It was a little before ten o’clock when I pulled into the parking lot of our hospital. I parked near the emergency entrance, as had been recommended, based on the fact that it was the best (read: only) lit door at that time of night.

In the parking lot, there were two policemen standing stalwartly by and trying to keep the arguments of a couple families from escalating into a physical altercation. I never heard what they were arguing about, but I saw a couple of the people calmly walking the halls of the hospital later so I guess the fracas never culminated in weaponry.

It was a little before ten o’clock when I pulled into the parking lot of our hospital. I parked near the emergency entrance, as had been recommended, based on the fact that it was the best (read: only) lit door at that time of night.

In the parking lot, there were two policemen standing stalwartly by and trying to keep the arguments of a couple families from escalating into a physical altercation. I never heard what they were arguing about, but I saw a couple of the people calmly walking the halls of the hospital later so I guess the fracas never culminated in weaponry.

Every year, most of us notice the beginning of summer. We may not have been in school for a long time, we don’t teach school, and maybe we don’t even have kids in school, but we still notice the beginning of summer. We plan vacations—maybe out of the habit that was established when we had kids at home or maybe just because summer provides the most reliable weather for travel.

On Sunday nights this summer we’ve been talking about our world view. Our world view can best be explained by answering four questions. 1] How did we get here (creation, evolution, spontaneous combustion)? 2] Why is there suffering in the world? 3] Is there a solution for the suffering? 4] Do I have a purpose?

Historically, when we’ve tried to “grow our churches” we’ve gone through a lot of twists and turns, special events, etc. What if we just tried to answer these questions?

I knew a guy—a leader of his church—who said that he wasn’t going to invite anyone to church until they had all the problems worked out. I’ll venture to say that that guy hasn’t invited anyone to church yet, even though he has changed congregations.

Unless, maybe, his heart changed.

Once there was a crab who told his father he didn’t want to wear his shell anymore. It was uncomfortable and confining and a lot of his friends were forming an anti-shell group. The father did what all children love to have their father do: tell them a story.

“Once there was a human who wanted to go to school without shoes. He whined and whined and eventually his mother gave in. Little Human ran to school … then stepped on a piece of glass, got his foot cut, and had to have it amputated.”