Good Weekend--Cal Rugby / Dad's 80th

Today I fly to Dallas for the first gathering of the fourth Leadership Community for Externally Focused Churches. This is an exceptional group of churches that have / want ministry outside the walls--the gospel coming in Word and deed to be a part of who they are. Today also is my dad's 80th Birthday. We had a huge all-family celebration, including my brother and his wife from Australia and other relatives at my mom's 80th this summer so this was much smaller scale. I flew into Sacramento and then met up with my college buddy George Kopas to catch a Cal Rugby game against St. Marys in Moraga. Cal has won more national championships since they started keeping count but I have to say, despite the score, St. Marys played them tough and were outstanding tacklers. Talent and fitness eventually prevailed.

After the game, George and I drove to my folk's house in Stockton, went out to In-N-Out Burger for dinner with Mom and Dad and then went home and started cleaning up the new computer they got in November--just a few little glitches but with Comcast high speed, it really sings. Their old computer has info that they still would like to have but who knows how to get information off of it. The CD drive doesn't work, the UBS port isn't functioning. We bought a device to transfer info from computer to computer but one needs to load softwear on the old computer which is impossible. That chore will have to wait till next time.
Mom baked a cake in the morning while the Swedes beat the Finns for the gold medal in Hockey. By early afternoon Mom and Dad started the family traditions of fixing dinner for everyone when it's your birthday--prime rib, mashed potatoes, asparagus, french bread. After dinner we watched theDVD of Jeff's homecoming and then dad blew out the candles and opened the cards. Sister Wendy was there with her husband and three daughters. Just a fun evening to be together.

"The man's years of his life are seventy...or eighty if due to strength" (Psalm 90). Dad is a strong man who goes from strength to strength. So thankful to have him around.