September 15 – “Closer to home”

We did something rather unusual yesterday.  We decided to deal with some storm damage a little closer to home.  Well, a lot closer to home.  We finally got around to cleaning up the storm damage around our house.  Fortunately it was minor and confined to our yard.  The trees on one side of the house were stripped bare of leaves and several branches were down.  The biggest tree itself is in our neighbor’s yard.  The bulk of the branches and leaves and hackberries, however, managed to find their way into ours.  That’s what Chris attacked after she did her weekly Thursday housecleaning in preparation for Home Group Bible Study.  Meanwhile I cranked up the lawn mower.  Now we did mow one other time after the storm, but we never did edge or use the weed eater.  No time then.  It was overdue now.  Once I finished that task I trimmed off a few of the broken branches still barely attached to the sycamore trees.  And I confess that I also trimmed the oleander bush in the front yard.  We have to do that periodically when it hinders our line of vision as we back the car out of the driveway.  Mrs. Betty of the Oleander Society watches me like a hawk, so I have to a little sneaky.  I can’t keep track of the “proper time” to trim.  I was headed to the back yard to lop off a few more offending branches when Chris insisted that I was finished.  Guess I looked a bit spent. 

Now, I did field a phone call from Seaside’s windstorm insurance agent about the ceiling leaks that showed up after the storm.  Their adjuster will be contacting us in the next five or six days about coming out to assess the damage.  He apologized for his tardiness in calling.  Something about their being swamped with claims lately.  Get it?  “Swamped”?  Still too soon?  I also got a call informing me that the remaining two air conditioning units in the retreat center are just about done.  Out.  Kaput.  Fortunately, we have a fund we have been trying to build up to deal with just such eventualities.  Lynn, our resident AC guy is going to get the units ordered and installed for a pretty good price. 

Another issue of repair around the church has come up.  With all of the loaded to the hilt dolly and gruntingly laden foot traffic bringing supplies into the building, our ramp into the worship center has developed a problem.  We now have a speed dip on the way up.  A few of the boards have slipped out of place and need to be repaired or replaced.  Or the whole ramp needs to be replaced.  I don’t know which.  We’ll get a few of our carpenter-type handymen to take a look at it on Sunday. 

OK, so much for the minor stuff “at home.”  I think the plan for today is for Chris and I to head back to the church and get it set up for worship on Sunday.  There will still be supplies everywhere when you come, so find a seat next to that case of bleach.  Get to know it.  Invite it to join you on a visit you are about to make to Dickinson, or League City, or Santa Fe, or Hitchcock, or LaMarque, or Alvin, or Lake Jackson.  You’ll be surprised at the ability of a case of bleach to be a wingman.  Opens all kinds of doors among a very large segment of our county population about now. 

1 Peter 5:10-11 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Father, help us stay on top of our issues “at home” so we can better spend our time matching supplies to the right homes.  Amen.