Did You Hear Something?

I'm not sure we're very good at listening. I know I struggle with it at times as there are so many things going on around me that I fail to really listen because I get distracted by this or that. And then I know there are other times when, because of one thing or another, I don't really want to listen because I might not like what I hear or because it doesn't quite fit into what I'm thinking or want to believe.

We like to hear things that make us feel good or prove our point or show that we were in the right and someone else was clearly in the wrong. I think there are times when we get so upset or have been so badly hurt that we only hear what we want to, regardless of what is actually being said. If only we would stop and really listen to what is being said or not said. I find it almost humorous at how badly our ability to listen becomes when we have already determined what we want to hear because of pain or anger. When I stop and think about it, I wonder how many things I have missed that have been said to me (if I'm honest, probably things I needed to hear) because I had decided I would only hear what I wanted to. I guess James really knows what he's talking about when he says that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. Who would have thought that really listening to what someone says might actually make a difference?

Game On

Like many of you I have been watching the Beijing Olympics and am finding myself completely engrossed in every single event. It could be women's handball, beach volleyball, men's gymnastics or watching Michael Phelps...it doesn't matter in the least, I love watching them all. I haven't watched this much TV in a really long time, maybe about 4yrs or so.

From the opening ceremony, which by the way was incredible, to each and every event so far in the first 3 days of the games the thing that has stood out to me the most is how beautiful the different people of the world are. I was blown away watching the Parade of Nations during the opening ceremonies at how incredibly beautiful each person from each country was. It was a perfect reminder of God's beautiful creativity.

Needless to say I'm pumped there's still 13 days of games to go...

UPDATE: A Close Call

Having had a chance to talk with one of the guys last night that was in the accident a few days ago, I wanted to pass along a quick update to say that they are all back home now and doing well. Here are a couple pics from the whole ordeal...

Michael, the one shown in the pic, was thrown from the car and did not suffer a single broken bone. I'm not sure I would call it a miracle but to be honest, I'm not sure I wouldn't...especially after seeing these pics.

A Close Call

I had just walked out of a coffee shop a few blocks away from my office when I got a call that 5 of the guys that were in my youth group and are now in my college group had just been in a car accident on their way out to Colorado for a camping trip. The details at the time were sketchy but it was not sounding good. Immediately one of the parents had put a call out for prayers for these 5 guys as family and friends waited to hear what had happened and how each of them was doing.

I remember thinking about what a tragedy it would be to lose 5 such great guys, young guys that all had promising futures ahead of them. There was another thought I remember that quickly followed that God was not done with any of these guys yet, all of this was followed by a sense of peace that is hard to understand or explain. I obviously had no idea how this would play out and yet I knew that one way or another God was doing His thing.

I am relieved to say that at this point all 5 of them survived their car rolling at least once and possibly twice causing 1 of the guys to be thrown from the car. Aside from bumps and bruises and one concussion none of them suffered any broken bones. If I stop and think about that too long, it blows my mind. The guy that was thrown from the car is, last I heard, in stable condition with bruised lungs, one of them partially collapsed, and plenty of scrapes, bumps, and bruises. He is staying in the ICU to monitor his lungs as well as make sure there was no major internal organ damage. I can't help but think that somehow God was directly involved in this outcome.

Please know that I am not naive enough to think that if you pray, things will always work out like you want or think they should. I believe with all my heart that God wants good things for His creation but I must also admit that my definition or idea of "good" is so limited in its scope or understanding. I must trust that God who is the very form of "good" has a better grasp of what good actually looks like for His creation than you or I ever will. I know we lose loved ones and it hurts, I don't understand why or claim to but I do believe that there is a Savior who's love, mercy and compassion are greater than all of the hurt, doubt and confusion the world may ever know.

Radiohead @VWMC

I have to start by giving 'props' to my boy Rob for using his hook-up to hook me up with a free VIP ticket to see Radiohead at the Verizon Wireless Music Center last night. VWMC is an open-air venue which worked out great because last night was a perfect night to see a show under the stars.

I was not expecting to go to this show, let alone get hooked-up with being on the VIP list. I have to admit, it felt pretty sweet to roll up to the venue and be able to say that our names were on "the list". I kind of felt like a big deal. By the time we got there, the concert was well underway and Radiohead had already played 2 songs and so we pulled right in to the VIP parking lot, got out and walked right in to the show. We were able to find a place to stand about 15 "rows" up on the lawn in the center section with a great view of the stage.


I mean I'm a Radiohead fan, not a huge fan but I like some of their stuff and I heard they put on an incredible show and fortunately for Rob and I, they did not disappoint. We were both surprised to see how many people were at the show and not to mention the wide variety of people. Everything from Euros, hippies, yuppies and everything in between, including Rob and I. I am not sure I have seen or smelled so many interesting things that could be smoked but needless to say it looked like everyone was having a good time. Remember though, smoking is bad for you.

Radiohead's setlist was impressive and as unpredictable as the band itself. Their light show combined with the pulsing of their music made for a very sweet effect. I am embarrassed to say that I only recognized about 3 songs but despite that, I was impressed by the show. If you are any sort of fan of Radiohead, then I highly recommend getting to one of their shows because you will definitely not regret it. I know I didn't regret enjoying a great show, hanging out with my friend Rob and all of the other tens of thousands of Radiohead fans that made a trip to the cornfields of Indiana to witness quite a performance.

Where Did The Summer Go??

Today, as you are probably well aware it is the 1st day of August. We're already in August, that's crazy! I'm having a hard time remembering where the summer went...between 4 weeks of classes, work and a couple projects around the house it seems like summer just started and yet here we are in August.

Though it flew by, I feel like it has been a fairly productive summer and there's still a couple weeks left. I think the thing I'm most excited about getting done this summer was being able to knock out 6 on-campus graduate credit hours in 2 weeks. It was intense but it was definitely worth it.

I have no doubt that many of you have had an exciting and productive summer and I'd love to hear about it, if you're willing to share, even if it's anonymous...

Poor In Spirit

"Blessed are the poor in spirit..."
I have read this beatitude so many times and yet I’m not sure I’ve ever really understood what it means to be “poor in spirit.” Having read Oswald Chambers’ thoughts on this has given me a new perspective on this passage…Christ’s kingdom is about poverty, not possession. It's as if I'm standing at the gate of the city as a beggar and Christ comes there to meet me, stretches out His hand and invites me to join Him in the inheritance of the Kingdom. Christ doesn't want me to be without yet I must realize that I am a poor being, unable to live up to the standards of Christ and in that poverty allow Christ to begin His work in and through me.

The Dark Knight

I saw the new Batman movie today and am going to share some of my honest thoughts and opinions. If you have seen the movie, I would be curious to hear your thoughts and if you haven't, you may not want to read much further as I share some things from the movie and would certainly not want to wreck it for you.

I have read reviews and heard plenty of hype about this movie and also the performance of Heath Ledger as the "Joker" and so unfortunately for me, I went in with fairly high expectations. I am not going to try and write this as a "formal" movie review but instead just share some thoughts in more of a list form...

1. The first thing I noticed before I even got to the theater was that the movie was 2hrs and 40mins long. That is a long movie.

2. There are waayyyy toooo many plot lines going on in this movie. You've got Batman vs. Joker; Batman vs. himself; the love triangle between Rachel, Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent; the moral dilemma Batman faces with whether or not to use cell phones to spy on people for their safety; the story of Harvey Dent as he becomes "Two Face". I believe this is most of them or at least the ones I could somewhat keep track of.

3. Not enough Batman. For a movie that is 160mins long you don't see much of the hero. It is unfortunate that we were not given the opportunity to see Christian Bale play the arguably best Batman character in more dynamic scenes, or just more scenes period. I think he looks the part, acts the part and even sounds the part but I know that more from Batman Begins than its sequel.

4. I know that Heath Ledger has passed away since the release of this movie and of course I am sad to hear of someone's passing but I don't think his performance is Oscar-worthy. Personally, I did not find him to be particularly scary and thought that Jack Nicholson played a much better, more convincing Joker. Maybe there is something major I am missing about this flick but I could almost swear that this movie was centered around the Joker and had little to do with anyone else. I can see why critics have talked about Heath Ledger's performance so highly because his performance is the one we spend the most time with.

5. The "new" Rachel Dawes played by Maggie Gyllenhaal is TONS better than the previous one in Batman Begins.

I left the movie not really sure what just happened or what the movie was about. There were so many things going on in the movie that it simply became too much to try carry through for almost 3hrs. Overall I would give it a 'B' and would say wait to rent it unless you can catch it at an IMAX theater, that would certainly add to the entertainment factor if for no other reason than those theaters are cool.

Self Pruning

Jesus talks about coming not to bring peace but a sword. Could it be possible that the sword that Jesus is talking about has more to do with the battle that we must fight inside ourselves rather than against those who would discount Christianity? Maybe the sword looks more like a pair of pruning shears. The battle that happens inside each of us begins when we determine to strip ourselves down to simply ourselves…getting rid of all the things our friends think of us, of all the things we think of ourselves and hand our naked selves over to God. I think the sword that Jesus talks about is used to divide ourselves, not each other.

In Debt

I realize that I have not posted in a while and I apologize. I just finished week 1 of 2 of Local Pastor's School and let's just say it hasn't been quite what I was expecting...needless to say I'll try to take some time this last week of "pastor's camp" to post more regularly. Here is a quick thought I had earlier in the week...

Who am I indebted to in my life? Of course I am indebted to Christ but I realize that Christ has worked through others in my life that have invested in me one way or another. Paul talks about his obligation to both the wise and unwise, I must do the same regardless of one’s status or position. Oswald Chambers says “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the Gospel of Jesus; I am free to be an absolute slave only.” I am indebted to all and so I must serve all, I have no choice but to serve both the wise and unwise, those I like and don’t like because I am wholly and completely indebted to Christ.

Martha, Martha

An outline of my sermon from yesterday...

*******************************************************
“Martha, Martha”
Luke 10:38-42
-Take note of the cultural background of this short story
-We are reminded that Martha had very clear cultural expectations for her
-Martha is trying to serve Jesus and the disciples by providing hospitality
-Jesus doesn’t say that what Martha is doing is wrong or bad, just not what is most important, she is divided

John 13:12-17
-Jesus was clearly on a higher level as the ‘master’ and ‘teacher’
-To refuse to serve others regardless of your position is to put yourself above Jesus
-We manifest God’s grace not only in our lives but in the lives of others when we serve them

Mark 10:42-45
-Jesus Himself came to serve
-The formula for greatness that Jesus commands us to follow is greatness = serving others
-Notice that Jesus ‘gave’ the ‘ransom’, He served mankind through the giving of His life

A couple things to point out about serving:
It is important for us to be aware of people’s needs
-James 2:14-17 talks about “living out your faith, that when you see someone hungry, give them food”
-Serving is “scratching where people itch, scratching where they don’t is an irritation to them”
-We need to go throughout our day with the mindset of a servant, looking for ways to serve others

We need to ask ourselves why we serve
-We need to see people’s inherit worth and treat them accordingly
-We are never serving as a means to gain something but simply out of love for Christ and neighbor
-This is not an example of “playing the game” or “office politics”
-When we are willing to serve others with the love of Christ, people are more likely to trust and follow us

This is the very nature of what it means to be a Christian
-This is ‘who we are’
-The symbol of Christ is not a $, diploma, popularity or whatever…it is the cross
-This is not an option, we don’t have the luxury to choose whether or not to serve others, Christ makes that very clear
-Jesus tells us that to be first, we must be last…may you and I have the humility and courage to be last

1 Down, 2 To Go...

I finished a week of class working toward my MA and now have 2 weeks at what is called the Local Pastor's School (I prefer to call it "Pastor's Camp") which will allow me to get my license as a local pastor in the United Methodist Church. I'm not looking forward to being away from home for 2 weeks after just getting back from being away last week but man will I be glad once these 3 weeks are done. I'll actually feel like my summer has been quite productive once I end up on the other side of these remaining 2 weeks of "school" stuff.

My wife and I went to a wedding today and there were two things that I thought were really cool about it...1) it started at 11am which was sweet because we had the rest of our day once the wedding was done and 2) this was the first couple from my youth group to get married, they started dating their senior year in high school during which I had the honor of being their youth pastor. It was pretty special for me to see them both up the together, along with a couple other people from the youth group back in the day standing in their wedding party.

After the wedding we went to an architectural salvage place here in Indy, which ended up being way cooler than I thought it would be. We are trying to find some cool old doors for our house because we want to replace the ugly ones we have currently. We found some we really liked but will have to see if we can get them to work.

Needless to say it's been a long week with two more to go and I preach tomorrow.....

Story Time

I am currently in Wilmore, KY taking another summer intensive class at Asbury Theological Seminary for this entire week. The name of the class is Narrative Pastoral Counseling, the basic idea behind this style of narrative counseling deals with the individual's story. As the counselor practicing this form of counseling my goal is to help a person build their story by asking questions that will fill in the details. By being interested in hearing a person's story and asking the right questions I am guiding the individual to solve their own problems rather than being the problem solver. Narrative counseling also seeks to focus on a solution, highlighting the things that are working in an attempt to create open communication and continuous renewal as opposed to focusing on the problem.

I really like the idea that each of us has a narrative (or story) to share and that we each have the opportunity to impact the story of people we meet, regardless of how small that impact might be. Think about your own story, isn't it amazing to think about some of the things you have been through and where you are right now and yet, your story isn't finished. Remember that Christ wants to help you write your story if you'll let Him.

"Be careful of the stories you tell (even of yourself) because you will find that you will live by them." ~Dr. Dinkins

To Be Served

Notes from a sermon I gave this past Sunday...

************************************************************
“To Be Served”
Luke 10:38-42
-Take note of the cultural background of this short story
-Mary chooses to be served by the words & teachings of Jesus

John 13:5-9
-Peter was confused by this act of Jesus
-He couldn’t understand why the Master would be washing his feet
-Peter initially wouldn’t allow Jesus to serve him but realized that he needed to give Jesus the opportunity to serve
-Sometimes we ask for assistance or service and other times it asks us

Mark 14:3-9
-Jesus allowed a woman to serve him by anointing him w/expensive perfume
-He saw that this was an opportunity for this woman to show her love for him through her devotion, sacrifice and service

A couple things to point out about being served:

It requires humility to allow someone else to serve us
-We shouldn’t be too arrogant to think that we can’t be served or that we don’t need help

It is important for us to recognize people’s need and desire to serve
-Just as we have a desire to help and serve others
-Who am I to take someone’s opportunity to serve away from them, even if that means the person they serve is me?
-Think of the times when you have let someone help or serve you knowing that you could do whatever it was yourself
-There is not an expectation of service that thinks or acts as if service is deserved or somehow we are “worthy” of being served

We are reminded as we take communion that we need to allow ourselves to be served by Christ
-We need to be served by Christ, not because we deserve it but because without it we are hopeless
-It is a choice you and I have to make to allow Christ to serve us through His sacrifice

A Patriotic Smorgasbord

Yesterday we celebrated our nation's birthday and these random "patriotic" thoughts are a result of the past 24hrs (and though some might question the patriotism of the word 'smorgasbord' I simply say that this word has been nothing but kind to the American people)...

Fireworks
We watched the fireworks in downtown Indianapolis last night from Victory Field, the home of the Indianapolis Indians Triple A baseball team, after they finished losing to the Louisville Bats 2-4. On Friday nights the Indians put on a firework show of their own and so last night, we got 2 shows for the price of 1 and honestly, I think the Indians show was better than the city of Indianapolis'.

We ended up having to park in the zoo parking lot, which isn't too far away but trying to get out of there last night was like walking the fine line between hilarity and insanity. There had to have been hundreds of cars in this parking lot with no visible signs of any sort of organization, consideration or courtesy. I bet I sat there for at least an hour waiting for someone to let me in "the line" while other cars would come from other aisles to cut in front of me as if I didn't actually exist or even worse, had no desire to ever leave that parking lot. And so I turned it into a little experiment to see if someone would actually let me in or if I would eventually have to weasel my way into the line. Needless to say I eventually got out of the parking lot as countless people looked right at me as they rode the bumper of the car in front of them making sure I couldn't somehow sneak in front of them when they weren't paying attention. It made me so proud to be an American...

"I call them 'Little Rascals'"
This is the name my wife gave to the fireworks that when shot up in the air, start spinning around all crazy while they make the zipping noise as they spin. This is the name I just gave to the kid walking around my neighborhood, by himself, lighting firecrackers and throwing them in the street as if attempting to spread the holiday cheer evenly throughout the neighborhood. Even now I can hear him blocks away spreading his cheer throughout the land. What a patriotic little rascal.

Phone
I've been sitting on my porch all day so far and noticed a neighbor of mine come walking out of her house on the phone, proceed to walk around her yard/house as she talked. Then I realized that I had just taken a call not too much earlier and paced almost the entire square footage of my house. Why is it that so many of us feel this need or urge to walk around while we talk on the phone, to the point that some of us will answer the phone while sitting on our couch in the living room and end the conversation standing on a street corner blocks away from our house? Maybe walking or pacing while we talk on the phone helps us stay focused or maybe we have become so accustomed to multi-tasking that simply sitting down talking on the phone is boring or not being efficient with our time when I could also be doing dishes, walking the dog, hanging drywall, playing video games, etc.

Couples x3

I've had the opportunity over the past couple weeks to do a number of pre-marital counseling sessions with 3 different couples whose weddings I'm doing in Aug., Sept., and Nov. respectively and have to say that I've really enjoyed leading these counseling sessions up to this point. I'm not sure how much "counseling" actually takes place because it ends up being more like a discussion/Bible study rather than a "typical counseling session". The thing I've enjoyed the most about my time with these 3 different couples is seeing how different and unique their personalities and relationships are and yet they also have a number of things in common simply because of their upcoming 'big days'. I have been honored by being able to play a small part in this significant event in these couples' lives.

The other thing that has been fun about doing pre-marital counseling is that it reminds me of when my wife and I reached that point in our relationship almost six years ago now and all of the excitement and stress that came with it. It has been good to see how much we've grown as a couple and as individuals up to this point, but of course there is always plenty of room to keep growing.

Brand Loyalty

Here's a 'sneak-peek' of the sermon I'm preaching tomorrow. Maybe some of you will see it in person and if you're not in the Indianapolis area and you want to watch/listen to it online or podcast it, you can check it out on the church's website here.

**************************************************************

And now, to be honest with you, I’ve started wondering and asking myself in the last couple months if we as Christians have become more loyal to the brand or label “Christian” than to the person and message of Christ. In becoming a little uncomfortable with the “Christian” brand I have found myself now adding a description like “a follower of Christ” or “someone trying to be like Jesus” in an attempt to clear up any confusion around what a Christian is really all about. Many of you probably read or saw the article in the Indianapolis Star talking about the survey from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The survey found some pretty interesting statistics but needless to say, one thing was clear from their research, there are a lot of people that have either gotten the wrong message of what a Christian is or have no idea what that really means or looks like. I would imagine that a number of us at one time or another have been burned by another Christian that someone else has met in the past because the brand of Christianity they got from that person was not the Christianity of Christ.

The sermon series over the past two weeks has been on becoming a contagious Christian and we heard Mac talk about the story and how we are to be the story tellers. How timely as we hear more and more about a brand of Christianity that seems to be spreading a disease of fear, hopelessness and division rather than being the remedy of those ills.

C.S. Lewis said that every Christian is to become a “little Christ” (kind of like we take ourselves off, our desires, wants, attitudes and put on those of Christ) this “putting on of Christ”…is not one among many jobs a Christian has to do; and it is not a sort of special exercise for the top class. It is the whole of Christianity. Christianity offers nothing else at all.

And so this morning I would like to take a look at Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus and pull out a couple things that speak to what a Christian or “little Christ” is. Ephesus was a thriving city with tens of thousands of people traveling through the city annually. It was an important city in Paul’s missionary journeys and the churches in the area were experiencing significant growth in their congregations. Paul is writing this letter to these churches to encourage them in the faith but also to explain the purpose of the church and how a Christian should live. Read Ephesians 4:1-6

Christians are humble.

-We don’t have it all figured out, we’re not perfect and shouldn’t pretend to be

-We remember how we have been humbled by life and how Jesus stepped in to show us His grace in those moments humility

-But most importantly because Jesus was humble…read Philippians 2:5-8

Christians are gentle.

- Vs. 2 gentle = humility, courtesy, of being considerate

-When I think about the character of Jesus, I can’t help but think about how gentle He was

-I’m reminded of the story in John 8:1-11 when a woman caught in adultery is brought before Jesus…

-He still challenges her, calls her to something better but does so in a gentle, loving way, there was a gentle accountability

-If we are to be Christians, then we must be gentle

-We are gentle because “God works through all”

Christians are patient.

-Again this speaks to humility, an understanding that Christ has been and continues to be patient with us and so we must be the same with others

-Vs. 2 bearing with = “to put up with”, to exercise self-restraint & tolerance, endure patiently

-Think of the countless times Jesus shows patience with His disciples, or with the crowds of people that were constantly following Him around, or even the social outcast that was a cultural taboo to even interact with

-There are times when we have to “put up with” people because it is the Christ-like thing to do and if we’re honest, there are probably more times when others have to “put up with” us

-We are patient because Christ is patient

Christians are united.

-And when Christians strive to be humble, gentle and patient with one another then we are able to be united in a way that cannot be broken through a bond of peace

-Just as Jesus was united to the Father and us as believers to Christ, so too you and I with one another

-this is not a unity of “us vs. them” but rather an “us for all”

-Paul is emphasizing a “Oneness” with other believers, he is not saying that all religions are one in the same but that Christians are to be united with each other in Christ

-When Christians fail to be united w/one another, we fail to be like Christ

-This forces us to ask the question of why anyone would want to be part of faith that is divisive

Humility, gentleness, patience and unity are four characteristics of what a Christian is but don’t forget that you have to know the story in order to tell it. To be a “little Christ” you need to spend time in the Word, in prayer and in community to get to know THE Christ.

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.

I have to say from the get-go that I have never been a big Jason Mraz fan but I also haven't listened to much of his stuff so I thought I would give his new album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. a try.

I must say that throughout the album I couldn't help but think that there was an eerie resemblance to Jamiroquai but not nearly as good or smooth. While I think Mraz's voice is pretty good regardless, it seemed like the more "pop" style songs on the album like the single "I'm Yours" or "If It Kills Me", which also happen to be my two favorite songs on the album along with track #3 ft. Colbie Caillat entitled "Lucky" mostly because I think the duet of Caillat and Mraz's voices go so well together, the song itself is ok. Track #4, "Butterfly" was hands down my least favorite song on the album for a couple reasons: 1) I've never really been down with "sexy" songs simply because they are played out and 2) this is a perfect example of what I was talking about before with the whole Jamiroquai thing, it sounds like the 70's disco-funk thing that Jamiroquai can do so smoothly and unfortunately for Mraz, in my opinion, not so much.

I would guess if you consider yourself a Jason Mraz fan you are enjoying the album already and if you're not, I'm not sure this is the album to bring about your conversion as one. I do however like the album artwork and I think the title is kind of catchy. On a scale of 1-10, I would give this album a 7.5 but I've been known to be a pretty tough critic.

Blur

It has been a bizarre few days to say the least but I have finally reached the point where I can talk about the loss of our dog Otis. Everything happened so quickly that it all kind of seems like a blur...one moment Otis is being Otis, then next he's sick, then really sick and then gone. When I took him to the vet on Thursday morning I had no intention of coming home without my dog but after seeing the condition he was in and talking with the vet the best option became quite apparent. We have been fortunate to experience a peace about the decision we made and honestly, I have no regret about it but man it is still a bummer.

I am thankful that God is willing to meet us where we are, giving us a sense of His presence and peace despite what may seem like an insignificant situation in comparison to things happening in the rest of the world. I also feel like I'm learning more and more about perspective and what it means or takes to get it and keep it. It was not more than a day after my dog passed away that I attended the funeral of a dear man that was the landlord/neighbor of our first home, not to mention a husband, father, grandfather and all around blessing to a lot of people. God continues to be faithful in helping me keep things in perspective.

On top of God's attempts at shaping my perspective, we have been trying to stay busy to keep our minds off of the initial awkwardness of our house without Otis and so we've been finishing up a major project on the backyard and I've been checking out some new cds, both of which I'll write about in the coming days (and maybe even add a pic or two of our work). Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and concerns about Otis, they are much appreciated.

And Then There Were 2

My wife and I said goodbye to a good friend today...our dog Otis was put down this morning or at least what was left of him as he had not really been his energetic, curious, happy self for the last couple weeks. That's really all I can write for now as it's been a really long and bizarre day but thanks to everyone for the thoughts, concerns and prayers.