Church Corner

What I learned in San Diego

1. Costco bottled water comes from California.

2. Vacationing with friends is fun.

3. You can get a sunburn on a cloudy day.

4. It’s a small world – I bumped into an Enumclaw family while running on the boardwalk at Pacific Beach.

5. “Chocolate covered turds” are those compliments you get that make you feel bad afterward. As in: “Hey Doug, I know a lot of people think your jokes are dumb, but I really like them.” Ick.

6. “Death by a million paper cuts” is what happens to many good, caring leaders: the little disappointments, criticisms and chocolate covered turds add up and they just, well, hurt.

7. There are a lot of godly, smart, hard-working pastors and church leaders who care deeply about helping the poor and bringing hope to their communities.

8. “Fireproof” is a powerful, thought-provoking movie, especially for husbands who want to fight for their marriage.

9. I’m getting old, exhibit A: half of the “experts” at my conference were younger than me.

10. I’m getting old, exhibit B: while splashing in the waves on my last day, I threw out my back.

I hope this winter you are finding opportunities to play with friends and apply sunscreen. I hope you will offer a Band-Aid to a friend with a few too many paper cuts and a warm meal to a neighbor in need. I hope you’ll catch a good movie and fight for (not with) your spouse. I hope I bump into you while running the outskirts of Enumclaw (after my back heals). And I thank God for the churches and faith communities of the Plateau (and their leaders) for their hard work, their faith and their desire to serve and make the world a better place.