Wow, it was loud in our house last night. We went from one ear-splitting discussion to the next. And Trevin would just stand on the couch and sort of mimic the chaos around him by loudly shouting gibberish. We discussed an apple cider-making, school-related controversy. We talked of wedding bands, church philosophies, church disciplines, and accountability. I really worked myself up over accountability. And I can still see dad, sitting in his rocking chair, with this bemused smile on his face as he listened to his family (his two eldest sons, mostly) have at it.

Accountability. This is one of the most important things in church life. And it’s something that is exciting and depressing to me. Exciting because it’s such an opportunity for growth and closeness between people, but depressing because I need to do so much more in this area. Brotherhood is a good word, but sometimes it may be a substitute for “getting personal” with others. This doesn’t mean prying into the lives of people who don’t want it, but it does mean appropriately sharing yourself with them and sharing concerns about their lives--if need be--in a loving, respectful, Godly manner. This is Biblical.

I didn’t do much today. Slept in, did some homework, washed my car (imagine that). I'm going out to eat with some friends and then it’s off to a barbershop show, one in which Tom’s quartet is singing.