May 9 – “Out of the box”

I tried to spend some time working on fire department stuff yesterday.  I have realized that it really should be a full-time job if it is to be done right.  I’m trying to put together a data file on each of the firefighters and staff so I can know who they are and what their family is like and ultimately the kinds of spiritual needs they or their family might have.  It would be helpful to have a picture of each guy and his family so I can learn to recognize them when I see them.  Maybe FaceBook can help a little with that.  I did get to go to the union meeting last night.  It was interesting to watch them try to hash out issues and be careful to maintain working relationships.  And it wasn’t all that unlike a church business meeting, actually.  Only ten or so guys were there discussing the business of the 120 or so in the union.  I think they did a pretty good job, though.  And it gave me some more specific things to pray about concerning the department.  Oh, and I finally got to wear my “chaplain shirt.”  Chris sewed on the Texas Corps of Chaplains patch.  Hopefully it won’t be long before the actual uniforms come in.

I got an email from a guy who visited Seaside Sunday.  He was in town from Abilene looking for a house to buy in Jamaica Beach so he could move here.  He is a pilot of an old biplane, and he was looking for a place where he would have more opportunities to fly for fun as well as a home base for doing overseas missions.  He loved the service, and “coincidentally” he met a couple in the church who have been trying to sell one of their two homes.  They connected.  He visited the house.  They close this weekend.  Coincidences like that sure make me smile.  They also make me more and more positive that not many coincidences are actually coincidences. 

I really enjoyed going to the movies with my oldest son Kel the other night.  I mowed the grass at his house here in Galveston that he is trying to sell, so he treated me to a movie and a wild cherry ice.  It is always good to spend time with my boys, but I have to confess that the genre of the movie contributed a great deal to my enjoyment.  It was that baseball flick, 42.  The one about Jackie Robinson getting into the major leagues.  Very well done.  And how can you beat Branch Rickey being played by Han Solo/Indiana Jones?  Sure fits, doesn’t it?  All adventurers, out-of-the-box thinkers, daredevils in their fields. 

Psalms 89:18 says, “Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.”

Father, thank you for the shields of protection you have given us.  They have taken several forms over the years, but the important thing is that you are involved.  Stay involved.  Please.  Amen.