Eating Coal and Defecating Diamonds

How to Deal with Stress

By Rev Adam Fox

Greetings my bloggers! Forgive the delay, but time may help improve my writing. 

Today I would like to talk about stress.
In my first year at Olivet, I was attempting to go to school full time, work full time, study, run my churches youth department and have a social life. I thought there could never be a more taxing and stress filled life. Then Dr. Quanstrum told us something. He said that you will never have it as easy as you do now. As soon as you graduate, life gets harder. We all laughed.
But he was right. Bills. Food. Marriage. Children. Promotions.... each one of these things takes the stress up to new levels.
And here I am trying to ride the waves and stay ahead, to cope. 

What causes you to stress out? Work? Family? Bills? Sickness? World politics? Taxes? Wedding planning? (Bingo!)

Stress is one of those things that we all deal with, some more poorly than others. It is like having a cold. We all get a cold, but not all of us take care of it. 

Stress or anxiety eats away at us. I remember when I was 17, working at your neighborhood pizza joint, on some busier nights all I wanted to do was go home and play video games. Video games were my way to deal with the pressures that came with the job. 

Was that the healthiest way? No. But we all need something to let the pressure go. WE SHOULD do something productive, exercise or journaling for example. But instead we lean on the quick and the easy options. 

Smoking.

Over-eating.

loose women/men.

 

 Options that make us feel better at the moment, but long term are just shallow and empty methods that bring their own problems.
How should we deal with things that stress us?
Hiding from family will not be a long term option. Putting off taxes will not either. Nor will not going to work. Sadly that is how we deal with stressful issues. We pretend not to have them.
If I do not go to work, I will not have stress.

When I was bouncing between colleges and girlfriends and jobs, stress and I were old friends. But I did not deal with it properly. Instead of dealing with my bad job, the wrong girls I was seeing, and figuring out what I wanted to be (ps- it was a Pastor)

I rested on overeating as my release valve. Eating pizza - whenever I wanted, eating the entire, THE ENTIRE Taco Bell menu. Even when I was not hungry. But food never cured my problems. It just added to them. Like 150 extra pounds and a lot less money. 

We will always have stressful things in our lives. Will they be the same stresses as when we are 17 as when we are 71? Hopefully not. Hopefully we have grown and matured in life. 

We are not worrying over exams and pimples and fitting in. 

As we get older, the things that stress us change. 

Job stability. Health of our family. Retirement. Our Health. Finances. To name a few. 

The things in life that stress us may be personal, and our pride may have us believing we are the only one with the struggle, or its just a few years. You can tread water with your student loans till then.

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4

We ALL face stress. We all have doubt and struggle. It is not an individual thing. Stressful situations will always be there, and by going through them and it produces patience. 

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul. Psalm 94:19

Doesn't it give you a feeling of reassuredness that David, KING David, got stressed out. But David knew that even though he was filled with Anxieties and stress, God comforts him.

The God cares for us the same amount. He loves us. While we will have difficult times in our lives, it does not mean God has forgotten you and hates you. It is an opportunity to trust him more. 

Stress will come. 

But we need to not lean on chain smoking, over eating, shopping, and other harmful release valves. 

Instead we should lean on God. Trust him for everything. Work hard and find healthy releases. And remember what God told us in Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Heart Strong or head Stupid

Is Passion what we need?

Following the Passions of your heart

Rev. Adam Fox

Adults are supposed to be passionate about things. As a surely teenager, my dad tried to instill this to me with lawn care. I had to mow the back yard weekly, and I wanted to do it as fast as possible so to get out of the heat and bugs and back into the air conditioning. 

I really did not care if I missed a little strip or patterns. It was not my passion. 

So, what are you passionate about?

As Americans, leaders in the world, we are encouraged to follow our hearts, to let our passions guide us. But that is not always correct.

I am glad you listen to your heart and your passions - but we should not ignore our other emotions and especially our brain.

I had a friend in high school who had his youth leader encourage him to follow his heart, and his passions. But he forgot to mention to listen to your brain as well. So my friend, did what his heart wanted. He packed a bag, dropped out of school, and went to the train yards and tried to ride the rails as a HOBO. Thankfully, his mother caught him before the train left. 

Was this a passionate idea? Yes. Was it a thought-out idea? No!

Being smart, and passionate are hard to do. Usually we are one camp or the other. And before we continue, let me just point out that being passionate is not JUST limited to sex.

Sex and passion are to different things. Can we be passionate about our wife or husband? Of course! We all should be!

But passion is not the same definition as sex. 

Passion is more than just the love of a woman or the joys of sex, it is something that brings you joy and happiness. It could be found it many things - in an author or book series, in a game, in a place, in sports, and especially in people and family. 

Passionate and knowledgeable about these things, but not just letting your emotions take hold of you and making your head and body captive.  

But as a Christian, what should I be passionate about?

We can be Christians and passionate Bears fans. Or Christians and OC Supertones fans. (Ska Ska Ska Ska)

But we need to be first and foremost we need to be passionate about God and being a Christian.

Being a Christian is more than just attending an hour service on sundays and saying a rehearsed prayer before meals. 

Being a Christian is about putting God first in every aspect of your life. Trying to live a life that is like God. To love like God. To be compassionate like God. To be generous and gracious like God. 

Loving like God is a hard thing to do. Loving others is something to be passionate about. Love.

Not sex or emotional love that we assume we have when we were young and at camp, but a deep Christ like God. 

1 Corinthians 13 is a classic section of scripture that is the definition of love. It is used before most weddings and known to the world. 

Loving like God is a hard calling and will produce great growth in all of us. For me, I am still working on it, being more like God. Being passionate about the things that HE is passionate about. People. 

There is nothing wrong with being passionate and following your heart. But we need to be weary of being emotionally driven and relying onto emotions. 

Listen to your heart, but also listen to your more rational head as well. But be excited and passionate about your relationship with God. About serving his people. Staying in the Word, daily. Praying. and keeping the fire for God fueled so it will NEVER flame out. 

for me, as a continuous growing Christian, I am still working on loving like God loves us. Will I continue to be a passionate Bears fan, of course. But I am going to not live and die on each pass and win ... or more likely interception and loss. 

Until next time my friends. 

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Hoping above all hope

Hopes and Dreams, or are you dreaming of Hope?

Clinging to Hope

Rev. Adam Fox

Excelsior my beloved bloggers!
This past week or two weeks I have been thinking about hope. I have been listening to Turning Point with Dr. Jeremiah and he has been preaching out of  his new book on hope. And it is needed. Our country, our world needs to remember that we have hope still, and where that hope rests in.
Last month, we introduced the new President of these United States, Donald Trump.
And, half the country is still upset over him, his family, his cabinet, his choices, his words, his Twitter... or whatever. And why I am not here to talk on our President or his choices, I want to talk about the mood of the country.
I have the pleasure of sitting in two worlds in life and especially social media sites. I have the Baby Boomers and Gen X, Y, Z. Each generation has a different way of viewing things, and has different needs and priorities. It can be super frustrating, being stuck in the middle of each groups beliefs.
No matter what age you are, or gender, or race, or belief system - there has been two major vibes that has come to my attention.
- America is doomed. We are headed to a nuclear war. Trump is evil...
-The savior has come. Trump can do no wrong.
Each side is wrong. They have gone to the extreme and worst case. But let me show you the theme for both, and for all of America - HOPE.
We crave for hope when we are stuck, we want hope when life is rough, hope is our life raft in an uncertain time.

Lets look at what we hope for, and put our hope in.
May 25, 1977 hope was introduced to society in the form of a Princess, a Scoundrel, and a Knight. Hope for freedom from an evil empire.

This simple little film stole our hearts and has turned into the massive construct that is Star Wars today.
But this hope that they were showing, gave a glimpse into our own lives. Not needing to be forced down by evil.
Or the more modern example would be Barack Obama.

In 2008, the representative from Illinois ran on a platform of hope. Hope for our country. Hope for each of us, from the lowest to the richest. Hope that we can be a great country again.
While only time will tell if Obama did good, or set us back, or possibly and most likely - a little from column A and some from column B. But people voted for him because he offered hope in their individual lives, and people were desperate for it.
Finally, my favorite example is the NFL Draft. I have been a draft follower for years and years. I love it. These 22 year old men leaving college to play a sport professionally for too much money.
But it is such a big deal for NFL teams.
This year for instance, one of the worst teams in the league is my beloved Chicago Bears. And as a result of only having 3 wins, they earned a very high pick. Thy get to choose the third best player, a player who can make the Bears good again.
Can Jonathan Allen make the Bears line amazing? Or should they draft a stud safety like Jamal Adams? What about Quarterback?
The draft is exciting for me because these 30 young men have so much hope placed on them, hope that they can take their new teams to the next level, and to a super bowl champion. We're Coming for you Patriots!!
Hope is something that energizes us and motivates us to do things we never thought we could do. Each Presidential election is a hope fest. With two people sharing their vision for how they can make America amazing.
But some people have no hope.

They focus on the negative and stay down trodden. They embrace the message of Dante, Abandon All Hope

Should we have hope?
What should we have hope in?
Who should our hope be in?
We should have hope in God alone. God the Father is who we need to place our hope in. Our hope for our future, for our struggles, for our fears, for our country, for our leaders, for every facet of life.
Look at what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:3-6

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

or what King David wrote in the Psalm 3

2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” 

3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 

4 I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 

5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 

6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.

4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 

5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 

6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

our hope can only be in God because of Jesus' death and resurrection and forgiveness of sin. It is God alone who gives us a living hope. Not any President. Not any college sport kid. Not even Luke Skywalker. 

Life is rough. It is filled with temptations to sin, opportunities to grow through trials, and mountain top experiences. And we will fall down a lot. We will mess up, A LOT. But that does not mean God ran out of hope, or is upset with us. it is just another opportunity to trust Him more. 

Dr Jeremiah said this about hope and the ministry of the church. "Perseverance of the Saints: It's falling down and getting up again until we get to Heaven."

So why should I have hope in a crumbling society? In a country that is morally lost? Because I believe in God, the one who has a living Hope.

2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 

3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 

4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 

7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. Romans 5

Until next time! 

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

We should have listened to Grover all along

Learning the Difference between Near and Far

By Rev Adam Fox

Everything I know, I learned for the street - the Sesame Street. 

We were taught how to share, family, numbers and letters, as well as basic concepts of life. Concepts like near and far. 

Grover so clearly explained what it means to be near and what it means to be far. It was simple. So then how come I, and so many others mix up what it means to be near to someone?

I can be next to someone, in the same room - participating in the same activity - and still be miles away emotionally or Spiritually. 

If I am with my fiance, I make it a goal not to be on a date with her AND my phone, or to only be there in person and not emotionally. 

But sometimes it happens. 

Some times are emotions, or our fears, or hopes take us to another place.

We are still learning what it means to be near and far. Especially when it means to be near to God.

As a believer in God, it is our goal in life to draw closer to God. Closer in a lot of senses. 

Closer as we learn how to be more like Him and less like ourselves. By learning how to sin less and be more of God's love and grace and hope to the world, to our community. 

The Christian life is a hard life, it is a life of becoming Sanctified - the life long process. 

But somehow in our collected effort to being like God, to be coming Sanctified, we think drawing near to God is only in the physical.

Lets look at the Tower of Babel.

The early Humans, in their own blind arrogance tried to be like God, tried to get on God's level - to be near Him. And boy oh boy did they fail. 

Genesis11 "Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth."

This one example. One of many examples of Humans not understanding what it means to be near to God. 

And before you say, that was a sinful group of men in super ancient times, lets look at ourselves. As Modern American Christians. 

Being near to God does not mean attending church and trying to stay awake. Or dressing appropriately. You realize God does not say we need to be in a tie and expensive dresses and suites. 

Drawing near to God is not going forward regularly for Altar Calls - cause that is what is expected, or that is how others can see you being a better person.

 Instead, the unnamed author of Hebrews writes that " Let us draw near with a true heart." And as the beloved James wrote, Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

God wants you. He wants your soul, your heart, your all. Not just the polished up parts, or the public parts. He loves all of you.

He does want each of us to be active in His Word. Spending time with Him in prayer and study of worship. 

Drawing near to God is not just things done in the public's eye, or because its expected. It something that should be done with a true heart, a want to. 

Being more like God is the goal. But the journey is the best part. It is the opportunity to spend each day, sometimes fighting, fighting the temptation to be selfish and sin, and be more like God. 

As we learn what it means to draw near.

Until next time.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

A Christians Definitive Guide to Christmas Music

The Music of Christmas

How to survive the sounds of Christmas

By Rev. Adam Fox

Greetings Faithful Bloggers and a cheery Happy and Merry Christmas!

It is December. And as the weatherman has reminded us all ready, it is going to be a bear of a year. A Winter that makes you want to stay inside and reconsider doing any outdoor activities. 

But as bad as January and February may be, we are in December and that means one thing, CHRISTMAS!!!!

It s a time where we spend too much, we eat too much, we decorate a dead tree and show case it to all our family and friends. With lots of movies and music that warm the corners of your heart. 

Some say that it is a magical time of year. And they are NOT wrong, just right for the wrong reasons. 

Christmas movies are wonderful, seeing Uncle Eddy in Christmas Vacation. Elf save Christmas in ELF, and seeing Nakatomi Plaza get saved from Terrorists in Die Hard are just a few amazing Christmas movies. But as good as they are, it is the music that takes the cake.

Christmas music is something that gets played for 6 weeks or so. Similar songs all song by different artists. 

Some people hate hearing Santa Claus is coming to town for the 50th time. And I understand that. But for a minute, think of all the Christmas music in the world. Is there a few songs that you need to hear in order for the holiday to be special? 

For me, some songs make the season. 

Halloween is not the same until I watch the Michael Jackson Thriller video. 

Christmas is not Christmas without hearing the Muppets sing the 12 days of Christmas AND AND AND! Lou Monte sing Dominick the Donkey. 

It is one of my all time favorite songs. It is silly. It is funny. It is Christmas. 

But as much as I love so many Christmas songs, and 9FM plays so many great songs. But we as Christians should not be these grouchy grumpy Scrooges. We need to understand the music and the season and use it as an opportunity. 

MY best Bobbo, ps - everyone should have a Best Bob. Bobbo told me something profound that one of his professors at Moody told him about. Christmas music is a time in which the world is singing our music. That is profound.

The classic songs, the songs you hear still on every Christmas station and playlist. 

A First Noel

Little Drummer Boy

O Come all Ye Faithful

Silent Night

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Away in a Manger

Wise Men

O Holy Night

To name a few songs. 

These songs, which give your heart that warm tingling feeling like fuzzy pajamas while sipping on coffee with a dash of cinnamon. But these are not just songs that have lasted the decades. These are songs that proclaim the birth of the Savior Jesus. 

This is an opportunity to have the world sing about the Birth of God. How Christ came to Earth in the form of a baby. 

If the world was actually singing and WANTS to hear about Jesus, then why are we complaining about too long of a season? 

We need to explain the meaning behind these songs. About how God came to Earth to be the savior from our Sin problems. How He lived a perfect life and allowed evil men to humiliate and wound Him and willingly let men kill Him. Why? Because He loves us and wants a relationship with us. 

Jesus came to Earth, lived, died, and then ROSE FROM THE DEAD. 

Providing a way for us to have a relationship with Him and live forever. 

This is Christmas. Not the gifts. Not the tree. Not movies. Not the snow. It is a time to worship the God who stepped down from Heaven, so that we can be forgiven for our sins. 

Enjoy the music. 

Sing with the world about a time where we Celebrate the Messiah. 

Until next month! 

Excelsior and Cheers! and a very Merry Christmas

Pastor Adam

a Response to Mr Trump

From Trump to God

By Rev Adam Fox

Greetings my fine Blog Friends, or Blends. 
Can you believe we have 7 weeks left in this calendar year. 2016 has been a roller coaster of emotions, both high and low. And for some, we have reached the lowest of the low. For some in our Nation, the loss of Harambe and Bowie and the situation with Police was bad, wait till  you get a hold of President Elect Donald Trump. Yep, Trump. 

The Billionaire who got a Stunner for Stone Cold Steve Austin in a WrestleMania.

The man who gave directions to Kevin in Home Alone.

The man who is famous for saying "You're Fired"

He is going to be our next President. Let that sink in a little.

For half of our country, this is a man that produces such an emotional response. Because of things said - both in the election process and in life, because of actions, business stuff, family stuff...Hatred, Fear, Anger are emotions that are bubbling up from so many in the amazing country of ours. 

For myself, I did not know how to respond that Wednesday morning. Should I be excited? Should I be scared? Should I lash out on a social media platform so everyone can hear my opinion (if they like it or not)? And for a hot minute, I got on Facebook like I normally do and it was a war zone. The Pro Hillary people, the pro Trump people. The fear spreaders. The terrified. The excited. The braggers. Even the non-voters. Of all the things I read, there was one common word used. They.

Each side used a word to describe the other view point and refereed to them as They. And it bothers me. We are the UNITED States of America. We will have differences, but a great thing about this country is that we work together on the things that matter. We are a country that loves on each other, as the Bible talks about. Love our neighbors. My point is this, stop refering to other people, or people groups as they. It isolates you and makes others feel under you. Attempt to work out the differences instead of letting uncontrolled emotions run wild. But that still leaves us with the latest Hot Button issue. Our next president is a man that a lot do not respect, some are afraid of, and others want to leave because of. While I am not saying how I voted, because that does not matter any longer. Mr Trump is our President. Protesting and rioting will not make last Tuesday go away. Using the hashtag #notmypresident will not change the fact that he is. This is a 180 from 8 years ago when Evangelicals would not accept Obama as there President. But we must. Am I curious as to what campaign promise will be kept? If there was a Campaign Trump and a President Trump? What will happen to Minority groups and refuges? All YES!But I believe we need to wait and see. See who he appoints around him, his cabinet and advisers. See if he acts differently than his Twitter persona.Wait and see before we judge and sentence. And if we wait and see, we also need to one thing. The most important thing all Christians and Americans can do - Pray.Prayer is important and it works. We are called to not only love our fellow man, but also pray for our leadership. Leadership means local government, church leaders, up to our top man and the people who advises them. And that is where I want to spend the last of this with. We need to Pray for President Trump, like him or not, voted for him or not, scared of him or not. AND we need to pray for wisdom for his advisory as well. The Bible is filled with examples of people who sought council from men who were not Godly men and gave horrid advice. Look at the Book of Esther. Or look at the friends of Job. Look at Rehoboam... These examples of how bad advice can influence a person. We need to pray for Godly men and women to surround Mr Trump and seek God on every decision. And Pray for Trump. 1 Timothy 2 shows us clearly what we need to do for all our elected officials. "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time."
Let me leave you with this. God has not forgotten us. He knew who would become President and it is what we need. Now it is our turn. PRay for him, about every decession and every appointment and law. And that He would seek a relationship with God if he has not already.
Until next time. 

Cheers and Excelsior!
Pastor Adam

Line Envy

The most unhappy place in the Happiest Place On Earth

Lessons on Jealousy

By Rev. Adam Fox

Greetings my faithful followers!
Sorry for the delay in posting this latest edition of the Foxtrot. Last week I was on vacation in beautiful sunny Orlando, Florida!
That's right, a vacation!
Not to brag, but this was my first vacation since high school, so it was long over due. And I took advantage of every minute.
So my cousin Jana, her fiance John, my girlfriend Andrea and myself all flew down to Universal Studios to have fun watching Harry Potter World. It was amazing. There were plenty of memories made for all of us. And a few life lessons that we learned, like 90% humidity and caffeine are not a good mix...
But for Andrea and I this trip was more than just a vacation, I used it to propose to her and she agreed to marry me. So YAY!!

The trip was beyond amazing, and most assuredly memorable. From all the parks, to the food, to the shows and rides, even the roller-coasters - or so I am told. But I must admit, my three days in the park there was one thing that got worse as each day, each ride passed. The lines.

For each ride and coaster, Universal offers general admission and a special express pass for those that pay for it. We did not. So for most rides, we waited anywhere from 20-75 minutes. I do not mind waiting, it is part of the experience and I had my fiance to wait with - bonus!
But the people who had the special passes got through the lines in record times. At first it did not bother me, but as it got hotter, and I got more irritated those Express Pass suckas made me envious. 

Jealousy and Envy do that to us.
They make us regret our choices, what we have for what others have and are doing. For me, it was that Express Line. I wanted to be able to flash a laminated card and skip ahead of hundreds. Ignoring the fact that I was in a cooler line, with an amazing woman whom I love.
Jealousy is a thief and robber. It is a great tool that Satan uses.
As Christians we have so much to be thankful for. We have been forgiven by the Creator of the Universe for all the sins that we have committed. We get to be in Heaven forever with our God and Savior who loves us so much. We as Americans live in a country that is free and does not come after us to worship or assemble.
That is just scratching the surface. But jealousy creeps in. It does to all of us.
It could be in the physical attributes of another person.
It could be in the car someone has
It could be in a job or career
It could be in how people treat others compared to how you feel you are treated.
But the Bible shows us often that we are to trust God completely and not be jealous. Look at Saul and David. Saul was jealous of David because of how their people celebrated David more coming how from a battle. " Saul has killed his hundreds, while David has killed his thousands."
Jealousy drove Saul mad and got him killed.
We need to be careful.
James 3:14-16 warn us what envy and jealousy can do.
14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.

15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 

16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

Solomon also warned us that envy can rot the bones.
For me, that means being okay waiting in lines. Enjoying the people and places I am with instead of those badge-flashing vacationers.
What does it mean for you? Ask God for help in this area of your life. 

Until next time

Cheers and Excelsior!