We're at the library, getting ready to head out on vacation. Boy oh boy do we need it! I had one of the roughest weeks of my career last week. Everything was at crisis state -- nothing was just normal. First it was Suzie*, whose baby died December 14. That was a long, tough talk. I can't imagine the pain of losing a child.

Then it was Jerry*, the homeless man who gave me his whole tough-luck life story. He's lived in Arizona, Indiana, Georgia, blah blah blah, and now he wonders if he should even stay in Ohio. blah blah blah. He was certainly a dull fellow.

And then, the biggest of them all, was Chuck*, who is having such a rough time with life in general, and with his friends who are trying to see him through it safely. Going to see him at school, talking to his friends who only want to see him get better... Then e-mailing, then a long phone conversation well past my bedtime.

Of course, I wouldn't trade the first and the last things for anything. That's what I was called into ministry for. I would trade the middle one, though. When a guy comes into a church for help and then won't even let the pastor pray for him ("ehhhhhh, I've had other people pray for me and I haven't seen any results yet") then he's got to be kidding. Come ON! What's he thinking?