News From The Front - Oaxaca

Many of you know that I work and serve in Oaxaca, Mexico. For the last several months there has been an ongoing struggle there between the teachers of that state and the government of Oaxaca. You can read about that here on one of my prior postings. Monday, the Federal government, headed by President Vicente Fox, sent in troops to dislodge the protesters after an upsurge in violence last week. The picture above is from that struggle. There are many more pictures posted here. Please pray for Mexico and Oaxaca during these tense times. technorati tags: Oaxaca I am sorry that the link for the pictures is no longer working. All I can say is that someone took down almost 100 pictures of a people struggling against what they see as an incredibly oppressive situation. If the site again becomes "live", I will repost. ntil then keep praying for the people of Oaxaca and the resignation of Ulises Ruiz.

God's Politics

I have been in Hawai’i (yes I know there’s an apostrophe, that’s how they do it over there!) the last week and it seems like I have a ton of stuff to catch up on. Today’s topic is once again politics. I have recently finished reading Jim Wallis’ book, God’s Politics. I felt that since we are in an election year, I thought I check it out and see what he has to say. There is a dirty little secret in evangelical land. We are not all Republicans. Some of us are Independents, Greens, Democrats, and some don’t even vote. For a lot of us, there is not a lot of satisfaction with the way we see politicians, even those who profess a faith, integrate their faith and politics. I believe Jim Wallis is one such guy. I have heard him often on the radio and visit his Sojourners site to keep up with what is on his mind. I want to share a little from his book and see what you think. It comes from Chapter 6, Prophetic Politics…A New Option. The first political option in America today is conservative on everything – from cultural, moral, and family concerns to economic, environmental, and foreign policy issues. The second political option in America is liberal on everything – both family/sexual/cultural questions and economic, environmental and foreign policy matters. The third option in American politics is libertarian, meaning liberal on cultural/moral issues and conservative on fiscal/economic and foreign policy. The “just leave me alone and don’t spend my money” option is growing quickly in American life. I [Wallis] believe there is a “fourth option” for American politics which follows from the prophetic religious tradition we have described. (Earlier in the book.) It is traditional or conservative on issues of family values, sexual integrity and personal responsibility, while being very progressive, populist, or even radical on issues like poverty and racial justice. It affirms good stewardship of the earth, supports gender equality, and is more internationally minded than the nationalist – looking first to peacemaking and conflict resolution when it comes to foreign policy questions. The people it appeals to (many religious, but others not) are very strong on issues like marriage, raising kids, and individual ethics, but without being right-wing, reactionary, mean spirited or scapegoating against any group of people, such as homosexuals. They can be pro-life, pro-family, and pro-feminist, all at the same time. They think issues of “moral character” are very important, both in a politician’s personal life and in his or her policy choices. Yet they are decidedly pro-poor, for racial reconciliation, critical of purely military solutions, and defenders of the environment. At the heart of the fourth option is the integral link between personal ethics and social justice. And it appeals to people who refuse to make the choice between the two. technorati tags: God's Politics, Elections, Democrat, Republican, Sojourners (finally, you know the rules, don't take it without giving us some credit... and make sure you vote!)

The Mission Top 10, Week IX

After a couple of nice political posts, I now return you to our regular programming. Nothing serious as I am currently enjoying a little vacation time in Maui. So here are your rankings for week IX of the college football season. 1. Ohio St. (8-0) – Beat Indiana 44-3. The Buckeyes are three games away from the showdown with Michigan, and it is a formality that they will enter undefeated. Their remaining opponents are Minnesota (2-6), Northwestern (2-6), and Illinois (2-6). This week: Minnesota (2-6). 2. Michigan (8-0) – Beat Iowa 20-6. Michigan passed their last real test before Ohio St. last week against Iowa. The remaining schedule for the Wolverines before Ohio St. is Northwestern (2-6), Ball St. (2-6), and Indiana (4-4). This week: Northwestern (2-6) 3. USC (6-0) – Bye week. The Trojans need to come out firing after the bye week. Everyone should be healthy and ready to play. Oregon St. this week and Stanford next week are the appetizer before the finishing kick against Oregon, Cal, Notre Dame, and UCLA. This week: at Oregon St. (4-3) 4. West Virginia (7-0) – Beat Connecticut 37-11. The Mountaineers weren’t great early in very cold weather at Connecticut, but a 26 point win shows dominance. West Virginia will be tough to stop next week. This week: Bye week, Louisville next week. 5. Louisville (7-0) – Beat Syracuse 28-13. Another week, another lackluster performance by Louisville. It says something about the talent the Cardinals have that they won against Syracuse and Cincinnati. Past Louisville teams would have folded under the adversity of close games against overmatched opponents. This week: Bye week, West Virginia next week. 6. Clemson (7-1) – Beat Georgia Tech 31-7. The Tigers killed Georgia Tech in one of the most impressive big game performances of the season. James Davis is a great running back and C.J. Spiller might be the fastest player in college football. The scary thing for future Clemson opponents, is that Davis is a sophomore and Spiller a freshman. This week: at Virginia Tech (5-2), Thursday. 7. Tennessee (7-1) – Beat Alabama 16-13. The Vols struggled all game long, but finally pulled out the win with a clutch second half from quarterback Erik Ainge. Play like that again though, and Spurrier will have another win over Phil Fulmer. This week: at South Carolina (5-2). 8. Arkansas (6-1) – Beat Ole Miss 38-3. Arkansas is hitting on all cylinders right now. They are running with authority and passing with confidence. This week is another scrimmage before we see if they really are worthy of being ranked this high. This week: Louisiana-Monroe (1-6). 9. Auburn (7-1) – Beat Tulane 38-13. The Tulane game came at a perfect time for the Tigers as Kenny Irons got to rest his injuries for a game and freshman running back Ben Tate got some time (156 yards). The next two weeks should be more of the same before Auburn gets going again. This week: at Mississippi (2-6). 10. Florida (6-1) – Bye week. The Gators used the bye week to put more plays in for Tim Tebow. That is bad news for reeling Georgia considering Tebow only got four snaps in the loss at Auburn. This week: Georgia (6-2, how did that happen? This team stinks). On the cusp: Texas (7-1), Wisconsin (7-1), Cal (7-1), Notre Dame (6-1), Boston College (6-1)

War is Hell

With apologies to Howard Beale and the movie Network, “I am mad as hell and I can’t take it anymore!” Whew, that felt good. Now let me tell you what I am talking about. The Iraq War plan, or lack thereof. I thought we learned a lesson in Vietnam. I thought we had a president who learned something from his dad. I thought our generals understood that to win a war, it is always good to have more soldiers on the ground than the enemy. I thought our civilian leadership was business orientated enough to understand that if something is not working, you change what you are doing. You do not continue to do more of the same, or “stay the course.” I thought we were a country who would demand accountability of our leaders if they made horrendous decisions. I am not going to get into all of the whys for going to war. That will be for the historians to sort out. But let’s look at the how. And what our civilian leadership has thrust upon our proud military people in Afghanistan and Iraq. How come we did not adhere to the Powell Doctrine of Overwhelming Force? Why did we leave the job of securing Tora Bora in Afghanistan to local warlords and not do it ourselves? Maybe with US forces, Osama bin Laden would not have been able to bribe his way out of there. I believe that the decision to go “light and fast” and overwhelm Iraq with “shock and awe” has been a disaster. I mean, am I missing something here? If we are subduing an enemy, doesn’t it make sense that once you take over a town, you leave enough soldiers in place to keep order and peace? Hasn’t that been a central problem in our war effort? I have seen time and time again where we have had to return to cities and refight battles that had already been won. Why did we not leave sufficient soldiers there in the first place? Why is the Taliban again a powerful force in Afghanistan? The reason is simple. We did not send enough soldiers in the first place because we wanted to change the way the United States fights wars and prove that “light and fast’ was a viable strategy. Well Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Bush, that strategy has failed! Now what? One of the reasons I have heard time and time again as to why there were no WMD found in Iraq was because Saddam smuggled them across the border to Syria. Why was not that border surveilled and secured before the war? Isn’t surrounding and containing your enemy a central war fighting strategy? I have been told that we were unable to do this, again, because we lacked sufficient troops. Now I understand that many people believe that the US people would never have signed on for a war where more than 500,000 people would be needed. I understand that we would never have supported a draft to invade Iraq.. But isn’t that the point? If we as a people would not or could not support a strategy whereby we recruit and send enough people to accomplish the task, why did we go? This was the Vietnam issue. We were unwilling then and we are unwilling now to do what it takes to truly win a war like this. Someone much smarter than I once said “War is hell.” That’s because to win a war you are going to have to kill a lot of folks. Look at WWII. Many innocent people lost their lives, but the world believed in the cause so people were willing to make the sacrifices necessary to win. That was not true in Vietnam and it is not true in Iraq. Our government has let us down again. When will they be held accountable? Thanks, it feels good to get that off my chest. technorati tags:Iraq War, Bush, Rumsfeld, Powell Doctrine, Taliban (the views expressed here are my own and should not be understood as anything other than that. you are free to copy, distribute, share, use, or whatever, just give us a link or credit.)

The Mission Top 10, Week VIII

It was a week to remember. Auburn gets lucky against Florida, but even bigger was the brawl in Miami. I am with some of the more irate commentators who believe both programs need to suffer huge for this. Does not this type of behavior fit in the "lack of institutional control" catagory? No real big games this week although I am intrigued by the UCLA/Notre Dame matchup. Also, the BCS rankings have begun, so now we have something else to argue about in regards to college football. Enjoy! 1. Ohio St. (7-0) – Seven down, four to go. Next victim: Indiana. 2. Michigan (7-0) – Seven down, four to go. Next victim: Iowa. 3. USC (6-0) – Somehow, they keep winning. If they fall behind early, they may be dead since they haven’t shown any come from behind ability and they have been bad in the second half for much of the season. 4. West Virginia (6-0) – The computers hate them, but those numbers will improve if the Mountaineers keep winning considering Louisville, Rutgers, and Pittsburgh are a combined 18-1. 5. Louisville (6-0) – Last week’s performance was abysmal. Had they been playing almost anyone else in the Big East, that win over Cincinnati would be a loss. 6. Tennessee (6-1) – Yes, Tennessee is better than Florida right now and I believe if that game was played four more times, Tennessee would win three of them. 7. Auburn (6-1) – That was a gritty win, but an overpowering offensive line can still kill them. They will win out as long as the SEC Title Game opponent (if they get there) isn’t Tennessee. 8. Clemson (6-1) – The last time I ranked Clemson this high, they lost. With Chansi Stuckey out injured this week, expect the same fate against Georgia Tech. 9. Florida (6-1) – In the second half, the Gators got away from what they were dominating with in the first half: running the football. Yes, the Auburn defense stiffened, but Florida abandoned the run when they didn’t need to in the third quarter. 10. Texas (6-1) – The computers agree with me, Texas is overrated in the polls. Somehow, they are going to go 11-1 without beating anyone of note (unless you count Nebraska). On the cusp: Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Cal.

politics

As we move into fall, I have decided to take a stab at sharing a few political thoughts. We are coming up on the mid term federal elections, and then after that we will soon be in the middle of the 2008 Presidential Campaign. I believe this will be the first presidential election without at least some sort of incumbent running in most of our lifetimes. That of course assumes that Dick Cheney does not develop further heart problems that will lead to his resignation for “health reasons.” I am aware that politics is supposed to be one of those things you don’t discuss amongst friends. The other being religion. But as a firm believer in the American system of democracy, and a lover of the battle, I cannot resist. All of that being said, allow me to give you a little history of where I am coming from. I was born in 1958 and raised in the 60’s. I remember exactly where I was when President Kennedy was killed. I remember the killings of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. I grew up in a middle class Los Angeles area and have one brother who fought in the Vietnam War and another who probably would have gone to Canada to avoid the draft if he hadn’t received a student deferment. I wanted Humphrey to win in 1968, but worked as a Young Republican for Nixon in 1972. I supported Gerald Ford in 1976, Jimmy Carter in 1980, Mondale in 84, and Bush the Elder in 88. I voted for Clinton twice, but could not vote for Gore or “W”, choosing instead to support Ralph Nader, believing, as I do today, that the US needs a viable third political party. I have never been, nor will I ever be, a straight ticket kind of guy. That is the background. This is where I would like to begin. With a series of quotes from the current Bush Administration. I am not providing direct source links because most of these quotes are easily recognizable and you can find thempretty quick yourself with Google. We now know that each of these was either untrue, or just wrong, whether, and here is the key, they believed it to be true or not. As you read, please ask yourself this question, "Was what these people said wrong, or a lie?" "British intelligence has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production." President Bush, 2003 State of the Union Address "Ladies and gentlemen, these are not assertions. These are facts, corroborated by many sources, some of them sources of the intelligence services of other countries." Secretary of State Colin Powell, testifying about Iraq's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons capabilities before the United Nations Security Council, Feb. 2003. Speaking of Saddam Hussein, VP Dick Cheney said on “Meet the Press” in March of 2003, "We know he's been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons." "It's a slam-dunk case!" CIA Director George Tenet, discussing WMD and the case for war during a meeting in the Oval Office, Dec. 2002 "We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat." Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, when asked about weapons of mass destruction in an ABC News interview, March 30, 2003 When asked about Iraqi nuclear weapons in June 2003, Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld responded, "I don't know anybody that I can think of who has contended that the Iraqis had nuclear weapons." "We found the weapons of mass destruction." President Bush, in an interview with a Polish television station, May 2003. "It's hard to conceive that it would take more forces to provide stability in post-Saddam Iraq than it would take to conduct the war itself and to secure the surrender of Saddam’s security forces and his army. Hard to imagine." Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, testifying before the House Budget Committee prior to the Iraq war, February 2003 "I believe demolishing Hussein's military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk." Former Defense Department Aide Ken Adelman, February 2005. "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency." Vice President Dick Cheney, on the Iraq insurgency, June 2005 “There’s a lot of money to pay for this that doesn’t have to be U.S. taxpayer money, and it starts with the assets of the Iraqi people…and on a rough recollection, the oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years…We’re dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.” Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Defense Secretary House Committee on Appropriations Hearing on a Supplemental War Regulation, March 2003. Now that you have made it to the bottom of all this, let me say I do not believe the Bush Administration intentionally lied to us. That means I must accept that they were wrong on every one of these critical issues. So here is your question, "Do we want to continue "staying the course" with the leaders we now have, or is it time for a mid-course correction? " Just something to think about. technorati tags: Bush, Iraq, Mid Term Elections, Politics, (as always you know the rules, take all you want, just give us the credit.)

The Mission Top 10, Wk VII

Now it starts to get interesting. Auburn was crushed last week by Arkansas, a team USC easily beat early in the year. West Virginia is a pretender and really has no business in the discussion, but we are stuck with them. If they were in the Big Ten, Pac 10, or SEC, they would already have a couple of losses. My friend Tom has posed a great question. If only Ohio State and Michigan remain undefeated when they play, aren't they really playing for the National Championship? It just gets better from here. Ohio St. (6-0) – Beat Bowling Green 35-7. Troy Smith finally used his legs for something. He hadn’t done that much and if that’s all that can be said, the coast is clear for awhile. It’s too bad Wisconsin isn’t on the schedule this season. This week: at Michigan St. (3-3). Michigan (6-0) – Beat Michigan St. 31-13. Mario Manningham is out against Penn St. That could be troublesome if the defense wasn’t playing so well. The Penn St. offense isn’t going to score enough to win even if the Michigan offense is a little off and only scores 21 points. This week: at Penn St. (4-2). Florida (6-0) – Beat LSU 23-10. The defense was impressive and the offense took advantage of its opportunities against a sloppy team. Tim Tebow looks great now, but next season when he is the only quarterback, he won’t be nearly this good. This week: at Auburn (5-1). USC (5-0) – Beat Washington 26-20. They need to stop tempting fate. Had the execution at the end been done well by Washington, they very well could have beaten USC. This week should see the offense score tons of points against a terrible defense. This week: Arizona St. (3-2). West Virginia (5-0) – Beat Mississippi St. 42-14. Ho-hum. Everyone awaits November 2 when West Virginia plays its first legit opponent. After that, the schedule, while still easy, is much more difficult than it is now. This week: Syracuse (3-3). Louisville (6-0) – Beat Middle Tennessee St. 44-17. The Cardinals looked bad in the first quarter until they woke up. Do that against Pittsburgh or Rutgers later this season, and Louisville gets tagged with an upset loss. This week: Cincinnati (3-3). Tennessee (5-1) – Beat Georgia 51-33. This is the best one-loss team by far. The offense is machine like right now and the defense is playing at a high level. Now they need to fix the coverage teams after giving up a punt and kickoff return touchdown in the same game. Put this team against Texas and they win easily. This week: Bye week. Texas (5-1) – Beat Oklahoma 28-10. After that easy win, the Longhorns are on the way to 11-1. They will beat Nebraska, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M and Missouri isn’t on the schedule until the Big 12 Title Game if both teams reach that game. This week: Baylor (3-3). Clemson (5-1) – Beat Wake Forest 27-17. The Clemson-Wake Forest tape should be frightening for ACC coaches to watch. Wake is a legitimate team and showed it for three quarters against a Clemson team that played decently. Then Clemson turned it up to another level that no ACC team appear capable of reaching this season. This week: Temple (0-6). Notre Dame (5-1) – Beat Stanford 31-10. This week’s bye week is going to be a tough as most of the rest of the schedule. After UCLA next week, it's the service academies and North Carolina before the trip to play USC. At worst, the Irish will be 9-2 but 10-1 is more likely. This week: Bye Week. On the cusp: Georgia Tech (5-1), Arkansas (4-1), Auburn (5-1), Cal (5-1), Missouri (6-0)

Mission Potpourri

Since I started blogging, I have found that I read a couple of folks pretty regularly. As a person who loves politics, I love reading and debating in that forum. I feel it is essential for anyone who wants to be a good citizen to be well versed, otherwise, how can they vote intelligently. One of those people I read almost daily is Little Miss Chatterbox. She is fiercely partisan, a big supporter of President Bush, and maybe the future first female senator from Missouri. As you can imagine, we don't agree on a whole lot, because you all know I am little bit of a "lib." Well earlier this week, she gave me the Rational Liberal Award. Thanks Chatterbox, I'll always cherish it. Anyways, check out her site. I'll be adding a direct link soon. Friday morning I head to Oregon for a ministry fundraiser. I hate asking for money, but as a director of a non profit, it goes with the territory. After that, it is on to Atlanta and the Fellowship of Short Term Mission Leaders. This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I get a chance to unwind, and we all take time to dream and pray about what ministry will hold for next year. As I was reading about Oaxaca today, I was excited. Many of you know of the problems there. I have written about it here. Anyways, to make a long story short, it looks like there is a small chance of a peaceful resolution opening up. Please pray for that. The last thing these folks need is a civil war. I've noticed that the baseball playoffs are not catching my attention. Why is that? I love baseball. I grew up with it. Maybe it is because the players all make a ton of $$$. Or maybe it is because they all seem to have drug issues. Or maybe it is because the players move around too much. Whatever, it just seems like the joy has gone out of the game for me this year. Last week I mentioned that my friend Pastor Jesus in Ensenada was sick and would be travelling to Guadalajara for treatment. He leaves Monday the 16th and will return on October 30th if all is well. We are still raising the necessary money to help with his flight and expenses. I also told you about Karla, my wife's cousin. Her cancer was found to be pretty advanced and deep into her brain. They are unable to operate, but she is on chemo and the doctor is hopeful. I am not sure what that means, but I do know we should still be praying. Please join with our family as we continue to pray for Karla and Jesus.

The Mission Top 10, Week VI

Not much to say about last week. No huge upsets, just a lot of good college football. Perhaps the biggest surprise this week is Michigan moving up to the second spot after lackluster performances by Auburn and USC, both of whom needed last minute defensive stops to win. Ohio St. (5-0) – Beat Iowa 38-17. The Buckeyes are the number one team until they are defeated. Even if the games are close, Ohio St. will remain number one until defeat unless the wheels fall completely off the bus for both Texas and Iowa. This week: Bowling Green (3-2). Michigan (5-0) – Beat Minnesota 28-14. We have a new number two this week. Michigan has one of the three most impressive victories of the season to date (the win at Notre Dame), and unlike fellow competitors for the number two spot Auburn and USC, the Wolverines drilled their middle-of-the-conference pack team on the road instead of having to sweat into the last minute. For those who missed it, it was a miracle the score didn’t get out of hand and a completely dominant performance by Michigan. This week: Michigan St. (3-2). Auburn (5-0) – Beat South Carolina 24-17. The Tigers were tested by a South Carolina team that played its best game of the season and came out with a win. While any win on the road is conference play is good, there are many things to nitpick. This week: Arkansas (3-1). USC (4-0) – Beat Washington St. 28-22. The goal was simply to get out of Pullman with a victory. Something is missing in this offense right now: a dynamic running game. The passing game looks fine and Booty has played well so far, but the running backs don’t appear to be significant threats to score on any play like Reggie Bush was or even like Justin Fargas and the 2002 Trojan running backs. This week: Washington (4-1). West Virginia (4-0) – Bye week. A trip to SEC country would normally be imposing and gain some national respect. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, the trip is to Mississippi St. meaning West Virginia must score at will considering what Auburn and LSU did to the Bulldogs. A shutout won’t hurt either. This week: at Mississippi St. (1-4). Florida (5-0) – Beat Alabama 28-13. The Gators have survived week 1 of the gauntlet they have to run with only a slight test from Alabama. This week is a big step up in competition, and next week will remain at this level. If the Gators are still undefeated at the end of October, they will be in the top 3, maybe higher depending on Michigan and Ohio St. This week: LSU (4-1). Louisville (4-0) – Bye week. For those who want to see a demolition, turn to ESPN2 Friday night. For the rest of us, we’ll just yawn and wait for the Cardinals to play a competent team later this season. This week: at Middle Tennessee St. (3-2). LSU (4-1) – Beat Mississippi St. 48-17. JaMarcus Russell is making tons of big plays and is using his talents well. This week, we get to see if the mental side of his game has improved since the Auburn game. If LSU needs a touchdown late in the game, Russell needs to throw the ball into the end zone at least once, unlike the end of the Auburn game. This week: at Florida (5-0). Texas (4-1) – Beat Sam Houston St. 56-3. Texas now has to play some real games after having played two glorified scrimmages and an overmatched conference opponent. Oklahoma will provide a much stiffer test. If Colt McCoy is ready to lead the Longhorns, Texas will win. If not, it will look like Ohio St. all over again. This week: Oklahoma (3-1). Oregon (4-0) – Beat Arizona St. 48-13. Oregon got down to business after the referee fiasco against Oklahoma. The question has to be asked, how would the pollsters treat an undefeated Oregon if, for example, Louisville (or West Virginia) and the Michigan-Ohio St. winner finish undefeated. Would they consider the Oregon-Oklahoma game like an Oregon loss, or would it be a throwback to days gone by and treated as a tie. Also, would the Big East champ with the weak schedule finish in front of Oregon. This week: at Cal (4-1). On the cusp: Tennessee (4-1), Clemson (4-1), Notre Dame (4-1), Georgia Tech (4-1), Missouri (5-0) technorati tags: Michigan, Auburn, Ohio State, USC, College Football Get more sports opinion and the complete rankings at shadow sports by clicking the link in the left hand column.

Intrusions

Sometimes life is just intrusive. You know what I mean. Things seem like they are going good, and then life breaks in and lets a little reality just smack you upside your head. Today was a day like that. I've been working on a little political post lately. I was planning on putting the finishing touches on it this last weekend and then posting either today or tomorrow. Then the first call came. My wife Chelle's cousin who has been battling breast cancer has been found to have cancer in her spine and brain as well. I've known Karla almost as long as my wife. We went to school together, all having grown up in the same area. She has four kids, the oldest a year younger than my son Joseph. I was stunned. Isn't this stuff for older folks? Young, vibrant folks are not supposed to be gettin' cancer. But here we are. I am told the type of cancer she has is treatable. That's good news. But would you pray for Karla and her family? She can use it. The second call came from my wife this morning as I was headed to the office. One of my best friends in Mexico, Pastor Jesus Vera has been having some serious medical problems. He lives in Ensenada but needs to travel to Guadalajara for treatment. As a Baptist pastor, he can receive free medical treatment at the Baptist hospital there, which is one of the best hospitals in the country. I am sure he will be well taken care of, but before he can go, he must get the necessary funds together for the trip. Pray for Jesus, and his family too. It is amazing the things we can think are important in this life. Most of those items really just belong in the bag called "stuff." When friends and relatives are sick, when we are confronted with the possibility of loss, it is then that we remember how temporary life and friendships really can be. I don't like it when I have to be reminded. I don't like it when life intrudes. I wish I was more attuned to this on a day by day basis, but like a lot of folks, sometimes I am just too busy. I'm working on that. What about you?