December 7 – “First Fire”

I finally made my first fire as chaplain.  Nathan stopped by the house on his way home from shift, and a structure fire call went out on our phone alarms.  We kind of looked at each other, and he said, “Hey, wanna go to a fire?  I’ll be your driver.”  And that’s all it took.  I punched up my scanner, slipped on my fire department shirt and we were off.  Almost as an afterthought, I grabbed my coat as well.  Good thing.  It was a cold, dreary, damp day in Galveston.  The temperature hovered around forty degrees, dipping into the thirties, with a wind chill much lower, for gusts had already been measured of up to thirty miles an hour.

When we arrived several engines were already on the scene.  A two story abandoned house was definitely aflame.  Battalion Chief Rourke took command of the scene, and his instructions guided firefighters throughout the fire-fight.  One crew approached the building, but the collapse of part of the structure caused their captain to pull them back and take a more defensive approach.  That meant they made sure the fire didn’t spread to the surrounding houses, and then just poured water onto it from a safe distance.  It was not worth endangering the lives of fire fighters.  Safety first.  Also the fire marshall’s office quickly determined that the house had been on a list of places to be demolished anyway.  So crews from stations one, two and five jumped into position and the dousing began. 

Smoke was billowing from the attic and an occasional flame licked its way through the roof.  A group of fire fighters struggled to remove a board that had been nailed across the front door in an effort to keep vagrants from entering.  It didn’t take them long to pull it down.  When they subsequently kicked in the front door, flames spewed briefly through the new opening.  Long tendrils seemed to grasp for the retreating fire fighters in a futile effort to draw them into the inferno.  A torrent of flames roared through the entire first floor.  The fire had fully engulfed the structure.  As soon as the fire fighters were clear, hoses spewed forth with their watery prowess, and the beast returned to its interior lair. 

Soon the water lines were shifted to make available the secret weapon.  Water suddenly exploded from the cannon atop one of the trucks, striking the structure with such force that weakened areas around upper windows crumbled beneath the assault, clearing the way for more access to the hottest spots near the roof.  Shingles flew into the air, dropping harmlessly into the lake that had formed around the building.  Fire fighters trudged through the water, heedless of the increasingly bitter cold conditions, to take up positions as instructed.  Fire Chief Wisko arrived and deferred his authority to the on-site commander, handling instead other auxiliary duties.  Paramedic crews on standby handed out dry towels to the drenched firefighters.  Someone brought up a coffeepot, and brewed a batch.  Engine eight arrived and spelled the weary battlers.  I think every crew on duty at the time eventually arrived to assist.  Crews from Hitchcock and LaMarque were called in to cover possible calls for the Galveston trucks.  Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department covered the West End of the Island.  One crew creatively took up a position on the second floor porch of the house next door to get a more effective angle for their hose.  Others slowly advanced closer and closer to the structure until water was shooting through first floor windows and the collapsed second floor and on through the burned out roof itself.  The billowing black smoke that indicated a living, active, angry beast, finally gave way to the white smoke of surrender.  The fire was declared officially defeated. 

Of course crews still had hours of follow-up before them.  Hoses to be rolled and put away.  Equipment to be checked and returned to their proper places on the trucks.  Extra fire fighters were called in to keep watch and prevent smoldering flare-ups. 

I have to say that I was impressed greatly by all that I saw.  What might have appeared chaotic to an outside observer was actually a tightly controlled operation.  Every movement was calculated to bring the fire under control as quickly as possible, while maintaining a safe environment for the fire fighters as well as for the inevitable numerous spectators.  The fire marshalls on the scene stopped to talk briefly as well.  Fire Marshall Robinson is an incredible teacher, and his words of instruction were especially enlightening.  The fire fighters who saw me went out of their way to welcome me to the scene.  One of the captains even offered to let me use his coat.  I guess my shivering was more noticeable than I thought.  However, I had the good fortune to be able to head quickly home to thaw out my weary bones.  The fire fighters’ shift had just begun, though.  And for the next sixteen or eighteen hours, they had to be ready to do it all over again.  This is one fine group of men and women Galveston has on call for situations like yesterday.  I for one appreciate and support them.  Thanks, Galveston Fire and Rescue.  I’m proud of you.

Ezekiel 22:30-31 says, “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.  So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Father, I know that’s kind of a strange verse to anchor this post, but it reminded me that the fire fighters stand in the gap for our city.  Surround them with your protection.  And as a bonus … make them happy.  Amen.

December 6 - “Breakfast in the evening”

I mentioned yesterday that Cailyn had been diagnosed with pneumonia.  She’s doing much better now, thanks in large part, of course, to the miracles of modern medicines.  In fact, I asked her if the doctor had given her some medicine.  She looked at me with her mix of condescension and pity that she reserves for her poor, old, senile grandfather, and responded, “No, DadDad.  Randall’s did.”  Randall’s, of course is the site of their pharmacy.  My bad. 

And speaking of Cailyn, she was a big help with preparing supper last night.  In fact Chris had quite a bit of help.  I even helped out briefly with putting a few strips of bacon into the microwave, but mainly I just tried to stay out of the way.  Chris handled the eggs along with her supervisory duties.  Cailyn was pretty much in charge of the pancakes.  They were green, of course.  With sprinkles mixed in that kind of melted into nothingness.  And lots of cinnamon.  Oh, and vanilla for just that right amount of extra flavor.  She is most definitely an accomplished chef.  And then there was Mom.  Oh, yes, she joined us in the kitchen as well.  And her part?  Well, I’m not sure what her part was, but she was right in the middle of everything, aggravating Cailyn like a big sister and driving Chris bonkers every time she came near the pancake skillet or the stove.      

We did get the whole thing completed with no major injuries or calls to the fire department.  And once again a “breakfast in the evening” feast was prepared by all and enjoyed by all.  A true picture of cooperation among the family followed by great reward (good food).  Shows what could happen every day in churches  with a little effort, a lot of love, and some basic raw materials.  Oh, and maybe a few sprinkles.

Ephesians 4:1-3 says, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Father, thank you for cooperation.  Great concept.  May it spread like a disease.  Amen.

December 5 – “Shrimp and Shopping”

We started our day today with our little drama queen.  Yes, that would be Cailyn.  She is recovering from a bout with pneumonia that didn’t really slow her down all that much.  It did make her a bit crabby, but hey, when I have pneumonia, expect crabby.  She really wasn’t all that bad, but you could tell she wasn’t feeling a hundred percent yet.  She was fine when I took her with me to get some donuts for breakfast, though.  Very excited, in fact.  She let me know that they didn’t have a “donut stop” over by where they live.  At least not one that has donuts with pink icing and sprinkles.  She downed two of those without taking a breath.  I thought briefly that she was going to return to one of the conversations we had a while back.  She was determined to know what her Daddy got grounded for when he was a little boy.  Not sure where that came from.  We thought maybe she had been grounded from something, but what do you ground a four-year-old girl from?  No Barbies today?  She was quite insistent about getting some dirt on dear old Daddy, though.  We were having a hard time coming up with something to tell her.  At least something that we could tell her.  Not that her Daddy spent most of his time on the grounded list.  But then again, there were a few times … 

Chris and I actually had a chance yesterday to go together to do some Christmas shopping.  Jennifer came over and stayed with for a few hours.  Our destinations were WalMart and Target, of course.  Where else do you go if you live on an island and see a trip to the Mainland as a major undertaking?  We did have lunch at Shrimp and Stuff, too, so I guess that counts as a real-live date, doesn’t it?  Shrimp and Shopping.  There’s one for your dating manual.  We found a few things, but by no means are we done.  Jennifer has agreed to come back next Wednesday so we can have another shot at it.  Hey, maybe this every Wednesday date thing will catch on.  That IS in the dating manual, by the way.  It doesn’t matter so much what you do (even if it is shopping).  The important thing is that you do it.

Ephesians 5:25-28 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing  her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.”

Father, thank you for the special lady you gifted me with.  And thank you for the model you gave on how to love her.  Help me choose to follow that model in every part of our relationship.  Amen.

December 4 – “Nudity on Yucca”

Well, I should have done some confessing yesterday.  See, while we were doing the decorations at church, I blundered with a pair of scissors and cut a nice furrow into the tip of my index finger.  It was a definite bleeder, so I quietly washed my hands good, and then went into my office and got the first aid kit.  It was not very easy to get the bleeding stopped and wrap the bandaid around it, but I finally got it done and returned to the task at hand.  That’s when it hit me.  Not one, but two of the people hanging greenery were paramedics.  Think they could have handled the situation for me?  Oh, well.  Guess I was just too embarrassed to ask them, although I told myself I didn’t ask because they were really on a roll and I didn’t want to bother them.  Yeah.  That was it.  I was just being noble, not stupid. 

I spent some time with Mom while Chris went to the bank and the store.  It didn’t take her long to notice activity at the house across the street, the one that used to be hers.  I think she remembers some connection to it but can’t quite put her finger on what it should be.  The couple that lives there now was out in the front hanging more Christmas decorations.  Mom made her way to the front door, and the neighbor snooping began.  I remember she used to do it all the time when we were growing up.  She would sit outside with the neighbor, Mrs. Hedi, and the two of them (actually three when my grandmother was still alive) would comment on cars that passed by or which other neighbor was doing what and how good or shabby their yard looked or what the latest scoop was on the strange street one over, Yucca.  One day Hedi couldn’t wait for their evening appointment.  She actually called Mom on the phone with an exclusive.  Unfortunately Mom wasn’t home when she called, so she left a message.  And we saved that immortal message for weeks after, replaying it and laughing every time.  Now Hedi had come over to the United States from Germany, and her accent was still very thick.  So imagine that heavy accent coming through over the one of those antique phones that were stuck to the wall and had to have a cord connecting it to its base.  “Oh-lee, we have nudity on Yucca.”  That was it.  No further explanation.  Now we found out later that indeed a person on Yucca had been taken to a mental health facility after he was found wandering around with no clothes on.  But I have to say, the news report didn’t have nearly the comedic appeal of Hedi’s announcement.  

So with that kind of background, it is no wonder that neighbor-watching is the one time Mom gets very verbal.  Last time she did this it was a running commentary: “Why are there more cars on that side of the street? Who is that walking over there?  What is he taking out of his car?  You don’t want to walk down there on that side of the street?  Oh, he doesn’t have a shirt on, either.  Where are they from?  He’s going in that driveway.”  This time was similar, but she wasn’t quite as adept with words.  She really struggled to find the right ones, and often never did, so she just picked one that felt right to her.  It made it very difficult to follow what she was talking about.  Interestingly, she got the colors right on, red and green.  She couldn’t come up with “ribbon” or “bow,” so I filled in those blanks for her.  We ended up sitting on the porch for a while so she could see better.  It didn’t take long for her to get cold, though, so we came back in and she resumed her position on the couch, snuggled under a blanket. 

Psalms 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

Father, thank you for being the All-seeing Neighbor-watcher over us.  Amen.

December 3 – “Lights”

Yesterday was my big work day again.  One of the hard parts for me about being a pastor has always been seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  There is always a built-in twist or turn that keeps the light just out of view.  And that twist is Monday.  I did make some pretty good strides in my preparations for next Sunday.  I have to stay on top of it during Advent.  There is so much going on with Christmas coming.  It does help to have the themes for each Sunday, though.  We did Hope last week.  Next week is Peace, then Joy and then Love.  If you can’t work with those topics, then you need to revisit your connection with God. 

We did get the Christmas lights all put up after we picked up Cailyn from school.  I knew that would be an inevitability yesterday when I noticed our neighbor across the street working all day to get his up.  Not that we’re the Griswalds in a decorating contest or anything.  It must have taken him and his wife four or five hours to get it all done.  And they don’t have anything elaborate, either.  In fact they did about the same as us - icicle lights hanging from the eaves.  The thing is, ours just took us thirty minutes or so.  I guess after struggling with it for nineteen years we have figured out all the shortcuts.  Each strand is rolled up carefully and we put a strip of masking tape on it with a note about where it begins in relation to the plug.  The hooks that connect to the gutter and slip under the shingles are all either connected to the strands or at least in the same box.  We even put in the two staples that we use to hold the extension cord in place.  Of course if Chris ever decides to change things around or add more stuff, I’ll be sunk again.  But at least for this year we are all set. 

We even got the church decorated for Christmas this past weekend.  Only six people came up to help, and that was probably a good thing.  It was one of the fastest on record.  The only glitch came when we realized there was no Christmas tree in any of the boxes in storage.  That’s when I remembered Nathan talking about getting a new one.  I texted them and sure enough, before long here came Nathan with their old tree.  It was just the right size, and Dayna and Kiara did a bang-up job decorating it.  And speaking of Dayna, the meatballs and cheese dip were delicious!  And speaking of delicious, there’s nothing quite like hot chocolate and decorating to put you in the mood for Christmas.  And now … on to shopping. 

Luke 2:30-32 says, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

Father, thank you for the twinkle in the eyes of our kids around Christmas time.  Hugs seem a little softer.  Actions seem a little kinder.  And everyone is just a little more helpful.  Amen. 

December 2 – “Decorating”

Well, the Christmas decorations are all down from the attic.  Thanks to Kel and Nathan and Micah and Jachin for getting them all hauled down.  We worked in shifts to get everything put up, and it was fun to see a child or two involved every step of the way.  I had a hand in getting the tree actually put together this time, assisted by Jachin and Cailyn and Micah.  I happily gave way to Nathan and April and Chris for stringing the lights, and they had plenty of help from Micah and Cailyn.  Cory even helped unroll some of the strands while Sarah helped herself to some supper.  Christina and Noa were supervising the whole process.  Well, I guess maybe Noa was doing her best to sleep through it. 

And then it was time for the ornaments.  Now, it did take us a while to convince three-year-old Josiah to even come inside.  He and his imaginary friend were spending time in the back yard with the three dogs.  That, by the way, was a sight to behold.  Josiah was the only human being out there as far as we could see, but he never stopped talking.  Sometimes it was clear that he was engaging the dogs, but there were many occasions when the dogs were on the opposite side of the yard and he still kept the running commentary going.  I was pretty certain that I heard him explaining his philosophy of life to an aphid. 

Once they were all inside, they gathered around Nana to get just the right one to hang on the tree.  Most of the ornaments we have tell a story of some key moment in our life.  Of course most of those have something to do with our kids. 

“This one is from the year the movie E.T. came out.” 
“This one DadDad carved after Hurricane Ike.” 
“This one was your Daddy’s.” 
“Here’s one that has your name on it.” 
“But where’s the one with my name on it?”  It took us a while to locate it, but we did find a few that were specifically Cailyn-related.
“Who wants to hang Uncle Josh?”  Wait.  That one sounds kind of funny.  Sorry, Uncle Josh.  But we wish you were here.

They actually did a great job this year.  Of course, all of the ornaments were on the front side of the tree.  And the highest one was just at that point where Jachin could reach if he stretched as far as he could.  It was beautiful.

Isaiah 30:29 says, “And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with flutes to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.”

Father, thank you for the joy of a child as he experiences the mystery and excitement of getting ready for Christmas.  Amen.

December 1 – “The Sports Report”

Let’s get a few questions behind us right from the start.  Yes, I saw Auburn beat Alabama.  Yes, I saw Baylor barely hold on to beat TCU.  Yes, I saw the Aggies lose to Missouri.  So much for the national sports scene.  And on a more personal note, yes, I am quite sore.  Yes, I woke Chris up early this morning because of a really bad cramp in my hamstring.  Yes, my elbows are sore.  And yes, true to her word many years ago, Chris has absolutely no sympathy for such ailments related to the once a year (yep, not even weekend athletes is appropriate here) Turkey Bowl aches and pains. 

But the event did happen.  The players come and go due to geography or injury or out and out old age, but still the event happens.  This year we played in the street in front of our house again.  The average age has taken a drastic drop from earlier years.  Oh, I was still there, as was Kel and Nathan.  Cory and Josh from church came out again.  But from there the player age plummeted.  Jachin at almost ten was the old man among the next generation.  He recruited a friend from down the street he had met earlier, and that friend brought his little brothers.  Micah was there.  Cailyn played a down or two before she decided that perhaps cheerleading held more promise for her than hanging out with a bunch of grunting, sweaty boys.  The newcomer of the year, however, was by far three-year-old Josiah.  He became a fierce force on the defensive side, and his quarterback intimidation was second to none.  He would rush the passer with reckless abandon, wrap his arms and legs around said quarterback’s leg, and hold on for dear life.  Frightening picture.  J.J. Watt better watch his back.  Josiah is on his way.  Micah had an MVP-worthy appearance as a relative newcomer as well.  He made three or four receptions, and even threw for a completion.  Jachin caught one for a touchdown, and broke up several passes with his pesky defensive play.  Sadly, however, his memories of the day will most likely be centered around his collision with a bumbling blocker.  The play happened on a kickoff.  A wall of protection formed around the runner and Jachin fearlessly attacked the wall itself, single-handedly breaking up the blocking scheme and leaving the runner defenseless.  However, as he and the slow, lumbering lineman became entangled, they both fell to the turf that was not turf.  Crack.  Pain.  Time slowed to a halt.  No stretchers were needed, though.  Jachin leapt to his feet and made his way to the sidelines clutching a fresh goose-egg on the back of his head.  He returned later in the game as if nothing had happened, stifling any hope his man had of ever receiving a pass.  The lummox who tried to block him was much slower getting up.  His injury was limited to a minor scratch on his knee and the promise of more pain to come – most likely of the type that wakes one up early in the morning with such mysterious ailments as hamstring cramps. 

Word has it that the event will go on.  Next year.  Saturday after Thanksgiving.  High noon.  Be there.

Ephesians 3:14-16 says, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

Father, thank you for football games with the kids, plenty of food to share, and the joy of being together with those I love.  Amen.