"What about an Eby family trip to the Gulf Coast to help with disaster relief?" my cousin Frank suggested.

"Great idea," I answered.

"I'm game."

"Do you suppose others will want to join us?"

"Why wouldn't they?" I replied rhetorically.

"What a great way to have a family reunion."

After months of planning, Lee Eby, project leader, pulled together 14 members of the Eby "tribe" who met at Crossroads Church of the Nazarene in Gautier, Mississippi. The team, ages 16 to 73, came from Florida, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Missouri, and California.

Pensions and Benefits (P&B) came to be as a result of action by the 1919 General Assembly. It was born out of a deep desire to care for Nazarene ministers and their surviving spouses.

In recent months I have had the privilege of attending services in three different churches where I was a worshiper, not a preacher - not that the two are necessarily exclusive of one another. These opportunities are rare and treasured when they occur. In each case, the experience of worship was moving, heart stirring, and significant.

Does a morality gap exist today between what people say they believe and how they behave? Most people would say yes. We have divorced belief from behavior. To our detriment, morality has become a take-it-or-leave-it kind of deal. As if we were making cafeteria selections, we have become adept at picking and choosing brands of morality.

Stopping for my daily cup of coffee at the corner gas station, I greeted Leslie and Phil, two employees I'd been inviting to church for a year or so. Then, just as I was about to add my second shot of cinnamon hazelnut creamer, something unexpected happened. Another sleepy early riser grabbed the cinnamon container at the same time I did, which began a friendly bit of conversation. It ended with me purchasing his coffee and offering him a Kindness Card from Gracepointe Church of the Nazarene"a reminder of God's love, no strings attached.

Nearly 200 years ago, on March 25, 1807, the British Parliament in London enacted a law that would have repercussions around the world. The new law prohibited British ships from transporting slaves on the high seas. Those caught breaking the law would be fined heavily, and if caught again would lose their shipping license. This 1807 Slave Trade Act was the British Parliament's first significant move to deal with what many people considered the scandal of the Empire. Twenty-six years later, Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act, giving freedom to all slaves in the British Empire.

Jerry Nelson has served for 34 years as arranger and instrumental director at Denver First Church of the Nazarene. He is the founder of Clarion Sound Tracks, the oldest accompaniment track company in the world, and parent company of Eagle's Nest, a mountain retreat and studio primarily for Christian artists.

Where were you born and raised?

In the snowbanks of Minnesota.

Explain about your family.

Jossie Owens is superintendent of the New England District for the Church of the Nazarene. She has served as pastor and educator. Her husband, Tom, is an attorney. They reside in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Q: What is your concept of joy?
A: To be in the center of God's will for my life.

Q: What is your greatest fear?
A: Not to be in the center of His will for my life.

One evening while relaxing in a comfortable chair, I mindlessly turned on the television. As the screen flickered to life, I realized that I was watching a man preach in a renovated sports arena to a crowd that appeared to number in the thousands. His message was simple: think positively. Think good thoughts. Speak faith, not failure. Believe you are prosperous and good things will follow you as rainbows follow the rain. It was incredibly smooth. A soothing essence dripped from the words of the preacher that seemed to comfort the audience.

With an optimistic attitude and my Buddhist meditations, I thought I could conquer any obstacle. After all, I'd run more than 100 marathons and ultra-marathons, including 150 miles through the Sahara and Mojave deserts.

That was before my wife asked me to leave our home.