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My youngest granddaughter, River, is almost two. The other day, she brought her mom’s phone to her and asked, “Papa?” So Erica FaceTimed me and gave the phone to her. I answered, and we talked for a bit (though River’s talk was mostly gibberish). When I hung up and my face disappeared from the screen, she got upset.

I had a shooting pain down my arm. I tried a lot of things. I bought an elastic band that was supposed to make it feel better. I used analgesic. My wife would massage my hand, forearm, and elbow, where the pain was the strongest. I tried sleeping differently so I would no longer sleep on it, thinking that might be what it was. After months with no relief, I went to the doctor.

I’m slow in using the term “revival.” I didn’t jump on the Asbury bandwagon a couple of years ago, and my response to those who asked was, “Well, a real revival is a rise to consistency. Whether or not this is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be evident by the number of lives changed over the long haul. When revival happens, church attendance surges, as do conversions to Christ.” Did that happen at Asbury in 2023?

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” ― Winston S. Churchill A bunch of our Bridge brothers and sisters are feeling that now. And I’m not just talking about the marathon they are running. Some of you are facing major upheaval in your life.

I first traveled by the Badlands and saw part of them from the highway in my early 20s. Linda and I later took our kids there a couple of times in our family western adventures. The kids loved climbing the rocky cliffs, with Linda calling up at them, “Don’t go so high!” They did anyway. But seeing the Badlands from the air is entirely different from wandering around in them or driving through.