Monday

Good morning! I will not complain about the weather. I will not complain about the weather. I will not complain about the weather. Plenty of others are, so I don't have to. Oh well. It will warm up. Spring is this week, right? I cannot recall a time when I have been so eager to see it. Patience.

Kedra and I had a good trip south. We left Thursday for Nashville and met with Luke, Lydia, Rebecca, and Micah. We ate at the place where Luke's rehearsal dinner will be in June. It is a nice Italian restaurant. After the meal we spent the night at our friends' home.

Friday morning we got up early and headed to Huntsville. The plan was for Kedra to help her mother settle into a skilled nursing facility for rehab and for me to get out on the bike. Both happened. I had a pretty decent 80 miler on a pretty windy day. I was back by mid-afternoon. Kedra also came back about then. After a meal, we, including Kedra's dad, went back to see her mother for a while. She is doing better.

Kedra and I then made a trip to the mall, where I bought (half-off) a suit for Luke's wedding. It was good to get that taken care of. It was quick and painless, just like I like it. We went home and fell into bed. Saturday I got up early and ran a personal half marathon before breakfast. It was a nice morning as the sun was coming up. After a big breakfast, we went back to see Kedra's mom for a while. Then we made the trip home, arriving a little before dark. It was a fast but good trip by any measurement.

This is going to be a busy, challenging week. I don't write much about church stuff, which is most of my life, of course, due to all kinds of reasons. I will say we are in the midst of a seismic shift, which is interesting in lots of ways and challenging. I came across something this morning in my Bible readings. It is from Deuteronomy and is talking about going to war. Those who battle need to be fearless and ready.

Then the officers will also say, "Is anyone here afraid or worried? If you are, you may go home before you frighten anyone else." 

These words are spoken in the context of trusting in the Lord's ability to lead through difficult times. That's one aspect of faith - trusting God when things get tough. I appreciate his grace and encouragement, some of which is mediated through good friends. Thanks for coming by.