My best friend since High School

Set the "way-back" machine to the end of my sophomore year in High School. I was even more geeky back then, if you can imagine that. My two other friends at the time had a different 'final exam' schedule than I did so I was sitting by myself in the cafeteria. Back then we took our exams for the entire week, well for four days. One in the morning, and one in the afternoon, with a pretty sizable lunch break in the middle. On the Tuesday (I think I am remembering this right) lunch break this kid comes up to me and asks if I'd like to come over his place and swim in between exams. I don't know if it was because he was lonely, or because I was alone, but I appreciated the gesture as any selfish high schooler that would love to have a friend with a pool to spend the summer with could be.

He had a nice place, and he had MTV (back in the early 80's that was a BIG deal). We kind of hit it off right off the bat. I found out a little bit latter that, by the time we met, he had already had three open heart surgeries to deal with a defective valve in his heart (since then they have replaced it once more). We've done a lot of things together since then. We hung out past high school. He was the first place I went after I enlisted in the National Guard. We both met our wives at the same college (his wife actually was instrumental in leading my wife to the Lord). I was seated next to him in church the day he gave his heart to the Lord.

In many ways he is a personal hero of mine. He has fought through a lot, and he continues to fight today. He likes NASCAR, and the Minnesota Vikings. He does NOT like to go bowling, but he will bend over backwards to help a guy out. For some reason one thing I had not known about him until last year was that, his favorite comic book hero growing up was Iron Man. It had to do with the fact that Tony Stark, the man behind the suit, had heart problems just like him. Well, two weeks from tonight is opening night for the Iron Man movie. We are going to get a bunch of friends together, eat at a steak place, and watch the movie. I've sort of kept up with the hype leading up to this movie, and I have no idea how the critics or the general population will react to it, but I think I am going to like it a lot.

If you like superhero movies, I highly encourage you to go see this one. :)
Verse for today:
Psalm 86 : 1-7, ESV
Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.