Catching Up Monday

Odds and Ends as another week gets underway --

1) I've been dealing with clogged up ears for weeks now . . . and it is getting worse. It has begun affecting my inner ears and giving me trouble with balance and dizziness. Two weeks ago, I was teaching a Bible class when I was suddenly struck with a severe case of vertigo. It was by far the worst I've ever experienced. I began "listing" -- if I'd been a ship, I would have definitely started taking on water. The small lectern I was standing behind was not stable enough to support me and I started to fall. A couple of agile guys in the class jumped up and caught me before I did any damage but it was scary. I have not had it that bad any more, but the dizziness and congestion has made my life miserable. I finally have an appointment with an ENT doctor this Thursday. Perhaps he can do something to make me better.

That partially explains why the blog posting has been light the last several days.

2) I was shocked Friday evening to hear of the death of newsman Tim Russert. By now, I'm becoming sympathetic of the feeling of "enough, already!" that I know many people are having about the excessive amount of TV coverage given to Mr. Russert's death. However, he appears to have been genuinely beloved by a great many people and his death happened in such a sudden, shocking way. Seeing someone who was apparently full of life and energy lose his life so quickly ought to once again impress us with the uncertainty of life. As James said, life is a vapor that appears for a little time, then vanishes way. Maybe at least a few people somewhere will think about their need to get their lives right with the Lord after hearing about Tim's untimely passing.

3) One of the young ladies in the church here graduated from high school recently. Her family held a reception for her at their home Saturday afternoon. Trish and I drove from Burlington down to their house in Granite Falls, Washington . . . 45 miles (and about an hour's driving time) away. They started worshiping with us a few months ago, but we had not visited in their home before. I'm impressed with the dedication of people who are willing to drive that far to be a part of the congregation here. It takes a lot of time and and gas money for them to make that trip. Of course, others who live much closer have a hard time fitting the church into their schedules. A preacher's life is filled with the good and the bad . . . and we struggle to keep everything in proper perspective. It is encouraging to see people go an extra mile (or 45) to serve the Lord.