August 14 – “Tricks of an Islander”

Started a two-miler with Chris yesterday.  Actually it was supposed to be a three-miler, but we fell a little short.  It started raining.  Ordinarily that wouldn’t be a problem, but we were talking to Josh on the phone as we walked.  That and it really started coming down hard.  Chris finished out the full two miles by walking around in circles around the house.  She is quite the determined lady.

 

It was fun talking to Josh and all his kids.  Seems they want a dog.  The kids … not so much Josh.  Which is kind of funny, because Josh was always the major animal lover growing up.  He was always the one who patiently trained our dogs.  Guess he feels like he doesn’t have time for that any more.  He is still pretty creative in his appreciation of the animal kingdom, however.  While we were talking about dogs, he diverted attention by pointing out a squirrel on their back porch.  Luke told us that was his current pet.  I asked if he had named the critter.  Yep.  Ready for this one?  His name is Vrent.  That’s right.  Vrent.  Odd, but … I love it.

 

Chris took me to Saltgrass for a day-before-birthday lunch.  We had a gift card we needed to use.  The food is always good there.  Chris had chicken (of course), but she could eat many of her green beans.  Way too much salt for her.  I had surf and turf.  Same thing I order every time we go there.  I eat the shrimp and bring the steak home for a meal the next day.  In fact we had plenty of leftovers.  That way we don’t really have to go out anywhere on a Saturday.  Tricks of an Islander.

 

Last night we continued our date.  Well, I had a meeting at church first.  Then we went over to JeMocha Bean (I still think that is an awesome name for a coffee shop) to listen to Jim and his band play some music.  Kel and Christina even joined us.  We are beginning to recognize some of the regulars.  It helped when Ray announced to everyone as we walked toward our car, “The preacher has left the building.  Time for the real partying to begin.”  I ran back and asked the crowd what I had missed.  After that even the ones I didn’t know bade us farewell like we were besties. 

 

Luke 11:13 says, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

 

Father, thank you for Vrent and Chris and Ray and all the coffee shop regulars that make an average day something special.  Amen.

August 13 – “Nature-al High”

I was up pretty early again yesterday.  No particular reason.  Just woke up at 4:30.  Convinced my self to stay in bed at least until 5, though.  That’s when I finally gave in and got up.  When I went outside to get the paper I remembered that it was supposed to be prime viewing time for the Perseid Meteor shower.  I stood in the middle of the  street out in front of the house for a while.  Saw plenty of stars, but none of them took a shot at me.  I almost gave up, but instead I went up on the deck. Pulled up a chair and settled in there, just staring at the sky.  Finally, I caught a brief flash out of the corner of my eye.  I wasn’t sure if it was really a meteor, though.  But then I saw another.  Just a brief flash.  I started for a while longer, and it paid off.  I saw one that was clearly a full-on shooting star.  Long tail and everything.  Very cool.  That was all I saw, but I was satisfied.  Successful morning.  But wait.  It wasn’t over yet.

 

We had to get to water exercise that started at 7.  The sky was still fairly clear, with some clouds.  We jumped in with the rest of the class.  Well, I jumped in.  Chris slowly lowered herself down the ladder.  She’s not fond of the shock of cool water.  The class got going kind of strong, when someone off to my left hollered out., “Hey, look!  It’s a waterspout!”  That was followed by numerous affirmations, enough in fact that the entire class started easing that direction so we could see around the big tree blocking our view.  The teacher saw that we were a lost cause, so she changed her directions to, “Move to your left, but you better be running!”  Sure enough, there was a clear funnel cloud.  Several folks thought we should get out of the pool, but the twister was a long way off, probably still over the Gulf.  So we dutifully returned to our spaces and continued with class.  And then we were met with rain in our faces.  Didn’t bother me.  I was already wet.  Some folks, Chris included, and their glasses on, though, so they couldn’t see the instructor’s command examples.  Some questioned again whether we should get out.  Nope.  Lifeguard said we were good.  Class continued. 

 

But we weren’t done with our life experiences for the day.  Over on the other side of the pool, far into the sky, we saw … a rainbow.  Perfect.  Couldn’t have ended the class on a better note.  Meteors.  Water spout.  Rainbow.  How’s that for a “nature-al” high all in one day?

 

Proverbs 22:4 says, “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.”

 

Father, thank you for the chance to see three of your wonders.  Just verifies once again how amazing you and this world you created really are.  Amen.

August 12 – “Ostrich-chasing??”

Chris and I completed another three-miler yesterday.  That was before we were inundated by children again.  This time the kiddos came by first to pick up Brennan on their way to the library.  But while they were here, Jachin and Micah mowed and edged the grass.  Nice.  I stayed out of the way and remained an observer/ consultant/ weedeater line changer.

 

Meanwhile the littler guys went across the street to collect Brennan.  While waiting for the older guys to finish, they had time for a hot and heavy game of hide and seek.  That was quite a sight to behold.  Why?  Well, Josiah was in one of those walking boots, trying to run.  Funny sight.  Oh, yeah.  Why the boot?  Well, he apparently fractured his leg.  He told me it was done by an ostrich.  Random.  I told him he needed to be more careful around those critters.  They are really hard to outrun.  Later on he told me the “real” story.  Something about Jachin dropping him down the stairs.  Right.  Well, either that or he may or may not have done something at karate class.  That would be the one where he ran three miles and finished out the class with no apparent problems at the time.  Hence, the walking boot.  His doctor told him that it was a walking boot, not a running one.  That didn’t make Josiah very happy.  Didn’t really slow him down either.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:15 says, “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”

 

Father, would you please heal that leg of Josiah’s quickly?  He’s got a lot of ostrich-chasing to do.  Amen

August 11 – “Covid-good”

I had my six-month doctor’s checkup yesterday.  Had to miss water exercise to do it early, too.  Kind of weird being the very first patient of the day.  I got to watch them attempt to sterilize the office and suddenly remember that they were supposed to be wearing masks again.  All he did was adjust one of the meds I take as a preliminary to weaning me off of it entirely.  I asked if I needed an antibody test since I had had The Covid.  He said, “Oh, no.  You have antibodies.  We stuffed you full of them.”  I guess that means I’m Covid-good.

 

Kel and I went out to the church for a few hours.  I wanted to introduce him to some of the nooks and crannies I have discovered (and created) over the years.  We dug through closets and storerooms and took a long look at the “library.”  There really is a lot of potential with that thing.  We just have never been able to get the interested people hooked up with the right access.  It’s difficult with groups using the building all the time.  It’ll be interesting to see what becomes of it.  I think Kel’s favorite room was the upstairs storeroom.  It is full of trash-treasures that he thinks he can get some money for on ebay.  I told him to go for it and have fun. 

 

While we were digging through some of that “storage,” I got a phone call from our regional BGCT representative, Ernest.  He was in the area and wanted to know if he could come by.  He said he needed to replace the letter that was included with the congratulations certificate he presented at the anniversary.  Seems there was a misspelled word on the original one.  And the word?  My name.  Left out the “Y” in “Kelley.”  I honestly hadn’t noticed.  He was surprised to find out that Kel was a Junior.  More surprised to find out Kel’s wife was also a “Chris.”  I told him that now he won’t have to remember new names when he comes to Galveston to visit Seaside.  Of course it was great to see him again.  Always a pleasure.  Only thing I missed was the usual selfie he takes before he leaves.  Oh, well.  No reason to commemorate a typo, I suppose. 

 

Kel and I stopped for some lunch at Nate’s.  The food was still really good.  At least my Western burger was great.  Kel’s chicken fried steak sandwich looked good too.  And their fried okra is some of the best around.  Crispy.  That’s the secret …

 

Mark 8:35 says, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

 

Father, thank you for Ernest and the encouragement he offers every time I see him.  Please bless him for that.  Amen.

August 10 – “A rather serendipitous encounter”

We had a rather serendipitous encounter yesterday.  Well, “serendipitous” might not be the exact right word, but I like to say it.  So … serendipitous.  We had to make a WalMart run for some key groceries.  That went well.  No particular issues or marvels to deal with.  Well, other than the fact that they didn’t have the special face cream Chris has to use as directed by her dermatologist.  Or Pepsi.  They didn’t have any Pepsi, either.  Oh,.  I take that back.  We did find some wild cherry Pepsi and some diet Pepsi.  So … no Pepsi.  And they don’t carry the dog food that Freddy eats – Little Bites by Purina.  And that necessitated a trip over to Randall’s to complete the excursion. 

 

I think I have figured out why Randall’s carries the Little Bites dog food and WalMart doesn’t.  It’s all about the people – the clientele.  WalMart simply caters to big dog people.  The folks who tend to choose Randall’s for their shopping needs tend to have little dogs.  I personally prefer Randall’s because it is quieter and more serene.  Of course that means I don’t get as many chances at people-watching.  Chris, on the other hand, immediately rues the fact that she forgets to bring a sweater with her to Randall’s.  But they do have Freddy’s dog food.  And in this instance, coffee on sale.  And Pepsi.  On sale.  

 

So on to the aforementioned encounter.  As we were checking out Chris noticed a gentleman walking out the door.  She immediately placed who it could be – an old friend of ours, Chris Passons.  We didn’t get to talk to him, though.  A little matter of paying for the dog food and all.  We finished checking out and loaded the stuff into the car.  As we were pulling out toward the parking lot exit, we both glanced over at the gas station.  And who should be standing there pumping gas into his car?  You guessed it.  Chris Passons.  Chris pulled into a parking spot and we ran over for a hug and a quick catch-up. 

 

They have recently moved back here from teaching in Central America.  I have seen some of their exploits on FaceBook since they have been back in the States.  They have been to Washington, D.C. and New York City.  He explained the why of all their domestic travel.  Other than the obvious chance for the kids to see the country, they are currently awaiting all the paperwork required for them to be stationed for a time teaching at a school in Kuwait.  Chris thought it might go faster if he hand-delivered the paperwork to the appropriate office in D.C.  Except he discovered upon arrival … that office is closed because of Covid.  They are only taking applications by mail.  He stood outside the office door, talking to a person inside.  He told them he was putting the envelope in the mailbox right outside the office.  They should receive it the very next day.  She assured him she would watch for it and expedite as best as she could.  Except … That next day someone in the mailroom contracted Covid.  All mail delivery was shut down so they could sanitize.  That was just one example of the hoopla they have been going through to get to Kuwait.  It was great to see him, though.  I hope they have a chance to come to Seaside at least once before they leave.

 

Psalms 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”

 

Father, please be with the Passons family.  Grease some wheels for them to get all the ducks in a row that they need to get on with the next exciting phase of their life.  Amen.

 

August 9 – “Can’t freeze us out …”

It was a big day in church yesterday.  I guess I have been saying that a lot lately.  But it’s a good thing.  We had 58 people.  Lots of children, too.  And it was very high-energy worship.  Kudos to Jim and the praise team for their great leadership in that arena.  We have lots of “new” to look forward to.  Not just the new pastor and his family.  we will soon have a high-quality microphone.  Boy, has that ever been a need since we started streaming on FaceBook.  And speaking of streaming, we are also looking at an actual camera system for that.  Also, we are ordering a new computer and monitor that can handle the software we want to use for worship.  Virtually every Sunday we have to wait for the computer to reboot because of some glitch or another that causes it to freeze up.  And it often happens right in the middle of a song.  This past week didn’t stop us. Though.  Didn’t even slow us down.  As it turned out, the song we were singing when the computer froze up was an echo song, so we just followed along with Jim and the Praise Team.  Worked out great.  Can’t freeze us out of worship.  Gotta love our Seaside keyword … flexibility.

 

Kel and his family (they had also stopped to pick up Cailyn for church, so she was with them) spent the afternoon with us.  Some of us watched the Astros game (Hey.  I only missed an inning or two while I was resting my eyes).  We were trying to find Nathan and a big group of fire fighters who all went together.  Never did see them.  The younger kiddos went and got Brennan, and they played all sorts of wild and crazy games.  I know hide-and-seek was among them.  There was also a game of indoor soccer.  Not the usual rules, though.  I have no idea what the rules were to this one, but I am glad the ball they were using was one of those soft plastic jobs.  Cailyn and Noa also spend some time in Nani’s closet.  No, they were not hiding from the boys.  At least not at the time.  They were trying on Chris’ dresses.  They had to make some adjustments for size and height, but they came out with some evening gown-worthy creations. 

 

Next Sunday will be the first where our co-pastor will be preaching.  That will change my preparations considerably for the week.  I’m looking forward to seeing how the new look plays out. 

 

Ephesians 5:1 says, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children.”

 

Father, please be with Kel as he prepares for teaching next Sunday.  Amen.

August 8 – “All wet …”

Our big news for yesterday turned out to be all wet.  No.  I mean literally all wet.  We decided to try out the Saturday water exercise class for the first time.  This one didn’t start until 9 a.m. though, rather than the usual 7.  I guess you’re supposed to sleep in on the weekend, huh?  Problem was, that allowed the sun to get that much higher in the sky.  And it was plenty bright.  And hot. 

 

The pool itself was packed.  A lot more people than our usual Tuesday/Thursday group.  I did like this teacher, though.  She knew her stuff and led us through quite the aerobic workout.  Chris told me she got started teaching because she had some kind of accident that shattered her leg.  Water therapy was all she could do to get back in shape, and now she teaches it.  Gotta say … I was really beat this time.  We had to do a lot of twists and turns, and that really bothers my lower back and side (The side that I lost muscle tone on when I fell and injured that disc in my thoracic area).  I made it through, though.  Pat me on the back.

 

Back home I ended up falling asleep on the couch as we attempted to watch the Olympics.  Hey, it’s not easy to stay engaged in a 10,000 meter race – or a marathon.  Wake me a little closer to the end.  Speaking of “wake me,” I was in bed and asleep by around 10:30.  Of course that meant I was awake at 5 this morning.  So I will get in my chance to go over the teaching again.  Better get started …

 

Proverbs 23:24 says, “The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.”

 

Father, would you join us this morning at Seaside?  Amen.