Due to work requirements and the 6-hour drive needed to get to Southern Adventist University, I was not able to be there for the Thursday or Friday SEYC meetings. I arrived quite late at my mom’s home in TN on Friday night, the 16th, which is still about an hour’s drive from Southern. The house was empty, since my mom is teaching in VA. It was nice to rest and get some down-time after a long and tiring week. With the phone service suspended during my mom’s absence, there was no Internet, e-mail, etc. It was real nice and … quiet. I noticed that the neighbors had made good progress on their house construction, with the walls up and everything pretty much enclosed. It is becoming a beautiful home, which is a pity since, despite the earnest warnings of my mom and other neighbors, the owners have decided to build it in a flood plain that is submerged virtually every spring. For the seemingly inevitable conclusion to this story, see Matthew 7:26-27.
Sabbath morning I woke up with the help of my trusty cell phone alarm,* got ready, and drove to Southern. I arrived a little early and was able to find a really great parking place. On the way in I happened to meet up with my long-time friend Diana, who was heading inside to help with the event backstage. Her family recently moved away from my hometown, and it was awesome to see her again.