"Hi. How are you?"

A simple greeting. One you might encounter, oh, say at church. Perhaps one that you respond to with out even thinking. But certainly there have been times when the greeting comes from a source that is so surprising, so dumbfounding that you fumble your words and answer with something like "uhh...burgleflickle." Well, I had one of those times today at church. There I was, standing by the umbrella rack after worship, waiting for my dear wife to return from the restroom. Suddenly this gangly man with crazy hair cuts in front of me as he reached for what must have been his umbrella. As he stood to leave our eyes caught for that brief awkward second that men encounter when connecting eyes, and cheerily greeted me with "Hi. How are you?" Imagine my surprise when I realized that this man, whom I had just been in the same worship service as, turned out to be Lyle Lovett. Yes, Julia Roberts ex-husband, the musician with the goofy hair, and the mother who had a birthday today (hence the flowers at the altar given in her honor by her son) was also a son of the congregation I attend. Now if that doesn't make you want to be Lutheran...