How are you?

I'm behind. Traveling always throws me off my not too regular routine and messes up the schedule I don't have and couldn't keep if I had it. That's why I'm behind. I've been traveling. It's the dashing part of my adventure.

Yesterday I missed posting my photos for the week past. I hope to get that done today, so check back.

We never got that call to go to Arkansas, so Thursday we headed toward Houston (from San Antonio) to see some of our kids. Forty miles from their apartment, hubby's phone rang. It was the deployment office. WOOO HOOO! (Thank you for praying!)

We were sad that we didn't get to see the kids, but we really need the work, so at the first exit we came to, we headed toward home to get the RV. (Incidentally, the next exit just so happened to be the exit we needed to take to get us on the right road home. I am always fascinated by quirky details and how God seems to always be in the middle of them.)

We got home somewhere between 11:00 and midnight and finally crawled in bed around 1:30 a.m. The wind howling and rocking the camper kept us awake until about 3:30 a.m. and my alarm went off at 6:15. Time lost importance at that point, and we simply did what we had to do so that we could be in Mississippi by Saturday. I love it when I hear Gee P. Ess, (That's the little lady my husband carries around, stuck to his windshield, that tells him where to go) announce, "You have arrived!"

And here we are in Southaven, Mississippi.

Hubby and I took some time yesterday to go to church across the border in the Memphis, TN area before Rick had to start working. We had the privilege of visiting New Hope Christian Church where Scott Greer is the pastor. We knew Scott as our pastor from a few years ago in Amarillo, Texas. It was good to see him again and the surprised look on his face when he saw my husband and me. We exchanged greetings, and when Scott shook my hand he asked, "Well, how are ya? Are you growing?"

I was flabbergasted! I don't think he was talking about my height or pant size. (Why ask about the obvious, right?) I don't believe anyone has ever asked me that before. And I'll go on to say that I doubt any person, besides maybe my parents, has ever been very concerned about my spiritual growth. I was so caught off guard, my words stumbled and fell roughly and senselessly out of my mouth. The usual and brainless response of , I'm fine, how are you, wouldn't answer his question. Who wants to lie to a preacher, and who wants to tell their former pastor, No I'm not growing--just stagnating?

Thankfully, Scott was gracious and took my stupid reply, which didn't actually answer his question, and chose not to press me farther. Maybe he should had though, ya think? That one little question, loaded like a double barrel shotgun, made me want to throw up my spiritual hands and beg for mercy. I'm afraid I might be caught too often in the act of religious rote, I'm sorry to say, with insufficient growth for notice.

What about you?

The next time you greet someone, will you care enough, or be bold enough to ask, "How are you doing? Are you growing?" And if someone asks the question of you, what will your answer be?

I think I'm going to have to get back to you on that one.