So Maybe I Don't Get It

I've run into it from time to time, and usually I just nod my head indicating that I understand, but what I'm really saying is, "I don't get it and I don't really want to get it." What am I talking about? I'm talking about something that makes absolutely no sense to me and seems to be contrived and really stretching the Word of God - this whole thing about biblical numerology or biblical numerics. This is the magical, mystical, hocus-pocus, completely arbitrary practice of assigning spiritual meaning to certain numbers. For example, someone said to me a while back, "I went to the store the other day and the cashier gave me back 37 cents in change. Then not long after that, I got a new cell phone number and the last 4 digits were 3737. And I'm so excited!" I must have looked confused, you know the "I-don't-have-a-clue-what-you-are-talking-about" look. Surely someone other than me has had that look before! Anyway, I must have had it because this person followed up with, "I'm excited because YOU KNOW that 37 in the Bible stands for wealth. And the fact that I've just gotten three 37's means that the wealth that is coming to me is a sure thing!"

I didn't respond - I couldn't respond - I was completely dumbfounded - I just grinned and walked away. How do people come up with this stuff? Who is putting this stuff out? Am I completely out of touch with what the Bible teaches? Is this really biblical? Or has this kind of thing just crept into the teaching of the Word of Truth and has become part of the tradition (like three wise men - the Bible doesn't teach there were 3 wise men - but our Christmas tradition says there were three, so we just automatically believe there were three - sorry, I got off on a rant) that we assume is biblical. I've looked at some of the web sites that talk about "gematria" and "numerology" and every one of them is a weird combination of beliefs - a kind of syncretism of Christian teaching with astrology and new age spiritism and who knows what else. So maybe I don't get it, but I feel better now having gotten it off my chest.

A Prayer for the New Year

I know 2007 is almost 10 days old now, but it isn't too late to offer this prayer for the new year. It's a prayer that some have attributed to John Wesley - though I don't think anyone has ever traced it directly to him. Most Wesleyan theologians now simply call it a covenant prayer in the Wesleyan tradition. Whatever it's called and whoever first prayed it are not really important. But the content of the prayer cuts right to the heart. I pray it often - though not often enough. It is definitely a prayer that should be prayed as a New Year's resolution annually.

I am no longer my own, but Yours.
Put me to what You will;
Rank me with whom You will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by You or laid aside for You,
Exalted for You or brought low by You.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
You are mine, and I am Yours. So be it.
And the covenant that I have made on earth let it be confirmed in heaven.

Amen.

May you find this prayer flowing from your heart often in 2007.

It's Cold and Flu Season

It's cold and flue season. How do I know? I used almost an entire box of tissue yesterday - sat in the recliner feeling sorry for myself - wore three shirts, was covered by a blanket and was still freezing - felt like I was swallowing thumbtacks - resisting coughing because it really hurts. Need I go on? Probably not. The crummy thing about it is that I wash my hands like some kind of neurotic germophobe - I cough or sneeze into the bend of my elbow instead of my hand - I take vitamin C - I do lots of good things that ought to make me invincible! Yeah, right! So for all you folks out there in bloggerland - take care of yourselves and just maybe you will avoid the tiny little bugs that are feasting on my flesh right now.

Darfur

At the encouragement of Shawn Blanc, I am venturing into the arena of the controversial - Genocide in Darfur. Granted, my understanding of the whole issue is child-like, but I am appalled by the reports I do hear, see, and read. One article I read said that Christians in a "Christian Chat Room" (somehow that seems almost like an oxymoron), when asked to discuss the issue, completely dismissed the topic saying that charity begins at home and wondering why Christians in America should care what is happening half way around the world. I'm not surprised - American Christians are among the most biblically illiterate and therefore self-centered in the world.

My heart is broken when I see the faces of the children caught in this horror. I think of my own children and grand children. How would I respond were these things happening to my family? Well guess what! It is happening to my family - my brothers and sisters in Christ are among the main targets of the extremist Muslim militias. My brothers and sisters in Christ are being starved, beaten, raped, tortured and murdered. So why am I not more broken? Why am I not moved to tears? Why am I not moving heaven through prayer on behalf of my family in Darfur? It's time for the Body of Christ in the developed countries of the world to be shaken by the atrocities and mobilize themselves in whatever ways possible - especially in prayer!

Significant Information

I found it - the significant information you needed in order to make it through the remainder of the day. Did you know that every square inch of human skin contains 20 feet of blood vessels? I don't know if that is based on actual measurement, or extrapolation from some other set of data, but I thought you'd like to know about it. For this and other important facts, check out 20 little known facts about the human body.

Now that I have your attention (I'm certain that I do), let me direct your attention to another little tidbit of information. Did you know that 75% of all people leaving a church service can not identify what the pastor has just talked about in his/her sermon? Did you also know that 50% of the pastors who had just preached the sermon could not name the point of the sermons they had just preached! Hence, the oft repeated scenario:



"Hey, did you hear Preacher A this morning?"


"No, what did he/she say?"


"I don't know, but it was good! You ought to get the recording."



If Preacher A had done what he/she was supposed to do, most hearers could at least communicate the basic outline or most important point of the message. Some of the problem is lazy listeners - but most of the problem is lazy preachers. Let me encourage any aspiring preachers to make sure you know what point you want to make (preferably your point will be the same as the Bible writer was making) before you stand to proclaim the Truth.

Welcome Back, Tom!

Yes, I am welcoming myself back - back to the world of blogging. It seems that eons have passed since I last ventured to share a few thoughts. Since last we met, I have visited my son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren in South Carolina; and celebrated Christmas with them. I have also celebrated Christmas again with my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter from Wisconsin. Of course both celebrations included my wife and #1 daughter. I must say, without any bias or prejudice whatsoever, that I have a great family! Three children - 2 "children-in-law" - 4 grandchildren - and a wonderful wife. What joys all!!!

In addition to celebrations related to the birth of Jesus, I have also celebrated the love and wonder of God through prayer and worship with approximately 12,000 young adults at the OneThing Conference in Kansas City. Some of you may have participated in person or on the web. Thanks to God TV the quality of the broadcast was stepped up quite a bit over previous endeavors. If you were one that joined the conference through the web stream, I'd like to hear your response to the conference and the quality of broadcast.

One last comment - while we were away at the OneThing conference, the prayer room at the International House of Prayer was transformed to make it more "visual friendly." I think I like it! There are a few things that will take a little getting used to, but that's okay! A little change is good for us from time to time.

Preparing for the Birthday of the Prince of Peace

We're visiting Jonathan, Heidi, Kai, Salem and Faith in South Carolina. Last night Jonathan and I went to the airport to pick up Marisa. The traffic was mayhem! Today, Jonathan and Heidi had to go to a "doc in the box" because Heidi needed an antibiotic - she hasn't been feeling well. Just before supper time (that's the evening meal when you are from the south) Debbie and I decided to brave the great unknown and go to the grocery store. Again - mayhem! Tomorrow (the eve of Christmas eve) there are still more gifts to purchase. It seems strange that the celebration of the birthday of the prince of peace had become an exercise in ... ah ... um ... shall I use the word yet again? ... MAYHEM! What's even more strange is that I am one who is supposed to know better, and yet I seem to be contributing to the problem. I have always tried to teach others to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. So once again, I must pray "Lord Jesus, be born in me today!" Amen.

Just In Time For Christmas

"Christian Gaming" has just reached a new low. There is now a game available at WalMart, endorsed by Focus on the Family, that allows "Christian Crusaders" to kill people who won't convert to Christianity. Here is a part of the article I just discovered.

Aimed at conservative Christians, the game's story line begins in a time after the "rapture," when fundamentalist dogma contends that Christians will go to heaven. The remaining population on earth must then choose between surrendering to or resisting "the Antichrist," which the game describes as the "Global Community Peacekeepers," whose objective is the imposition of "one-world government."

"Part of the object is to kill or convert the opposing forces," Simpson said. This is "antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ," he said, adding that he was dismayed by the concept in "Eternal Forces" of using prayer to restore a player's "spirit points" after killing the enemy." In the game, combatants on one side pause for prayer, intoning, "Praise the Lord." A player can lose points for "unnecessary killing" but regain them through prayer.

I want to encourage you to read the entire article, "Death To Infidels Via Video Game," by William Fisher. Just click on his name to go to the article.

A Complicated (and JOYOUS) Christmas Season

This year is the most complicated Christmas season we have ever had. We knew the complications would come - they come for all families. When I was growing up, my mom and dad and us kids joined my uncle, aunt and cousins at my grandparents' house. It was all great! Then the kids started getting married and having their own children. Suddenly, my parents and my uncle and aunt became the grandparents. We tried for a while to keep things ever the same, but it got complicated. Children grow up, get married, have children and move to different parts of the country. Not only do we become grandparents, but the parents of our "kids-in-law" also become grandparents and they want to spend time with their children and grandchildren at holiday times. I completely understand why we stopped meeting at my grandparents' home and they began to alternate between their children's homes each Christmas. That brings me back to our complicated schedule. Jonathan and Heidi just had a new baby - so it is impossible for them to travel this year. Hence, we are going there - South Carolina. Alicia and Ashley will spend Christmas with his parents. Then on the 26th, we fly back home to greet the "A Team" (get it? A-licia, A-shley, A-ria) when they arrive on the 28th. Then we get to open gifts AGAIN! In the midst of it all, we get to help out at the One Thing Young Adult Conference sponsored by the International House of Prayer (Dec. 28-31).

I've been pretty negligent in my blogging lately anyway, but I don't expect it to get better over the next couple of weeks. However, I'll try to give updates as often as I can. I hope you all have a blessed (and less complicated) Christmas!

Christmas Cards

We love to get Christmas Cards! Now I don't say that in order to goad some of you who read this into sending me a card - but should the thought occur to you .... One of the most fun cards I have gotten so far this year came by way of email today. Check out the link. You get to tell the "singing chins" what Christmas carol you want them to sing, and after a moment of "thinking" they will either sing it, or tell you that they don't know that one. It isn't a big deal, but it was fun, and it reveals just how easily pleased I am. Enjoy!

http://www.sundog.net/carolofthechins/flash/index.html

Useless Information

You can file this post under the category of useless information. I was scanning my latest issue of "Men's Health" and ran across the following article. I submit it for your consideration. Should the days of snow ever come again, some of you may want to try this and let me know how it works.

WHEN YOU'RE BUILDING A SNOWMAN
DO THIS: Watch the clock. Sculpt your snowman between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and "the sun will warm the snow so it's wet enough to stick," says Mark Mason, a member of the professional snow-building group Team Snowtastic. "If you wait until later, it could be too slushy."

NOT THAT: Don't roll up half of the woods. Rake the yard clean the night before a big snowfall, or try to harvest snow from driveways or patios, where twigs, sticks, and rocks won't clutter your creation. "Leaves and rocks absorb more sunlight and heat, and make it melt faster," says Mason.

Ok - that's it. May your snowman building project be the best ever!

Faith!

Need I say more? Probably not, but I will. She was born Thursday morning (Dec. 7) at 12:30. She weighed 6 lb. 14 oz. (That's 3.1 kg for you metric folks). She was 19 inches (48.26 cm) long. We can't see it because of the cap, but Jonathan says she has dark hair. I got to hear her cry on Thursday morning, and she sounded like she has a future as a prophetic singer! Debbie and I are looking forward to meeting her on Dec. 19. What a great little Christmas present -- this truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Announcing the Arrival of Faith Adelaide!!

We were awakened at 1:15 this morning by the ringing telephone. It was Jonathan telling us that our newest grand baby - Faith Adelaide Mills - had made her appearance. Heidi delivered her AT HOME (these kids have more courage than me) with the help of a midwife and everything had gone well. I'll give more details later - but I'm excited because Debbie and I get to fly to South Carolina on the 19th to meet this beautiful new granddaughter. Congratulations Heidi and Jonathan!

Cool Beans in Madison

Well, here I sit at "Cool Beans" coffee shop in Madison, WI - I feel so much like Randy Bohlender that it terrifies me. My biggest problem is that I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee that I can't identify with the eloquence of RB, but I must say that it's pretty good stuff - almost as good as the Maxwell House I see advertised on TV - I'm resisting the urge to stand and sing, "Our house is a very, very, very fine house!"

Anyway - we came to do a teaching session with the interns at the All Nations House of Prayer on Monday. In the mean time, we get to see Aria, Alicia, and Ashley. So what am I doing in the coffee shop alone at 2:15 pm on Saturday? Well, Ashley is working at the Princeton Health and Fitness Club; and Debbie, Alicia, and Aria are at the Mall with 5 billion other Christmas shoppers. So this seemed like a great place to hang out until everyone is back together.

I wonder if I'm the only one to notice this, but .... IT'S COLD UP HERE!!! I'm not a fan of the cold. I think I've mentioned that before. But I am a fan of family and the prayer movement - so a little cold will not get in my way of promoting both.

For those of you (at least 2) who have read this little blog lately, there is quite a debate raging of the identification of "The Emerald Isle." Check out the last couple of posts for details. Perhaps you will want to enter you expertise into the mix. Feel free. I love the suspense.

In the mean time, I'm headed back to my cup of unidentified coffee (I hope Randy will not be too disappointed in my lack of java knowledge) and then home to catch a few minutes with Aria before her pm nap.

Thawing Out

I said yesterday was an interesting day. I also said yesterday that the weather was turning nasty here in Kansas City. Well today, when I was ready to get out, run some errands and head for the prayer room, it took me ONE SOLID HOUR to thaw out my car. There was so much ice on the car that the doors were frozen shut. I knew better than to tug on the door handle in order to free the stuck door - that only results in a broken handle. So I bumped the door a few times (gently) with my hip and my shoulder. I (gently) hit the top of the door with the palm of my hand and finally I was able to get the door open. Key in the ignition - turn - the engine roared to life and I was on my way. I sat inside for a long time as the motor warmed up. Finally, the defroster began to blow warm air - and I waited - and waited. There was no reason to begin the scraping process, yet. That would have been a lot of wasted effort - the ice was too thick. Finally, I was able to see little circles forming above each vent - signalling that progress was being made. I continued to wait - the circles grew larger. Mind you, these were not breaks in the ice, these little circles were just places that the ice was no longer stuck to the glass. Finally, I was able to begin scraping. It was a long slow process and since it's impossible not to see the obvious spiritual analogy in this, I'll go ahead. Sometimes our hearts have grown so cold that it takes a long time for the warm breath of the Holy Spirit to break through - and the best thing to do while that warming process is going on is to just sit and let Him breathe on you. Don't rush ahead and attempt to scrape away all the icy veneers created by sin and complacency. Just wait. Don't help the Holy Spirit - don't resist, but don't help. Just sit and wait. There will come a time when you can take an active role in your freedom, but that won't come for some time. It's important to just sit and let the warm breath of the Holy Spirit work on your cold heart. Before you know it, He will ask you to join the process and in no time, you will be back in His service. So how do you sit? You stop everything and pray. You shut it all down, and give yourself to God's Word and prayer. It may seem that you are wasting time, but you aren't. You are actually saving time and preventing much frustration and in the end, you will be much better for it. For you will realize that you had nothing to do with the thaw - it was all - and I mean ALL - the work of God.

A Strange Day

Do you remember the children's story - "Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"? Well, mine wasn't quite as bad as all that, but it was one to remember - or forget. The more I think about it, it wasn't really all that bad - it was just hectic. OK - OK - so get on with it! Anyway, on Monday of this week, our heater went out. And that was really not so bad at all because the weather was really quite pleasant in the first part of the week. But we had been watching the weather and Gary Lezak was telling us that Wednesday was going to be a day of dramatic change. We have one of those home appliance repair insurance policies so we decided to go ahead and call. The repairmen came (which cost us $50) and discovered that the main circuit board was fried - that means it was not working and it wasn't going to work! The bad news was that they didn't have one in stock so they had to order it, and it would take 2 days for it to come in. Now remember, this was Monday, and Gary Lezak had been telling us on the TV weather that cold weather was on the way by Wednesday. I could envision us spending one cold night on Wednesday before they would come and put in the new circuit board on Thursday. Anyway, we told them to order it.

Now, for today - Wednesday. I came downstairs early this morning only to discover that my computer screen was telling me that something had gone wrong - terribly wrong! I tried to re-boot - nothing. I frantically looked for the windows disc (of course it was nowhere to be found) - and so I tried to boot again - nothing. More searching. More frustration. I took a break for a bowl of cereal and went back and tried to re-boot again. Have you ever noticed that we think that we can somehow sneak up on a computer and catch it off guard and it will do something that it has refused up to that point to do? Well, my computer is MUCH smarter than that and again - nothing. By now, it's 9 am. I called the in home computer repair people - no answer! I called again - no answer. It's 9:15 and I called again - no answer. So I found the phone number for another in home computer repair company. I called them and got an answer right away - a technician would be at my house between 12:00 and 1:00 pm.

That isn't the best news, but it's a start. I was scheduled to teach my preaching class at 4 pm and I still had some preparation to do. This was going to be interesting! I pulled out my laptop and did as much as I could (and that was very good!). Finally, at 1:20 the computer guy that was supposed to be here between 12 and 1 showed up. He worked and worked and couldn't figure out what was wrong. After running many diagnostic tests, he reported, "Your memory is bad."

I could have told him that, but then I figured out he wasn't talking about me, personally, but instead about the computer's memory. Then he followed up with, "The bad news is, I don't have a memory card with me (and he thought MY memory was bad!)." He said he would have to go by one and come back. Now mind you, I'm paying this guy 30 bucks an hour for him to drive all over looking for a memory card! He offered to let me go, but it was going to cost the same if he sat here and waited on me or if I sat here and waited on him. I opted for the latter, because in the mean time (while he was discovering the problem), the heating guy (remember him?) called and said that he wanted to come and put in the new circuit board (good news at last!), so I had to stay here and wait on him.

So the computer guy left, and the heater guy came. While the heater guy was working, it was really beginning to turn nasty (weather wise - that's ice on the camera lens) outside. I was glad we were going to have heat tonight. Now remember, the clock is ticking (at $30 per hour for the computer guy), and I need to get ready to teach class. I have to leave by 3:30 to be ready for a 4 pm class. Finally, the computer guy comes back - part in hand (and a bill for 80 bucks!) Oh, by the way, remember that home appliance insurance thing? Well, the circuit board and the installation are covered in that so the heating guy is down there working and I don't have to worry about paying him another dime!

Computer guy installs the memory - then discovers that the bad memory had created problems with the configuration of the computer - I have NO IDEA what that means other than my computer still didn't work and the clock was ticking and the weather was quickly deteriorating. To bring this to a close - the computer guy finally got my computer up and running and the total bill came to just under $300!! He left the house at 3:30. I left the house at 3:31 - leaving behind all the papers I had spend hours grading - papers I needed to give back to the students who had worked so hard on them.

I arrived at the school and the sleet or freezing rain was beginning to make things seriously dangerous. I parked went into the school, found my students, and promptly sent them home before the driving conditions became even more hazardous. I turned around and headed home. The trip that normally takes about 10 minutes took closer to 30 - but the computer guy was no longer on my clock so it really didn't matter.

Now, I am contentedly sitting at my newly configured computer with a good memory - at least the computer's - and writing this blog. I think I'll stop and get some rest.

Going On To Perfection

I heard a great message this morning. The basic content was that we are called to be perfect because our heavenly Father is perfect. Now there is a lot or explaining that would be necessary to get everything out of that phrase that we could, but the reality is that we do our best to explain it away. However, there is nothing in the command that gives us that latitude. When God calls us to be perfect as He is perfect - He means it! As a Methodist pastor, I had to answer two questions or else I would not have been ordained. In fact, every Methodist pastor from the time of John Wesley has had to answer "yes" to these two questions. 1) Are you going on to perfection? And 2) do you expect to be made perfect in love in this lifetime? 30 years ago I answered "Yes" to both questions and today - even though I was not asked to reaffirm those answers aloud, I did so. It was good to be reminded that my goal has been to go on to perfection. My goal has been to be perfected in love in this lifetime. The "in this lifetime" part of the question is important. Too many people think that being perfect is something that doesn't - even can't - come this side of death. However, that is my goal - to be perfected in love IN THIS LIFETIME. If I set anything less as my target, I will certainly hit that lesser goal. I want to challenge you to set your heart to answer "yes" to both questions:

1) Are you going on to perfection?
2) Do you intend to be made perfect in love in this lifetime?

Woefully Unprepared

In the Spring semester, I will be teaching 1 & 2 Peter. I'm just now beginning to read through the two books and I am struck by a couple of things. 1) The writings of Peter have been sorely neglected in the Church. There has really been very little interest in the approximately 2000 years these little letters have been floating around. In fact, there has been such little interest that such Christian Hall of Famers as Martin Luther and Jean Calvin wondered why 1 & 2 Peter were even in the Bible! I hope to be able to remedy that neglect (at least in my little corner of the world) in the next few months. 2) The subject matter (just from my initial scanning) presents a part of Christianity that the Church in America would just as soon ignore. Peter focuses much of his attention on the subject of suffering - and he isn't talking about suffering through a terrible disease or suffering because you have to drive a Yugo. He is talking about suffering for one reason and one reason only - because you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Now let's face it, most American Christians have no idea what that is all about. Our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world understand it. There have been more martyrs for the faith in the last part of the 20th century and in the first few years of the 21st century than in all the centuries prior combined. But that kind of suffering has not made it's way to America, yet. However, it is on its way and we are woefully unprepared. My goals in teaching 1 & 2 Peter this next semester are to get a a better grasp of what is coming so I can begin to get my heart ready, and to help prepare this generation of young people to stand firm in love no matter what comes. So as not to end on a note of doom and gloom today, let me point your attention to 2 Peter 3:13 - "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."

Kinda Makes You Smile

I get a "thought for the day" from a friend of mine. On Friday, it's usually something funny. He sends them out each evening so that people will have them in their mail box first thing each morning. So I got Friday's installment just now. Are you ready? Here goes:

What is the scientific name for an animal that neither runs from its enemies nor does it fight its enemies?

Lunch.

Michael Friedman made that contribution and I don't know why, but it kinda made me smile. I hope it made your smile a little, too.

On other fronts, I noticed something today. I am beginning - just beginning, but it's a start - to influence my little world for the better. I even have hope that a tiny little crack in the hardest of hearts is beginning to form. Another person showed up today with a portable computer stand! Now there are two of us. Soon, I am confident, there will be three and then four and before we know it - the entire room will be filled with portable computer stands. And that hard hearted one who may be beginning to crack? Until now, it was nothing but ridicule and scorn. Today however, he made an excuse. It wasn't a big victory. We're not on the brink of instantaneous conversion. But instead of a mocking remark (which by the way, I know is just a cover up for extreme jealousy), he made some kind of lame excuse that his computer was "too big" for some dinky little stand. He may not have said it exactly that way, but I know that's what he meant. So the question now is, "Why not go ahead and make the leap?"

Of course, a guy like you will want to go one rung up the the ladder and get the rolling model.

Or perhaps, the hooded "voting booth" style is more to your liking.

Whatever you do, don't put it off any longer! You'll kick yourself later for wasting valuable time you could have had enjoying your portable computer stand.

Phone Calls From The Kids

Well tonight must have been catch up night for the Mills kids. I got a call earlier this evening from Alicia. She and her husband and our granddaughter, Aria, live in Madison where they are part of the All Nations House of Prayer. I have been invited to come and speak to the House of Prayer interns, and Alicia was calling to confirm the invitation and give me a few more details about the event. In the background, I could hear Aria making baby noises and trying to talk. It was great!! We will get to see them next week when we meet in Dallas for Thanksgiving with my family.

Then, not too long after that, Jonathan called to talk to Debbie. (What is it about dads and daughters, and mothers and sons?) Then after he finished talking to her, he talked to me for a while. Jonathan and Heidi, and their two sons (our grandsons) live in Ft. Mill, South Carolina where they are part of the Zadok House of Prayer. I didn't get to talk to or hear the boys, but I did hear Heidi tell Jonathan that he was talking too loudly, so that must have meant that the boys were already in bed. We're looking forward to Christmas because we get to fly to SC to see them all. They don't get to come here for Christmas this year, because their new baby, Faith, is scheduled for arrival sometime around the 12th of December.

When we return right after Christmas, Ashley, Alicia, and Aria will be heading to KC for a few days. Well, now you know about our schedule for the next few weeks. Anyway, I just had to let you know how much I enjoyed the phone calls from the kids.