A view from a Para-Sail

I am not an adventurous sort, but for some reason I was compelled to try para-sailing this past week. Perhaps the fact that my son wanted to go and I didn't want to chicken out was part of the compulsion. I must admit the idea of hanging from a parachute connected by a couple of hooks while being pulled around by a boat in the middle of the ocean might seem like fun to others it just has never had much appeal to me.

The view was amazing, but the view was no different than that which you would see from a plane or while gazing out the window of a tall building. The thing that was most striking to me while being suspended 500 feet above the water was the absolute quiet. The quiet was overwhelming. Being accustomed to spectacular views from a plane window, I am also accustomed to the sound of the engine and the people around you.

We both hung suspended from a parachute with no engine, no one else talking. We both watched in silence the vastness of the ocean. The silence was breathtaking and I think we are both trying to figure out the words to utter in order to describe the experience.

I would do it again, but I am not sure I can explain why. As we reached our zenith, some 500 feet above the water, my son looked at me and said, "Dad we're flyin' just like Mary Poppins!"

I think I will remember his words more than anything else - That and the sound of his laughter as our toes splashed down into the cold ocean water.

It struck me when we got out of the boat and returned to safe land. Most of the enriching moments in our life (and especially in ministry) are when we are willing to take risks that move us out of our comfort zone.

The view from a Para-sail was worth the risk and I will keep that view in mind the next time I hesitate to step out of my comfort zone.

Staying Connected . . .

I had the chance this past weekend to play golf with a friend a grew up with - Jeff Leonard. We have been friends since Junior High and that was over 3 decades ago. I can't even begin to count the number of rounds and/or hours we have spent together on the golf course. Back in the day, as the saying goes, we were fairly even matched on the links - But not anymore.

I was soundly beaten yesterday and not for the first time either. You see Jeff was a collegiate golf champion and played on the PGA Tour for a year. We don't get a chance to be together very often because we live a ways apart. He now is the Executive Director for the First Tee Program in Tampa, Florida.

We shared a lot of stories and memories as we played together with our Dads as partners. That is one thing that is so awesome about golf - Sons and Dads playing together!

During the day, I was struck by the question, "Would we be friends if we just met or are we living in the past?" For me the answer was and is "yes!" but for a couple of reasons:

1) Our friendship was never just about golf, or euchre, or car chases, or spring break, or any number of things or events we shared together in the past. Granted all those things make for some great stories and points of connection, but there was more . . . which is my main point.

2) We are still friends and will remain because of that which we both have in common - We both love the Lord and are seeking ways to honor Him in our lives. This common ground will always keep us connected and is the bond of our friendship - whether that friendship be 3 decades old or 3 minutes old.

I hope you have friends like that. Friends that keep you grounded. Friends that you keep you connected to who you have been, who you are, and more importantly who you are striving to be. And if have a friend like that who also happens still enjoy playing golf with you even better - just make sure they give more than a few strokes a side!

Here's to the good old days and the new days yet to come.