May 7 – “How many?”

Whew.  It’ll be a long time before I can top the news in that last post.  It’s still sinking in, especially after we babysat the little strawberry-sized dude’s brothers and sister yesterday.  OK … or dudette … or both?  Christina told us that the initial ultrasound report came back hearing two heartbeats. 

When they picked Kel up off the floor (no, he didn’t really  pass out … this time), the doctor told them they could wait two more weeks for a second one, or they could schedule another one on their own and pay for it.  Kel asked how much something like that would cost, and then didn’t hesitate a beat.  “We’ll do it.”  He was of no mind to wait two weeks with the threat of twins hanging over his head.  The second ultrasound was apparently a considerable amount more methodical (at Kel’s insistence, I’m sure).  And when  the results were in, the announcement came.  “Nope.  There’s just one in there.  Guaranteed.” 

Rats.  There goes any hope of a designated hitter this go around.  But wait.  Strawberries have been known to bunch up.  Just saying …

Mark 10:49 says, “Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’  So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you.’”

Father, thank you that you know just the right place to place the tiny little ones that you love so dearly.  And how many … Amen.

May 6 – “The Lineup”

We have been attending grandchildren’s baseball and soccer and football and softball and basketball games for some time now.  We are pretty much experts at the grandparent cheering section.  There have even been occasions where I have been asked to play the role of official scorekeeper for one of the baseball games.  That can get really hectic, too.  They have a rigid pitch count system in place that regulates how much any given child can pitch in a week’s time.  It’s all about protecting young arms, and I am certainly all for that.  It just makes it hard to keep up with the actual game action when you are trying to make sure the pitch count is accurate, the correct batter is at the plate, and the runner on second is still supposed to be there.  It’s actually a lot of fun, except when I accidentally skip a guy like I did the other night.  No particular reason.  The kid struck out and I entered the “K” onto the next guy in line’s box score.  Sorry about that. 

The other night we went to watch – just watch – Josiah’s game.  He’s in the year where some of them still hit off the tee while others have to face their own coach’s pitching.  Not wanted to be considered one of the “little guys,” Josiah graduated quickly to coach pitch, and he has been doing really well.  he got hits every time he batted, and even put one into the outfield that resulted in a double.  Pretty impressive, that Vaughan Boy.

After the game we walked with Kel and Christina and their brood to the parking lot and paused by their car to say goodbye.  They all gathered around and Kel calmly said, “Hey Dad, we need you to be the scorekeeper for our next game.  Here’s the lineup card in advance.”  Not an unusual request.  In fact, I was pleased to have it.  I usually don’t get the card until game time when the umpire is saying “play ball.”  Without looking at it, I asked if it was for the next night’s game, knowing we had home group and I couldn’t be there.  He never answered my question. 

Instead he smiled weakly and said, “Just read the lineup.”  I finally took a look at the lineup card.  Jachin was listed first.  Not unusual, although he has been batting in the number five spot.  I reasoned that his coach must want to shake things up a bit.  But as I continued perusing the card, something was obviously amiss.  There was Zakary’s name.  And Micah.  And Caleb.  And Cailyn.  And Josiah.  And Noa.  And Luke.  All listed on the card.  Instead of numbers, their birthdays were listed next to them.  And there it was.  The last name on the list.  Number Nine, as it were.  Birthdate listed as 12/15.  Wait for it.  Who is this mysterious number nine hitter?  None other than … “Player to be named.”  Yep.  The Vaughan Family, LaMarque edition, will be adding another player to their roster come December.  And that, my friends, will bring the tally of Vaughan grandkids to an entire baseball team.  I guess Spring Training will bring a whole new look to cousins’ sleepovers around here.

Mark 12:29-31 says, “’The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.   Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’”

Father, thank you for the exciting surprise news.  Would you let MeeMaw, and PawPaw, and especially our two young ones who retired from the game early, know that we appreciate our heavenly cheering section?  Amen.

May 5 – “Wear purple …”

“The best time to go fishing is when you can.”

I kept repeating that adage to myself over and over again as I stood in the cool waters of the Gulf of Mexico and literally shivered until my teeth chattered every time the Northeast wind blew.  Oh, I caught some fish.  Pretty much what I was hoping for in those conditions – a bucketful of whiting, all good for upcoming fish fries.  I’m just praying that didn’t catch anything else.  This was just not a very relaxing fishing trip.  Productive but not relaxing.  I think I would trade for the latter.  Bring on summer.

I found out yesterday that the Texas governor has declared May to be Fallen First Responder Month.  On May 12^th everyone who supports the families of first responders who have died is encouraged to wear something purple.  Closest I have is dark blue.  Ah, well.  We have to go to WalMart later to get some fruit, so I’ll check out their purple stash.  Or maybe I could stop by the spray paint section and just have a do-it-yourself project with one of my old t-shirts.  Or how would I go about doing a purple tie-dye extravaganza?  Wait.  How would I know if it is purple, anyway?  All those blues look alike to me.  Oh, and pinks.  I don’t do well recognizing pinks.  Well, whatever we wear, at least on that day, do your best to remember the fallen first responders and say a prayer for their families.  Or maybe go out of your way to say a creative thank you to a fire fighter or paramedic or police officer.  Surprise them.  Well, maybe don’t surprise the police officer …

Mark 10:27 says, “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’”

Father, thank you for the first responders and the sacrifices they make.  Oh, and thanks for the whiting yesterday.  They will taste good.  Amen.

May 4 – “To a mouse”

Well, our final payment has been made.  It would appear that we are really going to do it.  All that remains is getting there.  And that part is paid for as well.  At the end of this month … we’re going to Disneyworld. 

Never been before.  Either of us.  And apparently that is a big deal to the Disney people.  When I called to make the last payment, the youngster on the other end of the line was overly kind when she found out I was an old grandpa coming with the grandkids, and I was the one who had never been there.  I think her exact words were, “Aw.  That’s really sweet.”  And I’ve been told that first-timers are treated as something really special, so bring it on. 

Christi has done all the advance planning, and I am all for that.  She has picked out what rides to go on and which ones we will get fast pass tickets to.  I guess if you’ve been there you know what fast pass looks like.  I don’t.  She has us registered at one of the hotels that is themed by decades: 60’s, 70’s, or 80’s.  Last I heard she was thinking about requesting a room in the 60’s wing because you can watch the fireworks in comfort.  I volunteered to dress up in 60’s garb for the week, but for some reason Christi and Chris both were rather quick to the nix on that idea.  Maybe I can at least sneak in a tie-dyed headband to wear along with the Mickey Mouse fanny pack I hope to purchase when we arrive. 

We have already received our fancy little wristbands that have embedded within a computer chip containing our hotel room code.  Anything we want to purchase in the park can be automatically added to our room bill with the swipe of a wrist.  Frightening.  We also have our nifty little luggage tags.  Apparently we don’t even have to go through baggage claim when we arrive.  They will transfer our luggage straight to our rooms, and all we have to do is hop on the special bus and relax.  Again … frightening.  I mean, think about it.  We are giving up control of our money and even our clothing to a mouse who only wears shorts and suspenders and yellow shoes.  One would think he would have quite the wardrobe by now …

Mark 10:14-16 says, “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”

Father, thank you for the fun inherent in anticipation.  Amen.

May 3 – “Horizontal and vertical”

I heard from Cory, the guy who filled in for me at church Sunday.  He said things went pretty well.  I also saw a post on the church Facebook page from one of our visitors.  She was overwhelmingly positive about her experience.  Said she would definitely be back next time her time share condo turn came around. 

Seaside Church has become a spiritual phenomenon on the West End of Galveston Island.  It doesn’t fit the mold of any “model for ministry.”  It is certainly not like any church I have ever been in.  Many of the traditional things just don’t work here.  Other things, like sunrise services on the beach at Easter, are community events attended by hundreds.  From my perspective, I have been accepted as the community pastor in a sense.  It is not unusual for someone in the community to ask me to perform a wedding or a funeral or even a baptism or child dedication.  I have been asked to be the chaplain for the Galveston Fire Department as well as the volunteer fire department in Jamaica Beach (volunteer, of course!).  Being a Seasider has truly become a lifestyle for Chris and me. 

Seaside has been returning even closer to her roots over the last year or two.  Check out our original mission statement:

            Seaside Baptist Church, a regional, resort ministry church, exists to lead people to meet Jesus personally (Evangelism), to encourage them as they identify with His family in fellowship and membership (Fellowship), to teach them to become a disciple of Jesus Christ (Discipleship), and to equip them to discover their place of service in the church and in the world (Service), in order that they might celebrate God through worship (Worship).

            Resort ministry is ministering in a casual, as-you-go kind of way, confronting without being offensive.  It is the sharing of the salvation experience with Jesus Christ in a leisure setting.  It is helping people meet Jesus unexpectedly, while they are in the process of trying to relax and forget the rest of their life.

It means we get a lot of visitors from out of town.  It also puts a lot of pressure on the locals to support the ministry from day to day.  The retreat center is pretty much self-supporting now.  Insurance money from a hailstorm helped us get the worship center exterior looking really nice (Still have a ways to go on the inside renovations!).  We receive regular giving from people in Houston and as far away as Ohio.  Sometimes we get pretty large donations.  Sometimes it’s just a little bit.  In fact we used the way God has supported our regular operations as a model for how we operate the retreat center.  The groups who stay there give us a love offering of whatever they can afford.  Larger groups give more.  Smaller groups give what they can. 

Sometimes the church has to cover the slack, and sometimes we have an abundance.  It’s a scary way to operate as far as “meeting the budget” is concerned.  Sometimes things don’t get done.  Sometimes I just don’t turn in my mileage allowance request.  I kept the same salary for almost 13 years.  But through it all God just seems to keep us going.  A spurt of giving here.  A really big donation there.  However the funds get here horizontally speaking, they are all vertical gifts in the long run - directly from God.  And you know what?  God has done some amazing things here, using amazing people.  I really do love you, Seaside Family. 

1 Chronicles 29:14 says, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

Father, thank you for the whole experience that Seaside has been for me and Chris and our family.  Keep using that place as a light for you to touch people’s lives.  Amen.

May 2 – “A Truly Moving Experience”

We made our way to Waco with absolutely no trouble at all.  I mean no traffic, no construction, no obstructions at all.  We left Galveston at 6:30 a.m. and arrived in Waco at 10 a.m.  Brand new all-time record for us. 

The baptism service didn’t start until 11, so we were all set.  Big day for the family.  We were there.  Christi’s Mom and Dad and brother and niece were there.  Even Cary and Kay Lynn, our surrogate grandparents from Arlington, were there.  The church combined all their worship services into one for their quarterly communion observance.  That included their Spanish-speaking congregation as well, so all the words to the songs were projected in English and Spanish, and the Spanish worship leader joined with the leaders.  The orchestra was playing along with the praise band and the organist.  The worship guy for the traditional service was at the piano, and the worship guy for the contemporary service was playing guitar.  Both levels of the auditorium were pretty full, so it was obviously a big day.  Caleb did a great job responding to the questions Josh asked him about his belief in Jesus, and when he joined us for the rest of the service he was almost giddy. 

After the service the family gathered in Josh’s office for another little ceremony.  They have established a time capsule for each of their kids with mementos of all the key times in their lives.  They plan to keep up with it over the years and eventually present it to them.  Not sure when.  Maybe as a wedding present?  This time they added some letters from the children’s minister and even one from a dottering old granddad.  Josh and Christi presented him with a really nice compass that looks like an old pocketwatch.  I think Caleb will remember this occasion.

We had a bonus attraction that afternoon.  Zakary had a big piano recital, so we rushed through the line at two or three different fast food places and raced over to the recital venue.  As expected, Zak did a remarkable job.  He has come a long way since the last time we heard him play.  The piece was obviously much harder.  Not that I would actually know such piano-ish things.  But it sounded complicated to me, and he certainly had to employ some twinkle-fingers moves. 

Now, for the evening activities we were to be a part of their church’s First Sunday get-to-know-your-neighborhood event.  We listened to the video Josh posted on their church website for instructions.  I remember the acronym A.C.T.S.  I know the “A” stood for something, but I can’t remember.  The “C,” however, was by far the most significant letter in that alphabet.  Josh carefully explained the connection between the original language word our modern version that we call “compassion.”  Apparently that original word has something to do with bowels.  So come on, now.  How great a leap could that be?  I know I was not the only one.  ACTS … bowels.  I had to say it.  “So, the essence of the video is that we are supposed to go into our neighborhood and move our bowels?”  We were all deeply moved by the challenge in the video.  So much so that we went down to the neighborhood park, gave away sno-cones and band-aids, watched a rousing game of kickball, and met some of Josh and Christi’s neighbors. It was a really nice park, too.  The only thing I saw that was missing was bathrooms.  Not sure why that particular issue stood out for me this time.  I have never been moved to consider it before …

Mark 9:50 says, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Father, thank you for Caleb’s decision to follow you in baptism.  Thank you for the skill Zak is developing musically.  Thank you for the unbridled joy Luke is quick to display at the simplest things.  Amen.

May 1 – “Celebrating”

Just a very quick post today.  We are up early to head to Waco to see Caleb be baptized.  Pray for that youngster.  God has many plans ahead for him.

Yesterday we went to three different birthday parties.  Very different.  First we went to Noa’s celebration of her third birthday, certainly a milestone.  Next we headed out to Seaside for a stop in on a 90^th birthday celebration of a sweet lady who used to come to Seaside many years ago.  And we ended the day at the Firemen’s Hall for a big crawfish boil in honor of April’s 30^th birthday.  Anybody else see a pattern here?  Threes.  Three years old.  Thirty years old.  Three times 30 … 90 years old.  Add to that the new birth celebration later this morning.  Quite the gamut of celebrating, wouldn’t you say?

Mark 9:42 says, “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.”

Father, thank you for each of the birthday honorees.  Grant them health and lots and lots of happy.  Amen.