Monday arrives with a windchill expected to be about 110 today in Minnesota. I say that so anyone down south who reads the blog will have great sympathy for us. Most air conditioners up here just are not made to handle the temperatures. There is hope for us before we leave with some cooler weather on the way. Remind me the next time that I plan to get away to be sure it is somewhere with a guaranteed cooldown.

Yesterday was Lutheran church day. They do enjoy their Norweigan hymns that we don't know. It was still a good day in spite of having to translate the songs into Baptist terminology. We ended the day in an old theatre here in town watching The DaVinci Code. There were no concession stands at the movie. We bought popcorn from a free standing machine with our drinks coming from a coke machine. Time warps do exist here in the North.

Emily and I are off today to the Mall of America. Should you not know what that is, it is the largest mall in the U. S. A. What that means to me is there are many more stores for a teenage girl to find stuff. The rest of the day will be spent trying to find other ways to get out of the heat.

Going away to different places is a good thing. You can get a new appreciation for the routines of daily life. Not everyone lives the way we do. Not everyone worships the way we do. Too often we are trapped in a cycle of sameness. No wonder we get nudged from our ruts by God. Now if I can just get nudged where its not so hot!

Bro. Trey

Greetings from the great state of Minnesota! For all my "fans" in Texas...it is hot here! I went for a walk/run this evening late. The wind chill was still 97. Ok, it really isn't a wind chill but it did sound cooler that way. Tomorrow is promising to be even hotter than today. At the moment I guess coming home to Texas will be the only way to cool off.

Emily and I arrived safe if not sound. It would seem that all this travel wore on us the last day or two. We will arise early tomorrow for Lutheran church in the park. The afternoon will probably include a trip to town for me. Seems I am ill prepared for this journey.

Upon opening the suitcase this evening, I discovered all the things forgotten back home in Texas. So far I think that I left more than I packed. You would think as much as I travel from time to time that packing would not be an issue. No need to go into all that I left behind except to say the trip to the store will be necessary. Isn't it amazing that we think we are ready to go when we leave so much undone? Can you fill in the blanks with spiritual lessons on that one? I surely can reflect on it.

Bro. Trey

Greetings once again! I am writing from Fort Worth where my daughter and I just left the Texas Rangers ballgame. The Rangers totally stunk up the game, but the two of us had a blast. We sat next to one of the Ranger's radio announcers along with his family. It goes without saying that I tended to bend his ear about all things baseball. His family just relocated from Chicago. His two boys are about to start school in Texas for the first time. I was both entertainer and counselor to the boys about their fears. This was the highlight of the game since the Rangers played alot like my old pitching machine team that I coached. Emily and I were listening to the postgame show on the way back when the announcer gave the two of us a shout out! That was so cool! The two of us were pumped to hear our names on radio. I don't really have any great spiritual truth to add to all of this. Perhaps the only lesson I have to give is that it does pay to be nice to the people you meet. One never knows when you might get to hear your name on a radio show. Bro. Trey

I took my son with me to run some errands today. One of our stops was to the hospital to visit a lady who is recovering from a procedure. There is no way of knowing how my youngest will respond on those stops. He is ten years old. He is also autistic. We had a great time together. After our elevator ride we dropped in to see how our "patient" is doing. Having a conversation is always different since my attention is divided between the person and my son. He cooperated in talking and being a great kid. Then we stopped to pray. I told him to close his eyes then bow his head since he knows what to do during a prayer. Needless to say it was a short prayer but afterward I heard him say an "amen." He just smiled and waved as we left to catch the elevator again. It is amazing how people often think they cannot contribute to God's work. Were I a betting man, I'd wager his visit may mean more than mine. Just a smile with a wave brightened up the room. Once again, there was a "God moment" while I walked in wonder at what he teaches me still. Ours do not have to be perfect gifts from a spotless life. All we really need to do is to be who God is making us while giving that gift to another.

Bro. Trey

Yes...I know. I didn't follow through on my blogging promise. Somehow this has to become a habit. Blogging needs to be added to my list of things "to do." I intend to blog but then life interrupts. There is work that needs to be done. Then there are family duties that take up a large share of time. Finally, it is time to go exercise followed by rest. Before you know it, the blog gets last place in the schedule. What is sad is that this truly is fun for me. Writing is something that is enjoyable. It just hasn't been as high in reality as it feels in priority.

Discipline is not something that comes easy. If it were easy, then everyone would live better lives. The older that I get, the more discipline is needed to avoid being stuck in ruts. I will admit to only one thing that is disciplined about me. Exercise is the one thing that will cause schedules to shift in order to do it. Working out became a priority about 15 years ago. Even today, I went out to the school to lift weights and run. Part of that discipline is so that I can play with my children without needing therapy afterwards. Some of this regimen is to avoid heredity with physical ailments. To be brutally honest, I get cranky if too many days go by without a visit to the gym.

Can you see where this is heading? Perhaps the one thing that I wish to get across to people is that spiritual life is not a mere discovery. Healthy spiritual living is a discipline. Jesus Himself did not fall into faith by accident. The gospels record His diligence in the habits of a holy life. Church membership rolls are flooded with people who made some choice to connect to a congregation but never chose to be disciplined. There would be so much less need for the extravagant display of God's presence if we learned to put God's purpose first. Do not misunderstand me however. God would indeed make His presence known in dynamic fashion if we lived with holy diligence. Instead of it being something we prayed for as a rescue it would be something we knew as daily reality. My prayer for myself as well as you is that we share the same desire for discipline as modeled by Jesus. If He needed it, how much more do we?

Bro. Trey