A Colorado Update:

1. Kelsey and I went white-water rafting on the Arkansas River yesterday. In the first minute of training session, our guide mentioned that two “bowsers” were needed. She also said this job was the most strenuous because you set the rowing pace for the whole boat and rowed the hardest and sat in the bow of the boat making you the most likely to fall out. She also mentioned that there was no question those two people would be the soggiest at the end of the day.

Kelsey, in a very passive-aggressive way, says, “Yeah, me and my dad’ll do that…if nobody else wants to.” I had some concerns that her 12-year-old bravado would later turn into a source of embarrassment, but she held her own physically and definitely did the job well, too. I really like her tenacity.

2. We sleep with our windows open at night. The record-setting heat in Pueblo (which is actually hotter than Dallas this week, with temperatures over 100) doesn’t make it up to 9,000 feet in the mountains.

3. I go hot-tubbing at least once a day. Sometimes twice.

4. I’m teaching an overview of Jeremiah during the men’s Bible study each morning. I can’t get over how much human nature hasn’t changed throughout history. God continues to offer blessings and grace and people would rather listen to themselves than surrender to God. I can’t get over how much I do that myself.

5. I’m teaching through the Psalms of Ascent in the evening sessions. There’s definitely some really interesting insights into the spiritual life in that Hebrew hymnal they sang on their way to the festivals. They’re Psalms 120-134 if you’re interested.

Today brings us a train ride through the Royal Gorge. I wish I knew how to put pictures on this blog. I know there’s a trick to it by posting them on some other free host and then inserting them in the blog, so if somebody out there knows how to do it, I can give you some photos.