September 7 – “A Shotgun in the Attic”

OK.  Let me get this out of the way first.  I got a call from Kel today.  Seems they were having some work done on the eaves of their house when the guy knocked on the door and asked if they had a shotgun in the attic.  Of course the answer was no.  Or so they thought.  He had just found one when he cut a hole in the wood.  Kel was excited.  They ran upstairs to see what mysterious old shotgun and loot from an old bank robbery they could find.  Or maybe an entire cache of weapons.  Or a skeleton in the attic.  It would be hard to tell, see, because their insulation is made up entirely of packing peanuts.  Yep.  Those white peanut shaped pieces of plastic mush cover the entire floor.  And who knows what else, now.    They found the gun.  It was actually just the metal piece.  They couldn't find any of the wood part.  But the metal piece actually worked.  Looked like it had been freshly oiled.  He looked it up online as best as he could.  Looks like it was made sometime in the 30's or 40's.  Probably by Montgomery Ward.  A classic mail order, untraceable weapon.  They didn't spend too much time diving in the peanuts, looking for other treasures.  But that, as they say, could be a story for another day.   I managed to wade through a lot of stuff for school today.  No, I still won't be nearly "ready" for tomorrow morning, but it's going to happen anyway, so let's go with it as it comes.  I met with the new English teacher.  She is definitely a Godsend.  She even likes the idea of my Individual Study class.  Good thing.  I need a lot of help.  The kindergarten teacher was back and feeling better.  She and her daughter set up their room and made some pretty big changes.  Funny thing is, the changes were what we recommended when they first started working.  The other elementary teacher will probably spend the night at the church getting ready.  The art teacher can't be here this week.  His other job has him opening a new store out of town and he doesn't get home until after eight.  That'll need a Plan B, but I have no ideas at all for that one.  At this point I'll be happy to get the opening assembly planned.  Anybody remember the Pledge of Allegiance?   The big news is obviously about Chris' Mom.  The St. Luke's doctors confirmed that her heart is now functioning at only about a twenty percent capacity.  There is a ream of other information that I heard about from Chris on our way home from Houston this afternoon.  Stuff about chemo and "the heart is a squeezing pump" and what family members think about what is going on.  We won't know any more prognosis stuff until they hear from a cardiologist.  She was keyed up big time.  We went straight to Kel and Christina's for supper.  He fixed gumbo, and Chris needed to eat something substantial.  We were going to bring home the dogs, but I decided to wait.  That would just be one more thing for her to think about.    Psalms 11:4 says, "The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne."   Father, make that throne over at Seaside Christian Academy tomorrow, please?  Amen.

September 6 – “Satan and his Minions … a typical camping experience”

The late night last night and the early morning this morning were worth it, I suppose.  I thought I would never get finished with the setup for this morning.  I always appreciate what Chris does so much more when I have to do it.  That's the way things like that are.  I got the coffee made and communion table prepared and "David's gifts" set out on the other table.  I set up the nursery and spot mopped a few places.  By the time the first wave of folks started in, I was winded.  I also never had a chance to go over the teaching in depth again like I usually do, so I was praying feverishly as I talked with visitors from all over the place.    The guy from Houston who called me yesterday when I was in Bay City was there.  He brought with him two people who hadn't been in church in twenty years.  They looked like bikers to tell the truth.  There was a huge family from Kingwood there – five kids along with Grandma and Grandpa and a friend.  A young couple we haven't seen in awhile was back.  Another lady came up to me afterwards and said she came today in a horrible mood and was leaving worshipping.  I was glad for the two kids with her.  During the communion segment I had to get a pitcher of juice and pour more into cups because we ran out.  The worship time was great.  A lot of participation and singing.   And then after church people stayed in droves to help get set up for school.  Somebody took my keys and handled getting the desks from storage in the school building.  Rita took over the organization of supplies project.  Melissa took charge of setup for school.  Sam went to work on the library.  Students were helping set out textbooks for each other.  Cory inventoried supplies for me.    And it was a gift from God.  Because Chris called just as we were getting started.  The cardiologist there in Bay City had done another test on her Mom and told them that her heart had only about twenty percent functioning.  Quite a shock to say the least.  Apparently the last chemo drug probably had a lot to do with it, so it wasn't totally unexpected.  Chris' Mom and Dad immediately insisted that she be transported to St. Luke's in Houston for a higher level of care.  Chris was calling me to call my sister-in-law.  She is the oncologist.  Dr. Sue told me what needed to happen, and said the only thing that should gum up the works is if the doctor in Bay City refuses to call her office and authorize the transfer.   The doctor in Bay City refused to call her office and authorize the transfer.  Yep.  That's not a typo.  It took all afternoon, but they finally convinced a nurse to at least make the call.  Dr. Sue had already greased the wheels on the Houston end, so by late afternoon everything finally got set up and they took off for St. Luke's.  Chris plans to spend the night there tonight, and her sister will spend tomorrow night.  I'll go up sometime tomorrow and pick Chris up.  I don't know how long she'll stay at home, but at least she'll be able to get a shower and some more clothes.   Christina called this afternoon to check on her and to tell me about their evil camping trip.  It was just as I expected.  She said they went to Huntsville State Park.  The best thing she said was that they were filthy and exhausted when they came home.  They didn't catch any fish.  Know why?  Because Satan himself was watching every move they made.  In this case he had taken the form of a six foot long alligator in the water.  He made his presence quietly and frighteningly known at night when they shone flashlights at the water and saw his beady red eyes looking back.  Then he sent two of his evil demon minions over to demand a sacrifice of food.  These two took the shape of rodents wearing dark masks about their eyes.  Christina insisted that the trip was a success because Kel hadn't yet absolutely refused to go back ever again, so she was holding out hope for the future.  Maybe I should have a talk with my eldest son.   Psalms 10:17-18 says, "You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, 18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more."   Father, again, receive Vern into your hands.  Sounds like she's closer to you than us now.  And walk with Dub and Chris and the rest of their family through this.  Amen.

September 5 – “what you remember”

This is the latest I've done an entry in quite a while – the next morning.  That's how long it used to take me right after the storm to recover long enough to remember how to think.  But I guess we had an eventful day.   We made a Sam's run for church and while we were off the island went by Hobby Lobby.  Chris is trying to recover my Grandmother's old rocking chair.  It went through the storm, so it's another piece of family history.  Then we attacked our usual Saturday volunteer job, cleaning the church.  We hadn't gotten far when both of our phones rang.  Mine Chris' aunt in Bay City and had already gone to voice mail.  As I listened to the message, Chris's phone rang.  It was her aunt, worried about Chris' mom.  She was having trouble breathing again, but this time she was insisting that they take her clear in to Houston – on Labor Day Weekend.  She wouldn't even go to the emergency room in Bay City.  Chris finally calmed her down enough to convince her to at least meet us at the Bay City ER.    We raced home, grabbed a change of clothes just in case, and took off for Bay City.  To make a much longer story a bit shorter, she had a bout with congestive heart failure.  It was apparently related to her last round of chemo, because that drug sometimes targets the heart.  They drained 800 cc's of fluid from her lungs and put her on lasix to dry up more.  They finally decided to admit her at least for the night and do more tests.  She says that's not going to happen.  If they want more tests, she's going to Houston.    Once she was in a room and comfortable again (aggravating the nurses and the like), Chris decided to stay the night.  I came on home to be at church this morning.  I listened to the Astros exciting last inning victory on the way home.  Took my mind off things.  But when I got here I remembered that I still had some pretty extensive preparations to make for the worship teaching this morning.  All the stuff I was going to do when we finished at the church.  I had to run over to WalMart at 9:30 for raisin bread, dates, and pita bread.  Thank you, King David.   I also wanted to use a clip from that old movie, Michael.  Terrible movie about an angel who smokes.  John Travolta stars.  So while I prepared the food, I watched the movie again, looking for the clip.  But it didn't really show what I just knew I remembered.  It's amazing what you remember, isn't it?  They dance in the movie, and I have an image in my mind of him dancing with every bit of his body and soul, not worried about what anything thinks, totally abandoned to God.  He dances.  And I guess back when I first saw the movie, that's what I saw.  It changed how I thought about worship, but it's not in the movie.  It's in my heart, I guess.  I want to worship like that.   Well, our trip meant a whole day lost of preparation for school.  It has occurred to me that what I thought was two full time jobs (pastor and headmaster) actually includes three other full time jobs with the school as well – teacher, elementary principal, and high school principal.  I didn't get the English teacher hired yet.  I hope to make contact with her today.  I didn't get the high school students' books divided out yet.  I hope they all have what they need to get started.  We didn't get finished cleaning the church.  That shook up Chris more than anything.  She used to be the paid custodian, but we stopped taking a salary for it after Ike.  Her sense of obligation and excellence hasn't diminished, however.  I still haven't even really begun putting together the idea I'd like to pursue for the Individual Study portion of each student's day.  I like the idea, but honestly don't see me getting it together this week.  I don't know what to do right now.    But … Board member volunteers are supposed to be at the church building after church today to organize all the supplies and tell me what we need to ask parents to bring.  And our problem with a math teacher is covered for awhile.  Board member Jim is going to start us off and Board member Donald will fill in when he has to be gone.   I don't know what the rest of today or this week holds.  Back to Bay City?  Houston?  The first days of school?  One thing at a time.   Psalms 9:1-2 says, "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."   Father, watch over Chris' mom.  Draw her dad toward you through this.  And help us with all this school stuff.  Amen.

September 4 – “Way-Back Machine”

So where in the world is that mystery computer program that automatically does scheduling for small schools with limited resources?  We need a cartoon world "Way-Back Machine" or a Harry Potter twisting time alarm clock.  We have ten high school students, five school periods, and four teachers that we are juggling right now.  My secretary has been amazing.  She worked on it for four hours today, and got closer than I ever did.  I'm going take one more shot at it, too, before we just go with the best we can.   I did the final two interviews today for the English teaching position.  I think we found the one.  I'm waiting for approval to make the offer.  She has great experience.  She already lives in Galveston.  She has a great, calm spirit, but obviously knows her stuff.  And her husband is a retired pastor and hospital chaplain, so she can't be all bad.  He even went to the same seminary I did.   Cailyn was here when I came home for lunch today.  Well, so was Nathan.  He was sick, though.  And she was on.  She had been playing with Nana all morning, so she had a "spoiling high" going.  It was really good to see her.    Jachin and Micah and their parents went camping this weekend.  I'll have to pray for them.  Camping is evil.  Satan will be there.  At least they are going somewhere they can fish, even if it will be fresh water.  I don't even know where they are headed, but they came and got their poles.   That means we have dog-sitting duty this weekend.  That feels funny to say, since two of the three are our dogs anyway.  We are going to try to bring them home if we can, but our day tomorrow is already so swamped, I don't know if it will happen or not.  Maybe Sunday or Monday.   We're beginning to get a little stressed about our Hallelujah Party next Saturday.  Chris wants everything to be finished, in its proper place, and ready to show off.  Even the non-existent grass in the front yard and the fifty-foot tall trees we envision but haven't planted yet.  I'm just hoping to finish hanging pictures in the hall bathroom tonight.  That would be a small but significant accomplishment.   Steroid update … The pain is coming back as the dosage goes down.  So far it is not as severe, and I have no idea what that means.  I do welcome the relief of feeling tired and even occasionally sleepy.  I don't have time right now for mush-brain, though.  I kept drifting when I tried to balance the checkbook this afternoon.  Chris took me for a walk around Office Depot, though, and it balanced fine when we got home.    Psalms 5:11-12 says, "But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.  12 For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield."   Father, I feel like I'm scrunching up under your cover right now.  Feels … helpless.  Feels … nice.  Amen.

September 3 – “No particular order”

Here's my day in no particular order.  Chris just told me about her day with her Mom.  Doesn't sound very good.  Her lungs are already filling up again.  She wants to go to church, but she's afraid to ask her husband to go with her.  She fell again this afternoon when Dub went with Chris to get her some gas for the drive home, and couldn't get up.  She ended up lying in the rain for ten minutes or so until he got home.  She was mad.  Then she sounded, in Chris' words, "defeated."  Chris is pretty shaken up tonight.  She is amazingly strong, though.  I think she gets it from, well, her mother,   The School board said they will help organize school supplies and will help with the elective/study hall hours.  They actually started organizing tonight after the meeting.  All I want is to know what we have so we don't have to ask parents to bring more of what we don't need.   Jachin's very first soccer game was a huge highlight of my day.  His team played against the team of one of the little guys from Seaside.  And in the other game going on at the same time, two more of our little Seasiders were playing.  It was a lot of fun.  Jachin is good.  In his daddy's words, "He gets soccer, so he can be successful."   Steroid update … Tomorrow I'm down to half a tablet two times a day.  I carried a box into the church today and my elbow started hurting again.  The nodule thing on my hand is definitely still there, too.  I can still feel a little of the rush from the last few days, especially for an hour or so after a dose.  But it's not the same.  I welcome the peace when it arrives somewhere in the midst of the two doses.  It just doesn't last long.  It goes from wild and crazy super thought mania, to solemn painful brain mush.  And sometimes I want the painful brain mush.  Especially in the midst of all the craziness with school starting.   I had to clean out my office this morning so I could fill it up with students' "lockers" tomorrow.  I sure hope we have enough of the right kind of books for everyone.  And I hope I can get the scheduling to work out with no conflicts.   The kids are getting excited about starting.  One of the dads asked me tonight if I felt like I was close to getting there.  I don't know if I'm getting close to being "there" or not.  I've never been "there," so I have no idea how close I am to anything.   I found out tonight that our secretary only knew about two of the extra copy machines we have.  Interesting.    I really do feel a lot of stress about school.  I am afraid of the disappointing the students and their parents and the board.  We have no prospects for a headmaster right now, though.  Help, God.   The guy I interviewed today would be good for English, not math.  He said he never even took Calculus.  But Jim said he would do math at least for awhile.  He still has no job.  Problem is, he can't take any money from us as a side job or he'll lose unemployment. But he has interview in San Antonio on 9th-10th.  I would have to get a sub.  Doesn't make me happy.  I have two more interviews tomorrow, but only the hope there is English.    Psalms 2:11 says, "Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling."   Father, I have the trembling down.  Now I want my reason to be rejoicing.  Amen.

September 2 – “Steroids, Day three”

Okay.  I understand that steroids are very effective medications in dealing with certain things.  The arthritis pain I was having in my elbows and fingers and even my knees is almost completely gone.  The strength seems to be back and the swelling has gone down.  But these side effects are strange.  I can't understand the tradeoff people make who do this stuff for fun.  Well, not fun, I guess.  For gain?  For muscles?  For stamina?  Not so much from this old boy's perspective.   I am right in the middle of the majorly stressful week before school starts.  I am the interim headmaster, which I have never done before.  The work load is overwhelming to say the least, especially when coupled with being a pastor, too.  I guess one "positive" is that since I took the first big dose three days ago, I really haven't felt sleepy at all, especially at bedtime.  I wake up early, too, so I have more time to tackle the countless projects I still have facing me before the kids come back Tuesday.  Three teacher interviews.  Prepare for the first day of school lecture from the headmaster.  Prepare the actual school schedule.  Contact the other two who have agreed to teach as adjunct professors and give them details of their classes.  Just to name a few.  Oh, I forgot to throw in prepare a sermon.  I guess because that is almost done, thanks to my quiet times at camp a few weeks ago.   There is a definite downside, though.  I recognize when I begin to think I can keep going and get it all done and it will be perfect and I'll be on top of the world finished.  And in the back of my befuddled mind I know good and well that's not true.  In fact, if I don't carry around a pencil and write down the stuff that my brain is firing, I know I will lose it completely in a few seconds to whatever is coming next.  Unless something weird happens like this morning.  Chris and I were trying to think of a friend's last name the other night, and neither of us was successful.  This morning I woke up, wide awake at five a.m. and said her name out loud right there.  I wonder if this is anything like having A.D.D.  Concentration for longer than a few minutes is next to impossible.   The muscles in my back and my left calf ache.  The pain associated with my back has stayed the same.  My toes still tingle and are still numb.  Unless they decide to hurt.  Here's one for you ladies out there.  I'm having hot flashes.  I'll suddenly realize that my skin feels like it's on fire.  Not like I have a fever.  Just the skin.  Kind of like a sunburn.  I still can't sleep much at night.  Last night I got up every hour and had to go to the bathroom.  I don't have much of an appetite.  I feel full all the time.  I almost forgot to eat lunch today, but Chris reminded me when she got home from a Wednesday Club ladies lunch and gave me her leftover pasta salad.   I also have indigestion.  Oh, and last night was the first time in years that I had the hiccups.  Yep.  Hiccups.  And they wouldn't go away.  I still had them at midnight.  I guess when I finally dozed off they faded away into oblivion.  Oh, and one last thing.  My fingers can't keep up with my brain firings, so it is driving me crazy to type.  I want to go as fast as I'm thinking, and it will never happen.  Take typing.   Chris is in Bay City tonight.  Her Mom has another appointment in the morning in Houston.  Mom and I went to youth group tonight.  She asked if any adults ever came.  I listed off all the ones there who were adults (youth pastor, youth worker, intern, me, usually Chris, and oh, yeah, her).  She said, "You know what I mean."  I guess I did.  Just escaped me there for a minute.  Still escapes me.  Ask me when my long term memories kick in.   Exodus 33:14 says, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."   Father, I can tell you are with me.  I confess that I am not optimistic about rest.  Amen.

September 1 – “It’s where we talk”

My blog last night must have really seemed bleak.  I got a great encouragement call after it went out from Mr. Ken in Austin.  Then at Luby's I got a great hug from Kel.  I started the steroids.  It took me a long time to get to sleep.  My toes were tingling enough that it was very aggravating.  Then I finally dozed off about 11:30, and the alarm went off at midnight.  Had no idea it was even set, much less for midnight.  I pulled out the old crossword puzzle book and settled in for the next hour or so.  I finally just quit and turned out the light.  I tossed and turned for awhile, but I finally fell asleep.  I know that because I woke up, wide awake, at 5.  I didn't know it until Chris woke up and I had someone to talk to, but I was losing my voice.   I decided to go with the extra hours and get started on the sermon.  It actually flowed pretty well.  David dancing and worshipping before the Lord after he finally gets it right in how to move the ark.  It'll be fun.   The teachers were ready to go this morning.  I had a lot to do as well, but I didn't get started until after ten.  For some reason today was "Let's talk" day.  I really enjoyed it.  Got to know the science teacher in particular.    I left around eleven so I could get to Luby's for our regular Tuesday date with Mom.  Kel's family came for the last time in awhile, since school starts for them next week.  We had a surprise in the parking lot, though.  There stood Katie Hightower.  We don't see her nearly enough since she moved to Huntsville.  She and her sister came over to see the house.   The Seaside Christian Academy school board meeting was not tonight after all, as I thought and as I told two parents today.  They want to know if we can keep their kids after school until 5:30.  That is actually one of our goals for the school.  The question is whether or not we can put it together in time, with all the questions we have to answer – costs, leadership, payroll issues.    With no meeting I was able to go WalMart shopping – just me and Chris.  We like to do that.  It's where we talk.  And most of the time where we see people we know.  Didn't see anyone we knew tonight.  Just what seemed like a lot of Texas A&M students.    Oh, the fireplace people came today to put the finishing touches on their work.  Didn't happen.  The part they ordered didn't fit.  Now we get to wait until it comes in again.  We're still planning our Hallelujah Party for the 12th at four.  I don't know how much we'll still have to do by then, but, bring on the party.  It's been a year.   2 Peter 3:8-9 says, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."   Father, thanks for being patient with me.  Amen.