October 5 – “The real big player”

Seaside’s lawyer (Joe) is a master of misdirection.  He is incredibly personable, finds common ground quickly and easily, and then sneaks in the purpose of the talk without the other person knowing what hit him.  And on top of all that, he is a committed believer in Jesus who can pray with the best of them.  I had a first-hand opportunity to watch him in action again yesterday. 

I went along with him and Ned, one of the elders from the church, to try to resolve an issue between the tenants on the land the church owns in Galveston and the neighbors of that property.  It was not a huge problem, but it had escalated enough that we were asked to step in and provide what assistance we could.  Our first stop was with the neighbor, a highly successful businessman who tried his hardest to negotiate in the same way our guy does, plus he added a lot of extraneous talking and even an occasional tidbit of gossip that he hoped would sway us more his way.  It was a rather transparent attempt, though.  He was just not in the same league as Joe.  In fact it was like watching a low minor leaguer trying to bat against a top-flight major league all star.  I think he was more than a little bit intimidated. 

Negotiating techniques aside, though, the talk with the neighbor and with our tenants proved quite amenable in both cases, and I think any issues that have come up will be easily tackled and solved in the near future.  My favorite parts of the afternoon, though were the times when Joe prayed over the phone with us on his way to the meetings and when he and I and the elder prayed together after the meetings ended.  It was just so refreshing to acknowledge that God was the real big player in the whole process. 

Things went so well that I still had time to visit the two westernmost outposts of the fire department – Station 8 in Sea Isle and Station 7 in Pirates Beach.  It was great as always to spend time with the guys on duty.  I did find out about the death of a relative of one of our fire fighters.  The guys at the station had heard rumors, but had not been able to confirm anything.  I got the call from the chief after I got home with some of the details.  I tried to call the station back to let them know, but I never could get an answer.  I guess they had some calls.  I’ll try to contact our guy later today with my condolences and see if there is anything I can do for the family. 

Meanwhile, I plan to mow the grass this morning and then get ready for a wedding I have to perform at one o’clock at the San Luis Hotel.  Gotta love them Saturdays.

Psalms 95:6-7 says, “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”

Father, thank you for Joe.  Make him and his family happy.  And walk with the family that lost a loved one.  Amen.