Follow...

I follow the New York Yankees' scores. I follow the Notre Dame football and basketball team scores.
I follow about a half-dozen bloggers' posts.
I follow traffic laws...mostly; that speed-limit thing on the open road not so much sometimes.
I follow several TV shows..."Hawaii 5-0", "Breaking Bad", and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" are the current biggies for me.
If I am reduced to having to read them, I follow written instructions as best I can.

I do not folow anyone on Twitter, although I do follow the posts of many friends and family members on FaceBook.
Sometimes actually following...not merely virtually following...is kinda tricky. Tricky in the sense that to really follow someone (like the picture above suggests) means knowing and understanding (as best one can) the person you are following; tricky in the sense that to really follow someone may just get you to places and positions you would never have thought possible; tricky in the sense that to really follow someone may call forth more humility than you thought you could exercise.
Well, happy following! Make sure, of course, that who you choose to follow is worthy of your time, and trust, and energy.

Lessons From the Game of Euchre

When the family gathers it is not unusual for a euchre game, or two, or more to break out. We are Indiana people...and I am pretty sure that right after basketball, euchre is the state game.
Now of course, in the game of euchre card suits are played against each other and using a card from the suit that is "trump" on a pile of played cards in a hand that are of a different suit means you have "trumped" that trick (a card hand in this game is called a trick), and that you win that hand/trick. Win three of the five tricks in a hand and you score a point (that is, if you or your partner named trump that hand; if the other team named trump, you would get two points...for euchering them); win all five tricks in a hand and you get two points; go alone (play the other two-person team by yourself, not using your partner's cards) and take all five tricks and you score four points. That's all clear, right?

Well, as we approach the weekend that marks 10 years since the events of September 11, 2001...and especially since it is on a Sunday and I am a pastor in a Christian Church...it is important for me to on-purpose direct our attention to some lessons learned from euchre...
Lesson: Peace trumps war!
Lesson: Forgiveness trumps retaliation!
Lesson: Universal Community trumps nation or tribe!
Lesson: Love trumps hate!

As the picture shows, some journeys take great courage! I hope we have enough courage to put those four lessons-learned-from-euchre to practice as we observe the solemnity of this weekend.