July 4 – “The Coffee Demon”

I slept in a little bit this morning, since we didn't get to sleep until after midnight.  I wasn't worried.  I made my usual ten cups of coffee and set the timer.  We had a problem, though.  Somehow Mr. Coffee made us closer to fourteen cups of coffee.  The pot was full – that's twelve cups.  That's all the machine will hold.  But there was at least two cups all over the counter.  I mopped it up and cleaned it up and wondered all along how in the world a twelve cup coffee maker with ten cups of water in it could make fourteen cups of coffee.  Barring some obvious scientific answer that I am not privy to, I prayed and asked God to cast out any poltergeistic demon from our home.  As soon as we get situated we are going to have an open house and home dedication service here.   We're planning to go watch the fireworks show tonight at Kel and Christina's.  They won't be there.  They are in Houston with her family watching fireworks.  Nathan and April and Cailyn may come.   I borrowed Kel's lawn mower today.  His yard didn't take long to mow.  Neither did ours.  But then I started on our neighbors'.  The one who left their house behind.  In the back it looks like a jungle with all the trees falling down and dead.  While I was mowing and sweating and nearly passing out, I got to thinking.  Why did I mow that yard?  I was being like Jesus, right?  FEMA probably owns that house, so it would be like doing something nice for your enemy.  I was helping the two sisters who live on the other side get the weeds away from their fence.  That's it.  I was doing unto others as I would have them do unto me.  I was also clearing a path between our house and the huge pile dead trees and brush.  April saw a baby possum disappear into our backyard last night when she came to pick up Cailyn.  So wait a minute.  Was I actually just being selfish?  How can you know the real answer to a question like that?  Does the fact that I considered it cancel out all the altruism?  My head still hurts.  Was that heatstroke or brain drain?   I helped Chris empty out some boxes today.  It still amazes us what we find in those things.  Some of the boxes had two things in them.  Others were packed like they were going on a cross country move.  So far we are still missing some plates from Chris's stoneware that she got when we got married.  No idea where they may be.  We did find some boxes with some of games in them. Before Ike we had an entire pantry almost full of games of all types, from Monopoly to Twister to Trivial Pursuit.  Looks like we'll have a shelf or two full of games again, but I'm not sure yet how many will be those we actually played a lot and how many were saved because they were stored up high.  But, hey, that's the story of our salvage lives.    John 15:9-14 says, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command."   Father, I don't take that demon stuff lightly.  Please keep them away from our house and our family.  Amen.