Concern

A family friend of mine since I was very young and can remember found out today he has a tumor on his pancreas...pardon the spelling. Friday he has some tests to take where he has to drink that weird fluid that colors your insides so they can see them on the screen. Then they are going to send him to Temple another day for a biopsy and whatever else they do. As I am not the family medical knowledge tank, I can't explain much else. All I can say is he has lost lots of weight and can't really eat without it coming back to haunt him. The outlook is uncertain right now without knowing if it is just a bump they can get out, or it could be cancer that will spread, or it could be cancer that has already spread. Prayers are good as is God.

Mountaineers from the Mountains

I know its a little late, but I wanted to wait a little bit before I posted about this in case our friends from West Virginia were irritated with their previous neighbors. For those of you that missed it, the Democratic Election was in WV last week. Following the election, which Clinton won by a crazy 40% margin, some people were asked what they thought of the candidates. I have two things to note, one serious and one in jest:
1) There are still many whites that don't consider blacks equal.
2) "In exit polls, one in five white voters said race played a role their decision – and more than 80 percent of those supported Clinton," so my question is for the 20% of whites who claimed racism and didn't vote for Clinton...did you mis-check the correct box?

There you have it. Racism is real even if we can't see it in our daily lives. Regardless of your political stance, as a Christian this is a huge problem that we must always be aware of in our own sinful hearts and our assumptions we make of strangers we meet. To me it seems there are only two distinct groups of people: the elect and the nonelect. Color of skin is certainly not one of them.

P.S. Since I've mostly written political thoughts on the democratic race lately you may be thinking I am a democrat. Well, I can tell you one thing about me: I hold no allegiance to either party. Rather, I take things issue by issue because I have problems with both parties that cause me to not feel comfortable enough to claim one. Just wait ye republicans, I shall give you some interesting thoughts when there is a little more news on them as November approaches.

SCC

While SSC doesn't have the same ring or meaning as CCR, Stephen Curtis Chapman's family has had a tragic accident. For more, visit http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/. Thanks to Brian for alerting me. (em)

Oh To Be A Hippy

Lately I've been participating in a discussion over certain issues we hold dear to our hearts. Most of the issues boil down to the legitimacy of the Bible. Some of the discussions have been:
Person A: "2 Timothy 3:16-17"
Person B: Paul wrote that before the New Testament was compiled, so how can we include in it the New Testament?

All I can think of right now is how it would feel to be a hippy. "Peace and love man, yeahhhhh. *exhale"

Last night I was in this discussion to the point that I got a headache. This morning I was irritated by the responses over night. Now I'm just confused by the desire of some to dismantle the idea that the Bible is the Word of God.

A Lesson From The Democratic Campaigns?

As many of you know, and for those of you that don't, an 11 year old boy from McAndrews, Kentucky recently sold all of his video games, his bike, and other random things from his closet in order to donate the money to Hillary's campaign at a rally held by Bill. He was able to amass a sum over 400 bucks! Not bad for an 11 year old. Apparently his mother thought the money was being raised for their family vacation. Needless to say, the parents gladly let the child go through with this and accompanied him to the rally on Friday in order to present his money to Bill in person; even receiving an autographed picture of Bill and Hillary for it!
(here is the story http://http://dailymail.com/News/election08/200805120073?page=1&build=cache)
So some of you might be thinking, Eric, this is sad. Or perhaps you are thinking, Eric, you're a nerd and a doofus. Well, here's what I am thinking...
Here is a kid who is a perfect example for us.
He has become so entrenched in politics and his opinion of right and wrong he is willing to sell all of his "toys" and sell anything else he can find that he doesn't need in order to help the cause he is in love with. Are we that way with our love for Jesus? Are we so trusting in Christ that we are willing to rid ourselves of the "toys" we hold dear as security blankets, you know, for the "just in case"? Do we have things in our lives we hold onto that we don't really use, don't really like, or are otherwise holding onto for no apparent reason; knowing that we could give them to Goodwill or sell them and use the money to glorify God? Or maybe we spend lavishly on things that are not that important Monday through Saturday, but come Sunday we are saying, "Well, 10% is biblical, so $300 (or $15000 depending on your income) is good enough". Are we just crossing checklists when it comes to our relationships and responsibilities to the church and God or are we so looking forward to giving of ourselves that we are like this young boy, searching through his closet for more ways to give?
This is SUCH A HUGE issue for me. You have no idea the ways of my heart. Sin twists me up so bad when I start lusting for new things or when I can't part ways with old ones. Instead of trips to McDonald's for $1 large Dr. Peppers 3-4 times a week I should be saving this money or giving it to a worthy cause.
To think this issue is only about money would be wrong. In our fallen world we are taught to be selfish with our time, thoughts, and...well everything! We must be weary, friends, of the sin associated with idle minds, bodies, and resources. Everything we have is a gift from God. Please remember that.

P.S. if this doesn't make sense don't worry...these are just a little scope into my brain and what I'm struggling with right now so if nothing else is clear in this post, please pray for me to be less selfish!
P.P.S. don't expect an autographed picture of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit like the kid got of his heros...be happy with an undeserved salvation and that knowing the act of righteous giving of yourself makes you like a picture of Jesus to those to whom you give...

Theresa

Over the last 24 hours Theresa has lost around 5lbs; which to put into perspective for the rest of us is around 4-5% of her total body weight. She has some kind of stomach issue where she can't keep fluids or solids down. She is seemingly getting a little better, so we are hopeful. Apparently a couple of people at work last week had similar problems. According to them it only lasted around a day so she should be better tomorrow. Anyhow, if you are reading this blog then you obviously have enough time to pray for her to get well and me to care for her properly, so please do so!
Eric

Petless

Well, we have lost both of our pets in two days. Gordy, the hamster, died last night. He was old. Flash, the fish, died this evening. He was old, too. Here is a picture of Gordy. He is actually hanging out with Eric's cousin Becca in this picture. He was a cutie!

New Job

Now that my finals are OVER, I can actually post about my new job. I went to Fort Worth in April for the American Alliance for Physical Education, Health, Recreation, and Dance national convention. While I was there, my internship supervisor emailed me because there was a job posting at the Brazos County Health Department for a health educator. I screamed and danced and then downloaded the application and filled it out. My wonderful sister-in-law, Kristina, faxed the application for me since I was still in Fort Worth on a Thursday night. Well, I got a call the next Friday to schedule an interview for Monday. I was a basketcase that whole weekend (and the next week after the interview). I went to the interview on Monday and was offered the job the next Friday. Now, I have never quit a job before, so I was feeling really bad about leaving Scott & White. I learned a lot at Scott & White (good and bad), but it is time for me to move on. I don't want to stay there forever, and this new job is exactly what I want. I have always wanted to do health education in a community setting. There is nothing that say "community" more that county health department.