April 26 - “GFD Field Day”

I had a quick little neighborly task to do yesterday morning. Brennan needed a ride to work. That worked out really well for me. He works at Moody Gardens, and my next stop was to the fire station at the airport - just minutes away. 

It was what the fire department affectionately calls “Field Day.”  It’s the opportunity to go through the physical agility test for the department. Just a run-through so they would know what to expect in a few weeks at “the real thing.”  Genius. And an activity that is too good to pass up if you are interested in joining the department. 

There were quite a few applicants on hand. Like 30 or 40 maybe. They were all shapes and sizes too. Several of them introduced themselves to me. One asked if he could chat for a minute or two. Seems he read about me and “all the things you do” on the FD website. (Hmm. Guess I need to check out that website). He just became a Christian in November, and was so excited about it. He wanted to know if I was a pastor on the island so he could come visit my church. He’s very happy where he’s going now, though. 

My heart went out to one applicant in particular, though. Lexie, the daughter of some friends of ours (and of one of the current fire fighters) was giving it a shot. She’s not old enough to be considered yet, but she still wanted to try her hand at the challenge. 

Now understand, Lexie is short and thin and cute as a button. Surprisingly, though she is wiry and deceptively strong. She did an amazing job. The only event that gave her great pause was hauling the fully charged fire hose. She powered through it, though, and then finished the stair climb really fast. Oh, did I fail to mention? Lexie is just a junior in high school. Impressive, girl! I’m proud of you, Lex. 

After some lunch we headed up into Texas. Ezra had a piano recital, and Noa was in a drama skit in conjunction with their homeschool co-op. Ezra played the theme from Star Wars. Nailed it. Noa was in a multi-skit format play. She actually had three or four different roles. She was definitely the most dramatic of them all (and the best projectionist). Of course. Proud of you two!

From there we went to Nathan’s house. He and Cailyn threw a surprise 40th birthday party for April. That certainly checked off our need for food. Nathan cooked fajitas. He’s good at what he does. 

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Father, thank you for watching over those “kids” going through the GFD Field Day wringer. That’s a tough course. Amen.