My son-in-law Thomas who is from Liberia became an official flag waving citizen of the United States today. He and Sherri drove up to Portland and he took a test which he passed because he has been studying for it for about 5 months, and then they had a swearing in event and now he is an American. Whoooeeeee.  He was nervous before the test but I knew that it would be a piece of cake for him as much as he has studied for it. Most of you know that he had a farming accident two years ago and broke his neck and now he is paralyzed and in a wheel chair. That is a major trial in life for sure, but it doesn’t have to be the end of dreams and goals, just changes course a bit. He has checked that goal off of the list and now he moves on to the next one of getting a good education and figuring out how to use it in meaningful ministry. So many people get discouraged because of difficult events that happen to them and quit dreaming and go into a “coast mode” of living life. That is when someone has the predominate attitude of “I won’t dream or set goals because something might happen to block them from happening so it is safer to just let life come to you”. That is a boring way to live life even if it is “safe”. It is also a guarantee that there will be no significant fruit come from that life lived I can’t think of anything worse then getting to the end of our life and there be nothing to show for it.