and put it in your pocket; never let it fade away.

Easier said than done.

My brother died last week. My younger brother.

Not unexpectedly. He'd been a drug and alcohol abuser for thirty years. Give or take. His body just flat gave out.

He survived heroin, tequila, and a brain aneurysm. He lost a foot to diabetes. He had hepatitis, TB, blood sugar and blood pressure out of control. And a couple of heart attacks.

What a waste.

He was very intelligent which made it easy for him to manipulate and cheat and steal and talk his way out of trouble.

He was the epitome of, "If you can't be good example, you'll have to be a horrible warning."

He's a warning of what happens when you value getting high more than the family fallout of stealing and selling family heirlooms.

Jeff left two sons, a mother, step-father, two sisters, two brothers, a step-mother, two ex-wives. And a lot of damaged relationships.

We're okay. Mom says she grieved for her son years ago, so this is almost a relief.

Almost.

For some reason, I flicked on the television Sunday morning. We're usually busy getting ready for church and rarely have it on but it was.

A local church's worship service was being broadcast and I had to pause. Everyone in the choir was dressed casually and not wearing choir robes.

Now I'm neither confirm nor deny... no, wait... I neither approve nor disapprove of choir robes. I understand they give a choir a uniform appearance so the audience is not distracted by the crazy paisley skirt the redhead in the front row is wearing. I didn't know they still made that kind of fabric. Well, duh... they don't. That skirt is at least 30 years old and came from a thri-what?? Oh, sorry. Got a little off track there.

Anyway, I also noticed that besides no uniform choir appearance, they were all dressed casually. Very casually. Picnic in the park casual, not even business casual.

I understand that's a trend now in some churches, to appear to be more user-friendly. To not scare off a visitor by a row of suits. And my day-to-day uniform is flip flops, crop-leg pants and a t-shirt or top. Casual with a capital T.

Except... our clothes make a statement. They do and anyone who says they don't is selling the position that it doesn't matter what we wear to approach God, the important thing is to approach Him.

Hooey.

Yep. It's hooey. Now bear with me a minute.

What's the usual attire for a funeral? Dresses, skirts, suits, heels, right? Why? To show respect for the recently passed and the bereaved.

What's the usual attire for a (non-beach or meadow) wedding? Dresses, heels, skirts, right? Maybe some business casual type clothes, khakis and a button shirt or a suit for men. Why? To show respect for the bride and groom.

What's the usual attire for 18 holes of golf at a nice course? No jeans and a collared shirt. Why? To show respect for the game, the club, and the other players.

So why should we dress up for church???

Hmmm.... maybe... respect? For God?

Oh my. What a provocative thought. Respect God. Revere His commands. Obey Him.

I'm afraid I would find it difficult to love my enemies with anything more than a wave of the hand if I was wearing cargo shorts and a tank top. If I have to do something hard, it helps to be confident, to know I look my best. To show some respect.

Just a thought.

It's a cliche' and one I'm not totally sure I know what it means.

But I was sharing with a friend today some details about a tough experience we went through several years ago. And I was fuzzy on some of the particulars. Things, that when they were happening, I was sure I'd remember every moment forever.

Guess what?

Yep. I didn't. As we said goodbye, I apologized for not being able to fill it all in. Then I shrugged and said, "Oh well. If I could remember all the details, I'd just get angry and upset all over again."

I think God has healed some of that hurt by blurring the sharp edges of it. It is the devil who stirs up those bad feelings when he can get us to focus on the bad, whatever it is.

So, it's not so much the devil is in the details as it is the devil uses the details.