How's your summer going? It's been a while since I've updated the column here, so let me share with you a bit some happenings of my summer. I returned last week from a quick overnight trip to my hometown - Bloomington Illinois. The trip was for the purpose of dropping off my youngest daughter, Megan, to spend some time with my Mom. Upon arriving in Bloomington Sunday night, August 2, we came to the church where my Mom was playing electric bass in a gospel band she is in. I had the wonderful privilege of singing a piece with her. What a joy! Please, take advantage of loving your parents while they are still around. If any of you are estranged with your parents, ask God for the grace to draw near them again. You'll be glad you did. A week or so before that, my youngest son Josh and I had a chance to spend the day in Chicago, taking in a Cub game. Yes, this is their year! The whole trip was worth it when I saw his eyes light up when he saw Wrigley Field. What fun! The Cubbies, by the way, and you shouldn't be surprised, won that day! Within a few weeks, my kids' summer will be over and they return to school. So, before that happens we will be going off on a little four day getaway in the Detroit area, perhaps even taking in a Tiger game. How about that! I get to see the soon-to-be American League champs a few weeks after I saw the soon-to-be National League champ Cubbies.

Finally, I am half way through my series on Luke 15 and the "Prodigal God"/"Prodigal Sons" story. I've had some good conversation with some of you on this series. For those of you who may have felt that I haven't been careful enough with my language, equating us church going folk with the Pharisees, well, I apologize - sort of! It would not be right of course, to make a blanket statement, saying that church going folks today are the same as the Pharisees in Jesus' day. That has not been my intent. So, if I have unduly offended any of you by suggesting that all of our morality is a prideful "moralism", I apologize. However, my intent has been to warn, that those of us, who, by God's help, have been "cleaned up" a bit, we are the most susceptible to religious pride - the same sin many of the Pharisees and Scribes seemed to be blind to. I know none of my friends at First Free want to be "Older Brothers". I just believe that most of us who have been "going to church" for a while, have a little more of the Older Brother in us than we often realize. At least, I know this is true of me. Will you pray with me, that God would make all of us, Younger and Older Brothers alike, more humble and more hungry? Any "righteousness" that I have or exhibit, I want it to be a joy-based, Christ-based righteousness (see Philippians 3:9-10) that honors God and builds community. I trust that passion will be true of each one of us.

What's left of the summer - please enjoy! I hope to see you soon! - Pastor Bob