February 21 – “A field of forks”

Apparently, my 50+ years of ministry routine got the best of me yesterday.  In spite of staying up past ten to watch Jeopardy, the College Edition, I was wide awake at 5:30.  My body expressed its behavior in this way: “Hey.  It’s Sunday.  We always get up early on Sunday, right?”  Guess so.  At least until you learn better.

 

Actually, I was awake off and on throughout the night.  I guess enough of the tiny, unseen cedar particles wafting through the Waco air finally found their way into my nose.  I had one sneezing fit before we headed for bed.  Never a good sign.  But as it turned out, my problem was more of a stuffed up sinus passage.  I just couldn’t breathe through my nose.  No idea when I was finally able to drift off. 

 

Yesterday morning we woke to a grand gesture of a gift.  What should we find in the front yard but a field of … forks.  Someone had thought it a necessary time to provide Pastor Josh and his family with a front yard filled with forks, all poked into the ground as if growing into larger plastic serving utensils.  And a few of the trees were even wrapped tightly with saran wrap.  Ah, the joys of a youth DiscipleNow Weekend.  Back in our day, it would have been toilet paper, but everyone knows that now in our Covid Era, toilet paper is valuable currency.

 

It was communion day at church.  They don’t do it every Sunday, so this was a special treat for us.  They came up with an ingenious way of packaging the bread and juice.  They put one of those tiny little chunks of bread into a little cup.  Then they put a second cup into that one and filled it with juice.  Voila.  One serving piece with both elements present.  I sense a copying in Seaside’s future.

 

AnnaGrace had one more brief bout with vomiting, so she and Mommy stayed home.  That meant Nani and DadDad got to play church parents.  Great game.  Lots of fun.  Our duties kicked in after worship.  We took Luke to his Sunday School class and found a class of our own age to hang out with for an hour or so.  Those folks seemed to really like Josh.  At least that’s what they told us.  The guy doing the teaching has been to Seaside for a visit before.  He had some really nice things to say about his experience there.  At least I think they were nice.  Something about how it was “unlike any service he has ever been to before.”  Seriously, he was impressed by the way Seaside has adapted to our beach culture and has been really reaching our community.  After the class ended, we trekked back to the kids’ building to pick up Luke.  Then we located Caleb and Zak to make sure they knew to get a ride with their Dad.  Whew.

 

Back at the house, Christi had a pork roast going with carrots and potatoes, as well as sides of corn and black-eyed peas.  And after lunch?  She bought me a few cartons of Minute Maid frozen lemonade. My favorite.  Thanks, Christi.

 

I grabbed another of those elusive afternoon naps, this time in a chair on the back porch.  Nice, cool weather.  Christi went and picked up some pizza for supper.  Later, after the little ones had gone to bed, we watched Ghostbusters, Afterlife with Josh and Christi and Zak and Caleb.  Pleasant end to a long day.  Sunday. 

 

John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

Father, thank you for the grand welcome we received from the folks at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church.  Please bless them in their efforts to spread your Kingdom. Amen.