Increasingly Gray Temple

Teena casually remarked how she noticed that my hair is getting grayer.

My eldest is getting married in 4 weeks. We just received a high school graduation notice in the mail for Brooke Justice. She is the niece who was the cute little girl at the family reunion at Ocean Isle Beach, NC. The late Vicki Koehmstedt and the late Bill Lanning arranged the first one "just" a few years ago (2? 5? no - 14!).

I spoke last Sunday - part of a series called "Dealing With Doubt." I opened my message with a music video of Kansas singing "Dust in the Wind." It was ironic, yet fitting that the music video (they haven't been around that long - have they?) looked very dated with Kerry Livgen, Steve Walsh and especially Robby Steinhardt sporting very long hair. It was equally fitting that the current group only has a portion of the original members.

I'm 53.5. 8 years beyond the age Teena's sister lived; 3 years beyond the age that my late father-in-law lived; 9 years short of the age my father lived; 22 years short of the age my mother lived. Average these out and I'm due for departure in 5 years! Dang!

Death doesn't bother me near as much as the prospect of "dying." The more important matter is to be wise in my stewardship with time, mental ability and physical mobility.

Teena and I are praying about a new and risky venture that places the value of this kind of stewardship in high priority. There is something (better stated "Someone") driving this in both of our inner beings. We like what we're doing now, but have a yearning that there is something more in the area of sacrifice and obedience that needs to be explored.

We are both excited about the depth of the principle jumping to life in 2 Corinthians 4:16:
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

We're NOT losing heart - we're gaining it! We ARE wasting away outwardly, yet... we ARE being renewed day by day. There are a couple of internal teenagers coming to life in 2 who are on the AARP mailing list.

We are going to "Die Trying." Stay tuned!

Jeff