January 30 – “Done”

Done.  It's a done deal.  It only took an hour and a half drive and a two and a half hour paperwork wait.  But it's done.  Now I can rest a bit easier when Chris heads to Bay City tomorrow night.  She won't be in the death trap that the Explorer had become – u-joints about to fall off, no heater, windows won't roll down (or the one in the back that falls down a few inches every time you hit a bump).  Nor will she be in the tank.  That's what she affectionately calls our truck.  And when she is driving it kind of looks like one.  No more.  It's done.  For the next fifteen or twenty years, the Vaughan's will be driving a 2009 Chevy Equinox.   It really is a nice vehicle.  The dealer used it as a loaner, so it had a thousand miles on it.  But they knocked off a lot on the total price, so we felt pretty good about the deal.  It was the last 2009 Equinox they had, and they were very embarrassed when they couldn't find an owner's manual for it anywhere in the dealership.  They are special ordering one and having it mailed to us..    There are not too many bells and whistles.  We really didn't want too much that could go wrong.  It has the power windows and locks that Chris wanted.  She likes the whole security thing that gives her.  The back seat is very roomy, and it has a cupholder back there.    Mom was with us, and she was quite pleased.  She wanted to know when our next trip to Mansfield was.  It has two of those cigarette lighter plug things – one for the phone charger and one for me to watch a DVD when we do go to Mansfield.  All in all, I think when we have to evacuate, my baseball cards should fit it there just fine.  Oh, and some of the photo albums.    Nathan and April and Cailyn came over to check it out as soon as we got home, and Kel texted that they wanted to come see it, too.  We haven't been this popular in a long time.   I've been fighting a raspy cough.  I sure hope if I'm going to get sick that I can hold off until after Sunday.  I have to preach at Seaside in the morning and over at Crystal Beach in the evening.  And that one is supposed to end with a baptism at the beach.  Sounds great.  Except right now it is 37.5 degrees outside (Oh, that reminds me.  The car tells you what the temperature is outside).  And the wind chill is 27.  And it's supposed to be just as cold tomorrow.  Maybe the candidates for baptism will opt for the warm indoor baptistery.  I don't think they will, though.  It's a few teenagers, and this could really feel like some huge accomplishment to them – to get baptized in the icy cold waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  We'll see.   Acts 8:34-39 says, "34 The eunuch asked Philip, 'Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?' 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, 'Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?'   38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing."   Father, I know there will be plenty of water available tomorrow evening.  Could you make it warm up just a bit?  Amen.