Hellooooooo!! Is anybody out there?

The last few days I've been thinking about how Xanga and the Christian life are similar in a way. Before you think I've gone completely off the deep end, I'll explain....

Rarely do people proclaim to everyone that they're leaving Xanga, although some do. In the same way, rarely do people proclaim that they are forsaking their Christian faith. More often than not, people disappear from church slowly but surely.

I was thinking about how it's been more than five weeks since I posted and I hardly even realized it. How many of us can relate in much more critical areas of our lives....suddenly it's been a long time since we read you read your Bible, fasted, or spent diligent time in prayer.

How often we trade a close, intimate relationship with the Lord for the devil's cheap, counterfeit offerings. If we wake up one day and realize our relationship with Jesus has gone cold, obviously, He didn't go anywhere. One day, one hour, one decision at a time, we slide off the road and get lost it the mire and muck of this world.

If that's you, I hope you will get back on the narrow road today.

Seven years is a long time.

Last night I covered my last Hallsville football game. The Bobcats lost, 27-17, eliminating them from playoff contention and ensuring that my seven-season tenure as the Hallsville beat writer was officially over.

During the third quarter the PA guy totally caught me by surprise when he thanked me for seven years of coverage, told the crowd where I was going and said Hallsville wanted to wish me well in Alabama. It was really nice, although a little awkward when everybody started looking up to the press box to find me. I stood up and waved, although probably only the top few rows could see me.

As I walked to the car after the game, I looked around at the empty parking lot. Bobcat Stadium hasn't really changed since I first started covering Hallsville as a 19-year-old rookie. But I sure have.

After seven years and probably 800 stories, I'm leaving. I made a lot of friends. I became a better writer. I became a much different person. The kind folks in Hallsville watched me go from a boy to a man.

They were good to me.

And I'm going to miss them.

Sunday night I went to the grocery store to pick up some needed supplies for pumpkin bread...Namely canned pumpkin.

As I'm checking out, the lady at the register, about age 50, asks if I'm making pumpkin pie. I said it's actually going to be pumpkin bread and she says, "Ohhh, you know how? Can you bring me some?"

At first I thought she was kidding - but she wasn't. With swine flu and everything else going around, there's only two reasons I can think of why she would be willing to risk eating a stranger's cooking....

a) She has the hots for young guys

b) I look like I'm 50

I don't like either one!

But I still took her a loaf of pumpkin bread.