Two Trips, both lovely:

During the summer the Covington Bible Church does what we call "Family Nights." For our last event church members Laurie and Jon Fitzgerald planned a lovely kayak, canoe trip on the Jackson River. (For you non-locals, the Jackson is the headwaters of the well-known James River. The Jackson and the Cowpasture [Yes, there is also a Bullpasture and even a Calfpasture--our ancestors had a sense of humor.] rivers come together about 15 miles from here and form the James.

The Jackson won't provide adrenaline junkies with a rush--unless you are my five-year-old grandson, who described the "rapids" as "little waterfalls." While the Jackson may lack white-water thrills, it has an abundance of peace, beauty and tranquility. Though the water is cold--the stream temperature is controlled by the release from Lake Moomaw, in order to maximize trout habitat--a number of folk managed to tip their craft. Mostly the capsizing were exuberance related, and not attributed to wild-water.

As you can see from the photo below, taken at the end of the trip, Kathy and I managed to stay dry. : )

Right after we got back from the Jackson, we packed up for a trip to PA. Our purpose on this trip was to surprise our soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Tanisha Lehman with a shower. (Tanisha, and Chad's youngest, Kendal are at the right.) Actually, we weren't the ones doing the shower, we were just part of the surprise. We managed to stay under the radar--she was suitably startled by the show of kindness from the ladies at her home church. Chad--the soon to be groom--my younger son, Chris, and my two grandsons put in an appearance at the beginning of the ladies' special time, then we went to Tanisha's parent's home, where the above mentioned plus her dad, grandpa, and uncle enjoyed a manly meal cooked on the grill, complete with a desert of Banana-pudding, my favorite, made by my granddaughter Carrington.

(On the left, a surprised Tanisha chats with future brother-in-law, Chris)

We arrived back safe and sound last night about midnight.

Stay-tuned. I have always believed that theology ought to have a place in real life. That is one thing I like about pastoring a small church. One won't be in a street-level ministry very long before he gets knocked out of his ivory tower. At this point mine is long abandoned and hidden a jungle of real-life vegetation.

My visit with my son, his four kids, and his soon-to-be wife, combined with this morning's news about Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin's pregnant seventeen-year-old daughter are helping to bring clarity to some thoughts that have been brewing in my mind about how an authentic understanding of what the Bible teaches needs to work in real-life. If it doesn't, dump it.

Check back in a day or two. For now, I thank God for two really great trips.