July 15 – “What’s a Carabbas?”

We had what I would call an unusually quiet day yesterday.  At least for the first part of it.  I did a lot of finishing touches work on the sermon.  Then Chris joined me in the office and we drifted into talking about our Alaskan cruise.  She is doing enough research into that trip to make a college professor’s head spin.  She has a spiral notebook almost filled up with her notes.  Me?  I’m more of the student grader kind of guy.  Bring me the finished product and I’ll edit it for grammar and clarity.  More to come on the trip, I’m sure.

In the afternoon we left the Island and headed into Texas.  We had to pick up some supplies at Sam’s for the church.  Next we headed further north and made a stop into JoAnn’s.  That’s a Chris-type store.  Full of fabric and craft stuff and the like.  She needed a specific color of thread for a cross stitch project she is currently working on.  From there we went just a few doors down to Lifeway Christian Store.  There we picked up some communion cups for the church.  They were supposed to be giving away a children’s Bible study book, but they had already run out of those.  We ended up with the “replacement version,” a VeggieTales book.  VeggieTales are fine for kids who already know the Bible stories.  For kids with no church background, though, they are just strange stories about tomatoes and asparagus. 

From there we moved a little further down the road to Carabbas Restaurant.  Never been there before.  We had to look it up to see what kind of food they served.  Italian.  There we met up with some friends from long ago when we were living in Mansfield.  They were in town for a book fair up by the intercontinental airport.  Their daughter is an author and had a signing table.  Fortunately they were staying with some friends in Deer Park, so it was much closer for them and us to meet there near Baybrook Mall.  Great to see them.  We talked for about two hours.  I was beginning to feel sorry for the server having to put up with us (and having no turnover on his table), but he was very gracious. 

And now we head to church.  I had to move the supplies all around to make room for Chris’ bean soup.  Dinner on the grounds …

Psalms 84:1-2 says, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!  My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”

Father, I thank you every time we get together with old friends.  They are some pretty special creatures to still want to connect with us over all these years.  Amen.