We come here every year for a week of exhausting relaxation

Probably my favorite thing about Slippery Rock University is the fact that, for more than 60 years, fans attending University of Michigan football games have cheered when the public address announcer gives updates on the Slippery Rock football team.

This is funny because Slippery Rock is a tiny, obscure Division III school nestled in the hills of Western Pennsylvania, while Michigan is, of course, Michigan (I can say that respectfully despite being a fan of THE Ohio State Buckeyes).

It all started in 1959 when the Michigan PA guy started announcing the score of Slippery Rock games simply because he thought the name "Slippery Rock" was so funny. And he was right. Now it's a tradition at Michigan Stadium for the crowd to give a raucous cheer any time it's announced that Slippery Rock is winning.

I bring this up partially because I just love the story, but also because Terry and I spend one week every July on the Slippery Rock campus. It's where our church holds an annual Bible school/retreat we help to organize and run.

This retreat is known as "the Gathering." I have been attending Gatherings since 1989 and had never given the name a second thought until a few years ago when someone remarked that "the Gathering" sounds creepily like the name of a Stephen King book.

For years I had been telling people we were headed to "the Gathering." Only then did I realize it sounded like we had joined some sort of weird cult. It's both horrifying and hilarious.

Trust me when I say, the people who attend the Gathering are very nice folks with whom we enjoy spending time. There is nothing especially creepy about them.

Our days at Bible school are filled with classes in the morning, recreational activities in the afternoon, an evening assembly with a featured talk and/or musical performances, and generally spending time with people we have come to know and love over many years.

Each day is packed with activity, and by Sunday of Gathering week we are usually dragging. As I used to say when I served as superintendent of the event, there ain't no tired like Bible school tired.

Anyway, I thought it was important today for you to realize two things:

(1) Slippery Rock, if you didn't already know about it, is a great school.

(2) There are probably better names than "the Gathering."