You have an appointment on the books with our Father this afternoon. It’s on your calendar. On your blackberry. Imagine that. Face to face. No baggage. No death. Just you and God. One on one. Your chance. Heaven.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Michael Phelps. The 23-year-old swimmer being called the greatest Olympian that has ever lived. After winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, overtaking Mark Spitz’s seven for seven in 1972, at least as far as the record books are concerned, he’s earned his title. When you get in the swimming pool, if Phelps is there, get ready for second place.

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." While I'm not missing the tongue in cheek irony of the classic Saturday Night Live sketch, where Stuart Smalley - performed by Al Franken - looks in the mirror and repeats this mantra, I'm not so sure that God gets the joke.

Hurricanes. Tornados. Tsunamis. Devastation. Abductions. Killing. Stealing. Greed. Famine. War. All in a day’s newscast. Morning. Noon. Night. 24 Hour coverage. Everywhere you turn. Terrible. Horrific. Frightening. Information overload.

God loves country music. I just know it. He still loves all that traditional stuff. The spiritual music I grew up on. Hymns. Organs. Gospel. Contemporary music. Christian singers. Christian radio. But God is a country music fan. He has to be.