Dear Friends, Some friends have been trying to get me to play pickle ball for a couple of years. Although I’d never spent any time playing racket sports, I’ve become okay at most sports I’ve tried, so I finally went and watched them. It looked they were all having fun and it seemed simple enough, so when they urged me to come and play the next week, I went. Honestly, it was more humbling than I thought. I was consistently standing in the wrong place, hitting the ball to the wrong spot and sweating more than anyone else. Still, I’m super competitive, so I had fun. When they asked me to come and play again, I did. Since I’d already did it once, this time I jumped in without warming up, stretching, or even giving much thought to the shoes I was wearing. All of that proved to be a mistake. Not three minutes into my second attempt I was trying to slam the ball back at my opponent when I suddenly fell to the ground. It felt like someone had crashed into me from behind or maybe hit me with something. As I lay there unable to get up by myself, I soon realized I’d ruptured an Achilles tendon. Soon, I was being carried to the closest exit. Within a week, I was having surgery followed by a hundred warnings by my surgeon, ”TAKE IT SLOW!!” “This is going to be a loooong recovery!” Currently, I’m getting a new shot at learning both patience and humility. Sure, I know what the Holy Bible says about patience. And I’ve read entire books about true biblical humility. But when you cannot get into or out of a shower, cannot go to the bathroom alone, and are forced to do even the most mundane tasks on a scooter, you have two options. You can become impatient and shake your fist at the sky, or you can learn to become more patient with yourself and others. And since you won’t be walking on your own either way, accepting the heavy dose of humility and learning to be more patient are the best options. In all things we must find a way to give thanks! So, I appreciate your prayers as I slow down a bit and thank God I didn’t break something more important! Blessings in Christ, Pastor Jim Kilby