Southgate is full of some really great families, one of which is the Mazelins. Mark and Janelle are raising the neatest kids and working at honoring God in their home. They have two girls, Caitlin and Claire and two younger preschool boys, Andrew (Drew) and Austin. The girls are reserved and quiet. The boys are full of it, the only kind of boys Andi and I have ever known. Drew has got to be working around four years old, and Austin is bearing down on two or two plus.

Two Sundays ago they tried something different as a family as they came to church for Sunday school. They tried having Drew be taken to his Sunday school class by his sisters. I was coming down a set of stairs and was greeted by two rather beleaguered looking girls and one brother who had dashed away and was unresponsive to their overtures to reign him in. Freedom! He was having the time of his life running down the hall. Not even knowing what was going on, I joined the action and playfully ran Drew down. He thought it was great fun. Realizing that I had mistakenly left change in my pocket (I don't like noisy change as I walk around) and desiring to encourage the kids, I stopped and gave each of them the change I had in my pocket for Sunday school. It is a part of their usual routine to have offering, but I was boosting the totals for that Sunday. I gave Drew a dime. I forgot about the whole incident.

During the service and while I was preaching, I did notice that they came and got Janelle out of the service. I also noticed (it is amazing how your mind works in preaching and what you notice that is going on in the worship center during the sermon) they came back in to alert Dr. Dave Billing to a "situation". He has been such a blessing to so many. But still it did not register.

At home Andi asked me if I had heard what happened to Drew during the service. I had not. "He swallowed his dime in junior church". Way to go Eric! His mom was alerted and went to his side where he sat pensive and remorseful (a foreign posture for this Rough Rider!) and as if he was ready to get in big trouble.

"What happened Drew?"

"I swallowed my offering."

Janelle immediately went on Mom-alert status. She summoned Dave to explore the matter with Drew. He listened to his breathing to insure that he had not aspirated the dime (sucked it down his windpipe). His breathing was fine and Dave assured her that Drew-man would be ok, it would just take a few days of exploratory analysis to sort it all out. This too would pass!

So the Mazelin family was involved in a weeklong archeological dig of sorts, you could say-all to no avail. But last Saturday's CT scan revealed for Drew that that projectile was either hiding out in an unknown crevice or else that stealthie dime had made its way unnoticed into the nether world of ingested and voided extras.

Upon hearing that news I was actually a little disappointed. I had made the request and I wanted my dime back for a picture with Drew and me. That would have been great for my office. I am sure the dime would have had a shine heretofore unseen in dime-ology!

Yes, upon hearing the story I did identify myself and confess my culpable part in being an enabler by giving my friend Drew the dime. It was I! But God helped us both through it. The world is a better place with rambunctious little boys! God be praised for them. Andi and I and the Mazelins know that first hand.

Oh, but there is nothing like a little girl...or a high school one! The Mazelins only know a part of that sweetness. They will get the rest when the girls hit high school.

Be careful with dimes and little boys!