Yesterday at CrossTrainers we held a Medal of Faithfulness ceremony to honor four men -- including my good friend Rick Holmertz -- who had gone home to be with the Lord in the past few months. This was a wonderful, tender time celebrating their strong walks and that they finished well, and the legacy echoing forward through their families.

My dad, dead now for four years, was likewise honored at a ceremony like this. I burst into tears when saw his pictures again yesterday. I think about him every day (in fact, I wear his beloved watch to remind me of him), and miss him terribly.

A good friend pointed out to me when he died that the reason we hurt so much is that we weren't built to say goodbye. It wasn't in our original design. There's wisdom in that.

But most of the chest pains I experienced yesterday were because God did some work in me. "Get rid of this stupid stuff that doesn't belong in the life I have for you." One of the best quotes of 2005 is "Don't get stuck on stupid." Apparently in military training they say that pain is the feeling of fear leaving your body. Well, as men, sometimes it's not fear leaving your body, it's stupid stuff leaving your heart.

Semper Fi, Jesus. With your help, I will be semper fi.