DLmail 2/4/2009 $617

29 boys and 17 girls Saturday night. Enough to make you dizzy.

46 kids is great for a Saturday night. Too bad we had just three leaders (and one of those is me, so technically 2.5 leaders), one Kevin Elder and one Keith Lindgren. Kevin helped by getting down with us and taking a group on the front end of the evening. Thanks man. Keith was pulled in two directions as he was leading worship in both the Factory and Treehouse. We had no tech person. Needless to say, things didn't go perfectly smoothly, beginning with the teaching start time. I think that was my responsibility and I pretty much blew it. Kevin did a masterful job of teaching of course. I also struggled greatly with some behavior issues...quite a night. Pray for some help to arrive. Things need to change.

This coming weekend Kevin Stewart will be missing, however, he managed to bag a sub, one of the most sought after and talented youth leaders at Northwoods, Caleb White. Whew. I am also expecting Tim and Monica. Our virtue for the month will continue to be Fairness (Why won't you be my neighbor?). The memory verse is Proverbs 31:9 "Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." The Bible Story is the parable of the good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37. Your small group information can be accessed by clicking here. The bottom line for the lesson -treat everyone fairly, even those who are different. If you want to listen to Tim Reist's mainstage message from last week titled Victorious Secret, click here.

It has been quite a week for my little family. You can check out Pam's blog for more details on her journey we are taking with her. Thankfully we have wonderfully helpful family and friends. Because if it were up to just me, oh man. Let me explain. I pretty much unloaded all my accumulated wisdom on all of you in last weeks DLmail (Maui Jim and Panera). So this week I had to gain some additional life experience before I could pass any wisdom learned from it to you. I took care of that Monday evening. Here is the long version of a short story.

I am not a novice grocery shopper. I am in Kroger a lot. And like Dick's, Sam's or the True Value hardware store, I am often mistaken for an employee at Kroger. I probably know that store better than any of the others. I am there all the time. So what was about to happen, shouldn't have, I know better. Monday was a long day for Pam/us as she received her chemotherapy. We got home around 6PMish. Our kids were home around 7PM and I figured while Pam's folks were there, they could Pamsit while I picked up Pam's prescriptions at the Kroger pharmacy and get our weekly groceries. I grabbed those drugs first and then proceeded to get the groceries. 7:49PM and I receive my receipt and head home. By 8:30 or so I am done putting the groceries away and straightening things. I did a little laundry and at 9PM a bell went off in my head. Where are Pam's prescriptions? I searched frantically ($80 in co-pays for those three drugs). Nothing. I returned to the store to the same checker and bagger. I am fairly well known at Kroger and I always visit with the checkers, she clearly remembered me having just left. She remembered I had prescriptions near me as I wrote the check. The teenaged girl who bagged even remembered the lady that followed me had some prescription drugs in a bag as well. She noticed her stuffing them in her coat pocket. Not to profile or anything, but the most memorable thing about the lady in line behind me was her...uh, awkward...scent. A rancid blend of smoke, animals and BO...sorry, I feel guilty even writing it (and, am I 'judging fairly; defending the rights of the poor and needy'?). The scent, however, played into my favor. The checker and the bagger couldn't help but notice and remember her. So, here I am, on pins and needles waiting for chemo reactions to erupt in Pam at any moment, and the one drug that might help the most is tucked safely in the coat pocket of an unknown woman at an unknown location. I better start a new paragraph.

I dragged myself home, totally disappointed for having been so careless. Regretting the fact that the next person in line wasn't of the personality to simply say to the checker "I believe that kind, athletic, intelligent, handsome young man left behind this bag of prescription drugs." So, I had to call the police. They showed up around 10:30PM, took my story, made a report and then went to Kroger to get some statements. I then sat there and waited for Pam's reactions to come. And they didn't. Thank you Lord for that answer to prayer Monday. In the morning I expected to contact the doctors, get new scripts and pay the full price, $617, for the replacement drugs. But before I could do anything, Kroger called and said they were replacing Pam's drugs at no charge, just pick them up. Kroger corporate security from Indianapolis was coming to investigate. Our Kroger has security cameras and they are actually on and being used nowadays. Kroger was kind and helpful and they didn't want us to suffer any loss. Because of the value, the little old lady who "accidentally" took them home, could be in serious trouble, even more so if she swallows them. Part of me feels bad for her because I think she might not be right. Then another part of me thinks, "what the heck?...you took prescriptions from a cancer patient!" I am still hashing this out, but let me pass on this wisdom to you, don't leave your prescriptions on the checkout counter and go home. It is a pain in the butt.

PS - GH, thanks for reading all the way to the end. I feel safe in saying this as I believe you are the only one who will.