July 28 - “Awarded”

Our Great Northern Wasteland dear friends stopped by the house on their way home. We thought maybe they got lost again. But no. They came by on purpose to tell us goodbye. And they also had a presentation to make. I received an award for Husband of the Year. They just appreciated me taking care of their sweet friend Chris. Hey. I’ll take encouragement wherever I can get it. Seriously, though … Thank you, Guys, for the gift card. It will be put to good use real soon. 

The rest of the afternoon we texted back and forth with Kel and Christina. They were finalizing plans and commitments for our trip to Virginia next month. I think that one’s gonna be a lot of fun. 

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭19‬ says, My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

Father, thank you for the encouragement from our friends. They are really special. Amen. 

July 27 - “The Dedication”

Over 100 folks joined us at Seaside yesterday. It was our big 30th anniversary celebration. Some were Seasiders past. Others were current (or maybe future Seasiders). The mayor and city manager were both there. Even a representative from the office of our Texas state house representative came. 

After the regular worship service, we heard from the dignitaries (and one not-so-dignified … that would be me). Kel then explained the dedication of the retreat center and the opportunity to give to the Sam Criswell endowment fund. All that was followed by a great barbecue lunch. Great job, volunteers. 

Our Northerners tried to get back to their Air B&B, but somehow found themselves in the swamps somewhere near the Bay. They ended up just coming back over here. We talked and laughed the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening. Great friends. Great love. 

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ says, Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created.

Father, thank you for the many folks who made it out to the service and dedication. Bless them. And thanks again for our good friends. Be with them on their ride back home. Amen. 

July 26 - “Happy 30th Anniversary, Seaside”

Super clean house day. Not meaning that the cleaner of the house was anything special. Just that expectations were running high. We were expecting. No, not a baby. Well, our wives might have something to say about that. 

But nope. It was the Winkles and the Huntley’s. They were coming down for Seaside’s big 30th Anniversary celebration, which is today, if you haven’t heard. Looking for a place to go to church in Galveston this morning? Can’t beat this one. Great service on tap (is that something you can say about church services?). People coming back to visit from eras past. Big dedication of the renovated retreat center in honor of long-time Seasider, Sam Criswell. And to top it all off … barbecue lunch provided! I for one can’t wait. 

Last night we met up with our Northern compatriots. First order of business … a Galveston supper. Well, at least we ate it in Galveston. Not seafood, though. We went for Mexican instead. Salsa’s. Hey. This one was all about Chris, so that was her choice. Our wait was about 20 minutes going in, but when we left there were people everywhere waiting to get in. Welcome to Galveston on a Summer Saturday night. 

We all went back to our house and enjoyed chatting about life and Alaska trips and ice cream. Yep. Blue Bell may or may not have made an appearance. The new lava cake extravaganza was certainly popular. 

Just as everyone was leaving for their air B&B, I got a text from our friend Jim Stone. It was my introduction of sorts to his newest granddaughter. She is gorgeous, of course. So tiny. Many congrats, Grandparents Jim and Laura and Mom and Dad Jimmy and Mary. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬ says, A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time.

Father, thanks for watching over the Northerners on their journey. And thanks for that brand-new, beautiful little baby girl. Walk with her parents (and grandparents) as they guide her in your ways. Amen. 

July 25 - “… at work all around”

I picked up some more duties. Well, just some repeats from last week. It was time once again to water Chris’ plants. She mixed up the plant food and pointed me in the right direction. So … check. 

I gotta say, by the way, that she is doing a great job rehabbing that shoulder. She does the exercises faithfully, leaves the sling off around the house and makes sure the physical therapist follows the doctor’s directions to avoid strengthening exercises so far. She doesn’t see him again until September. 

Josh gave us his weekly Friday call. Said he’s had a really good week. He’s seen God work a miracle in two different people’s lives. He really needed that. It’s always a good thing to be reminded that God is always at work around us, even if we can’t see it. 

In the afternoon we live-streamed the Worship Lab concluding service. That’s where Caleb has spent the week. It was great to see teenagers so excited about leading worship with their many different skill sets. Meanwhile, Christi sent us videos of AnnaGrace dancing. She spent the week at Broadway Dance Camp. Lots of fun to watch the kiddos rocking out to tunes from Wicked and High School Musical. 

Needless to say, we are getting excited to see those Wacoans here next week.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ says, No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

Father, thank you for the miracles you worked in Waco this past week. Josh really needed to see that you are in control all the  time. Amen.

July 24 - “The Eye of the Storm”

Tropical Storm. Bearing down upon us. Closer and closer. What havoc will it cause? What horrendous devastation will it bring? Gale force winds? Rapidly rising flood waters? Dangerous rip currents? 

Oops. Sorry. That was the opening line of my application to work at the Weather Channel …

Just kidding. Well … there was a really nice breeze as I mowed the grass. And edged.  And swept. Three and a half hours. Only real issue as of my morning chores was … mosquitoes. Lots and lots of mosquitoes. 

We did make a quick errand run. CVS for some of Chris’ vitamins. And while we were out, why not Walmart? Bananas. 

Oh, and Tropical Storm Bertha finally came ashore. It was kind of hard to notice. The light wind stopped blowing altogether, and it got eerily still. That was it for the eye of the storm. It did finally rain a little bit. Not hard or anything. In fact it was weird. Kind of like walking into a room that was just … water. Soft, pillowy, embraced you with a wet hug. This storm has been strange since day one. But it’s over now. Moving on …

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬ says, And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Father, thank you for your protection during what we did get of this storm. The rain was especially nice. Amen. 

July 23 - “Chattin’ with the Ed’s”

Yesterday was another PT day for Chris. And she wasn’t the only one back there. Ed from church came through at one point. He was there following doctor’s orders to get in his cardiac rehab. He showed me a selfie he took with Chris in the back room. I cautioned him against spending too much much time with my bride. 

 After he left, another couple arrived. The guy (another Ed) was a retired fire fighter for Galveston. Somehow he knew who I was, so he struck up a conversation with me. And, boy, could he ever talk. He had story after story about his time with the department. Old school. He also knew Nathan. Remembered him well, in fact, because Nathan was so well-trained when he joined Galveston. He was quite impressed. Thanks for the chat, Ed. 

Back at home I began the process of figuring out a discrepancy with one of the charges on our Discover bill. Whatever the item was, it came through Amazon. Started there. All they could tell me was that it was from another vendor who was just registered through Amazon. They suggested I contact Discover.  So … no help there. I moved to Discover. Problem there was that they are in the process of transferring over to be Capital One. Website it’s down indefinitely. Great. I’ll keep searching. 

We are still keeping an eye on the Gulf. Most reports said Tropical Storm Bertha was not going to amount to much. It weakened when it went over Louisiana, but then it eased back into the Gulf again. Now we just have to wait and see. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭25‬ says, This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Father, be with the Ed’s. Keep them safe and bless them. Amen. 

July 22 - “Pulleys and broomstick”

Chris had her big six-week checkup with the surgeon yesterday. He seemed very pleased with where she was in her physical therapy. He said she needed to keep working on the “Pulleys and broomstick.” Must be some sort of code.

He said she could lose the pillow part of the sling, but to hang onto the sling itself. It would come in handy with groups of people, reminding them to be careful. It would also remind her to behave herself. 

He said we were OK to go on the trip to Virginia. I told him that was good, because we needed her to carry all the suitcases. She was quick to assure him that we had three six feet tall grandsons. He mentioned something about having our own pack of Sherpas. Is that a good thing?

On the way home we stopped by and chatted with Nathan and Cailyn. He was getting ready for work. She was using a day off to rest and recuperate. She apparently had had some light-headedness issues at work the day before. Sounded like she could use the break. 

I guess I haven’t even mentioned our latest good friend. She is from … ummmm … Florida? Fun name. Goes by Bertha. Tropical Storm Bertha. At this point it doesn’t look like she will be paying us a visit. Well, maybe a little wind and rain. But it’s still too early to nail that in stone. 

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭25‬ says, “for I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak.”

Father, be with those who have to deal directly with the storm. Amen.