Heat Exhaustion

I actually got to golf with my league yesterday afternoon. Once in awhile, the league has a meal following the round of golf. Yesterday, we ate at the restaurant across the highway from the course, and they really put on a good spread of food. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to enjoy it.
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I was really hot while golfing (I'm not saying I was playing well; it's just that the temperature was in the mid 90s), but I made it through the round okay--if you count scoring one of the worst rounds of my life okay. While we were sitting in the restaurant waiting for our fellow golfers to show up, I started getting dizzy. After a few minutes I had to lie down on the restaurant floor. (Luckily, our league had a private room, so there weren't too many people around to witness my discomfort.) Our server provided me with a cold rag for my head and, after a few minutes, I felt somewhat better and returned to my table.

I drank some water and some Sierra Mist (I'd drank two bottles of water during my 9 holes), but by the time we were invited to the buffet line, my returning dizziness forced me back on the floor. There were guys offering to call 911, and others rehearsing their CPR training just in case. Personally, I think they were a little too prepared, if you know what I mean. I encouraged the rest of my foursome to finish their meal, and when they were done, we headed for home. My dizziness had passed, but I still felt weak. I got home about 8 p.m., and headed for my recliner, where I fell asleep. After a couple hours, I moved to the bedroom, where I slept through the night.

Today, I feel much better, but still have a nagging sick headache. I know it's left over from yesterday's heat. I have to admit I'm embarrassed by the whole affair. What frustrates me is 5 years of ministry in Tennessee, and 6 years of ministry in Georgia, and I have to come to Pennsylvania to experience heat exhaustion. What's up with that?
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Hey! I'm hoping to write something more substantive this week, but I've been having trouble carving out the time for a few days. I'm looking forward to reporting on the best church growth book I've ever read: Direct Hit by Paul Borden. I'm reading it in conjunction with our state's Church Health Team, of which I'm a member. One of the reasons I haven't blogged more than I have in recent days is that I'm trying to push through this book. I'm taking careful notes, which helps me retain more, but also takes longer. Borden has helped me refocus on what's important, and that is already being reflected in my preaching. More on that another day.