Time to Break out the Happies...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLEAAASCHHEE
So my birthday was last week, on Sept. 2. I turned 31, but it was no picnic this year. I got some sort of massive intenstinal bug, ended up in the hospital, and for the past 12 days, I've been sipping on Propel Fitness Water and eating oatmeal because my insides can't handle much else.

First off, let me say that Propel is from the makers of Gatorade, but it's no Gatorade. It tastes like someone drank Gatorade, and then filled their bottle with water leaving a little Gatorade flavor residue. It is to Gatorade what the TV show Blossom was for TV sitcoms - barely tolerable. I don't care for it. But the doc says that too much sugar will cause diarrhea. So what can you do.

The good news, if there is any in this, is that I dropped more than 20 pounds and my stomach is now probably the size of a walnut. I am not kidding. Hopefully that weight was not all in white blood cells. We'll see if I'm able to keep it off.

PREACHING THIS WEEKEND
I'm preaching this weekend on the Book of Esther. One of my favorite books of the Bible. Though I have to be a little honest here. The end of the book, if you're not familiar with it, ends in a rather troubling way. The story revolves around this guy Haman who hates all Jewish people because this one Jewish guy Mordecai refuses to bow down to him. So Haman gets the King to agree to let him kill all the Jewish people. But then Esther - who is Jewish - uses her position as Queen to get the King to reverse the ruling, sort of. Now, the Jews are allowed to defend themselves. So clearly Divine Intervention. But this is how the story ends.

1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. 2 The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those seeking their destruction. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. 3 And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king's administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. 4 Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.

5 The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them.

What? Not exactly a very God-honoring way to end the book, with the destruction and killing of all the Jewish people's enemies. Kind of makes you think what God thought of the whole thing. Hundreds of people killed, none of them Jewish. And even today, Jews celebrate the Festival of Purim to commemorate how the Lord worked events to allow their people to be saved. He showed them mercy. Too bad the Jews didn't do the same, huh?

OSU ROCKS
Ohio State won at Texas. I was so happy. I have been wearing Ohio State t-shirts every day.