Wow, the Mets got swept for the first time this season! The Red Sox outplayed them three nights in a row – it’s as simple as that.

But don’t be fooled, they’ve got plenty left for the series against the Yankees that starts tomorrow night in the Bronx. And I’ll be there – courtesy of a friend who is connected enough and unavailable enoungh himself to have had four tickets for the best show in town to pass on to a surprised and happy English convert to baseball.

I hope I won’t be too conspicuous in my Martinez shirt as I know they’re not too keen on Mets fans in the House that Ruth built, but I figure there’ll be enough of us there for me to melt into the crowd.

Forget the Boston debacle – tomorrow is another day!

I’m pretty pumped about Sunday. I like the format we adopted in the Spring of bringing together baptisms and communion every three months on one special Sunday. Of course we celebrate communion at other times too, but pairing it up with baptism is pretty cool.

It takes quite a bit of effort to baptize by immersion in a movie theater. The esential props are a horse trough (!) and countless gallons of water which have to be carried around 500 feet. But I’d far rather have baptisms in front of the whole church than off in some other place with just a fraction of our folks there.

Back in Scotland we generally baptized in the North Sea, which got a little chilly during the winter – that was when I learned that the pastor does not have to do the baptizing!

Okay, that was it – a great break out at my favorite part of the Island! Sure the weather wasn’t all it might have been, but there was enough sunshine to leave me pretty sore all over despite wearing factor 30 sunblock and to leave the elongated Blackmore nose shining like a beacon in the dark. Move over Rudolph!

It’s probably good to come clean and confess that I did watch a lot of World Cup Soccer, so didn’t get through all the reading I had planned.

But it was relaxing, refreshing and I certainly read enough to be challenged in a few areas and to be left with some things to think through, which hopefully will help me improve in doing what I do night and day – and love doing.

I know reading is fast becoming a lost art, but there is so much out there to amuse, entertain, inform, inspire that I need to find some more time to give myself to learning from others.

Okay, so today I hit 56 – but I’m not really that old, honest. If you don’t believe me, do what they do to trees – cut me in half and count the rings – I’m sure the total won’t come to more than 26.

I do have to admit that my back creaked a lot when I got up this morning and it has been giving me some grief all day, but young people have back problems as well as old relics from a bygone era, so that proves nothing.

What a great birthday – breakfast out with Gill and then the whole afternoon on the beach here in Montauk, reading and watching the sea. Charlotte, Mike and Jace will be here shortly and we’ll go eat together, watching the waves lap the shore.

On the subject of eating, there is good news for those who have used the word “anorexic”, albeit in jest, in my presence. I granted myself a holiday today and this morning I put away a huge omelette, homefries and toast. This afternoon I saty ont he beach and consumed strawberry mousse from the local bakery, with about an inch of whipped cream on the top of it. Tonight I will eat whatever I like, but I bet it will include french fries. So don’t worry, I can still eat – that’s the real problem!

It’s great to be sitting here 200 yards from the shore and listening to the waves hitting the beach. However, I can’t see the sea because it’s still shrouded in mist, fog or whatever. Last night we had enjoyed around 5 inches of rain here – it will be interesting to see what the weekend total was when I listen to the late news today..

But for now it has stopped and though I’m not exactly jumping into my new orange swimming trunks and heading for the sands, being out here – even in bad weather – sure beats being beat around the head with a kipper by a drunken Irishman!

Went in for the service this morning. I know I’m biased, but I love our church. I’m also glad we have a lot of warmheated people like Dr. Marvin Katzmann who worked on my back for me right after I left the theater. I pulled a muscle on Friday and have been in a lot of discomfort since then! Next step is the hot bath he recommended and hopefully it will be a virtually pain-free birthday for me tomorrow!

By the way, I heard a couple of great stories from people planning to be baptized next weekend, but I’m not going to tell them here, you’ll have to be there on the day for our Celebration Sunday!

We’re working on a complete overhaul of our website this summer and I love the new look. Our techi guy, Jim Dudley, is just waiting for me now to write a load of updated material, provide new photos, etc, which I have promised him will happen after this study break! Let’s face it, it won’t happen during it!

Thanks to Jimmy, our ministry reaches far wider than our own Sunday morning services nowadays. During June around 450 people listened to our podcasts and that number is growing as I get emails from other parts of the USA and from other countries about the messages preached at Grace.

You never know who may be listening it seems!

Nearer home, it wasn’t exactly a summer day here in Montauk today. We gave up on the beach after about one hour as there was a chilly breeze, but it has been a good, quiet day. I walked a few miles, got into my first book and watched Togo give France all kinds of trouble in the World Cup. Sadly the French won and will go through to the next round!

I love it out here – did I say that before? But I’m looking forward to driving in on Sunday to meet our live congregation and our internet friends and give them Hell!

I’ve never been much of a hell fire and damnation preacher, but since I do believe in hell, I need not only to warn people but above all else to inspire and be inspired to keep as many people out of there as possible.

I like the title of German Evangelist Reinnhard Bonnke’s autobiography – Plundering Hell To Populate Heaven.

Just finished my sermon for Sunday – let’s pray we’ll be doing a bit of that plundering stuff!

Later today I’m leaving town for a week (I will be coming back for Sunday) on one of my favorite trips of the year. As far as I can recall, already this year I’ve been in Texas (twice), D.C., California, Indiana (twice), Scotland and India.

Early this evening we take the shortest trek of all – to the far flung eastern end of Long Island and a little town I love – Montauk.

Some good friends have given us the use of their condo in this beautiful little resort for more summers than I can remember and it’s a haven. Why?

1. You can be in Montauk in less than 90 minutes, but it feels like you’re in another state.

2. The beach is so long it’s seldom really crowded.

3. No disrespect to anyone, but I seldom run into anyone I know in Montauk.

4. There’s a real relaxed atmosphere out there. We just veg out and fit right in.

5. All the comforts of home, but you’re away from home.

6. And the clincher – there are no shops worth speaking of, no big stores. So you couldn’t spend hours shopping if you wanted to. And of course I don’t want to.

The toughest decision is working out which books to take with me from my “To Read” stack. So this morning I’ve made the final cut.

The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus
I love his stuff – his podcast is outstanding. I’ve had the book since January so will be glad to get into it.

Emotional Branding by Marc Gobe
This is a book on marketing that was recommended to me by a friend as a must for all pastors.

The Multi-Site Church Revolution by Geoff Surratt and others
Is this the next step for Grace? One church, multiple congregations, different locations? Who knows? The book should be interesting.

Leading Beyond The Walls by Adam Hamilton
This has been called “The best book on how to be an effective pastor”. I can glean from it I’m sure – wonder if that quote is from the writer’s brother???

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
I saw this book recommended in an in-flight magazine on one of those journeys I made earlier this year. It’s about building networks and relationships. I meet a lot of people over meals already, but I’m up for any new excuse I can find for good (healthy!) food.

We’re taking a vacation in August, so I’m calling this week a Study Break. Tough life, I know, but pastoring demands sacrifices!

Our Wednesday morning Pastoral Team meeting went well today. We continued to discuss plans for the summer and beyond, with exciting changes ahead in most areas of the church’s life (more of all this in time).

Above all I’m glad that we’ve got some positive summer plans instead of just letting these months slip by as we have done over the past couple of years, with a great youth program starting next month and Backyard Bible Clubs for children being organized by Charlotte for August. It will all climax with an End Of Summer Festival for the community at Patchogue Bandstand on Labor Day.

So it was a good meeting … fastforward thirty minutes and Lesaya gets news from her mother in California that her seven year old nephew in England has been involved in a scary swimming incident and was found at the bottom of a pool. Suddenly the day and the mood changes. We get word in the office and all stop to pray – then we wait for word. For news of a miracle.

It is hours coming, but finally we learn that young Joe was revived in the ambulance, his vitals looked good, there was no immediate sign of damage due to oxygen deprivation and he was actually on his way home. Thanks God!

None of us knows what a day will bring, but it’s good to know who holds every day and all our tomorrows in his hands.

Please continue to pray for Joe’s complete recovery.

Wireless internet connections are a wonderful thing. Here I am sitting on my settee watching England play Sweden in the soccer World Cup, while at the same time I’ve been catching up on emails and am now updating my blog.

What a great time to be alive. If Al Gore hadn’t already invented the internet, I think I’d have done it myself.

This morning we had a guy here switching our phone system from dear old Verizon’s traditional phone line service to Vonage who somehow or other provide the same conveniences by hooking the house phones up to the internet. It’s all a little beyond my comprehension – totally beyond my comprehension to be absolutely honest – but I do know it will save me in the region of $70 a month on my phone bill.

All this is a world away from the small black and white TV that I was watching last time England won the world cup – way back in 1966.

England’s soccer really isn’t great – but while their glory days may be behind them, I’m glad to be living a life where the best is still to come. Technology isn’t the only thing that’s constantly changing. Church is too!