The Desert and the Bride

The Desert sucks.

Figuratively and literally.

I know.

I've lived in both.

I won't lie. I've wondered what God was doing during some of these desert times. The times when I am seeking Him and there is nothing but silence. The times when I need to be comforted and I get another thorn in my side (usually my backside!). The times I hoped someone else would understand where I'm at and I get a blank stare.

How do we make sense of this silence? Of this seemingly lack of caring by the God that we've all been told loves us? I'm not saying I've got a total handle on it, in fact, I think I've still got a little desert walking to do, but the only way I can make sense of it is understanding the Bridal Paradigm.

When I look at the end of the Bible, which tells us about the end of all things, this is what I find
(Actually, the Bible is full of Bridal symbolism, and it's a pretty interesting study.) :

Rev 21:1-4 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And the sea no longer is. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. And there will be no more death, nor mourning, nor crying out, nor will there be any more pain; for the first things passed away.

Rev 21:9 And one of the seven angels who had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.

Can you sense the excitement in the angel's voice as he shows John the Bride? Have you ever met a bridegroom that was not passionate for his bride?

The culmination of human history will be a wedding ceremony! The final state of God's people will be as a Bride adorned for her Husband. God is preparing us for the ultimate wedding ceremony. It is in this reality that I need to interpret God's dealings with me.

The attitude God has taken toward us has never been one of pity, irritation or impatience. He has succumbed neither to despair nor a performance orientation. His attitude has always been that of the delighted Father, preparing the perfect partner for His perfect Son. The Son's posture has eternally been that of the enthralled Bridegroom, captured by the beauty of one created specifically to be His counterpart. The assurance of the power of God guarantees that at the end of it all we will be what He intended. - Gary Wiens

How does the desert play into this scenario? I think the book of Hosea gives us a sense of God's heart towards His Beloved.

In the context of Israel's "harlotry" as she chases after other lovers:

Hos 2:13-16, 19-20
And I will visit on her the days of the Baals, in which she burned incense to them, and she adorned herself with her nose-rings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers and forgot Me, says Jehovah. Therefore, behold, I will lure her and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably to her. And I will give her vineyards to her from there, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope. And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be at that day, says Jehovah, you shall call Me, My Husband, and shall no more call Me, My Baal. And I will betroth you to Me forever. Yea, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth you to Me in faithfulness. And you shall know Jehovah.

The desert time. The times of silence and despair. The times of confusion and hopelessness. They are a necessary part of the preparation. Our trouble (Valley of Achor) will be turned into a doorway of hope. God is wooing us back. Restoring us. Preparing us for a deeper sense of his presence. Opening the doorway for communication with his heart in deeper, more full ways. And songs will spring forth from our hearts....

Who Is This King of Glory?

Aaahhh. Ain't he cute? Little baby Jesus laying in the manger. Docile animals all around. Sweet little cherub overhead....

Peace and safety.
The world is lullabied by peace and safety.
The church is lullabied by peace and safety.

And the magi bring their gifts. Gently bowing before the tiny baby. Knowing that a great future awaited him....

Peace and safety.
The world is lullabied by peace and safety.
The church is lullabied by peace and safety.


Aaahh. Mary and Joseph looking with love and awe at their little bundle of joy wrapped in swaddling clothes. To bad they had to be run out of town because they had a bastard child.

Who is this King of Glory?

Laying in a barn that stinks like animal crap and wet hay. No room for him in his town. No room for him in a home. No room for him in his people's hearts.

Who is this King of Glory?
Is he still a baby laying in a manger?

NO! He is no longer a baby in a manger! He is no longer cute and cuddly. He has walked this life in the flesh. He loved and lost. He has been beaten, whipped and crucified. He has seen death and conquered it. His eyes are like fire. He wears many crowns. He has a sword in his mouth and rod of iron in his hand. He rides a white horse. No swaddling clothes here, but a garment dipped in blood. He is risen from the dead and full of glory. . .

Who is this King of Glory?

You do not choose to be friends with someone so powerful, so awesome. . . someone like this chooses friendship with you. And he HAS chosen you to be his friend! He has chosen you to be his bride! AND HE IS PASSIONATE FOR YOU!

Who is this King of Glory?

He is Jesus Christ!

Army of the Broken

Our friends from England have been here and gone. Rich is my oldest and dearest friend. We met in Hollywood, CA at music school when neither of us knew the Lord and now we are both followers. Rich is always a breath of spiritual fresh air. He brought two friends this time: Simon and Val who are also gems.

They spent a week at IHOP. Not eating pancakes either. It is the International House of Prayer in K.C. When they arrived here they felt like they had some unfinished business there and that we should join them. I can be spontaneous, but a 5 hour trip with the kids is a stretch for me. We threw some stuff in a suitcase, packed up the kids and a cooler and went. I was a bit skeptical....organized religion.....charismatic prophecy.....and all of that.....

When we got there the worship didn't seem like anything special, other than it has been going on 24/7 for the last 4 years. And it definately was not a show. These people could care less how the people were reacting. They were going for it for God and God only. But I sensed God telling me that I wasn't going to get anymore of Him there than I would anywhere else. I was willing....but no real connection.

At 10:00pm another worship team was taking over (seamless transitions of whole bands by the way). The leader sat down at the piano and played a couple of familar tunes as her band got into place. Then it happened. Misty Edwards began spontaneous prophecying/preaching as she sang. I have never experienced anything quite like it. Quite definately God-led.

The next day we met one of Rich's friends from England (Who "happened" to be there the same week). Paul is an older gentleman with gentleness in his spirit and wisdom in his words. He knew a little of our story and he had been through some similar stuff. A pastor booted out of his church....lost it all....broken...angry.....desperate in the silence....

And as he prayed over us he said:

"What you have been through was not a mistake or a failure. You have been led by God so that you could join an army of the broken."

Hos 2:14-16
Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her vineyards back to her and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt. In that day--the LORD's declaration--you will call Me: My husband. . .

The News - One Foot In Front Of The Other

Christmas time is approaching....

I like Christmas. I don't care what consumerism and capitalism have done to it. I like giving and receiving gifts. Guess I'm not spiritual enough to just like giving. Sorry. But have you thought about our role in our relationship with God? He is the giver....we are the receivers. I have a lot to learn about receiving.

In other news.
"Conservative Christians" are going to bat for Christ by putting the "Christ" back in Christmas! I'm glad someone fights the battles that matter. (Insert sarcasm here)

In personal news.
We are coming closer to some decisions about our future. Trish and I both want to finish our degrees. I'm basically an idiot. I have spent most of my life not knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up. I started out as a psychology major. Switched to music. Then compromised for a degree in Organizational Leadership because I could get it done quickly. Funny thing is I am going back to where I started and persuing a degree in Social Work.

Updates to come...

P.S. Thanks for all the moral and spiritual support!

First Day Back

The first day back to school after Thanksgiving.

Yea, it is usually a little stressful with the kids getting back on schedule. But, this is a behavioral disorder classroom. Magnify it. Then magnify it again.

There is a little boy in our class. I'll call him N. He is small for his age. About a head smaller than most. He is witty and can be as cute as they come....when he wants to be. And that ain't often.

From what I gather he spends most of his life being ignored by his family. When he does get attention it is in the form of a big brother's taunts and fists.

As a result, every little thing is a power struggle. EVERY LITTLE THING. In order to feel like he belongs and is accepted N. must be in control. Probably because he feels everyone else controls his circumstances.

Today N. lost it. Not his usual playing gymnastics with the desk and chair, or making loud noises to disrupt the rest of the class. No. We had to restrain him after he started throwing chairs around the room. When the teacher got tired of being hit and kicked we had to do a more restrictive restraining technique. When he realized he was truely powerless he cried like a baby.

To tell the truth it was hard for me not to cry with him. What happens at his home to cause this behavior breaks my heart. Any communication of love is met with complete resistance and defiance. But, I will not give in or give up.

Jesus claimed this as His mission:

Luk 4:18-19
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

I think it is mine too. Right in my little broken classroom.

Can we get honest here...?

Honestly.

The past five years have been difficult. I won't bore you with the details. The few that read this drivel know most of it anyway.

Trish and I recently had an argument that escalated far beyond what is acceptable. It scared the kids and it scared us too. No, we are not getting divorced. No, we are not separated. Yes, we are getting some help to work through it. . .

This incident has forced me to look at my life and verbalize some things that had been swirling around in my demented head for sometime anyway. As most of you know a series of events began when we left a stable job, good friends, and the church where we started our journey with Jesus in Dallas. I was unhappy with my job and believed God was calling us to "full-time ministry" (whatever that is). We moved to El Paso so I could work at a church as worship and youth leader. It was a complete disaster and we left confused, hurt and disillusioned. We moved to Illinois where I was going to complete a degree in music and be a worship leader at a hopefully healthy church. I changed my major with that in mind. Then the screwball. We began to seriously questions the motives and usefulness of organized religion.

So, during this time Trish, who wants to be a stay-at-home mom has been the primary bread winner. I now have a degree that is worthless. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. The decisions over the last five years have not worked out like we had hoped, and it has left me confused, depressed, disillusioned, angry, and directionless. Any dreams that I had are gone. They need to be replaced with something else. I don't really care what....but I am a dreamer....I gotta have something to shoot for....

I think I have been a functional Agnostic for the past few months. Yea, God is there, but I just ain't feelin' it. I'm fine with that. I've resolved that the next move is His.

Rapid Increase in Alternative Forms of The Church Are Changing the Religious Landscape

Here is an excerpt from an interesting article from Barna that Trish turned me on to.... seems the "alternative" forms of church are more mainstream than most people thought....

A new book by George Barna, entitled Revolution, indicates that since the turn of the millennium there have been major changes occurring in how people experience and express their faith. Based on a regular series of national surveys conducted by his company during the past quarter century, Barna discovered that discontent with congregational churches, changes in lifestyles, and a burgeoning desire to get closer to God, have caused many people to seek new ways of being in relationship with God and other God-seeking people.

In 2000, most of the nation’s organized religious activity took place at or through local churches. Today, Barna’s research points out, the action is shifting to newer forms of corporate religious commitment. In a typical week, 9% of all adults participate in a house church. An even greater proportion – 22% - engages in spiritual encounters that take place in the marketplace (e.g., with groups of people while they are at their place of work or play, or in other typical daily contexts). The Internet serves as the foundation for interactive faith experiences for more than one out of every ten adults, although most of them currently use it in tandem with another form of corporate religious experience.

The Road Less Traveled

I am not very motivated to blog right now, though there are lots of things I could blog about.... Yea, I'm lazy...

I've been reading The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. It isn't exactly a "Christian" book, but I've been really challenged by some of his concepts and thoughts.

Peck believes that love is at the core of any spiritual change. It is how Peck defines love, and the implications that follow, that I find really interesting.

Peck's definition of love: "The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth."

According to Peck one cannot love someone else without loving their own self. I know. That sounds like modern psychological BS. But think about it. Can you really give someone else something you don't have? Can we impart character or discipline to our children that we don't have? Or, that God is not living in us and through us?

Next, Peck emphasizes the word "will" in his definition of love. "Will is desire of sufficient intensity that it is translated into action." There is a difference between desire and action. We can desire to be loving, and not be loving. This sounds trite, but when I think about my own life, and my "lived-out" definition of love, it tends to be nebulous. This definition forces me to think about love on an individual level rather than the "we are the world" level. Who is God putting right in front of me, right now?

Last, this definition implies that love is work. (I'm sure there are some with a "romantic" view of love who will have problems with this. The romantic view of love is based on feeling so would fall outside of the definition that we are using here.) In Peck's view, love is always a form of work and/or courage because we are extending ourselves to include someone else in our "world". That extension of ourself implies risk and work.

After pointing out the many things that love is not, Peck discusses the "work of attention". The fact is that a large part of love is attention. It is listening. It is entering in to the other person's world. If you have ever really tried to that, you know that it is work. I don't know about you, but my thoughts drift so easily...."What will I say next?"...."Oh, I can fix that."...."Dang, I forgot to put that load of laundry in."....."My kids are being to loud."..... I've thought about how often I truly enter in to my kid's world too. Peck points out that there are many different levels of listening and we need to use each one at certain times. But, how often do I fully enter in to my kindergartener's world with all my attention? Not often enough.

I'll end with a quote from a part of the book about the role of love in psychotherapy. I think it describes a way in which we, as the Church, can and should be present to the broken in our world.

"It is not "unconditonal positive regard," nor it is magical words, techniques or postures; it is human involvement and struggle. It is the willingness of the therapist to extend himself or herself for the purpose of nurturing a patient's growth - willingness to go out on a limb, to truly involve oneself at an emotional level in the relationship, to actually struggle with the patient and with oneself. In short, the magical ingredient of successful deep and meaningful psychotherapy is love."

Am I willing to go to the broken places and broken people of the world and enter struggle?
Who, specifically, am I struggling with?
How am I doing at struggling with my wife and kids?

This is our first Sunday not being part of an institutional church in about 12 years. I didn't miss is it this weekend.... We had a time of reading the OT and Psalms as a family, sang a song or two and chilled out on the couch and enjoyed each other. We had a nice bonfire on Friday night with some good friends....gotta like that....something about friends, fire and a few beers that I really enjoy.... We continue to pray for God to put people into our life that want to journey with us.... We will be having biscuits and gravy "church" at our house in the near future.

Been reading N.T. Wright's "Challenge of Jesus". Really challenges me in putting Jesus in a historical context rather than viewing him as a "supernatural" being that floated his way through life. I'm sure I'll have some more to say at a later time about that....

My job as a teacher's asst. continues to be interesting. I pray for my kids everyday....in a public school even....they don't know it though.....that wouldn't be "legal". My heart breaks for some of these kids. The home life they must have that causes them to act out like they do.... sigh....heartbreak....prayer....

The Midwest Camping Experiment

Reality Show Update:

Can three families whose only contact has been on the internet camp together for a weekend? Will their kids get along? Will they be able to share food and water? Will they be able to share the life of Christ without devolving into petty theological arguements? Will they be able to endure a three mile wilderness hike with meager provisions, little water, and nine whiney children? Stay tuned. . .

The answer to all these questions was a resounding YES! Last weekend we camped with Bob and Amy, and Matt and Amy and their children. Some people might think we were crazy for camping with people we met on the internet. Of course they could have been axe murders, but I can verify that there were hatchets available, and yet, we all came back alive. Physically and spiritually.

It didn't cease to amaze me the whole weekend how easily and effortlessly our children connected. They played like they have known each other for years! It reminded me of a family get-togethers as a kid, which my kids don't get to enjoy due to family strangeness. It was cool to see them share, and mostly get through their small disagreements on their own. My kids couldn't stop talking about the fun they had on the way home!

I think that sense of immediate connection was shared among the adults too. We shared food and spiritual journeys around the campfire. We shared carrying each others children on our wilderness adventure. (Note to self: Never do a three mile hike with children under 8.) We shared songs. From my point of view it just felt "right".

I am reminded how important it is to spend time with others in the family of God. We all have different expriences that shape our theology, ecclesiology and worldview, and I am reminded how much I need my theology, ecclesiology and worldview shaped by others.

It never ceases to amaze me how God connects His people. It was great to have a family outing and we can't wait for the next one.

I would say our "reality show" was a success....

Camping

I just lost two posts about our camping trip this weekend!!!! STUPID BLOGGER!

We had an awesome time camping with Bob and Amy, and Matt and Amy and their kiddos!

That said I'm giving up until tomorrow!

"D"

Her shaggy brown hair covered her face, providing shelter from those who might make fun of her. She dressed in classic second hand clothes. Just out of style enough to stick out. At the start of every day she came to the fifth and sixth grade gym, searched out a place in the middle of the gym where she wouldn’t be noticed, and sat alone. While the other kids socialized, swapping stories about their latest video game, or who the cutest boy in their class is, or what happened at the ball game last night, or even finished their homework . . . she looked at the gym floor.

A bald, directionless, teacher’s assistant who happens to believe that God loves people like this little girl with deep affection enters the picture. He is just stupid enough to believe that God has put this little girl on his heart. He knows enough about feeling alone and left out to not want others to feel the same way, and just naive enough to think that he can make a difference. He introduces himself, asks some general questions and invites her to join his little band of misfits. She smiles and politely declines.

In a conversation with the social worker the next day he points out the little girl sitting alone with her hair in her face. It just so happens the social worker knows another little girl who has some social issues and she introduces them. Can you believe that these two little girls used to be friends a long time ago and hadn’t talked in a long time? Can you believe that they happen to have enough in common to strike up a conversation? I knew you could. . .

The next day the bald, directionless teacher’s assistant walks in the gym with his boys and looks for the shaggy-haired little girl. She isn’t in her usual spot. Scanning the gym he catches sight of her. What a beautiful sight it was! The wilting flower of a girl had gotten a drink of water and was blooming among a group of new friends. Smiling and laughing, and not looking much at all like the girl of the previous day. . .

The bald, directionless teacher’s assistant is learning to measure success in small increments. . .

Reflections

My first week of working with Behavior Disorder students has been challenging, interesting and tiring. Let me see. . . I've been cussed at, threatened and had to restrain a child in my first week. I'm told it will get worse as the kids get more comfortable....Great.....!

I am so grateful for my children, as knuckleheaded as they can be! Our family isn't perfect, but at least there is some love and concern there. Just about every kid has home issues that contribute to their behavior problems. I'm sure that doesn't come as a surprise. But, there is not a kid that I don't have hope for (great grammar). I hope that many of them will return to normal classes in the future.

Speaking of my kids. My middle has been diagnosed with Asperger's Disorder. To be honest, it is a relief. She doesn't have the social debilitating issues that many people have, but it is enough that we have been concerned for awhile about her social growth. This answers a lot of questions for us! I look forward to learning how to help her!

If you've read Trish's blog, you've seen we decided to leave the church where we currently serve. This is a big step in our journey. It has been a long time coming, and if you've read here you know the many reasons. All I can say is that I have peace about it, and I look forward to what God has in store, though we have no clue what that is....

First Day Conversation

My boy had his first day of kindergarten this week. Here is an excerpt of the conversation after his first full day. . .

Me: How was your first day!

Bubba: Good.

Me: Were you nervous?

Bubba: Not really.

Me: You seemed a little scared when I dropped you off at the Gym...

Bubba: Well, maybe half- scared.

Me: Why only half-scared?

Bubba: God is with us wherever we are!

Me: Yeah, you're right dude!

(Silence)

Bubba: Does God make tornadoes?

Me: I guess so.....kind of....

Bubba: Why does God make bad stuff?

My boy has an interesting train of thought here. If God is with us during even the "bad stuff" why would he create the "bad stuff" in the first place.... not bad for a kindergartener!

I love Bubba!

First Day

This is the first day of school, both for me and my youngest. Bubba is excited and a little nervous, but overall I think he is ready for his first day of kindergarten. Kind of makes me sad to think of him as a student now. . .

I have found out some more about the students I will be working with. Most of them have severe behavior disorders. Most come from troubled families. Some have been sexually abused. Some have . . . the list could go on. My first introduction to the school system was a "restraint" class. . . nice . . .

I am going just hoping to reflect the light of Christ. Patience and tolerance with defiant kids are not strong suits of mine, but I am praying that God will give me the power and grace that are His alone to give. . .

Brat Camp

Sorry for the silence. Our internet has been down since a storm Saturday evening.

Trish and I stumbled across the reality show "Brat Camp" this past weekend. They had a marathon to get people up to date. It's about an intense wilderness camp that teaches troubled kids to be responsible and deal with their emotions in healthy ways in an intense environment. It reminded me so much of going through drug treatment as a teenager. My mom and dad should have thrown me in one of those camps. I deserved it. But I also relate to the counselors who give a large portion of their own lives to help these kids. I think that kind of sacrifice is Jesus in action in our world today... It also reminds me of the comraderie and fellowship that I experienced in NA groups for many years that I have yet to find in the institutional church. . .

Silent Fun

We just got back from taking the kids to HolidayWorld. We had a great time! I love hearing my kids laugh! I think we liked the waterpark better than the the regular rides actually. We stayed in a trailer and didn't bring a TV or radio. It was nice to have silence for awhile. You realize how addicted you are to noise when you don't have any around. I like silence. It provides space for conversations...


Now it is time to prepare for school...Part of me is excited, the other dreads it. Part of me is glad to get the kids back in a routine, the other part is going to miss the time with them.

If you get time add your list to the "Seven Great Lies of Organized Religion".

Slinky Job

In our quest to figure out a way to earn some money while not neglecting our kids and other relationships, I got a job at our local school. I am going to be a personal aid to a young man with a behavior disorder. It will be challenging.... I really don't know what to expect.... I am already praying for him though...

The upside is that we finally will have some medical benefits, and I will be off work when the kids are off school! The downside is that the pay isn't great...but I have had some thoughts about getting my Master's Degree at some point...so who knows...

We are doing the music for Vacation Bible School at our church this week. This is probably the only time I truely enjoy playing for the church. 200 screaming kids, who actually enjoy what we do! We've been singing Born To Be Wild and I'm A Believer and everyone's favorite Lions (The Slinky Song)!

Find out more about the song that won the Joh Lennon songwriting award, and happens to be one of the most powerful songs of spiritual warfare ever: The Slinky Song.

OH THEM LIONS THEY CAN EAT MY BODY, BUT THEY CAN'T SWALLOW MY SOUL. THEY KEEP ON TRYING TO CRASH MY PARTY BUT THEY CAN'T GET CONTROL.
NO WAY, BABY.

SATAN PROWLS LIKE A ROARING LION, SEEKING WHOM HE WILL DEVOUR.
YET I KNOW THAT THOUGH HE KEEPS ON TRYING, HE'S NO MATCH FOR JESUS' POWER!

EVEN DEMONS BELIEVE AND TREMBLE, BUT THEY TRY TO RUIN YOUR LIFE THE SAME. YET I KNOW THAT WHEN THE SAINTS ASSEMBLE, SATAN RUNS AT EVERY SIGN OF JESUS' NAME!

Reality Check

I've been accused of focusing to much on the problems and the negative of my institutional church experiences. I'll try to share some of our direction from a positive point of view...

We really desire to have fellowship with a small group of people who desire to see the reality of the Kingdom expressed in our little town. We desire to let God use us in the context of a community to do "mission" (helping people in real ways as part of Kingdom come). We desire to have a couple of close friends who "get" our desires. We desire to be part of a group of people who share and teach each other, in dialogue, the truths they are learning. We desire a community based on deepening relationships with God and each other, rather than a specific meeting time.

The reality is that we've tried. It ain't happening.

I've also been accused of being depressed lately. I don't think I am, but I do know that I don't feel like we are experiencing any of the things I've listed. . . and to be honest, I've given up trying.

Reality Check:

I'm an idealist and a romantic.
I'm a self-centered ass.
I'm a dreamer.
I'm a terrible housekeeper.
I'm an introvert by nature.
I'm never satisfied.
I can the negative side of anything.

Want to be in community with me?

Cardinals!!!!

We took the kids to Busch Stadium last night to witness the greatness that is the Cardinals! It was HOT and HUMID!!! We got to walk on the field with the Highland Parks and Recreation group! Pretty cool!

We ALL had a good time, which is difficult to pull off with 5 people with diverse interests. Hannah's "man" is Albert Pujols and she got to see him smack a two run homer. Abbie's man is Scott Rolen. . .well, he's working through it. . . Brenden loved munching on a giant snow cone and guessing whether the batter would hit or miss.

Is it really necessary to charge $4 for a bottle of water?

It was weird to think that may be the last time I see the Cards in the old Busch Stadium....lots of good childhood memories there. . .progress marches on...

Did I mention the greatness that is the Cardinals?