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As I prepare to head out on vacation, I thought I'd leave my faithful blog readers some things to check out in my absence...sort of a commercial break from the regular posts....

I'm heading to the great city of Adel, Georgia to visit Chad and Tracy. Chad is minister of music at FBC Adel and they just finished their summer "Terrific Tuesdays" program with a performance of "Simon Says." Be sure to check out the video pictures from the kickoff day. I saw the inaugural Terrific Tuesday performance last year and they do a great job with those kids. And, this gets Tracy a bonus blog post even before the trip!

I just finished a book called, The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. I love to read books by first-time authors because it inspires me and reminds me of all the hard work they did to get to this point. If you are looking for a book to keep you out of the heat, this one has mystery and intrigue. Or try other books by first time authors...Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle by Beverly Bartlett (my boss and his wife are mentioned in the opening acknowledgements), or a first-time published book by a now well-known author...The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. His 12th novel comes out in the Fall and filming of the fourth movie based on his books is now in production.

The college minister and his wife at my church are in Guatamala adopting Julio Cesar, who is now William Thomas Ring. Thanks to Facebook and YouTube, we've been able to follow the pictures and video of their journey to adoption. Take a look at the videos on YouTube. There are three, but save the "Will Laughing at Daddy" for last because it is definitely the most hilarious.

With the summer slowly winding down (although with this heat index, it feels like it's just beginning), the new Fall TV lineup is just around the corner. My two favorite non-Reality shows are found on NBC....Heroes and The Office. If you've never watched either, you've missed out. Prior seasons of The Office are on DVD, but Heroes doesn't come out until August 28. In the meantime, check out the Fall TV preview on NBC for all the latest updates. Their Monday night lineup looks unbeatable with two other fantasy shows flanking the 9pm Heroes slot...Chuck and Journeyman.

And last, but most importantly, please pray for two families that are part of my church family. Each family is dealing with family members struggling with cancer. Nathan McLean has stage IV neuroblastoma and is scheduled for surgery tomorrow at 10:30 am to remove a tumor. At the age of 3, Nathan is a real trooper. You can follow his story through his CaringBridge site. Also, one of the single gals from my church, Courtney Broome, is in Georgia with her Mom who has recently been diagnosed with brain cancer. She had emergency surgery yesterday and is in recovery at the moment. Keep informed on her progress at her CaringBridge site. I know the families covets your prayers during these difficult days.