saw a Harley. Because a Harley would make me look scary and cool. But God didn't want me to be scary and cool. God wanted me to wear tight cloths, sweat, come in 81st place, and get healthy. It might not be my script but, looking back, I couldn't have written it any better.

And as a bonus gift for this "crisis" God sent my way, He reveals Himself sometimes as I'm out riding. The above pictures are a couple of examples from my cell phone.

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The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalms 19:1)

A Quick Post

Wow, I've been Blogging for a year now! I just realized that this is the first month that I haven't posted something on my blog since I started back in 2008. Since it's March 31 already, I guess I better write something....In about three hours I'll be joining in with a large group of bike riders out at Donaldson Center and ride about 30 miles. I keep wanting to join in the group that I'm certain is much faster than I am, but I always chicken out at the last minute. I've been riding in the group that averages 18-19 mph, and I want to see if I can hold my own with the 20+++ mph group. Maybe next week I'll give it a go, I just want to be sure I have my nitroglycerin tablets handy.

This is also my week to teach Sunday School again, so I'm spending a lot of time in Bible study trying to put a lesson together. I'm teaching on Luke 23. The crucifixion and death of Jesus. I'm off on a tangent right now trying to get my mind around all that took place during Jesus' death. Where He was and what was taking place during those three days. The Apostle's Creed, which I grew up saying every week, states that Jesus "descended into Hell", and I'm trying to find the truth in this statement. I'm learning this is a tough topic to understand, Death. The Bible teaches about many types of death (the physical, the spiritual, the first, the second , and so on). I found my self saying "why can't it just be easy to figure out?" But then again, it's the depth of the scriptures that makes studying the Bible necessary and rewarding. Because if it was easy, it wouldn't require a life time of devotion. So I continue ahead....because I hunger and thirst!

The Jesus Fish

I can never find a good reason why Christians use a fish symbol on their cars to represent Jesus. I know Jesus called His believers to be "fishers of men", but this doesn't seem like He was desiring to be associated with a fish. Well Angela recently did a Bible study on the book of Jonah and what she found has changed my view of the "Jesus Fish" symbol in a good way. I'm going to try and explain her thought process and explain why we now believe the big fish in the Jonah story is a representation of Christ.

Charles Spurgeon (one of the world's greatest preachers) said that when he reads the Old Testament he makes a "B-line" towards the cross. In other words he believes the Old Testament is written to forecast the coming of Christ and, knowing that, we should be able to find Jesus in all the stories and events. I believe this to be true also. But when I thought about the story of Jonah and the whale, this truth about Jesus was not obvious to me. I assumed the whale was a punishment from God and after 3 days Jonah had learned his lesson and straightened up. After all, this is parental discipline at it's best...when a child misbehaves the parent should punish until the behavior is corrected....right? But this does not line up with the Gospel message. Jesus did not come to punish but to save. So how can this story be about Jesus?

The answer lies in Jonah chapter 2 during his prayer inside the belly of the fish (or whale). It's easily over-looked, but his prayer inside the fish is in the past tense. It is documented word for word because it is in quotations, but he is referring to the past as he is presently in the belly of the whale. This sounds insignificant but it changes the text entirely. Jonah was dead in the ocean!...then the whale that "God provided"(Jonah 1:17) brought this man back from the dead into a re-birth. The whale was Johan's savior, Jonah's salvation. And it was provided to him by God through Grace (Jonah did nothing to deserve it).

Jonah's prayer inside the belly of the whale is one of gratitude and praise. Not two things a person would feel in the midst of a punishment. And only after recognition of, and appreciation for, God's gift of salvation is Jonah set free to do the work God originally called him to do. So punishment did not change Jonah's heart, but God's grace changed his heart.

So with this understanding of the story of Jonah, we have Jonah (the sinner). We have punishment (death by drowning in the sea). We have the whale sent by God (Jesus). And we have a heart that's been changed (Jonah's re-birth). That's a pretty good representation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and a pretty good reason to have the symbol of a fish to represent Jesus. So have you been swallowed by the "great fish" yet?..or are you still in the sea?

A Time Out

Well I think my on-line Bible study idea has not found it's right place or time yet. I've made a couple attempts to get a group to regularly read the Bible and journal their thoughts on the Internet, but both the attempts found a decline in interest. It's not only tough to regularly read the Bible, but to journal thoughts for the world to see in addition is proving to be more than my encouragement can fuel. I'm beginning to realize that a lot of people are not comfortable with this form of interaction, and I don't want to be responsible for adding discomfort to reading the Bible (that's the church's job...just kidding). So I'll call a "time out" for now on my Blog Bible study, but I'll keep my feelers out for an opportunity in the future. I still believe it can have it's benefits in the right time and/or place.

So I'll go back to posting random thoughts and things of my interest, and hopefully entertain a few readers along the way. It's interesting to see the "traffic" that logs onto my blog. My post about Oprah and "The Shack" has linked people from all over the country and the world to my site. Apparently if you "Google" that topic, my blog will show up. I'm almost famous...except their visits only average about 2 seconds or so. I keep waiting for Oprah to comment.

Colossians 4

This is the last chapter in this short but powerful letter from Paul. We've had some good discussions going on for the last 3 chapters, and hopefully we can finish this book strong. I've definitely seen more of the depths and riches in the book of Colossians since we stated this study. I hope others have as well.

A young believer

Last year my son, Jacob, asked me if he could get baptized. We were about to swing on a Tarzan rope we had strung over a big gully in our back yard, and I'm pretty sure the fear of dying was weighing heavy on his mind. I talked to him about Jesus and what he believed, and felt confident that he was ready to make that decision for himself. Later that month he met with our pastor and together we all decided that he was to be baptized on his birthday, Feb. 3, 2008. He turned 11 that day...so now that is his birthday on a couple different levels.
Last Sunday after church my daughter, who's 7, asked me if she could get baptized. I said yes, but had intentions of quizzing her later in the week about what she believed about Jesus. Last night was her quiz. I asked her why she wanted to get baptized. She said, because she believes in Jesus. I asked her why she believed in Jesus and she said she just always has. I asked her what Jesus did?, and she answered that He came to Earth and died because of our sins. I asked her what sin was?.. how she knew what sin was?.. and if she was aware of her own sins? She answered all question correct. She then said Jesus came to Earth and died for everyone's sin. Then I asked "who else's?"...she wasn't sure what I was getting at. I said "Jesus died for everyone, but who else?"...she still wasn't sure what I was talking about, after all who's left after "everyone"? Then I said, "Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for you!"(as I was pointing at her). I said, "Jesus loves Carley so much that He came to earth, was beaten, and died on the cross so Carley's sins would be forgiven and Carley could live in heaven with God forever...He did it all for everyone, and He also did it all for Carley." Her eyes began to fill up with tears...so I think she understands and is ready to be baptized.

Colossians chapter 3

I still have much more time I need to dedicate to both chapters 1 and 2, but for those of you who want to press on to chapter 3, feel free to post as you feel lead. Hopefully it's evident to those who didn't already know, that the Bible has too much in it to just read it like a novel. We've been on chapters 1 and 2 for over a month now! So much for reading the Bible in a year. But I trust that others are learning as much as I've been learning. And I truly appreciate those that are helping me be more accountable to my connection with God through His Word. And isn't Colossians an incredible book?...just wait until we get to Romans, Corinthians, Ecclesiastes, Acts, Hebrews, James, Isaiah, John....where do I stop?

Colossians Chapter 2

To keep the discussions flowing, I'll start this new post on Chapter 2 of Colossians. The chapter 1 discussion is still on going and feel free to keep adding to it. I don't think we've tapped out all it's truths yet. But I can already tell that chapter 2 has much to discuss and I'm looking forward to getting into it. Hopefully everyone involved can see that a close study of the scriptures opens up many thoughts, studies, and discussions. That's my intent and I appreciate all who are actively involved as well as those who are quietly following along. But to those quiet ones, I want to encourage you to contribute to the discussion. Just searching for something to write in these forums often times opens up your mind to new and challenging thoughts. Give it a try!

The book of Colossians

I've been struggling to find a good book in the Bible to begin a study in. I didn't want one that was too deep that it would require a lot of Old testament research (like Romans or Hebrews) and I wanted to find a book that was a good introduction into the person we study the Bible to learn about...Jesus Christ. All scripture points toward Jesus, but some more clearly than others. Colossians is one of the clearer ones. So to begin with let me say that to study the Bible is more than reading the Bible. This is not like reading "Old Man and the Sea" or a John Grisham book. The Bible is deep enough to study over a lifetime and still not be able to tap into all it's depths. So, for me, to "study" means to read small sections of it slowly and then keep re-reading those same sections over and over. It sounds like over-kill, but many times the scripture will begin to open itself up after this type of "meditation". So let's get into Colossians.

This is a relatively short letter written by Paul to a church in Colossae. It seems to be a church that Paul didn't ever visit personally, but had an acquaintance (Epaphras) that apparently started the church. So it helps to read this as a letter written to encourage an early church, and read the zeal and passion Paul has for both this church and Jesus. I'm going to start with spending some time in chapter 1 and I'll use the comment section of this post to record some of my thoughts. And any one is welcome to contribute anyway they see fit. Chapter 1 has one of the most thorough descriptions of Jesus in all the Bible, and pretty much spells out the Gospel message perfectly. Check it out...and as you read it, check out how there is no selfish motive in Paul's intent behind this letter. Paul is actually in prison as he writes this, and his only desires seem to be for these people in Colossae and their (and his) God.

"The Bible says..."

Have you ever heard someone say things like: "The Bible says...'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'", or "The Bible says...'God helps those who help them self"', or "The Bible says...'every dog has it's day'"? Well, the Bible doesn't say those things! In fact the Bible doesn't say a lot of things that people claim it says. And conversely, the Bible says a lot of things that people never claim it says. So how can we know what the Bible really says? We can listen to hear-sayer's, or we can read it for ourselves. An estimate 90% of Christians have not read the Bible all the way through. I am part of that majority. I have read large portions of the Bible, and all the New Testament many times, but even after seven + years into Christianity I'm still sometimes surprised when I hear about "new" Old testament books of the Bible. Books like "Nahum" or "Obadiah". Where did those books come from?

So to combat this problem of people (myself included) not having a very strong grasp, or even a light grasp, of what the Bible is really teaching us, I plan to start a regular Bible study and post what God is revealing to me on this Blog. Hopefully others will follow along and learn and share with me, but more importantly, I hope this format brings me a little accountability so I stay consistent in my studies. Consistent Bible study is what I believe is the key to a successful life. Way more crucial than a collage education, but you wouldn't know that based off our society's influence on our kids. So stay tuned and hopefully I'll live up to my expectations of a regular, beneficial, God honoring Bible study that ultimately helps me to know what "The Bible says..."!

War on Scientology

I might be late to this news, but has anyone heard of the group that calls them-self "Anonymous"? They have apparently declared war against the Church of Scientology (and Tom Cruise). I don't know much about either group, but being a fan of the "written word" I found their mission statement pretty powerful. Check it out:

"Over the years we have been watching you, your campaigns of misinformation, your suppression of dissent and your litigious nature. All of these things have caught our eye. With the leakage of your latest propaganda video into mainstream circulation the extent of your malign influence over those who have come to trust you as leaders has been made clear to us. Anonymous has therefore decided that your organisation should be destroyed, for the good of your followers, for the good of mankind and for our own enjoyment. We shall systematically expel you from the Internet and proceed to dismantle the Church of Scientology in its current form. We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.”

This war has apparently been waged for a while now, so apparently it is not a bluff. It not only sounds like they have a problem with the Church of Scientology, but they also sound like they have some resolve....We'll see!

I guess I'm crazy

After years of putting up with a pain in my neck (literally), I finally went to see a professional for my diagnosis. The actual definition of a professional is "someone who receives money for their actions or knowledge". Well my Doctor received a great deal of money, so I assume she is a great doctor. The first visit, for $180 and 10 minutes of her time, ended with me having an appointment to get a MRI. The only questions repeatedly asked to me were "do you have metal in your body?" and "are you claustrophobic?". To which I confidently answered "no..unless you count my bicep as being metal". After all, I'd know if I had any metal in my body, and being a man, I definitely wasn't claustrophobic! So the time and date was set for my first MRI.
Seconds before being rolled into the MRI machine, they asked the two questions again, which I answered "no" with a chuckle this time...the same questions were getting tiresome. Then they rolled me into this 24" diameter tube and wouldn't you know it, I'm claustrophobic! Who knew? 10 seconds into this 20 minute procedure, and I was fighting back the words "GET ME OUT OF HERE !" I felt a panic coming on, but my greatest fear won out over this new fear. My greatest fear is looking like a fool. So my claustrophobia came in a close second this day. My pride wouldn't allow me to quit, but like I said, it was close. The only words I could remember were the Lord's Prayer. So I repeated them over and over. I wasn't even really praying, they were literally the only words I could remember, so I used them to distract my mind. It worked, and 20 minutes eventually crawled by. My heart rate was up and down like a roller coaster as this new fear occasionally tried to take over, only to be extinguished by my pride.
So I learned a few things about myself last week. I learned my pain in the neck is just that, a forever pain in my neck. I have arthritis. But I also learned I have a bad case of "the claustrophobia". This hurts even worse. The problem I have with this phobia of mine is I know who I am now in a Sci-Fi movie. You know the movies on the Sci-Fi channel where a group of people are being attacked by something strange and only 1 or 2 people live in the end. Well up to this moment of my life I thought I was the hero type. The leading man type. The strong one left in the end because I defeated the enemy with my strength, intelligence, and courage. Well after being "tested" in the MRI machine I found out I'm more apt to be the annoying character, the one filled with fear that the audience knows (and hopes) is getting killed off early....Take that "my Pride"!

"Uncle Greg...Uncle Greg"

Last week I came pretty close to feeling like a celebrity. If you're ever laying in bed in the morning and hear your name being chanted from another room because of the excited anticipation of your company, then you too could experience this "superstar" feeling. I had the privilege of spending a week at Vero Beach with my wife, kids, my sister, her husband, and their kids. The youngest of their two boys is Jordan. He's the one who came to love me the way I always knew I could be loved...and should be loved! The others in the house never seemed to get it the way Jordan did. Carley, Jacob, and Josh never chanted my name ("Uncle Greg"). And Angela, Kim, and Jim didn't seem to get the concept either. But this wide eyed 2 year-old saw something in me the others didn't...or if they did, they suppressed it. But that's what's great about toddlers, they don't hide their feelings. They'll immediately let you know if they're mad, happy, sad, or scared. Heck, they'll even let you know when they're pooping on the floor with no shame at all! If it comes naturally, whether a physical feeling or an emotion, then they're going to live it out without pride getting in their way. How cool is that? So if you love someone, you should be like a 2 year-old....be like Jordan...and shout it out! Whether they're in the room or not.

If you ever get the chance to go to Vero Beach in August be sure to take some bug spray. Or you could do like us and opt for having a built in game of "connect-the-dots" on your legs (my sister got the super-sized version of this game). A bug called "No-See-Ums" feasted on us like red-necks on a KFC hot bar. But the itchy red dots were soon forgotten when we walked out into the radioactive heat of day that is Florida in August. It was the same 90+ degrees we have in S.C., but it must have been the 165% humidity that made it a little less refreshing. But the sauna like heat was soon forgotten when we jumped into the 45 degree Atlantic Ocean. It's hard to believe, but the ocean water was truly bitter cold! It was all I could do to just stay in long enough to pee!

So we had bugs, heat, and cold water, but to counter-act these few negatives we had many positives: great food and drinks, an awesome house, a big pool (complete with a water slide), coconut trees, rabbits (not the dangerous kind), little lizards, many activities for the kids, massages, our own chef (thanks Jim), relaxation, and family! So many thanks go out to Jim, Kim, Josh, and Jordan for inviting us to share in their vacation. We had a great time and loved it even more than Jordan loves his "Uncle Greg"!

I must add that both me and Angela were referred to as "Uncle Greg" by Jordan. But being that he's only 2 years removed from God's presence, I assume he still only recognizes marriage as "One Flesh". The world's view of two in a marriage hasn't sunk in on him yet...Hopefully it never will!

Denied

It's 7:45 AM on Saturday morning and I have plans to help a friend move some of his heavy furniture from a storage building to his house in about an hour. So I woke up early with intentions of fixing a pot of coffee and relaxing for awhile in front of the TV, computer, a book, or the pool. Sounds nice doesn't it? A quite house, steam rising off the mug of a freshly poured cup of coffee that's being cradled in a pair of grateful hands. And as many of you know, everything, be it TV, computer, a book, or a chair at the pool, is better with a hot cup of rich coffee! I think I heard an "Amen" out there. But my problem this morning, which is the reason behind me having the hands free to type, is that when I opened the "coffee cabinet" there was only decaf.! Decaf. coffee in the morning is like non-alcoholic tequila on a Friday night in Cancun. The decaffeinated coffee bean is made for caffeine addicts who either "need" a cup of coffee before bed or "need" to drink coffee all day. It's not the way a cup of coffee should be! I feel sorry for those people who are so addicted to coffee that the have to supplement their cravings by tricking their senses of smell, touch, and taste with a product that doesn't do what it is intended to do. Coffee's intent is to put the drug of caffeine into my body. Sure, this drug is capsuled into a hot, fresh, steaming, delicious, all satisfying package. But it's not the drink I need as much as the drug. Because as much as I LOVE my coffee, I'm still sitting here empty handed with two bags of Decaf. sitting in my cabinet. So my Saturday morning turned out far worse than what it could have been......it could have been so beautiful!

My Road to Damascus

A group of us at church are sharing our testimonies with each other, so I thought I post mine on this site as well.

My testimony could take 30+ years to tell if I were to give all the details. God's hand has been guiding me to Him since He first released me into this world. But for the sake of time and entertainment, I'll just hit the high (and low) points:

I grew up in a Lutheran church, baptized as an infant, confirmed as a teen, and quit going to church as soon as my parents would allow. Church was hot, boring, caused social anxieties, and made no sense to me. So I set off into my adult life with plans to make it on my own. I was a typical high school and college student who went to every party I could find. I was never "really bad", but I was a very typical teen who loved to "party". Check out any '80's teen movie for a quick reference to my life style. (By the way, I'm confident that the Lutheran Church is not to blame for my choices early on).

I met Angela in collage and she was a big step in getting me off the "road that leads to destruction". We both worked hard, bought our house and cars, made decent money, payed our bills, had two children, and some pets. We were almost the "perfect family". We were taught that if we did all the above we'd live happily ever after...and it was looking like we were heading that way.

I had a busy work schedule and as a result, Angela started going to church on Sundays without me. I was cool with that because I was sure I didn't want to go, so she went her way and I went mine and after church we'd meet back up. This was okay until she started "pushing" Jesus on me (not really pushing, but it always feels that way). I felt a wall starting to build between us, and I felt strongly that I wasn't going over to her side.

About 6 months after these events started, my Grandmother passed away. This was on Sept. 10, 2001. My work load required me to work all day on this Monday after I got the news of my Grandmother's passing. The visitation was to be in Iowa on Wednesday, so Angela and I decided to drive all night Monday to arrive in Iowa by Tuesday afternoon. Jacob was 4, Carley was 6 months. About 16 hours into the drive, Carley was still steadily screaming. She had gotten sick because of her 6 month shots she received the day before. So Angela and I (and the kids) were very tired when we heard the news report on the radio. The World Trade Centers were hit by planes! When we finally reached our hotel after 22 hours of driving and 36 hours without sleep, we were pretty miserable. Soon there after we had to take Carley to the hospital because she was so sick, and we got word from the doctors that it looks like she might have Leukemia (she didn't though).

That last paragraph is when I left my "self-established" world and stepped into my Hell! This is my equivalent to Paul getting knocked off his horse (Acts 9:4). My conversion came a few months later, but it was due in large part to Sept. 10-12, 2001. As a result, I began searching for God. I started going with Angela to church and tried to understand what was being taught. It still didn't make sense, but I did see people with a true passion for Jesus so I new I was missing something.

One day I was driving home from work and I turned my radio off and prayed. I prayed out loud to Jesus. I had recognition of my sins and my dependency on a savior, but my prayer felt like a stab in the dark...because I wasn't sure it was real (the prayer or Jesus). But something happened to me! No lighting strike or loud thunderous voice, but 5 minutes later when I got home I had a strong desire to read the Bible. So I read, and read, and read. Then I desired to learn from others so I asked, and asked, and asked. It was truly miraculous! I have so much confidence in the promise of God's gift of the Holy Spirit into a believer's heart, because I experienced it. I was a different person. Still the same old Greg as always, but also very much different. Just ask anyone who knew me.

The moral of my story is that I had little to do with my change. I had no initial desire to be a "Jesus freak"! I was scared (fear of the Lord) and as a result, I seeked God. That was my part. He gave me His Spirit which fueled my desire to learn, my love for Christ, my love for others, and my ability to encourage people about Jesus. So to God be ALL the glory!

The "Best Days"

If we all were to look back on our life, what would we consider to be the "best days"? Would it be the times when everything seemed to be perfect? The times when the sun shined the brightest and the soft warm breezes wrapped around our body like a gentle massage? When our friends and family contributed and enhanced our sense of fulfilment and love? When the world wasn't fighting against our plan for happiness, but rather, seemed to dance along with us and, at times, even let us lead? Are these the best times in life? If so, then I got to see a few of the best times of my life last week while at the beach with my family. But as I recall all the events that took place last week, I realize that we all had more than a week's worth of struggles as well. But I'm beginning to realize that it's these struggles that actually make up the "best days" of our lives.

To me, there is not a much better feeling than sitting on an ocean beach with my mind fully aware that tomorrow's plans are just going to be a carbon copy of today's. Relaxation has been a goal of mine since as far back as I remember. And the best remedy I've found for my stresses, fatigue, and anxieties is a series of lazy days laying on a warm sunny beach. Waves continuously crashing, children continuously playing, and the sun and breezes continuously affecting my senses is as close to heaven as I've felt (at least physically). But as I look back on all my beach trips, all the times of laying on the beach seem to be lumped together in one package. No one day seems to be better than any other. In fact, all the "good times" from these vacations apparently go in a big box in my memory entitle "BEACH". So some of the "best days" of my life have been at the beach, but I don't seem to recall the specifics, just the whole package...the whole box entitled "BEACH".

But what I do recall specifically is the bad times: The arguments, the jelly fish bites, the neck pains, the sicknesses, the sun burns and rashes, the deaths in the family, the tornadoes, the toe nails ripping off.....So in reflection, I wonder why these tough times, these struggles, come to us in the midst of our "good times". Is it God's hand or is it the Devil's handiwork?...or both? My Father-in-law has always jokingly referred to our family vacations as "the vacation from hell #(?)"...I think this year was #12 or something. But even with this title, he along with all of us, keeps coming back for more. Year after year we all eagerly await the next "vacation from hell". So after all this time I'm beginning to realize that these one week vacations are mini-capitulated examples of our whole life. In one week, the good times are multiplied substantially, but as a result, the bad times seem to be as well. But it's the bad times we remember best, because it's the bad times that effect us the most.

Now as I'm three days removed from "the vacation from hell #12", let me be the first in the family to say "bring on #13"! Because with 12 vacations behind us, this family has something that most families do not. Just like people who have been to war together will attest to, it's the struggles in life that bring about growth. And when people struggle together, they grow together. And when our life's journey starts drawing to an end, it will be in these times of shared growth that we will realize that God has given us the "best days" of our lives.