Ten Questions…

1. Did I help make life better for anyone this week?
I’ve had some phone conversations with a friend who is going through a horrible time. The jury is still out on whether I’ve been any help at all, but I sure hope so.

2. Did I reach across lines that divide and meet someone new this week?
Habitat for Humanity to the rescue again. I briefly met Jeannie (our volunteer coordinator) at a community leaders breakfast in Biloxi Friday morning. The breakfast was a big deal, complete with Governor Haley Barbour and new U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (Trent Lott’s replacement) in attendance. I enjoyed sitting between two new friends, Erica and Art, at the breakfast and hearing both tell stories about their law school days (Art in San Diego, and Erica at Louisville). I especially enjoyed seeing my friend, Diann, get an award at the banquet!

3. Did I learn anything worthwhile this week?
Yeah, I did. I learned that our popular conception of the “sins of Sodom” is a bit incomplete. Ezekiel 16: 49 says Sodom was “arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” Okay there was some sex stuff going on, too, but God mentions these first. Sounds a lot more like “us” than I suspect we care to notice.

4. Did I spend time with close family and friends this week?
Jody & I set aside Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings to walk together. I already think these are going to be some of my favorite times in the world.

5. Did I take the time to notice nature this week?
Click on El Whoppo below, our fourteen-foot-long alligator friend, from the Honey Island Swamp tour in Slidell, Louisiana.

6. Did I laugh this week?
We had a great time on the swamp tour (click on the pic below to see 15 of the 19 of us that went). On the way back, our preaching candidate friend, Roddy, told us about car shopping a few years ago. His daughter suggested he buy a baby blue Volkswagen, to which he replied, “Honey, they don’t even sell cars like that to guys!”

7. Did I do my best at my job this week?
Yeah, I did my best navigating a tricky subject in my class Wednesday night, but today I got to sit and listen to someone else preach and teach!

8. Did I engage in a discussion of things that matter this week?
Our CASA group had an in-service training Thursday night, and we talked about a cool event coming up soon called Walk of Hope. We are going to try to get 100s of people to join us in walking across the brand new Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge on April 12 to raise awareness and money for what we do to battle child abuse and neglect in our community.

9. Did I read or hear or see a good story this week?
Roddy told a fantastic story this morning about going to a crack house in Chicago to rescue a girl on behalf of some friends. Are we willing to answer God’s call to adventure?

10. Did I feed my soul with music this week?
In honor of the beginning of baseball season, and in honor of my friend, Scott, who died far too soon, I found the best song of all time on YouTube and watched, listened, and enjoyed. You try it, too!