I feel like I just woke up from the post-prom party. Kids started arriving at 12:45, and I tossed the last boy out at 5:05. That's AM.
As expected, the kids were terrific. The girls were gorgeous and sweet. The boys very polite--perhaps you think it was because I was holding that rifle all night, but I think their mothers are right. These are a nice bunch of kids.
We fed them healthy snacks. Apples, bananas, marshmallows, and angel food cake with homemade chocolate fondue with real imported Italian liqueur in to give it a little zing (we borrowed it from my sister-in-law and did not, I swear, use a drop of it as a beverage). It was really good. Oh, and sausage, which was dipped in chocolate by only one football player (what a surprise).
The boys found the pool and went for a swim around 2:00, which was 30 minutes later than I anticipated. I told Janet that if God intended for a 6-foot iron fence to keep boys out of water, he would not have given them arms and legs. It turned out those rascals did not even need to climb the fence. They picked the lock with a driver's license! I was so proud, I almost cried.
A cold front complete with rain blew in as they were climbing the fence (in Texas, a cold front in April is defined as anything wet that drops the temperature below 70 degrees). So when the boys returned from their adventure, they were wet and freezing. They were also scared to come inside despite our daughter's assurances of grace. I think I overheard one say something about, "Yeah, but your Dad has that funny look in his eye."
Janet--always the kind one--went outside and offered towels to the huddled masses. Then she smiled and came back in. Our daughter just told her friends, "See I told you my parents wouldn't be mad." We are gold, y'all.
All this is to say that it's really nice to give away the grace that the Father gives to me. Those kids were not ready to go home after the prom. They had energy and sore feet. If you wonder why girls wear shoes that cause such pain, you are a guy. I asked and they told me. It's because they look pretty. That tells me that those girls were willing to endure pain to have someone tell them they looked pretty. So I told 'them, "Sometimes, pretty is worth the pain." I told those dumb boys--who by 1:00 had changed into what Janet calls "paint clothes"--to compliment the girls on how pretty they looked. So the boys made points too.
Anyway, there's a God-thing in here somewhere. Oh yeah, God looks at us, sees our self-inflicted pain, and tells us how pretty we look to him. Jesus is the kindest and most fun guy who ever lived. He does not mind a bit when we go swimming in a tuxedo. Nor does he mind when the girls think we're crazy and laugh at us. In fact, as the wind blew that night, and the mist started to form into big, wet drops, I could've sworn I felt the Father's smile on the whole shindig.
As expected, the kids were terrific. The girls were gorgeous and sweet. The boys very polite--perhaps you think it was because I was holding that rifle all night, but I think their mothers are right. These are a nice bunch of kids.
We fed them healthy snacks. Apples, bananas, marshmallows, and angel food cake with homemade chocolate fondue with real imported Italian liqueur in to give it a little zing (we borrowed it from my sister-in-law and did not, I swear, use a drop of it as a beverage). It was really good. Oh, and sausage, which was dipped in chocolate by only one football player (what a surprise).
The boys found the pool and went for a swim around 2:00, which was 30 minutes later than I anticipated. I told Janet that if God intended for a 6-foot iron fence to keep boys out of water, he would not have given them arms and legs. It turned out those rascals did not even need to climb the fence. They picked the lock with a driver's license! I was so proud, I almost cried.
A cold front complete with rain blew in as they were climbing the fence (in Texas, a cold front in April is defined as anything wet that drops the temperature below 70 degrees). So when the boys returned from their adventure, they were wet and freezing. They were also scared to come inside despite our daughter's assurances of grace. I think I overheard one say something about, "Yeah, but your Dad has that funny look in his eye."
Janet--always the kind one--went outside and offered towels to the huddled masses. Then she smiled and came back in. Our daughter just told her friends, "See I told you my parents wouldn't be mad." We are gold, y'all.
All this is to say that it's really nice to give away the grace that the Father gives to me. Those kids were not ready to go home after the prom. They had energy and sore feet. If you wonder why girls wear shoes that cause such pain, you are a guy. I asked and they told me. It's because they look pretty. That tells me that those girls were willing to endure pain to have someone tell them they looked pretty. So I told 'them, "Sometimes, pretty is worth the pain." I told those dumb boys--who by 1:00 had changed into what Janet calls "paint clothes"--to compliment the girls on how pretty they looked. So the boys made points too.
Anyway, there's a God-thing in here somewhere. Oh yeah, God looks at us, sees our self-inflicted pain, and tells us how pretty we look to him. Jesus is the kindest and most fun guy who ever lived. He does not mind a bit when we go swimming in a tuxedo. Nor does he mind when the girls think we're crazy and laugh at us. In fact, as the wind blew that night, and the mist started to form into big, wet drops, I could've sworn I felt the Father's smile on the whole shindig.
posted by Dr. Jack Allen at 5:29 PM
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