Friday a.m.

Good morning! How are you on this fine Friday? I will tell you how I am. I'm smoking! Like a smoking hot body? No, I'm smoking meat. The other probably works too. Well, maybe not. BUT I do have the body of a god. Buddha is a god. Right? Lately we have been teasing Troy Y., because he, foolishly, revealed at one point in his youth a coach, criticizing him for not using it, said, "you have the body of Greek god." Good stuff.

I am smoking 77 pounds of pork today. That's way past the "enjoyable smoke" level, so it is a utilitarian smoke. It's for a fund-raiser Sunday evening at church. You are invited. It starts at 6 and ends a little after 7. We are serving pulled pork and sides on a donation basis, and we'll give a brief presentation of our work in Honduras.

While smoking today I will be working on my sermon and other stuff. Yesterday was a pretty full day, so I didn't get my usual Thursday work completed. I spent a large chunk of the day in Shoals. I had a funeral and stayed around for the dinner following. I worked with the Shoals church from 1994 until 1998, when I left to start my present ministry. I always feel so welcome at Shoals. The people there are really good to me; always have been.

Tonight is Ben's first official football game of his senior year. Brownstown. That's a rough way to start the season, but you might as well start out with one of the toughest teams, I suppose. I am driving one of the busses, so I get to hang out and around with the team. It looks like the weather is going to be decent.

IRONMAN Louisville is this weekend. It is tempting to consider it in the future, since it is so close, but the heat is the problem. Some of my friends have done it. I believe the one in Panama City, Florida is a better option for me, even though it has the ocean swim. The weather is much cooler.

Tomorrow I hope to begin the day with a 14 mile run at 7 a.m. and a 30+ mile ride at noon. I should have plenty of company for both. I hope so.

OK, back to smoking and writing.