September 1, 2001 HERE'S MY HEART... We were sitting in the airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a couple of weeks ago, waiting for our flight to Miami, and our return home from a wonderful week of evangelism in Rio de Janeiro. A layman from middle Tennessee was seated across from me. "Well", he said, "It's almost time." I looked at my watch and assumed we were not on the same flight, because I still had approximately two hours to wait. However, for the sake of conversation (and friendliness), I said, "Yes, it won't be long now", to which he replied, "These next two weeks will pass in a hurry." Suddenly it hit me. So, out of curiosity, and to see if I was correct, I said, "By the time we get back to Knoxville, that's all we will be hearing." He laughed, and said, "Yep, I can hear it now...IT'S FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!" I should have known, but being a "transplant" from Alabama, I suppose I had forgotten just how passionate "Big Orange" fans can be. I should have known. I just forgot. I have laughed about that conversation many times over the past few days. However, it points up something very interesting to me. What invokes that kind of passion in each of us? For this man, it was the fact that the University of Tennessee Volunteers were getting ready for another season of football. And, I could sense his excitement as he spoke about it. For others, it is NASCAR racing, or their grandchildren, or all those "other" drivers on the highway that shouldn't have been issued a driver's license! And, for others, the passion is about church. Oh, not necessarily church growth, or church expansion, or church development, but how we ought to be "doing" church, and how we don't "do" church right sometimes. Have you ever wondered what might happen if we got as passionate about JESUS as we do about these other "things"? Hmmm. Would it make a difference in how we sing? How we pray? How we serve? How we worship? How we love? So, "it's almost time". What are you passionate about right now? Think about it. It might surprise you. God bless you. Thanks for visiting our website. If you live in our area, or if you will be visiting our area, come visit with us. Jim Clayton, Pastor