You see, last night at about 10:15, my Uncle Al came over with my dad and Debby to visit. He and my dad were heading back to New York today for a funeral. Al had come up from Tennessee, and they planned to drive today….they however wanted to see Stephanie.

So we all were here talking and laughing till pretty late. Al is now the Patriarch of our family, and it is always a joy to see him. And one of the greatest joys I had was when Debby mentioned if I had yet met Carl Erskine, who lives here and I said no, but I have an autographed copy of his book. I went and got it and brought it down and gave it to Al and my dad. They LOVED it, not just because they were baseball fans, but because they could identify a ton of the pictures. I am sure they will read it and chat baseball all the way to New York and back.

But the late night made way for an early morning. I woke up early to drive to Kentucky to attend the ordination of my friend Jon Back to the diaconate this morning. It was an AWESOME service, but more than that, it was at St. Barnabas Church.

St. Barnabas actually might not have happened had I not had a stroke. The weekend before Amanda and I (as well as St. Michael the Archangel) hosted a young priest named Chris Peterson at our home. He wanted to move to Indiana, and he was a top notch guy.

The day after he left to return to Minnesota our lives turned drastically here. It was April 2008, and I was not back until June. I am pretty sure I didn’t contact him, nor did I do much of anything well. I do remember he wanted to move here. And he is an awesome priest. I will feel badly about that forever.

And I met his wife today too. I wanted to say, “I AM SO SORRY,” but in truth, I didn’t need to. I was amazed by what they have done and are doing there, and although I am sure he would have done well here too, perhaps God had other plans. His people love him. Jon is so blessed to be under him, and what those two will do together I can only imagine. I do not think God gave me the stroke, but it seems to be a sure and certain coincidence for me to not screw up the impressive work those two guys are doing in Covington, Kentucky.

In one of my favorite movies, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” everyone pitches in to save the Bailey Building and Loan. St. Barnabas doesn’t need saving, but they could use your support. Visit them at www.KentuckyAnglican.com and get their address and send them a donation. I know I am going to.

These guys are dedicated to the Gospel, and more than that, they are my friends. Check them out, and if you are ever in the greater Cincinnati area check them out. They are truly the real thing.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!