Be Careful What You Wish For

John Wooden was the greatest American coach of the twentieth century. One reason, so many organizations voted him this honor, was because his UCLA teams won ten national championships. With this in mind, of all of the things John Wooden ever wrote, two paragraphs stand out to me as the most intriguing. The following quote is not a misprint:

Many times I have suggested to interested observers that if I ever met a magical genie who could grant me two wishes, I knew what they would be. First, for those many coaches whom I respect and have warm feelings toward I would wish each one a national championship.

For those few coaches for whom I have less-than-warm feelings, my wish would be that they win many national championships. However, in truth, I’m not sure I would wish that on anybody. [Italics mine.]

Why would John Wooden write this? Because his life became practically unbearable after winning so many championships, and by “practically” I mean just that—life was no longer practical under the structure of so much “success.” As the amount of championships Wooden’s teams won increased, so too did the amount of attention Wooden received. Questions from reporters and fans, crowds forming around him, requests for his time—all of the demands reached a disproportionate level in his life.

As Wooden wrote in his book, WOODEN ON LEADERSHIP, “I felt more and more that crowds were closing in and enveloping me. I seemed to be constantly surrounded. This great frenzy of activity and attention was more than unwelcome; it was unnatural.”

Finally, Wooden concluded that his life had become irrevocably out of balance. “Balance is crucial in everything we do…. The body has to be in balance; the mind has to be in balance; emotions must be in balance. Balance is important everywhere and in everything we do.”

“Unfortunately, over the last years of my coaching at UCLA things had gotten out of balance. Perhaps my subconscious mind figured out that the only way to regain the balance I required personally and professionally was to leave the game I love.”

And he did. He announced his retirement, and two days later, UCLA won its final national championship for John Wooden.

Man was not created to be a rock star. At some point, what we call success is really a disaster in the making, not unlike a hurricane forming off of a coast.

We see people experience what Wooden describes all of the time; we just don’t recognize it. Moreover, we lock in on the aberrant behavior that people typically demonstrate in a sad attempt to cope.

I think these pressures are what often lie behind the star, who overdoses on drugs, and even takes his or her own life. I believe Wooden is describing some of the background behind Tiger Woods’ self-destructive behavior. The proverbial “cry for help” really is that. Life has hurled itself out of balance. The “successful” person desperately searches for a means to bring it back into stability.

The Beatles were before my time, but I think it is fascinating to trace the arc of the world’s most successful rock band. In 1966, they chose to discontinue touring. Crowds had become too wild. Life had become too chaotic. Therefore, the Beatles decided to accelerate their drug use (abuse), produce studio albums, and travel to India to study with the Maharishi.

None of those actions were enough. Finally, the band disbanded.

I take from all of this a warning. In a culture that accentuates “success,” there is a level of “success” that is too far. Cross that line, and you cross the threshold marking off the restraints that help keep life in check.

I believe these realties lay behind God’s decision to sabotage the Tower of Babel. (“The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”)

After pondering these issues and many more, the writer of Ecclesiastes offered some sage advice, “11:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

In our culture, we see illustration, after illustration, after illustration, detailing for us the price of too much success. Maybe the writer of Ecclesiastes is right—maybe we should redefine what life’s great need is, and what life’s great success is.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Timothy Edge has a new hobby. He has given up magic for chess. He has really gotten into chess. At last, I found what motivates him to read. He reads a chess book that teaches checkmate moves while he plays his older sisters in chess matches. Hey, whatever it takes. As for magic, I guess his last trick was his best one. He has made his magic tricks disappear from the Edge household.

2. Buzz has already begun on Edmund Morris’ final volume of his biography of Theodore Roosevelt. It will be called COLONEL ROOSEVELT and is set to release late November early December. If it is anything like the first two volumes, it will be a marvelous work. Coupling Morris, the writer, with a subject so compelling as Theodore Roosevelt, and you’ve got a categorical nightmare. Is it great literature or history? I think both. By the way, if Random House would like for me to do an in-depth review, all they need to do is send me an advanced copy. I’ll gladly take care of the rest.

3. I had a great time at the North Street church of Christ in Nacogdoches, Texas yesterday. Every August, they bring in a different preacher and his wife each weekend of the month. They put the couple up in the Fredonia Hotel (built in 1955 and restored, it is a neat place to stay.) Sunday morning, the preacher teachers a combined Bible class and preaches. It is sort of like a weekly lectureship for August.

            The church has a marvelous campus ministry to Stephen F. Austin University. Their campus presence is known as the “Yellow House” and has been a present for a few decades now.

            I’ve known Dr. Michael Harbour, their preacher, since 1995, when we both lived in the valley of Texas. He has a marvelous mind, as well as, other assorted skills, and I think is the ideal fit for that ministry context.

            I have some old friends that attend there and it was so good to see them. Parents of some of our Shiloh folks attend North Street also; I was grateful to get to know them.

            Thank you North Street.

4. Three out of five against Boston and New York—not a bad homestand Texas Rangers. And over 235,000 fans attended the homestand. I can remember when 235,000 fans represented a little less than a third of the season’s attendance.

5. School starts this week at ETCA. I knew summer would be over in a hurry!

Their Pain was Our Gain

Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was 21 months old. Her father could not bear his grief, and basically abandoned his child, giving custody to his wife’s parents.

Neglected in childhood, she lived in many ways like an orphan. Much of the time she was alone and lonely.

Growing up, she decided to be a writer. She was ambitious. She became quite good, but the results fell far short of her ambitions.

At last, drawing from the well of her childhood memories, Lucy Maud Montgomery crafted a story of an orphan girl named Anne. For a century now, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES has been a beloved classic, consumed by children and adults alike all over the world.

(After World War II, the series became a bestseller in Japan, where so many of the children were orphaned during the war. When they reached adulthood, many made a pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island in Canada, home of the fictional Anne.)

The abuse Lucy Maud Montgomery experienced led to blessings for us.

A young boy grew up with a face disfigured by disease. It repulsed schoolmates so, they bullied him relentlessly. He would grow up to write fiction—helping Christians to imagine and see the spiritual warfare that takes place in our world.

He would also write a memoir of his childhood called THE WOUNDED SPIRIT, which has ministered to thousands of children and adults, who have suffered abuse. The abuse Frank Peretti experienced led to blessings for us.

A young boy received a crippling injury, which relegated him to become a thing in his culture. He ceased to matter. And then, the king said, “Come, live as my son, eat at my table.” And so, Mephibosheth joined the household of David and lived as a child of the king. The abuse Mephibosheth experienced led to blessings for us.

He illustrates, for us, what we can expect. No matter what has occurred in our lives that is crippling to us, God, the King, comes and says, “Live as my son. Live as my daughter. I am inviting you to my table. Not just today, but forever.”

And forever means a realm where someday, there will be no tears and no pain.

No tears and no pain—forever!

In light of your future with God, imagine allowing God to take the story of someone’s sins against you, and take your experiences from those awful events, and using that story to bless others. Imagine what it would be like to deed God ownership of that story. The abuse you experienced will lead to blessings for us.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Peter King had a touching story last week in his blog. He noted that twelve year veteran, Sean Morey, recently announced his retirement from the Seattle Seahawks, due to post-concussion-syndrome. A man of integrity, he worked out a plan to return the signing bonus he received in March from Seattle.

Morey was a dedicated player, who loved the game. This retirement came hard. What I found touching, though, was the response his coach, Pete Carroll, gave him. Carroll has been receiving a lot of bad publicity lately, but in an era when so many head coaches look at their players as widgets, Carroll responded to Morey in a decidedly human way.

The moment he told his coach, had to be a wrenching one for Monet. This was it. It was over. When he had finished, Pete Carroll said, in effect, “Let’s play catch.”

And they did.

I have never heard of this happening, yet, it touches me to think of Pete Carroll, as busy as he is, taking this vanquished warrior out on the practice field and doing what boys do in childhood—play catch.

2. Emmitt Smith’s words to Darrell Johnson brought tears to my eyes Saturday night. Moreover, I am amazed he was able to remember all of those names without a note. Even with my family members, I would have had to have said, “I would like to thank my wife [read from speech], Judy, my daughter [read from speech], Haleigh…” Incredible.

I think that since Emmitt Smith’s contract was not renewed by ESPN, he has dedicated himself to becoming an excellent communicator. And you know what, he has. He could now have a marvelous career as a motivational speaker. Moreover, last night I saw Al Michaels interview him on NBC, and I noticed he looked at Al and then the camera—back and forth—and he was very smooth. Emmitt is a goal setter. He has his heart set on excellence in communication. I think he will succeed.

3. Parental pride—I haven’t mentioned this for a couple of weeks, but I want to now. Congrats to Haleigh Edge for winning Best Camper for fifth session at Camp Deer Run. She loves Deer Run and this is her final year to be eligible to be a camper. The athletic accolades are nice, but I think I like this one best of all.

4. I am grateful for the last two Sunday mornings at Shiloh. It is amazing how two people, sharing what God has done for them, can make such a difference.

5. I am really looking forward to joining the good folks at the North Street church of Christ in Nacogdoches, Texas this Sunday.

Joy in Marriage

My wife, Judy, like all good Shiloh members, always checks out the sermon titles for the upcoming Sunday sermons. A couple of Sundays ago, I was preaching on the subject of “Joy in Marriage.”

The Wednesday before, Judy, our two smaller children, and I were driving to a city, where I was to speak at a church that night. We were going to check into the hotel first, and I had the address and a general idea of where to go, but I wanted to be sure there were no snafus. It was important that we arrive in a timely manner, so as not to be late to my preaching engagement.

I was driving, and I asked Judy to take my iPhone and look for directions. She took the phone and commenced her search.

At first, I encouraged her to use our AT&T Navigator service. She could not find the App. So, I told her to let me use the phone for just a second. With a quick glance and the use of my thumb, I could locate the App and she could type in the directions, but Judy did not want to do that. She did not want to break the law, or even the spirit of the law, and risk us experiencing an accident.

After another wait, I suggested she try searching on Google directions. She agreed, but again had a number of issues to contend with, and she was trapped in a cell phone labyrinth. I renewed my offer to give a quick glance at the phone. Again, she turned down my suggestion.

Confessionally speaking, by now, I was beginning to battle my flesh. This is a character flaw of mine. I’ve got to calm down. I was battling my emotions. I knew deep down I was being hypocritical. After all, how many times have I asked my co-workers for tech support?

I kept reminding myself, if this happened when we were dating, my attitude would be one of tenderness, compassion, and I would even probably find it cute. (Then, of course, I remembered that this could not have occurred when we were dating, unless it was the telegraph Judy was trying to use. I guess I could've said, “You need to press “dot” then “dash”…)

Unfortunately, we were not dating, and my sinful flesh was wanting to scream out, “What is the matter with you, woman! It's an iPhone for crying out loud! This is supposed to be user-friendly! Why can't you get it! And, if you cannot get to it, the least you could do is pass me the phone!”

(Of course, when I am asking for help, my attitude is, “Don’t be condescending to me!” When someone else is asking me for help, my attitude is, “Why can’t you get this?”)

She knew I wanted to scream out, but I was suppressing it. She heard my words, “Honeybunch, sugar-pie”, but she knew I was forcing it. My redeemed mind was trying to encourage my emotional body to pretend that I was dating again. She heard me taking the deep breaths, trying to calm down.

Let me tell you, though, my wife is sharp. Taking everything in, Judy, looked up with a smile on her face, and, with an arched eyebrow of understanding, and she said, “Joy in marriage.”

My wife knows me cold! With one remark, one phrase, three words, she deftly parried my emotional state and, with humor, addressed my sinful, evil nature. I was properly chastened.

This episode reminds me of Prov. 27:17, “Just as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other.”

I know Judy has got my best interests at heart. She wants to help me put off “evil Mark” and put on Jesus. At times, this process can even be painful, but it is worth it.

Now, to those of you who believe you are stuck with a bad mate, let me say this. I don’t believe there is a spouse, who can prove so challenging that you cannot grow to be like Jesus. As a matter of fact, so often in Scripture, it is the adverse relationships that cultivate the deeper relationship with Jesus.

Allow me to pull a verse out of context—Ecc. 4:9, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.” I realize that is talking about work; however, if it applies to work, I would certainly expect it to apply to marriage. What a marvelous privilege it is to travel through life with one you love more than anyone else on the planet, and one who loves you above all others.

Joy in marriage, indeed!

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Thank you, Mike Wells, for sharing your story yesterday in our Sunday morning assembly. Before I left the auditorium, I knew your words had impacted people’s lives.

2. I cannot wait until this Sunday morning. We are going to be talking about finding joy in God’s healing. One from our Shiloh family has written, for us, how God has brought her through the most brutal of travails. Understanding the sensitivity of our setting, and the place she is with her family, I will be reading her words to the assembly. Her story of God’s healing will, I believe, give some people hope, who never thought they would experience it.

3. I always wondered what would happen to a civilization that denies the existence of God or of gods. Especially what it would do about death. I may have found an answer. I see yesteryear’s views of South African statesman, Jan Smuts, gaining traction today. Some folks, who are attempting to unify theology and quantum physics, are relegating what was formerly labeled “dead” to what they call the junk heap of failed, mechanical, classical science. Instead of dying, everything recreates itself to become part, yet again, of the greater whole of the universe. Other implications: a stone is not a lifeless object; it is, rather, a compaction of energy. Interesting—those rejecting God could still not escape the spiritual. 

 

4. I got to go with a group from our church, Tuesday night, to see Cliff Lee pitch for the Texas Rangers against the Oakland Athletics. He pitched nine innings, threw 13 strikeouts, and had nary a walk. The only negative was he did not get the win. Ian Kinsler did not cover second on a steal attempt and the catcher’s throw traveled into center field, thus allowing the A’s to score an unearned run. Nelson Cruz won it in the tenth with a walk off home run. These are fun times to be a Ranger fan.

5. Our six-year-old PC has a virus. We have been preparing for this day. Consequently, we have ordered an iMac from the Apple Education Store. (As an educator, Judy receives a discount.)

            I am happy, especially, for our older girls. Too many times, the past couple of years, they had to wait on the computer when doing their homework. It was as if there was a hamster turning a wheel to power our PC’s internet search engine and software—and he was tired! In all fairness, I am sure there were a number of factors involved including how many items we had on the computer. Still, it WAS old.

            One nice byproduct, we get a free iPod touch with this order. This will serve as a nice Christmas gift for our two youngest, Timothy and Annie. Please don’t tell them!

The Disadvantages of Progress

I still do not have a high-def TV. Our home computer is over six years old. I drive a 1992 Chevy Silverado Pickup; my wife drives a 2003 Chevy Suburban. Our house was built in 1960.

I may have lower expectations than the normal person, but few of us expect to purchase the newest or the best, when it is first released to the marketplace. Most of us are content to wait until the price goes down.

The one exception is health care. If my wife has an undiagnosed illness, I want the newest and best medical tool available to figure what the problem is. If one of my children is ill or injured, I want the best medicine on the market to take care of the problem.

Furthermore, whether it be machinery or medicine, I want the bill to be sent to my insurance company. I want them to pay it. I have very high expectations, when it comes to health care. I think most people are like me.

Since, we are so much alike, and since, there are over 300 million of us, we’ve got a problem. What if we had the same expectation when it comes to computers?

What if, every time a PC company or Apple came out with a new innovation on their computers, we wanted to purchase it—and have the bill sent to our insurance company? It would create economic chaos.

Yet, this is what is happening in health care. If the year were 1910, or 1810, this would be less of a problem. The medical field was offering much less when it came to innovation.

In this day and age, the growth of innovation is exponential: doctor specialization, pharmaceutical drugs, and medical machinery…. even if we formed the world’s greatest insurance company, we would still have price problems.

I do not foresee an easy solution. In some ways, this is a backhanded compliment from our culture to Christianity. Skyrocketing prices reveal, we still place the highest value on human life. For a future easing of tensions, I see five possible scenarios:

1) We decide that life in this world will never be perfect, and we accept fewer years or reduced quality in exchange for lower health care costs.

2) We decide that health care is our number one societal value; therefore, we agree to privately pay whatever costs are necessary to ensure we receive the best and most innovative health care available. This is done in community but not funded by taxpayer dollars.

3) We decide that health care is our number one societal value; therefore, we agree that taxpayers will fund whatever costs are necessary to assure we receive the best and most innovative health care available.

4) We decide that health care is to be placed in the same category as computers and cars: everyone is on his or her own.

5. Some combination of the previous four.

None of these solutions are ideal. No solution will be. For this reason, I feel this issue must be addressed at the spiritual and moral level, as well as the economic one.

As salt and light in this world, what role we will as Christians play? Have we evaluated well the role of the cross in all of this? How do we balance grace and discipleship when it comes to health care? How do we maintain equilibrium between forever and falleness?

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Thank you MacArthur Park church of Christ in San Antonio for sharing with my family and me your wonderful hospitality.

2. Judy, Timothy, Abby and I spent Thursday at Sea World. It was our first time. We were blessed with cloudy skies, temperate temperatures, and a smaller crowd than normal. We all enjoyed ourselves.

3. Something I noticed—all of the animal shows shared a story. Instead of a trainer saying, “This is Shamu, watch him jump in the air…”, all of the killer whale tricks were done in the context of a narrative. The Sea Lions were participants in a play about robbery in a fish factory. There was no exception. The trainers never took time to directly impart information about the animals. This reality accentuates the shift we have taken from being a culture of data to being a culture of story.

4. Every Edge child is at Camp Deer Run this week during the day. Haleigh and Abby stay there at night, also. Judy begins a workshop tomorrow, but I bet she enjoyed today.

5. Dallas Cowboy receiver, Dez Bryant, you’re not giving me good vibes with this, “I won’t carry Roy Williams shoulder pads.” Maybe I read too much into this.

For Whose Glory?

I remember that I was stunned to learn how much of my Christian ministry was based on self-interest when, of all things, I went into business.  I went into business when I was 22, first by taking over and running my father's estate. 

Before, in college, I had studied to be a pulpit preacher.  Thus, because of my field of study and the common knowledge of what I wanted to do, I had many opportunities to teach, preach, lead evangelistic campaigns, etc.  All the time, I assumed I was doing everything "to the glory of God.”  Occasionally, I would find myself feeling hurt, if I wasn't asked to speak at this chapel service or that devotional, all because "I had something to share and was disappointed I didn't have the opportunity to share it." 

Then, amazingly enough, when I began my work in business, I found that the old hurts and disappointments disappeared.  Do you know why?  It was because I had begun to receive most of my ego strokes in business.  And, suddenly, the horrible realization dawned on me, what I thought was disappointment at not getting to "share a message on my heart," was really a bruised ego, disappointment at not getting another chance to be before an audience, practicing my craft, and receiving more strokes.

Now, I don't want you to think that whenever I preached, or preach, for that matter, my primary motive is to have people think that I do a wonderful job and I am an outstanding guy.  Rather what I am saying is, if this is one percent of my motive—that is one percent is too much.  It means there is still too much of self that is alive.

I realize those of us who are on church staffs are the ones, who probably struggle with this attitude the most with respect to "church related activities" simply because we, humans, get so much of our ego fulfillment from our jobs, but guess what?  You, members, who are not employed by the church, are not immune.  I know you have, at times, struggled with this problem because you have told me.

What if, for you and me, Paul’s words truly became real? “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (I Cor. 10:31.)

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. The family and I saw a lot of the Lyndon Johnson legacy in Austin last week. I would highly recommend touring the LBJ Library and the LBJ Ranch. I was shocked at the prices: free admission and parking at the library; $2 for adults 18 and older at the LBJ Ranch—17 and under get in free. My kids really enjoyed these tours, and they are not historical buffs—trust me.

2. Austin is a great city to visit—lots to do and very historical. But the traffic is still too much for me. Also, we were surprised at how many lots in the city looked tacky—like uncared for pastures. I could never imagine Tyler letting that happen.

3. We don’t eat out much, but we did some last week. One place we had never experienced before was Pei Wei. They served good Chinese food for a nice price. We enjoyed the ambiance as well. The Edge family gives Pei Wei twelve thumbs up.

4. Unless my daughter, Haleigh, was holding something back—and I don’t think she was—the UT Volleyball Camp was a good experience. The staff had a good grip on teaching, placing girls in the appropriate levels of competition, and offering adult supervision. I am pleased we were able to send Haleigh.

5. I have had a lot of fun speaking at different churches this summer. If any of you reading this blog are from the MacArthur Park church of Christ in San Antonio, I am looking forward to spending time with you this Wednesday night.

What If I Had Faith In Jesus?

One of the hardest things to do, in the Christian life, is to allow Jesus to be relevant. Dallas Willard, in his book THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY, addresses this challenge.

Willard says Jesus seems otherworldly to most of us. He is a good person, out of touch with reality. He is like a cheerleader constantly shouting, “We are going to win,” even though the score is 98 to 3 and the clock is ticking.

The problem is many Christians have faith in faith; the challenge is to have faith in Jesus. It seems to me, so many times in my life when I have failed to be what I should have been, or when I blatantly acted sinfully, I instinctively knew what Jesus would have me to do. The problem was, I did not trust him with the answer. Often, I believed in my gut he was right, but I did not want to pay the price of acting, as he would have had me act.

My mistakes have accumulated. Could it be I am finally reaching the age, where I am willing to risk all, put my faith in Jesus, and imitate him as I have imitated other men in my life?

What if, instead of:

Believing in believing

Believing in an ideal

Believing in morality

Believing in America

Believing in marriage

Believing in family

Believing in work

Believing in play

Believing in rest

Believing in activity

Believing in a religion

Believing in a church

Believing in a creed

Believing in a doctrine

Believing in a Bible

I, first and foremost, made the decision to believe in Jesus?

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. So Lebron and Chris are moving to Miami, and Dwyayne is staying. Got anybody to rebound inside and play interior defense?

2. The Rangers get Cliff Lee in a trade. Now there’s a Blockbuster!

3. I want the world to know I picked Spain to win the World Cup yesterday, on Facebook, at the beginning of the match.

4. Judy took our oldest daughter, Haleigh, to Austin yesterday for the UT Volleyball Camp. Judy will return today, hopefully. I never cease to be amazed at how younger children get anxious when their mother is away. Boy, does it ever come out in their behavior.

5. We’re going to Austin later this week to pick Haleigh up. Anybody know a good, natural swimming hole around Austin? That would be a memory maker.

The Rh Factor

J. H. Traver was a scientist, who did research on blood. Several years ago, I read an article Traver wrote. It was dated, but it still symbolically made an impact on me.

It was in Traver’s work that I first became aware of the fact that when a man, whose blood contains the Rh factor, and a woman, whose blood lacks this factor produce an offspring, the blood of the baby often carries the Rh factor, which causes the mother's body to produce antibodies. These antibodies can cause destruction of the red cells in the fetal bloodstream.

Ultimately, this can become a threat to the life of the baby. Years ago, options were limited to basically a blood transfusion. Someone else’s blood had to serve as substitute for that of the baby.  In other words, in order to save the child's life, most of its blood had to be removed while being replaced with blood from a suitable donor.

I cannot help but think, in a sense, that is the way it is for every person on earth. There is something wrong with our blood. It has been tainted with sin. There needs to be some sort of heavenly transfusion. No blood from this planet is good enough. There has to be something better, extra, supernatural.

One came from another world, and came to this world and gave us opportunity to receive a transfusion—a spiritual transfusion of his blood. He was the Son of God.

Now, allow me to tweak this metaphor.

We cannot make ourselves be born. What it takes is the effort of those, who help in the birthing process. It takes, ultimately, literally, one person and the shedding of her blood, to bring that baby into the world.

That is the way it is for a sinner. A sinner can try all he wants to make a difference to get to heaven. But, it will not work. There has to be a birthing process. Someone else has to give birth to him. Someone has to shed blood to bring him into this world. Jesus shed his blood to birth this new creature (see John 3:3-5).

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. Last week, I finally saw the movie UP. My kids had been trying to get me to see it for a long time. I really enjoyed the movie. Their opening, five-minute summary, of the married life was one of the most moving I have ever seen. Virtually without words, they painted, onscreen, what it means to live in love until death do you part. I’m making that sequence a required viewing for any couple I marry.

2. Thank you Westhill congregation in Cleburne. I had a great time with you Wednesday night. And I really like the coffee house concept.

3. I finished my yearly listen to SANDY KOUFAX, A LEFTY’S LEGACY by Jane Leavy. I thoroughly enjoy the book, obviously. I think part of the reason is Jane Leavy is an exceptional writer. She is truly gifted with words. Why she is not more famous, I do not know.

4. Argentina loses to Germany 4-0. That was so lopsided, I did not even feel bad after the match.

5. I hope you are enjoying a marvelous July 4th weekend.