It was a pleasure spending time with Christians this past Friday night, and rather revealing. For instance, did you know that Wally saved Sandy's life earlier that day? No I am not kidding. And he didn't even interrupt his business conference call to do it. But that's Sandy's story to tell (maybe a bulletin someday?) What made Sandy even think of it (she had forgotten it. How?) was that we were talking about hamburgers, BIG ones, from Fuddruckers. Wally and Sandy love this place, and Sandy confesses when they come back from a trip away from home they often go here for dinner, sometimes before they even drive home and unload. Anyway, I boasted that I like the one pound burgers and eat them with lettuce, pickles, and cheese. Sandy mentioned that without ketchup or mayo or anything they would be awful dry and stick in your throat, which reminded her of her near-death experience earlier that day. Yes, it was that serious!

But Kurt, upon hearing how a one pound burger comes with a roll that looks for all the world like a loaf of bread (it's that big!!!) mentioned a Dagwood sandwich, like in a cartoon when the sandwich is measured in feet and squished down to be eaten. I mean, how DO you eat a burger that is about 6-8 inches thick? And Dagwood, that cartoon icon, is famous for a few things. Sandwiches, a "blonde" wife, running headlong into mailmen, and... naps!

I had a nice nap yesterday. When I was young, I hated naps of course and felt they were for "kids and old folks" but now that I'm getting older myself I have come around. In fact, back when I used to work for a living in my 20's I would take a quick snooze whenever I found myself with time on my hands. I might even fall asleep perched on top of a stack of drywall. In those days I attributed it to the fact that I actually did manual labor for a living, so taking a "rest" now and then was perfectly OK. It's not like I was an old man or anything.

A few years ago there was some kind of medical report from some school, Stanford or whatever, that said taking a nap was actually very healthful and good, relieving stress and giving people a second wind on the day. This was even affirmed by medical studies at various hospitals. Huh. I don't know about that, but I do know that people seem hardwired to take naps when they need them. Kids use them to make their shoes and clothes obsolete. Old folks use them, well, I guess to avoid sleeping at night when the rest of us do. Haven't got there yet but I will know soon enough.

Whenever I think about sleeping, I think about the good and bad things that happened to biblical characters. Adam went to sleep and wound up missing a rib. Samson woke up missing some hair. Samuel kept hearing voices waking him up. Sisera ended up with a nail through his head. Many kings, they "slept with their fathers" for the long one. Job had a really tough time sleeping, for days. Ahasuerus read his own book. Darius feared for a friend who spent the night with lions. Some of the Syrians who threatened Jerusalem woke up and found themselves dead (boy does that sound a little strange). Some of the apostles simply couldn't stay awake.

But this passage in particular catches my eye: How long will you sleep, oh sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep? I always read this and think I am simply not using my time wisely. The whole burb is on the front cover today. The point is, finally I grasp I was wrong all this time. I don't nap to excess, I don't even do it regularly. I never do it to avoid anything, and as Bridget can probably attest when we've had surgery (like wisdom teeth being taken out) our body automatically demands it for healing time. Nap != Lazy.

It's good to worry that we're doing enough to please God. I would highly recommend it! But maybe all this time I should have been tempering it with this passage, too: Martha, Martha, thou are careful and troubled about many things... In other words, Randy, you fuss too much. Worship God and the "rest" , including when to nap, will all fall into place. Likewise, if you fret about wasting every last scrap of food, well, Sandy may have something to say about how deadly that can be, too!

Randy