May 20 – “Overflow”

We started early yesterday.  We had a big all-church workday scheduled, so we gathered up Cailyn and made our way out to Seaside.  By the time we arrived a group was already pulling down the bulky moveable wall that has been in place since before we came twenty-plus years ago.  It should give us a little more flexibility with seating, but it also gives us easier access to the storage closet back there.  We were discussing what size door to buy for the closet when who should walk up but a guy who has been replacing doors all his life.  In fact, he was at the workday to begin replacing the frozen locks on the entry doors.  He sized up the situation and announced, “I’ll take care of the door.” 

As a few more folks came to work, I took them to the office area to show them some items that needed to be taken upstairs to the “Black Hole” storage area.  One particularly unusually-shaped object caught the attention of one of the new Seasiders who had come to work.  “What is that?” he asked.  I explained that it was the materials to repair our marquee sign.  We have had them for almost a year, but we just never could figure out how to put it all together.  Our new Seasider’s reply?  “I make signs for a living.  I’ll take that one.”  And by the end of the day, the sign innards had been restored to a brand new look.  And as he was finishing up, our door guy mentioned that he had someone bringing him some tools, so he would just have the guy bring some paint that he had around the house as well.  He would take care of touching up the sign and the big cross next to it as well.  And by the end of the day?  Well, just check out the beautiful sign and cross when you come to church today.

Meanwhile, people were scattered throughout both buildings, cleaning windows and blinds and toys in the nursery, rearranging and organizing closets (even the “Black Hole” got a makeover), marking our tables with Seaside’s name, painting the wall that has been hidden for years behind that moveable wall contraption, cleaning the kitchen, and sweeping and arranging the room for church today.

Our A/C guy was there to unhook an old air handler so we could remove it from a closet and build some shelves.  We got to talking about our problem with the air conditioner last Sunday.  Earlier in the week he told me he tracked it backwards to the breaker box, and discovered it was most likely an electrical problem.  I told him yesterday that I had called an electrician, but they wouldn’t be able to get there until next week some time.  At that another bystander’s ears perked up.  “I am a retired electrician.  I worked as an electrician for 40 years.  Let me take a look at what may be going on.”  He and the A/C guy dove in and worked together to track down the issue.  And while that was going on, I told someone else about the miracle of the retired electrician.  And off to the side another voice spoke up.  I’m an electrician, too, if they need some help.  And before the end of the day who should drive up in the parking lot but the electrician I had called earlier in the week who wasn’t supposed to be available until sometime next week.  Seems he was in the neighborhood on another call and thought he would check in on this one in case we really needed an electrician.  Wow.  Talk about God pouring out his blessings in overflow mode.

The A/C – electrician team finally traced the problem.  It ended up being in the A/C compressor.   A massive short-out.  That meant calling the company that installed the units.  They came out a few hours later, and guess what?  The unit is completely under warranty.  We will be getting a brand new compressor as soon as their order comes in. 

Oh, and as we waiting for the pizza to arrive, another Seasider came in.  She and her husband wanted to do something to help with the workday, so they offered to pay for and arrange to have the floors redone with diamond polished or stained concrete finish.  Sure sounded like a good alternative for a floor that could very well see some influx of water from time to time.  We’ll see how that plays out as arrangements are made in the future.  And back to the overflow theme, another guy said if we instead choose to purchase installed flooring, he will have one of his teams come in and do all the labor for us. 

I can’t say it any better than this …

Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

So here is my closing prayer for the day … “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)