January 1 – “Secret Weapons”

Well, I was wondering how far I would be able to go with a teaching at church yesterday.  The coughing and tickle in my throat certainly threatened to derail me.  Unbeknownst to the “Just a cold” demons within, however, I had a Secret Weapon or three.

Now I was eating cough drops like candy (except I wasn’t chewing them or anything.  That’s just gross).  I was doing my best to conserve my voice.  I did go out into the cold, wet nastiness to take down the marquee sign advertising Christmas Eve.  That was a miserable experience.  But Secret Weapon Number One arrived and took me aside shortly before the service started.  Mr. Bob asked me to join him in his office for a safety meeting.  We went into the fellowship room and he prayed for me.  He asked God not only to be with me through the service, but also to grant me peace for eth afternoon so I could enjoy “watching baseball or football or taking a nap. Or whatever it is he needs to get done this afternoon.”  Nice touch, Bob.  That’s a great way to start any stressful campaign.  We started the service off with a special prayer for a member who had a stroke the other day.  After that prayer a lady (Secret Weapon Number Two) got my attention and asked if we could have “a special prayer for our pastor as well.”  And she stood up and took off with the second barrage of prayer for me and my health.  I gotta say, I was feeling a lot more energized when she finished.  Thanks, Kay.  And the strike three blow to the “Just a cold” interlopers came when I was winding down to a very important point in the teaching.  My cough drop had long since melted away, and the tickle in my throat must have been more obvious.  Or maybe it was the fact that I had begun coughing again.  But all of a sudden Secret Weapon Number Three stood from his seat and silently walked to the pulpit.  He reached out his hand and placed on the podium … a cough drop.  But not just any cough drop, mind you.  This was none other than a Ricola.  Yep.  Just like the kind you see on TV, so it had to be good.  Actually, it really did the trick.  Thank you for bailing me out there, Dale.  The weaponry didn’t stop there, though.  After the service Andrea stepped up with two cough drops of her won to add to my stash.  That was enough to get me home and down on the couch. 

No baseball games yesterday, though, Bob.  After a brief crash period, we began taking down Christmas decorations.  Chris lasted an all-time record period after the last child and his family have left the house.  She is usually pulling down a wreath as they drive away.  After fetching the boxes from the garage, I did pretty much get the tree lights off and rolled away, and the tree itself pulled apart and boxed up before I was done, energy-wise.  Chris continued on throughout the afternoon, and made significant headway.  We’ll finish up most of it today.  I say “most” because we haven’t taken down the outside lights, and right now the temperature is 34 with a wind chill of 20.  That, ladies and gentlemen, is simply too cold for Galveston. 

Psalms 19:14 says, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Father, thank you for those Secret Weapons you put in my path yesterday.  They sure do make a difference.  Amen.