Numbers Numbers Numbers

Numbers, numbers, numbers. Here are some numbers that I’ve seen this week.

68,095 dollars. That was what my little “fun-filled vacation” in St. Luke’s Hospital cost. Of course, that does not include the emergency room at Shawnee Mission Medical Center (I think that bill was around seven grand), doctors, technicians, and I don’t know what all. Wow! For you non-math whizzes that figures to nearly 10,000 beans a day—and I thought a day at Disney World was pricy.

67,595 dollars. That’s how much our insurance paid. Whew… I am glad for health insurance. While 500 dollars out of our pocket (so far) is nothing to sneeze at (or blow a head gasket over); it’s a whole lot better than 68,000 smackeroos!

276 years ago (next Friday) the most famous person in my family tree was born: George Washington. The rumor is that somewhere on my mama’s side of the family we are related to old George Washington’s mama, Mary Ball Washington. Who knows if it’s true or how we are related? It’s President’s Day Weekend, so I thought you might be a little impressed.

13 years ago (on Saturday) my little Ben was born. I know for a fact that I’m related to him (and his mama). The only thing that Ben has in common with George Washington is their wooden teeth (that’s not true) and their ability to chop down a cherry tree (that could be true).

52 people will be leaving one month from tomorrow for a mission trip in El Salvador. Besides working on a church building we will be holding dental clinics in some public schools, leading VBS like gatherings, and participating in some Jesus film showings. I hope you are praying for this trip and the people who are going. Be looking in the worship folder for supplies that we will need to take with us that you can help provide.

4 ties I have yet to wear for missions. I finished wearing my Royal’s tie on Sunday (if you were counting, I wore that lil’ beauty four weeks in a row), and now have a KU, K-State, Ohio State, and my own tastefully eloquent Michigan tie to wear. For those who may be unaware, people paid 200 bucks for me to wear those ties (compared to staying in a hospital, that’s a bargain). The 200 hundred dollars helps pay for the building supplies for our mission trip. And yes, you read that right; I paid 200 of my own cold hard cash for the privilege of wearing my own tie.

24 hours (actually less than that) until Valentine’s Day. Please use this as a reminder. You may recall that last year I waited too long and ended up purchasing two dead Wal-mart tulip plants for my wife, Karla. Bad idea. I’ve planned better this year, and I hope you will do the same. Because when those potted plants hit you on top of the head… it hurts! (Just kidding, my wife has never hit me with a potted plant. Maybe she has wanted to—but her self-control has heretofore always won out, thankfully!)

24 hours (actually less than that) until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. Can summer be far behind? I haven’t been this excited for a Spring Training since 1985 (the year after the Tigers won the World Series.) Unfortunately, that year didn’t work out so well for my Tigers, instead a team with guys named Balboni, Biancalana, Iorg, Quirk, and Quisenberry won the series—anybody ever hear of those guys? (Can you believe that I used the word “heretofore” in the last paragraph? What was I thinking?)

38 days until Easter. Are you praying for a neighbor, co-worker, friend, or family member that you can invite to Easter Services? Quite possibly, heretofore (I’m using that word so much you’d think I was a lawyer), your friends and loved ones have not expressed interest in things spiritual, but through prayer (maybe even fasting), God can soften their hearts. Everyone you know should celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus!

That’s all the numbers I know. So, I will “86” this email, and as Smokey (or was it Bandit?) used to say, “10-4, Good Buddy!”