Minutes to Memories

When I moved to Ocean Springs in February, 1999, our church family was mired in that horrid administrative style known as "Men's Business Meetings." At one of the first I attended - probably THE first - Norton Haviland suggested hosting an Easter brunch, complete with an egg hunt for any kids that might come. We didn't have many church kids at the time, but it was an optimistic idea envisioning a day when there would be lots of kids around.

I remember a brief discussion over the wisdom of recognizing Easter as a holiday, followed by a frustrated response from Mr. Haviland somewhere along the lines of, "Gentleman, I am tired of hearing of all the things we can't do. All I'm talking about is hunting Easter eggs with kids and having a brunch."

Thankfully, common sense won out that day.

The Havilands and the Niemanns co-hosted the first few Easter Brunches, and when the Niemanns moved away, the Logans joined the Havilands in hosting this annual event for our church family. They invite everyone to come and make sure everyone knows that everything will be provided free of charge (I always wonder how much expense these families undertake for everyone else).

Today was the ninth consecutive year for this event, and to date the weather has always been beautiful. And today - with somewhere over 120 people in attendance - had the biggest turnout of all.

And there were lots and lots and lots of kids...

I am always impressed by Hillary, but sometimes - like today - I'm fairly convinced that we cannot be related.

Today was "Field Day" for the 3rd and 4th grades, and there was quite a crowd gathered at our local football stadium for the festivities. Before everything began, Hillary sang the National Anthem across the loudspeakers in front of the several hundred people gathered there.

Here's the kicker: she asked to do this. No, better said, she begged her computer teacher, Mrs. Lisa (pictured above) to do this. Hillary doesn't take voice lessons, and she has never sang a song over a microphone before today. But for some reason, she decided that she wanted to do this, so she set her mind to it & did it.

And I love it.

Her future is bright.

There were a lot of important things to do today, some of which don't need to be discussed on the World Wide Web, and the others I'm just too spent to think about anymore right now.

So I'll just post a picture from this afternoon I added to My Ocean Springs Project. Feel free to check it out HERE. Gulf Hills has a very interesting history.

So since I'm not willing to talk about anything important today, I think I'll mention that I'm thinking about shaving my head. Oh, quit laughing. I'm being serious.

It's funny, I have long had weird, embarrassing hair, so it's extra funny that the reason I'm a bit hesitant to shave my head is vanity. How could someone with hair like me be vain about it? Sheesh! I think my biggest fear is that people will mistake me for someone who is HIV-positive with a shaved head, but then again, that might not be so bad.

I like reading the writings of the whacked-out mind of Anne Lamott. I remember reading her description of watching The Shawshank Redemption. At the best moment of the movie, when the main character is exulting in the rain, she said her dominant thought was that she could never do that because it would mess her hair up. This is when she decided to let her friend transform her nappy hair into dreadlocks. I can relate to Anne, but I'm fairly certain my hair is better suited to the cue ball look than dreadlocks.

Just warning you all. Don't be surprised someday.

I used to threaten my wife with shaving my head. After a while, she changed her response to, "Well, do it." That's when I realized that I wasn't so sure of my bravery.

But I'm getting braver...
:-)

I took this picture of Biloxi Beach today after visiting my friend, Hezekiah, simply to show how things continue to look there today. Oh, there are signs of life: new condominiums on the rise, a brand new playground, and sunbathers basking in the sun on the sparkling white sand. But in between looks… well, like the picture shows…

I have a new answer to the maddening question from those far away: “Well, are things getting back to normal down there?”

“No” remains the best (and cleanest) answer, but I have an analogy to offer now, too.

Imagine being in a horrible car wreck. You suffer internal injuries, several broken bones, along with head trauma. You undergo several major surgeries and spend months in rehabilitation. Then, you go home. Are you back to normal then?

Of course not. There are scars that will not go away, parts of your body that do not work as they did before, and psychological issues about ever driving again.

That’s us. We are permanently scarred, and parts of what we called home will never work the way they did before again. We’re even unsure of life in general.

But we’re still here. Surviving. Making the best out of a new type of existence.

But it’s far from getting back to normal.

It won’t ever be normal again.

Another picture from the zoo this past Saturday...

Today was pretty much a typical Monday: lots of church business to attend to, along with preparing a couple of classes...

I did receive a call a bit out of the ordinary this morning from one of our local nursing homes: Mrs. Dottie requested a visit. I dropped by just after lunch to see her in her semi-private room. She was having a bad day, finding it hard to keep fighting, so she felt the need to see me and have me offer a prayer in her presence. So I did. Over the television of her roommate, the nurses, and the maintenance staff that came in and out, I consulted the Maker of the Universe on her behalf.

And this was what she wanted. About fifteen minutes of my time, and a prayer. How privileged I am to be able to offer that to her. And how humbling it is to think that this was what Mrs. Dottie so desperately needed this Monday - just fifteen minutes of my time and a prayer.

Well, the Final Four is now set: Florida vs. UCLA, and Georgetown vs. Ohio State, with the winners squaring off for the National Championship. With my bracket busted, I'm just rooting for Florida as an SEC devotee.

I had the pleasure of attending the 2003 Final Four at the Louisana Superdome in New Orleans. In the Final Four contests, I got to see stars like Dwyane Wade, T. J. Ford, Kirk Hinrich, and Nick Collison, but the star of that weekend was Carmelo Anthony in his dramatic coming-out party. He was simply amazing.

The coolest part of the whole experience was the tip-off of the championship. I wish you all could have seen the camera flashes explode when the ball was tossed in the air. It was so impressive the entire crowd uttered a "whoa" at the same time!

I'll have to say that going to a Final Four is a must-do for all the sports enthusiasts among us!

Go Gators!!!

We normally have around 130 or 140 people come to our Sunday morning worship services at the Ocean Springs Church of Christ. We had 95 people go to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans today!

It was our month (with our friends, Todd & Robin Hayes) to plan a young adult party, and Jody had the idea of going to the zoo. It was quite a hit! I don't know what it is about going to the zoo, but it struck a chord with a LOT of folks, and we had a great day.

It does make me feel old that going to the zoo qualifies as a cardio workout (I'm exhausted!), but in spite of that bit of negativity, it was neat to spend time with so many neat folks that are a part of our church family & to enjoy the beautiful animals on a gorgeous day.

A couple of important things to note in the picture today: (1) the deck project is starting to look like a deck, and (2) look in the background to see that Hillary and her friend, Alexis, actually got to go swimming today!!!

I received a phone call from Oklahoma yesterday requesting I visit a family member in Gulfport Memorial Hospital. So I did early this morning.

But I'll be honest: I didn't expect it to go very well.

There's a reason for that, of course, and the reason is that practically every time I get a request like this it doesn't go very well. Typically, a distant family member is worried for the soul of their relative miles away, and with health failing the situation becomes urgent, so they call the preacher to go make a visit as a last desperate attempt at reaching the spiritual side. And in this situation, typically, the visit-ee has absolutely no interest in the visit-or, and the visit-ee makes that rather obvious. And it's no fun being that visit-or.

So as I drove the 25 miles to Gulfport this morning about 7:30am, I expected this day wouldn't get off to a stirring start.

But I was wrong.

I enjoyed meeting Barbara today. Her cancer has made life painful for her, but she and I had a most pleasant conversation to begin this Thursday. Her house isn't far from our church family's building, and Barbara actually said she hoped to come visit us if her health allowed her to get out again.

It wasn't really a dramatic lesson, but in a certain way it was: don't depend too much on your expectations.

And if you need further evidence, I'll send you a copy of my NCAA Tournament bracket.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce Davis today at The Art House, a fascinating little co-op in downtown Ocean Springs (which you can read about HERE).

It was a bit ironic that I went to The Art House today, given the topic of my Peak of the Week class tonight. I've never sat in, much less taught, a "church" class on art, but that is what I did tonight. With full credit to Darryl Tippens and his book, Pilgrim Heart, I launched into the idea that the act of "creating" is an act consistent with people following the path of Jesus.

As Dr. Tippens pointed out, the Church has rarely been friendly to artists, and that is so very sad. "The arts" have either been portrayed as evil, or, more to my experience, as secular (meaning that they don't have anything to do with religion). Instead, for those who believe, I can't imagine how "affecting a sense of beauty" can be removed from God, the ultimate Artist.

The world has it's share of ugliness. It strikes me as a good idea for followers of God to be both encouragers of and participants in bringing beauty to the forsaken parts of our world.

It was my pleasure this afternoon to add my good friend, Susan Gates, and "The Studio Upside Down" to my Ocean Springs photo-project. Check out the entry HERE.

Hillary has been going to "The Studio" to dance since her kindergarten year, and we could not pick a better place for her to be. Susan (and her husband, Christopher) have a passion for Jesus, and it spills over everywhere, especially in the children who are blessed to spend time with them.

I love Susan in particular because she has fanned the desire to dance in my daughter's heart. If Hillary has to grow up, I hope at least that she never stops dancing.

The Sturgeon pool and deck show continued today.

Our great friend, Tom (whose friend value quotient is rising astronomically), came back over this afternoon to help me with the deck while Jody and Tom's wife, Laura, went to the movies. Tom took on the formidable task of actually teaching me some things today, which, as expected, slowed things up quite a bit. But I'm glad he did. He's a patient teacher, and I'm a problem student, so we make a perfect match.

The pool is looking really good. It finished filling late last night, and I turned on the filter pump today. I'm supposed to take in a water sample tomorrow so we can start balancing out the chemicals. After that, we just need the weather to warm up just a little more.

I'm already liking this whole concept. We decided to do the pool/deck thing not just because... but because we need to (a) get outside more often, (b) exercise more often, and most importantly, (c) spend time together as a family - and with our friends, too...

Without even getting in a pool, today saw "all of the above" happening already...

My 3rd through 5th grade Sunday School class made a trip to the Ocean Springs Nursing Center with the express intent of brightening the day of some residents, and they did a wonderful job of reaching their goal. Three of our boys led a song each, and they did GREAT! And then the whole class put on a skit about "The Fiery Furnace" that received rave reviews from the audience. And then, the best part of all, the kids gave gifts to the residents that they had made, and got to know the names behind the faces. Which is always priceless.

Toward the end of our time, Mr. James (pictured above) told me that after his wife passed away last year he had taken up drawing, and that some of his work was posted on his door in Room 204. Our whole class decided to go check it out, and he has produced some wonderful pictures. Mr. James said he had to have something to help pass the time, and drawing has helped.

I hope a class of talented kids full of life helped him pass this afternoon, too.

Hillary took this picture, and it pretty much communicates the bulk of today. Today was pool installation day as well as the day we began building our deck. Great friend, Tom, came over to help things get started, and I literally don't know what we would have done without him. After a few glitches here and there, we're well on our way...

Beginning with my daughter, Erica's, 14th birthday, my present for her every year is for she and I to do something special together. And we've done some pretty big things over the years. Well, she's twenty now, and tonight was my night with her. The focus of the night was something she's always wanted to do - go to Biloxi's famous (and expensive) Mary Mahoney's Restaurant to eat. Mary Mahoney's is featured in a couple of John Grisham's books (most notably Runaway Jury), and it's history is amazing (the building dates back to 1737).

We began with a shrimp cocktail appetizer, then we both had the stuffed snapper. We even made room for dessert (key lime pie for me, Mississippi mud pie for Erica).

As an added bonus, Bruno called yesterday wondering if I was interested in their two tickets to the Gulf Coast Symphony tonight, which worked out perfectly for my evening with Erica. We had a wonderful night at the symphony enjoying a "Mediterranean Sojourn."

But now it's late. And I'm tired. And I better study since some of us have to work tomorrow.

I hope Charles Thomas and the Arkansas Razorbacks have a big second half. They sure need it.

Even with the Razorbacks having a poor first half, I'm having a better second day of the NCAA tournament so far. Good thing I don't have a sports gambling addiction - I'm not a very good prognosticator.

The first weekend of March Madness is the best weekend in all of sports, but I'll have to admit that the first two days this year has been much less exciting than normal.

But I'm still watching.

Yes, I realize my mother reads this blog, and yet job security worries me a wee bit more. :-)

I hope tonight’s entry provides a pleasant smile for my friend, Bruno. Recently, when my wife and I visited with Bruno & Linda, we discussed various unique ideas for my Ocean Springs photo-project. I mentioned that I had noticed a new roller derby team had formed in Ocean Springs (The Mississippi Roller Girls), and both the Schroeders and my wife insisted that I include them. I had the pleasure of meeting league founder, Victoria Conway (who skates under the name, Vikki Sixx) tonight & add a most unique entry to my project (which you can read about HERE).

Tonight, for an extra, I hope it makes Bruno smile.

Bruno & I were at lunch together today when he received the call that his close friend, Fred Schumacher, had passed away in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was glad to be there when he heard, mostly to give him a hug as the initial emotions struck, but even more for the poignancy of his receiving the news while we were together. You see, when I first proposed the idea of he and I getting together regularly so that I could enjoy and learn from him, Bruno accepted in particular because, after Fred had moved away from the area following Katrina, he really needed a male friend.

So today, I’m glad I was there for Bruno, though briefly, when he heard the difficult news.

Not many retired pastors would encourage me to go meet the ladies of the roller derby, you see, but then again, not many pastors seem that interested in learning to live life like Jesus, who traveled in all sorts of interesting circles.

Tonight, I’m still thinking about Bruno. And I’m hoping that a picture of the Mississippi Roller Girls will somehow provide him with a unique morsel of much-needed comfort.

I’m up to page 1080 in War & Peace. Only 375 pages to go!!!

I always have two books going at the same time – one for fun (War & Peace right now, believe it or not), and one for “work” (if you will). I’m afraid you’ll have to take my word and purchase the “work” book I’ve just begun: Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.

I just started it today, and I’m only 116 pages into a 358 page book, but I’m already convinced it’s a must-read for just about everyone in the universe. But I might be a bit biased, which I’ll explain in just a bit.

Here are a few quotes from the book so far:

* “I began to wonder if anybody still believed Jesus meant those things he said. I thought if we just stopped and asked, What if he really meant it? it could turn the world upside down. It was a shame Christians had become so normal.” (p 41)

* “At that moment, we decided to stop complaining about the church we saw, and we set our hearts on becoming the church we dreamed of.” (p 64)

* “We were not interested in a Christianity that offered these families only mansions and streets of gold in heaven when all they wanted was a bed for their kids now. And many Christians had an extra one.” (p 64)

* (quoting Rich Mullins) “You guys are all into that born again thing, which is great. We do need to be born again, since Jesus said that to a guy named Nicodemus. But if you tell me I have to be born again to enter the kingdom of God, I can tell you that you have to sell everything you have and give it to the poor, because Jesus said that to one guy too… But I guess that’s why God invented highlighters, so we can highlight the parts we like and ignore the rest.” (p 98)

* “Jesus doesn’t exclude rich people; he just lets them know their rebirth will cost them everything they have.” (p 104)

* “I learned a powerful lesson: We can admire and worship Jesus without doing what he did. We can applaud what he preached and stood for without caring about the same things. We can adore his cross without taking up ours. I had come to see that the great tragedy in the church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor but that rich Christians do not know the poor.” (p 113)

And these are just for starters…

Shane has been to Calcutta to love the dying with Mother Teresa before she passed away. He has lived with the homeless in both Chicago and Philadelphia. He has played with children in Iraq while the bombs fell. He has helped inaugurate an emerging church they call "The Simple Way."

Now why this book resonates with me in particular:

I felt what Shane Claiborne felt in 1993. And I still do. At Christmas 1993, while teaching at a Christian high school in my hometown, I made a firm decision: I was moving to the inner city of Los Angeles to teach kids no one else cared about. I mailed my resume to Los Angeles and decided that I would go to L.A. at Spring Break to look for a place to live, and when summer rolled around I would be there. I did the difficult deed of telling my plans to my mom, but on this occasion I wasn’t seeking advice. My mind was made up.

One week later my entire life changed when I met the lady I knew then as “Erica’s mom.” By May of 1994 I was married and had become the 23-year-old dad of a girl heading into the 2nd grade.

I don’t read Shane Claiborne with regrets. Not at all. No “wonder what would have happened to me” ruminations. In fact, I cannot imagine having missed the people and experiences I’ve encountered on my journey. But there are no “I was so stupid and idealistic” thoughts that come to mind either when I read this book. I’m not jealous of Shane Claiborne, just related in some distant cousin sort of way.

What he says remains what I feel. My path has simply been a different one. Mine led through houseparenting at a children’s home, establishing a couple of Habitat for Humanity affiliates, becoming a full-time preacher of all things, and a host of other projects stemming from that fateful decision - including a whole host of experiences from a singular hurricane. I chose a path that involves having a family and a house and cars… But I’ve not given up on the language. Or the principles. And I’m not finished yet.

And thankfully, I’m learning there are others. And thankfully, Shane Claiborne has recorded his experiences so that I can learn from them.

When my family moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we were introduced to all sorts of wonderful seafood. But we missed good barbecue.

That is, until The Shed BBQ came along and saved us...

In the past couple of weeks, The Shed has been in the business of saving a lot more than that. Linda Orrison, mother of the owners (pictured with me today above), took it on herself to coordinate a relief effort to the tornado victims in Enterprise, Alabama. She called schools and churches and city governments, and instead of simply filling The Shed's 17-foot trailer, she ended up filling it AND two fifty-three foot tractor-trailers.

Our church family was honored to contribute to the effort, and tomorrow the trucks will roll to Alabama.

When you're on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, you might want to join all the people who've "been fed at The Shed."

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Note: After all your wonderful photography advice, my great friend and excellent photographer, David Watson, went and played with a 4th picture of Jim McVeay and made it awesome! Check it out on my Ocean Springs blog HERE (scroll down to see it).

Okay, to complicate things once more, here's a THIRD picture to consider. For those that liked the one posted yesterday, this one is just a bit further away. I like that it has "Nam" at the end of Vietnam (since it was the slang anyway) as well as the year 1973 which, in addition to marking the end of the Vietnam War, also marked the year Jim retired. What do you think about this one compared to the one posted yesterday???

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Tonight was a night for basketball. Thirteen men gathered at our church building to eat dinner, fill out our NCAA brackets, and engage in a little hoops action of our own on the church parking lot. Even though I moved as little as possible, I still ended up with a blister.

Basketball used to pretty much be my life, but those days are LONG gone now. It is a bit depressing to even play informal games like tonight. I never played anything halfway, but between the aging out-of-shape body and a long story for another time about a shattered leg and an ongoing fear of injury, halfway is the best I can do now. Which is depressing.

But spending time with a good group of men from our church family... well, as the commerical says: priceless.

Okay, I need a bit of advice from the two of you that regularly read my blog (Hi Mom!). I did a photo-shoot with my good friend, Jim McVeay, today at the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Ocean Springs. I struggled a LOT to select the best picture, and the one you are looking at above is the runner-up. I like the pictures in the background and the expression on Jim's face, especially given the paragraph I wrote about both Jim and the memorial.

So...

Please go HERE to see the picture that barely won in my personal contest and to read the paragraph. If I royally screwed up and should go with the picture here instead, please let me know. What I like about the "other" picture, by the way, is that it has more of the feel of a professional photo from a magazine feature article. But this was a hard choice...

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We had a GREAT morning with our church family, followed by a fun lunch at El Saltillo. Our old friends, Beverly and Emily Weatherington, surprised us with a spring break visit, and it was so good to see them again. I was amazed at how tall Emily has grown in the past year!

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My Arkansas Razorbacks had the stuffing beat out of them in the SEC finals today by the Florida Gators, but it was amazing that the Hogs even made it to the finals. Even though Florida beat us in both games, I'm pretty proud that the Razorbacks made it to the championship games in both football and basketball this year. And now, in an hour, we'll see if the Hogs late-season run earned them a ticket to the Big Dance.

Everyone get ready to fill out your bracket!!!

Here's today's entry to my photography project "My Ocean Springs:"

A unique community lends itself to unique sports, so three years ago Ocean Springs was a natural location to host the Gulf Coast Gators, Mississippi’s only U.S. Lacrosse sanctioned youth team. Coach Charlie Reichel played lacrosse in high school and college (New York Maritime) and quickly became involved with the new club when it was being formed. In March 2007, the Gators hosted the “1st Annual Battle by the Beach” at the Gay-Lemon complex in Ocean Springs. Six clubs competed in the all-day tournament’s two divisions (seventeen and under, and fifteen and under) on a gorgeous Saturday, and that evening the lacrosse teams from LSU and Tulane squared off in an exciting free exhibition match.

Okay, I'm just expecting the LSU/Tulane match will be exciting tonight! If I get the chance to go and discover differently, I'll pick a new adjective!

DON'T FORGET TO SPRING FORWARD TONIGHT!!!!

(A picture of one of our subdivision's ducks this morning with the hazy new townhouses in the background.)

I spent an unforgettable afternoon attending a graduation ceremony for a friend at the Home of Grace, a Christian-based program for those battling addictions. But let me start back a few years prior...

I went to the LaFont Inn in Pascagoula several years ago now to speak on behalf of Habitat for Humanity. There were two guest speakers that day, myself and Tony Lawrence, who was running for district attorney. While waiting for whatever organization we were speaking to on that occasion, I had the pleasure of getting to know Tony a bit.

Tony won, and I next saw him a couple of years later when I went to court with a family whose adult son (my age) had violated parole after several substance abuse problems. When the prisoners were marched into court handcuffed wearing their orange jumpsuits, it humbled me to consider that my involvement with Habitat for Humanity had led me to know someone who held a significant part of the future for the family I knew in his hands. It turned out that my knowing the D.A. had absolutely no effect that day, but it was a poignant moment for me nonetheless.

Fast forward some more and you'll find my friend in the orange jumpsuit admitted to the program at the Home of Grace. He had been in my office on various occasions with lots of tears, but he invariably left to go back to his addictions. I had helped him find a good job in a good environment, and I had always been a shoulder to cry on, but the pull of his typical lifestyle proved victorious every time. Until this time, that is. Sequestered at the Home of Grace and inundated with talk of Jesus, he has found a new calling in life. And today was graduation day.

I had the honor of sitting with the family today. The ceremony opened with the men's choir, around fifty residents whose hearty voices filled the chapel with songs of victory. Not long afterward, today's speaker was introduced. You may have guessed it: Tony Lawrence, the District Attorney. It is a small world after all.

The most moving part of the entire ceremony came when the graduation certificates were presented to each of the six graduates. Each man delivered a heartfelt speech to the packed house. With tears, and with confidence. Interestingly, one of the common themes I noticed was the recognition of thanking "mom" who had stood by them through it all. This often brought the most tears.

But the best lines of the day came from the last graduate. This mostly toothless man received the loudest applause at just the mention of his name. After a few remarks, he held up his certificate and said, "I've never completed anything in my life - except three prison terms." Then, he added the classic line, "...And I've never had a District Attorney speak on my behalf."

This brought down the house...

They say miracles happen at the Home of Grace. And I'll have to admit that, after comparing today's picture (Tony Lawrence saluting my friend and thanking God for him) with the last time I was in a room with the two of them (with my friend in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit), I must admit that something unbelievable has happened there.

It has been an interesting day. Lots of little things interspersed as always, including a dry run at the hospital (went to see three people, and all of them had been discharged today!), but the day was dominated by six lengthy conversations.

#1: The day began with a wonderful visit with the wonderful lady pictured above, Jeannie Stevenson. Jeannie owns Salmagundi Shop in downtown Ocean Springs, and she agreed to pose for a picture for my Ocean Springs photo-project. It was such a pleasure meeting her; our conversation ended up concerning Hurricane Katrina, and it was interesting to hear the stories from her perspective.

#2: My day continued with an excellent conversation with our youth minister, Trent Bryant. Trent & I have a standing appointment each Thursday where I sit in a mentoring seat at the request of our elders. I thought our visit today was particularly good as Trent continues to grow into the proper balance with his teenagers: part-disciplinarian, part buddy.

#3: I then went to my standing Thursday lunch appointment with my friend, Bruno Schroeder. Every conversation with Bruno is beneficial to me, and today was no exception. We talked quite a bit about our conversations on the "Houseflies" blog, which led to quite a few interactions about Leo Tolstoy. Bruno recently completed Anna Karenina, and I'm 2/3 of the way through War & Peace. I think he and I are similar enough to be able to make a good reading group!

#4: From Bruno's house I went to an appointment at the Villa Maria Retirement Apartments. There I met Marjorie Priester, a lovely lady in her early 80s. The manager of the Villa insisted that Marjorie was the person for my Ocean Springs photo-project, so she and I walked into the parking lot to snap a few pictures. Afterward, we sat in some lawn chairs on an unbelievably gorgeous afternoon and had the most delightful conversation. What a wonderful new friend!

#5: Late this afternoon I drove to an elementary school in St. Martin to take a picture for my OTHER photo-project of our church family - this trip for Stella Henley. Stella is one of the most amazing women you could ever meet. She teaches first grade, but it seems she loves on the entire school - including the teachers and staff. I promised to just take five minutes of her time, but instead we carried on my fifth great lengthy conversation of the day.

#6: There was still more room for one other tonight! I went to Lowe's to order the materials for the deck my wife and I (and now our sympathetic friend, Tom!) will build. There was a lot of material to buy, and the kind lady at the Project Desk worked with me for an hour and a half! I told her early on to just push me to the side and wait on other customers, so I watched her work for a long time, and I was simply amazed at her knowledge and patience. She was so calm and helpful to every one she met. It was worth the trip simply to watch her in action.

That was my Thursday. Six long conversations with six wonderful people. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday at all.

You may disagree, but I think one of the neat things about life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is that seeing an alligator isn't uncommon. I took the picture above yesterday while driving around Gulf Islands National Seashore in Ocean Springs. This gator is a regular there...

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My friend, Bruno, gave me a book that I finished today, and I couldn't recommend any book more passionately than Ernest J. Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying. I'm too tired right now (and most probably too dense anyway) to provide an adequate book report, but I will print the tease from the back cover for anyone who might be interested. It was published in 1993, and it is a quick read (256 easy-to-turn pages). Try the library, or order it on-line. I simply could not recommend it more highly.

Here's the tease:

A Lesson Before Dying is set in a small Cajun community in the late 1940s. Jefferson, a young black man, is an unwitting party to a liquor store shootout in which three men are killed; the only survivor, he is convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Grant Wiggins, who left his hometown for the university, has returned to the plantation school to teach. As he struggles with his decision whether to stay or escape to another state, his aunt and Jefferson's godmother persuade him to visit Jefferson in his cell and impart his learning and his pride to Jefferson before his death. In the end, the two men forge a bond as they both come to understand the simple heroism of resisting - and defying - the expected.

ANNOUNCING!!!!

Ashlan Sharyn Marts, weighing in at 6lbs, 12 oz, and stretching out to 20 inches in length. Born at the Ocean Springs Hospital early this afternoon to proud parents, Sean and Jackie, and proud big brother, Will. Everyone is doing well...

Our young adult group at the Ocean Springs Church of Christ had four ladies with due dates somewhat in the general vicinity of one another. Danielle was third in line, but when Dawson arrived frighteningly early, we've all been a bit more tense than usual for all four. But with Jackie's safe delivery today we are proud to report that all four babies (and mommas, et al) are here and doing well.

With apologies to those possibly offended by some of the language, I wanted to pass along a link sent to me from my good friend, Sandi, to an article titled, "Oprah's Ugly Secret."

Karl Barth once recommended doing ministry with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. The subject of this particular article strikes me as the very reason to take such advice to heart.

Here's another picture of Hezekiah from yesterday - looking cool... We brought him the birthday boy ribbon, and of course I bought him the Cardinals hat (Go Cards!) for his birthday... The pipe & sunglasses were his contributions to the ensemble before the party was over yesterday... :-)

I had the pleasure of baptizing Steve and Donna, a married couple, this morning after our Bible classes. Baptisms are neat, but baptizing a married couple is extra neat. In addition to the total devotion to Jesus represented in the event, it almost feels like a renewal of wedding vows, too. By pledging together to follow the way of Jesus, there's a promise inherent to stay together forever as well. So a doubly poignant event if you ask me...

With the ONLY exception of feeling tired, this has been an exceptional day.

It began with the second meeting of the Gulf Coast Single Parent Network, hosted by our young adult group at church. The building looked fantastic, due to hard work on many sides. We were a bit disappointed at first when it seemed as if we would have much fewer in attendance than last time, but we eventually saw the same number of participants arrive (eleven), and I felt as if everything went very well. I sensed that we as a group were deepening relationships with the single-parent families and just had a general sense that this was a tremendously worthwhile way to spend a day.

Afterward, my wife and youngest daughter and I made our way to Biloxi to see our old friend, Hezekiah (pictured above). On one occasion last year when Hillary and I were visiting Hezekiah, I made a casual remark about a Happy Birthday gift bag draped across the back of his wheelchair. He stopped in his tracks & asked me if it was his birthday. I didn't have a clue. Hezekiah wouldn't rest that day until he found out when his birthday was, and I made a mental note when a member of the staff told him it was March 1, 1937.

Hezekiah's 70th birthday has been on my 2007 calendar ever since. I was disappointed that our schedule was full two days ago, but with Hezekiah the major advantage was that he didn't know which day was his birthday in the first place! So today we went to the nursing home to throw a surprise birthday party for a wonderful man disabled both physically and mentally.

It was priceless.

The wonderful Activities Director (Ms. Martin) was our contact, and we called to let her know when to expect us. My wife made a sugar-free birthday cake so all the residents could enjoy it, and we brought presents, too. We also brought noisemakers, and I wish you could have been there to see (and hear!) a bunch of older childlike people wandering around the common area blowing colorful streamer-fringed horns and laughing at the fun. Hezekiah just laughed the entire time, glowing at being the center of attention!

I remembered today why Jody & Hillary are two of the greatest people in the world. I loved watching them cut the cake & deliver pieces on festive party paper products to the lonely residents enjoying a blast of grace out of nowhere on what they expected to be a boring afternoon. When they finished their cake, they would yell "Thank you for the cake!" to Hezekiah, to which he would reply, "You're welcome."

I don't know Hezekiah's entire story. He's told me bits and pieces about his family, but he simply isn't able to fill in any significant details. I know all his family is dead and that he's been in an institution for years now with absolutely no one to his name. I know that, in spite of that, he is practically the happiest person I know - without a doubt, the most pleasant. I can only guess that he was a special-needs kid who would never live on his own, but also someone whose family simply couldn't live long enough to take care of his future.

But today, he had a 70th birthday party, and he glowed as the center of attention.

I cannot think of anything better in this whole world to do on a Saturday afternoon than to throw a birthday party for someone left all alone. On the way out, my wife said, "You know, we could come every month and throw a party for anyone who had birthdays that month?"

And I loved her more than ever.

In honor of my family's new favorite show ("Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"), I am proud to report that it has been another banner day for the Sturgeon household.

There are approximately 150 fourth graders at my daughter's elementary school (6 classes x 25 students). Each class conducted a spelling bee recently, with the top three spellers moving on to the entire fourth grade spelling bee (Hillary came in first in her class). Today, these eighteen top spellers duked it out in front of all their classmates and many of their parents for fame and fortune (actually, for a Scrabble game).

Hillary came in 2nd place!!!!!!!!!!

I was proud of her for many reasons: one, for coming in 2nd place; two, for being a good speller; three, for being proud of herself!

But most importantly I was proud of her for being so confident in front of a crowd! She had said for the past few days that she was nervous, and I tried to convince her to relax, have fun, do her best, and just take whatever comes. I don't know if she listened to me or not, but that seemed to be exactly what she did.

And who needs to know how to spell "legion" anyhow?
:-)

Disclaimer #1: Today had so much to it that I didn't have time to both do everything in it AND tell you about it, too. My sincere apologies.

Disclaimer #2: Before sharing one incident from today, a self-effacing email I'll affectionately title, "Un-Pimp My Ride," let me offer my sincere and heartfelt condolences to the tornado victims in Southeast Alabama. Hearts in Ocean Springs particularly go out to storm victims, now more than ever, so please share with me any way in which the Ocean Springs Church of Christ might be able to respond and help.

UN-PIMP MY RIDE

Thankfully, my busy schedule this afternoon was somewhat flexible. After an enjoyable visit with my friend, Bruno, I went to Eagle Express to have the oil changed in my car. I also went to renew my inspection sticker since I noticed recently that it expired in January. This was not good. Expired inspection stickers carry severe penalties in Mississippi, something akin to the electric chair.

Anyway, at Eagle Express I learned that there is a new anti-tinting law in Mississippi to protect... well, I'm not sure what it protects: discrimination against UV rays? Whatever the case, both backseat windows and the rear window of my car did not pass the new standards (even though this is the way it came from the factory in 2004), so I could not get an inspection sticker. This, by the way, was worse than the bad referred to earlier.

So I inquired as to my options. I was told of a glass place down the road that would peel the tint off the aforementioned windows for me. So I went to this place where, luckily, I was able to get right in. I had a great visit with the receptionist for a couple of hours, who kept giving me weather reports from her computer. There was a tornado warning in our area at one point; at this I considered that being in a glass shop full of product might not be the place to be during an actual tornado. At one particular point the glass (and tinted, by the way) doors began opening and closing on their own. The receptionist locked the door at this juncture.

And to somewhat condense a worthless story, a couple hours later - and $133 later - my car was officially un-pimped.

And now it wouldn't start.

It seemed that crawling around the backseat with the interior lights on, etc. for a couple of hours drained the battery, so they jumped it off quickly and told me I was good to go.

But I wasn't.

I got in the driver's seat and discovered that my car's power steering no longer worked (it's electric). They told me to pull the car back in, which wasn't the simplest of feats without power steering, but I did and the employees boosted the car for a much longer amount of time.

Thankfully, for all readers in blog-land, this worked, and after dodging tornadoes, I was even able to get the inspection sticker before Eagle Express closed for the day.

This was just part of my day. So how was yours?
:-)