Tickling a Thai Baby

Today is Sunday, July 31, 2011. This morning I preached at the Dallas Chinese Bible Church, in Richardson,TX. I had such a good time with my brothers and sisters there. I had the privilege of presenting both the children's sermon and "the other one". The children were full of energy and made me smile. At the conclusion of the service, a couple brought to me their Timothy, whom they'd adopted from Thailand. I had shared some stories of our own son Timothy and it was time to meet another. I nuzzled him and tickled his little belly and was flooded with memories of hugging and kissing my now 18-year-old Timothy.

Each time I am with children, I am reminded that we have a future. Those precious bundles of energy are not the church of tomorrow. They are a vital part of what we are today!

If you are with a child today, kiss him/her. A tickle wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Thoughts on the close of July

Yesterday, July 29, was my wife's birthday. "What do you want for your birthday?", I usually ask. I don't want to buy something Rosemary doesn't want. She wanted a DVD of Secretariat (a wonderful Disney film), cash and Kathryn Stockett's book, The Help.
She also wanted our only child, Timothy, to come home from Texas A&M University. I flew down to get Timothy, brought him home and we had a great family dinner, as we celebrated Rosemary's life. We were joined by my sister, nephew and a few good friends.
When all the dust and smoke of a busy life clears, we are left with the memories we create and the dinners we can't forget. I am trying to live much more slowly these days, so as not to miss the high points. They are rarely experienced in the fast lane.