Tilden and I went to church this morning... decided to go even though we are on a "break" from Revolution... I couldn't justify sitting at home or sitting in the "big people's service" while all of those precious kids were around, so I went along for the ride in Revolution today, a ride that was driven by Rob, Heather, and the Summer Service Team.

For those who want to question and point fingers and wonder what's happening with those sometimes wild and unruly kids in Revolution... let me tell you that God was with us today. I think he may have been sitting right next to me as I sat in a circle with Rob and some of the kids as they prayed for each other... prayed that the burdens we had written on our prayer cards would be handed over to God...

One little girl prayed a prayer for another little girl that only she and God could understand... I understood maybe 2 words of what she said, but man, this girl was praying. And God was listening and smiling. Another child prayed that another kid would get along with her cousin and friends... another child asked God to take away my selfishness so I could completely do God's will...

Yes, the kids were sometimes coming in and out of rooms, running around barefoot. But I don't think that mattered one bit today. When one child whispered to Rob that he didn't know how to pray, Rob helped him tell God what he wanted to say. Oh, and that was supposedly a "churched" kid.

I think there is something seriously wrong with a church when it wants to put all its resources into providing a show for the adults who come to church on Sunday mornings. As Tilden said this morning when a respected member of the church said he was having a good morning until he saw Tilden in his t-shirt and shorts and said that we needed to figure out a way to get Tilden out of the back with the kids and once again into the chapel on Sunday mornings, "I thought that you adults in the service are all saved. What good am I in there?" We have to get our priorities straight. And we have to stop thinking that working with the kids on Sunday mornings is backstage work. It's the front lines. It's where the action is. It was definitely where God was hanging out today.

I don’t know why I can’t get it out of my head… after all, it was just a bike crash. We have all experienced those many times in our lives, and I don’t want my thinking and writing to make it into a bigger deal… So I don’t know why this event keeps recycling itself inside my head… why it sits in the pit of my stomach like a weight when it comes to the surface of my thinking…

Maybe it was the image of seeing my brother lying in the ditch with blood on his face and my sister leaning over him… maybe it was not being sure why they were putting an oxygen mask over his face to help him breath when I came running up to the scene… maybe it was the fact that it hurt too bad for him to talk to tell us where the pain was… maybe it was because I was seeing my brother in so much pain, but was completely helpless… maybe it was because I was trying to be calm and clear headed, but really felt like passing out… maybe it was all the horrible thoughts going through my head as we were riding in the ambulance to the hospital because I just didn’t know what exactly was wrong with his body and I was preparing myself for the worst…maybe it was the sudden realization that life is precious and scary and no moment should be taken for granted…

Whatever it was, I just can’t seem to get my brother’s bike accident out of my head. I won’t go into all the details, but it basically involves our wonderful visit to Camp Ladore in Pennsylvania to see my sister and her dear family, an unlit area of the road, a bike going pretty fast, and a crash through a fence into a 7 foot ditch, probably head first. We keep saying that if he had meant to ride his bike through the ditch, he would have been fine; but it was dark and he was caught off guard.

Amazingly and thankfully, after X-raying I think every portion of his body from his nose to his legs, the doctor came in and said that nothing was broken and everything was okay. I don’t know if in that moment, God healed his body, but the relief that flooded over us at that moment was amazing. So many little things came into play, like the fact that he was wearing a helmet, even though he doesn’t like to… like the fact that he didn’t take off his hat that he wore under his helmet, which made it fit properly… like the fact that at the moment he crashed, two good guys happened to drive by on a golf cart and saw him. God did protect my brother, and he was okay… in extreme pain, but okay. Thank you God for hearing us and knowing exactly what You were doing… thank you for the realizations that you taught us through the experience… and thank you for my brother and his adventuresome spirit.

(Sorry Trip if you read this and would rather that I didn’t write it… I am not trying to spread the business of your life, but I just wanted to express my thoughts… besides, probably only a handful of people read this anyways, and they all care about you, and will be happy to know that you are starting to feel better and will be back out throwing a frisbee, playing soccer, and enjoying more of life in no time.)