You scored a 9.2575!

Ok, I am not going to forget my promise on writing about Assimilation Ministry. I will tackle that when I get back from vacation. I am sticking to the age old rule that while on vacation, you can't think about work. Don't get me wrong, I love my work and what we do in ministry, but I need to "check out" every year and re-charge my batteries.

I am sitting here in Destin, Florida, looking out on the absolutely beautiful beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. We have been blessed this week due to the fact that Hurricane Fay went to the Atlantic side. We have had nothing but clear sunny days. Thank you Lord for that blessing!

This blog is about the absurdity of competition in the Olympics that utilize judges to determine a champion - i.e. gymnastics and diving. I watched with utter amazement as the USA gymnasts got "hosed" on their scores this past week. You know what I would do if we couldn't figure out a winner in gymnastics? Let them wrestle for it right in the middle of the floor exercise mat. Can you imagine it? Nastia Luikin body slamming that 13 (oh, excuse me - 16) year old Chinese gymnast! That would rock. I can hear Al Trautwig now on the NBC broadcast - "Luikin with the upper right hook! Xen Ho We is down! Luikin with the cross body elbow! That's it - Nastia wins the gold medal!"

Or, let them go immediately outside, mark off 100 yards and race for it. Shawn Johnson would dust anyone in the 100 yard dash. This is exactly the reason why I like swimming, track & field, volleyball, basketball, etc. If you are the best - then score more than me, or beat me to the finish line. I don't have to worry about whether I took a semi-small step or a medium size step on my landing after spinning in the air 5 different ways in less than 2 seconds. Plus, I wouldn't have to listen to Bella Karoly scream about the scores to Bob Costas for 10 minutes! (By the way, can ANYONE tell me what that man says?? Holy cow he is harder to understand that Sly Stallone in Rocky 6!)

I love the Olympics! I can't wait until the Winter Games in 2010 where we can see speed skating, down hill skiing, and oh yes, Figure Skating! Bring on Scott Hamilton and the "triple sow cow" with a 9.2575895 gold medalists score!

Great trip to Venezuela!

What an amazing experience we had in Carupano, Venezuela. 34 Americans from various churches partnered with an organization called E3 Missions for a five day ministry time. We worked with several churches in and around Carupano. By going door to door using a tool called the "evangicube", we saw a total of 1,339 professions of faith in Christ. The amazing thing about the week is the fact that it is one on one evangelism. I can also assure you that the follow up process is in place with the local churches and is conducted with each person who made a decision. E3 is an amazing organization. The trip was an overwhelming success and the staff of E3 did a terrific job with the logistics and planning of the entire trip. Thank you to all who prayed for us while we were gone - we definitely felt your prayers. Check out some highlight videos and pictures from the trip on my Facebook page. The link is below in the right hand column. I am now on a much awaited vacation trip to Destin, Florida, then back on the 25th ready to roll into the fall. God bless....