April 30 - “And the crowd goes wild”

It’s the last inning.  Home team is behind by three runs, but the best part of their lineup is coming to bat.  An inner hush permeates through the clamor of the crowd’s obligatory cheers of encouragement.  Tension mounts.  The first batter makes an out, but the next two find their way to base.  In fact they make their way all the way home to score.  Another out.  Tying run now on third.  The next batter hits a squibbler to the pitcher. And the race is on.  The runner on third streaks for home.  The batter scurries toward first base.The pitcher fields the ball, turns toward first, and the race is on.  It will be a close one.  And ... it’s the pitcher.  The pitcher wins the race. Out by a half stride.  Visitors win.  And the crowd goes wild ...

Nope.  Not an Astros game.  That was but a sample of the excitement to be found at Luke’s t-ball game last night.  Add to that ending key plays like when Luke, playing second base, fielded a grounder and tagged out a runner coming into second base.  Undaunted, the runner continued toward third, but Luke would have none of that action.  He tagged him a second time, a few steps from the base.  The runner continued, so Luke did, too.  He ran the kid down and tagged him out a third time.  Sometimes we just have to make sure, you know?  Luke was on that Visitors team.  A narrow 15-14 win with all the excitement of a major league game.  And the best part?  The kids seemed to be really having fun.  Even the tiny catcher who refused to wear the helmet ... or his glove ... or stand anywhere near home plate.  Kudos to his coach, however.  He came out of the dugout, called the youngster over to his side by the fence and stood with his arm around him for the duration of the half inning.  Hey, it can get lonely inside that monstrous headgear.

The plan was to sneak into Waco for two great nights like this one.  Little League baseball at its finest.  Tonight is Caleb’s game.  However ... Caleb is in the midst of recovering from a severe allergy reaction to the season, some horses ... just a preponderance of attacks on his immune system.  The reaction led to an eye infection, and he is now quarantined for 48 hours.  Stay inside.  That might mean no game for him.  The 48 hours technically extend into tomorrow, but the doc said he would call to check on him, and left him with a “we’ll see how the medicine helps him.”  There is also a chance of rain today, though, so there is also that.  Sigh.  The perils of outdoor sports.

Matthew 6:14 says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

Father, protect these little guys as they learn and play the greatest game around.  Amen.

April 29 – “Donut money?”

Quick note today.  I checked the mail at church yesterday and found several addressed directly to me.  Upon perusal, they were actually thank you notes for having the sunrise service on the beach.  Very simple.  Very sweet.  One of them even included a check to go toward expenses (we never take up an offering.  The service is our gift to the community). 

And speaking of the mail at church … one of the letters had an official-looking seal on the envelope.  When I opened that one I saw right away that it was signed by the chief of police in Jamaica Beach.  I won’t lie.  I had thoughts of a complaint being lodged that would prevent us from having the service.  Now, let me add a bit of backstory before I tell you what the letter said.  One of the things we do every two or three years at the sunrise service is present a check to the Jamaica Beach Police Department, just to say “Thank you for serving our community.”  Some have joked that we are giving them “Donut Money,” but it is really just a very small expression of our appreciation for their work. 

Back to the letter.  As I opened the letter completely, our check fell out.  They returned it.  That’s when I thought that either we forgot to have it signed or giving money to the police department was now illegal.  Amazingly, it was neither.  In a beautifully expressed letter, the police chief graciously indicated their thanks for the support, but then he said something along the lines of, “We should be serving you, not the other way around.  Thanks for all you do for the community.  There must be some way this money could be used for youth programs or missions.”  I know I was extremely tired Sunday morning, but this one really brought a tear to my eye.  Thank you for the encouragement, Chief.

Revelation 4:11 says, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Father, would you bless and protect the officers and administration of the Jamaica Beach Police Department?  Thank you for their commitment and sacrifice.  Amen.

April 28 – “Bask … Bask …”

Well, our morning was spent engaged in that all-American activity … watching kids’ sports.  This time it was Cailyn, and no, she wasn’t playing softball for a change.  She has started volleyball in a program over at the big Methodist church on the Island.  The girls are just learning the game and rules and nuances of the sport, but they all did really well.  My favorite parts were:

1) The beginning of the game when the umpire did a little teaching for both teams, showing them the correct way to check into a game when they are substituting. 

2) The way they all (both teams, but Cailyn’s team was especially impressive at this) encouraged with high fives and verbal affirmation not just good plays, but good efforts as well. 

After the game Cailyn’s coach told us that she was really strong (physically) and that she was the leader, the heart and soul of the team.  Proud granddad moment … Bask … Bask …

In the afternoon we took Cailyn with us to LaMarque for Noa’s birthday party.  She had a lot of children there to help her celebrate at the local park/playground pavilion.  And between her and her Mom they had developed a dual themed event.  Hold onto your hats and see if you can picture these two things together: unicorns (to be expected … she has loved unicorns for several years now) and Karate.  Yep.   A unicorn Karate birthday party.  Unicorns adorned much of the décor.  A highlight of the day was the opening when a group of the children gave a live demonstration of some impressive karate moves.  They even gave some mini-lessons. 

Then came the cupcakes.  Icing was gi-colored (I think that’s the name of the karate outfit they wear.  That was just a code word for the icing color - white), and on top of each one was a twizzler tied in a knot to look like one of the karate belts.  Also fake sushi.  A rice krispy treat wrapped in a fruit roll-up.  I passed on the sushi and the belt.  Stuck with a cupcake and a bottle of water.  We ended up staying for supper with the LaMarque clan.  Pulled pork on baked potato with green beans and corn.  Quite the feast. 

Then Cailyn came home with us and spent the night.  Just for fun.  I hope she and Chris slept better than I did.  The neighbors were having a … well, I’ll just call it an extended chat on their front porch with what sounded like several dozen of their closest friends.  The Freddy treed another possum.  The Freddy decided she desperately wanted to be in the main part of the house with the rest of us.  “Whining at the door might help,” she figured.  Nope. 

I suppose it was a pretty good day (accent on the “day” as opposed to the night).  I guess you could call it a great, grandparents’ day (as opposed to a great-grandparents’ day, which we are nowhere near being as of yet).    

John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

Father, be with all of those little children we met at the park yesterday.  And give Kel and Christina opportunities to share you with the neighbors who came.  Amen.

April 27 – “Tickled … blue?”

Chris spent the morning in LaMarque.  She was watching Noa and Ezra while the rest of the LaMarque clan went to the movies.  Avengers: End Game.  She wouldn’t let them disclose any details, though.  I understand Josiah was about ready to explode wanting to talk about it.  Nope.  Not yet.

Meanwhile, I finally had a chance to go fishing.  It doesn’t really count, though.  I really wanted to go wade fishing at the beach, but it was still a little too rough … and cold.  There is that, too.  So instead I went to the old stand-by canal at Jamaica Beach. 

I ended up catching two keeper speckled trout.  I also caught some trash fish, but that turned into a blessing.  Well, not a blessing for me so much.  But it certainly benefited my friend who had sidled up next to me to observe my progress.  A great blue heron camped out beside my fishing spot, so I dutifully tossed him a few of the fish.  He was tickled pink … er … blue.

We ended up having a pretty grand fresh speckled trout supper last night.  Chris did her usual fabulous job of creating a delicacy.  But she did tell me we needed some more fish for a future fish fry.  Hey.  Her wish is my command.  I hope …

Matthew 5:4 says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Father, thank you for the tasty fish you placed in the sea and for the beautiful birds you created to populate the skies … and the bulkheads.  That great blue heron was amazing.  Amen.

April 26 – “Visits”

We went to WalMart yesterday to get a birthday gift for Noa.  While there we grabbed a dvd as well.  One of the new superhero ones.  “Glass.”  It got me in the superhero mode, so we watched Aquaman when we got home.  We’ve had it for a few weeks now.  Just getting around to watching it.  And hey, we both really liked it.  Way to go, DC Comics.

Sam was the only one who came by for Home Group.  We had several out of town, and Brennan had a baseball game.  Corey was playing his violin at the Meals on Wheels banquet.  We watched the Astros and did some chatting.

Speaking of Meals on Wheels, I got an email from them assuring me they would contact the friend of Katie.  Oh, Katie who?

Another story.  The other day we heard the doorbell ring, and who should be standing there but Katie Hightower.  She is a Seasider from way back who now lives in Huntsville.  Katie is 95 years old and just as spry as ever.  As we caught up with her and her sister Bernie, she mentioned a friend they had just seen who is a few years older than Katie.  She has no family in the area, and Katie and her sister were worried that their friend wasn’t eating well.  I told them I would contact Meals on Wheels to see if they could help out.  And so the stories connect. 

Now I’m going fishing.  First time since the grandkids went with me back at Spring Break.  Not sure where, but that really doesn’t matter, does it?

John 10:11 says, “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Father, be with that friend of Katie and Bernie’s.  Thank you for the assurance of contact by Meals on Wheels.  Amen.

April 25 – “A visit from … a Webelos”

As I noted yesterday, I made two trips to the church.  The reasons do not necessarily need to be rehashed.  Suffice it to say that the first time was to let the bug guy in to spray the building.  The second was to … umm … talk to the election officials who were manning the early voting booths. 

On my way home the first time I had one of those “unexplainable urges” to stop by fire station seven.  No particular reason.  However, I was in the wrong lane to make the turn and I didn’t really want to make a u-turn, so I went on home.  I was not home more than five minutes before I got word that I needed to return to the church.  And after that trip, again on my way home, I got that same sense of urgency to stop by the station.  Second time’s the charm, I guess.  I made my way over to the turn lane and soon pulled into the station.

The crew was outside talking with some city workers.  Apparently the city guys were done, and they started packing up to leave.  The fire fighters met me in the driveway, and we began chatting about their day and about where I had been on my latest mini-journeys and where some good places were to go hiking.  After a while, a man and his young son pulled up in a golf cart.  The gentleman introduced himself and said the boy was in scouting, and was working on his Webelos badge.  Sadly, he had missed his group’s trip to tour a fire station, a requirement for an “appreciating first responders” badge or something like that. 

After a little good-natured teasing about the boy’s Cleveland Browns jersey, the fire fighters proudly declared, “Well, we have a whole fire station right here.  Would you like to see it?”  The boy grinned widely and nodded his head.  His Dad was appreciative, and our guys proceeded to pull out the truck and show them all the gear.  Meanwhile, that little interruption opened up an opportunity – the reason I was urged by the Holy Spirit to come this way.  I was there when one of the guys asked to talk privately.  God has a unique way of orchestrating divine encounters … whether for a little boy working on a Webelos badge or for a harried chaplain on his second trip home.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord: ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Father, thank you for the willingness of our fire fighters to take the time to show a little boy around the station.  That’s pretty special stuff.  Amen.

April 24 – “The renegade”

I went up to the church yesterday to meet the bug guy.  Those evil roach-esque critters were spotted in the retreat center kitchen on Easter morning.  When I arrived he was already inside.  Not spraying, though.  Voting.  We host an early voting site for the west end of the Island.  Which meant he was not able to spray the worship center.  Oh, well, he said he was happy to come back another time. 

Before I left I texted Chris to ask if I needed to bring home anything that was left over from the Easter festivities.  There was a gallon of milk in the fridge that would go bad if not used, a plastic bag of fruit and eggs and other stuff on the counter, and even some sliced fruit in the fridge as well.  She texted back her answer, and then added, “Bring the extra Nerds candy from your desk.”

Proud of myself for being the wonderful husband that I am, I hurried home to perhaps help in the yard or work on a sermon or something productive like that.  However, when Chris saw that the bag after I emptied the Nerds still contained stuff, she queried, “Why did you bring this home?  I said NOT to bring the bag of stuff.”  And about that time my phone rang.  It was Amber, our scheduler from church.  Seems she had just received a phone call from the election officials.  Apparently a renegade pastor had absconded with … their lunch.  Needless to say, I headed back out to the car right away.

When I arrived and was exiting the car, I heard a horrible blaring, siren-esque sound behind me.  It was coming from a truck in the parking lot.  I whirled around just as the election judge was getting out of the vehicle, fumbling with his keys to get the accidentally activated siren turned off.  When he saw me, I threw my arms into the air and declared, “It was me.  I did it.  I am the lunch cat-burglar, the criminal mastermind of the Nerds-covered fruit theft.  I confess it all.” 

When the judge was able to once again control his laughter, we walked inside arm-in-arm.  I coughed up the evidence of my oopsity, my criminal deed.  The other workers were all very kind, and seemed to understand.  I was not hauled away by the Jamaica Beach police.  I even opened up my office and gave them free access to the leftover Easter candy in there.  We were friends once again, and a crisis was narrowly averted by swift action, keen negotiation strategy, and some tootsie rolls. 

Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Father, please be with the election workers as they guide folks through that process again this year.  Amen.

April 23 – “It’s the season”

Yesterday was “set up to attack the roaches” day.  Seems some of the critters were already making a Spring appearance.  They were seen lolling around the kitchen in the retreat center at church.  Our pest control company actually called last week to set up an appointment, but we couldn’t connect on a time because of all the Easter preparations.  We have a time now.  This morning at 8 a.m. 

About ten minutes after we completed that call, the phone rang.  I saw on caller ID that it was the pest control company again.  Hmm.  I wondered if they had made a scheduling error and were calling to reschedule or something.  But no.  It was simply time for them to come to our house and spray here, too.  Bring it on.  That one is on the books for Wednesday afternoon.  Guess it's just the season.

We went to Jachin’s baseball game at Herman Park in the middle of Houston.  At 5:30.    Unfortunately there were three or four wrecks along the way to exacerbate the already heavy traffic.  We hit slowdowns of five, seven, and nine minutes (according to Google Sir’s estimation).  I’m pretty sure her calculations were a bit on the low side.  As it turned out we only missed part of the first inning.  Oh, and the good guys won. 

I forgot to mention that we got back to our walking yesterday as well.  Not that we haven’t been exercising.  All this fence-work and yard-work has been wearing me out, at least.  Gotta keep tuned up for that upcoming Alaska trip …

Psalms 47:1 says, “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

Father, thank you for baseball games and neighborhood walks and even chances to meet up with the Bug Guy.  I’m really glad the little things count with you.  Amen.

April 22 – “Just ... Amazing”

Resurrection Sunday at Seaside continued a tradition of being pretty amazing. 

Our new driveways onto the church property were tested at proven worthy. Thank you to Ed and Veteran Maintenance for the work you did on those as well as on the drive-through lane under the retreat center building.  We’ll get the rest of the material needed to finish that whole project as soon as we can.  Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention handling the leak in the retreat center bathroom.  It’s amazing how much work gets done behind the scenes.

The Jamaica Beach Police Department (under the direction of our very own Officer Cory), and our own sheriff officer Sarah, handled traffic at the sunrise service this year.  The no parking signs and the directing of parking onto the beach made the whole scenario way better this year than ever before. 

The Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department was out in force again this year as well.  They joined Mr. Bob with lights for our setup team, provided warming blankets for those coming out of the water after baptisms, and of course were standing by with their medical gear.  Thankfully that was not needed this year. 

The fire department estimated around one thousand attended the service this year.  We ran out of song books early.  Only had 500 of those.  We also ran out of the lapel pin gifts we gave away.  Only had 600 of those.  Guess we need to up our game next year. 

We gave a check to the fire department and police department as a thank you for being anchors in our community.  We also gave a check to our missionaries from Alaska who made the effort to be here for the service.  The Humphries Family is an anchor to families in crisis in their ministry.  Sensing a pattern here?  The theme of the service was about Jesus being our Anchor.

As the waves crashed on the shore, we got to see the sunrise in the East while the full moon was still clearly visible in the Western sky.  Pelicans in V-formation flew over during the singing, and seagulls abounded as well, all adding to the sense of all creation worshiping the Lord.  Beautiful.

We had ten baptisms at the sunrise service.  Then we ended up doing two more after the 10:00 service.  Mr. Bob said, “We had an even dozen.  I can’t say they were the dirty dozen, though, ‘cause they were all just washed clean!” 

A couple of hundred folks stopped by the church between services to join us for breakfast.  The food abounded, and God once again seemed to multiply it into more than enough for everyone. 

I’m not sure how many children came to the Easter egg hunt.  I do know we had two wagons full of hundreds of eggs for them to find.  They all seemed to get plenty of candy, and the two who won the grand prize Bibles were very excited to have them.  Chris and her team did their usual fabulous job. 

What more can I say?  God was here.  He does good work …

Psalms 22:31 says, “They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!”

Father, thank you for an amazing Easter.  You do, indeed, do great work.  Thank you for letting us be a part of a little bit of it.

April 21 – “Happy Resurrection Sunday!”

I went to a fund-raising event yesterday for the Jamaica Beach Volunteer Fire Department.  It was one of those barbecue cook-off contests.  Being as it was Easter weekend, they called it The Bunny Roast.  Clever name, don’t you think?  I don’t think anybody cooked up any “Weal Wascawy Wabbits,” though.  Corey and Jim and John played for the event.  I saw several of the fire fighters and some Seasiders.  Everybody was talking about the sunrise service. 

Well, everybody except the one guy I met.  He was already a bit tipsy (It was around three in the afternoon).  He told me he used to be in the Jamaica Beach fire department.  Now he is a carpenter.  Said that gave him something in common with Jesus.  In fact he declared himself to be an ordained minister of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.  Yep.  That’s apparently a real thing.  His slurred words explained that they believe “there is something out there beyond and greater than us, but I just don’t want to quantify it.  We all just need to love each other, do good to each other, and get along.  When we do that, we are, in fact god … together … all of us are god.”

I replied a few times, mainly to gently interject that we didn’t agree on everything he was saying.  But as I said, he was already drunk.  I have learned through past experience that it does no good to debate with someone in that state.  Generally speaking, they won’t even remember the conversation.  But, he knows I didn’t rebuke him harshly and consign him to hell on the spot.  Hey, God loves everyone.  And he can change anyone. 

OK.  It’s time to head out to the beach for … church!  Resurrection Day service on the beach in Jamaica Beach at 6:30.  Then breakfast at the church.  Then an Easter egg hunt for the kids.  Then the communion service at the church at 10.  Big day.  Jesus day.  Resurrection Day.

John 11:25-26 says, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.  Do you believe this?’”

Father, please join us at the services on the beach and at the church today.  Be with the folks driving in from Houston.  Bring your peace to us all.  Amen.

April 20 – “Wavey grass”

We made an early morning trip all the way to Spring yesterday.  We attended the funeral of a cousin.  I saw some people who were just toddlers last I could remember.  Oh, and they had kids there, too.  Nope.  Slow down.  At least I recognized the cousins I grew up with.  Larry was older than me, but he was one of the ones who got me started on collecting baseball cards back in the day.  Big influence there, for sure.  But his sister Julie was the one cousin who was my age, and we have kept in touch over the years. 

There was one rather odd yet beautiful thing we noticed while waiting for the graveside service to begin.  It was the grass.  I’m not sure what kind it was – not St. Augustine, for sure.  But when the wind blew (And it did blow.  One gust even distracted the pastor, but at the time he was reading a scripture about how the trees clapped in the presence of God … and they provided us an example), the grass looked like waves of water flowing across the ocean.  Wavey grass.  Very pretty. 

After the funeral we followed my older brother Jay (or, MUCH older brother, as I generally remind him) to the old Budde Cemetery on our old family homestead.  Much has changed there.  “Progress” has enveloped most of the area.  The cemetery is still intact, though, as is the old homestead house, although it has obviously been upgraded since the old days. 

Jay is our resident family genealogy expert.  However, one of Julie’s kids appears to be following in his footsteps.  The two of them regaled us with old family stories at lunch.  Speaking of following in footsteps … we also met Julie’s granddaughter.  She is playing college volleyball right now and loves it.  Apparently she has Olympic aspirations.  I told her our granddaughter was just learning volleyball.  She got excited and was really hopeful that Cailyn would carry on that family tradition.

After the easy drive up there – it took us just over an hour – we were looking forward to a pleasant drive home.  Well, not so much.  Everyone who had been sleeping in for their Good Friday holiday was now on the road.  And they invited their brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and everyone else they knew.  Traffic was terrible.  Of course three wrecks and the usual construction delays didn’t help matters any.  And Google Siri’s alternative route to avoid traffic took us almost through Crosby, so Chris just plowed ahead.  It took us two hours to get home.  Needless to say, Chris was exhausted.  She managed to get the roast in the crockpot for our family Easter lunch today, but she didn’t make it to the end of the Astros game.  I assured her I would do the viewing for her so she could rest easy. 

Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Father, walk with Larry and Julie and their family as they mourn their mom.  Amen.

April 19 – “… shake his hand”

The funeral for the young nineteen-year-old went pretty well.  There were eighty or so people in attendance, and quite a few of them had something to share about the young man.  Sounds like he was an especially good friend to his peers and a respectful gentleman to those older than himself.  It was interesting that one comment kept coming up about him.  “He always shook your hand” in one form or another was a favorite theme.  I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet young Robert.  I would have loved to … shake his hand.

After lunch we dodged the remaining few raindrops (the morning was a collection of intermittent massive downpours) and headed out to the church to get things set up for Easter.  Tables set up for the breakfast, floor swept, booklets and gifts packed in bags for people to carry as they hand them out, plates and utensils set out and ready to go.  While we were setting up a gentleman came in and gave a donation to the church to “help defray the costs of Easter.  It sounds like a really big event, so there must be costs involved.”  Not what we expected, by any means.  Jim and Charlotte also stopped by.  They needed an emergency bathroom.  Hey, sometimes you just can’t make it all the way to Sea Isle.  Sounds like everything is set for Easter from the music perspective as well.  They are making some tweaks in the sound system to accommodate some more voices in the praise team.  Always good to hear more folks are getting involved. 

We had a guest at Home Group last night.  Anne was back in town for the weekend, and she was staying with Corey and Janell across the street, so she made the long, arduous journey over to Bible Study.  Sounded like she and her family are doing well living in the Austin area.  Now we are looking forward to seeing the Humphries family who will be here for the Easter services.  Them and five or six hundred of their closest friends …

John 19:30 says, “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Father, thank you for the expressions of encouragement the family heard yesterday at the funeral.  And once again, will you join us at the Easter services this weekend?  Amen.

April 18 – “On the bright side”

While in the front yard weeding yesterday I received an interesting phone call from the funeral home.  Seems the family I had talked to last Friday had told them I was all set to officiate the funeral of their loved one.  On the bright side, that was a true statement.  On the dimmer side, what they failed to notify me about was … the funeral was to be today at 10 a.m.  Well, OK.  As it turns out, on the bright side, that was not a problem for my schedule.  Oh, and also on the bright side, Chris stained the new back door with the color created magically by the Harry Potter-ish guy at Sherwin-Williams.  It is pretty much a perfect match.  On the dimmer side, she still has to seal it, but she can’t do that until the weather dries out again.

Meanwhile, I was talking to the Lord (and to the female blackbirds that inevitably come to visit when I do yardwork).  I had a revelation, or at least an idea of sorts, for a different approach to the object lesson for the sunrise service.  That idea was circulating in my mind when Chris got home from her haircut.  Oops.  That’s when I realized I was supposed to have already gone to Office Depot to pick up the sunrise service booklets and to Randall’s to get a prescription and some fruit.  My total absorption in the task at hand, mixed with the mental pondering pushed all other considerations out of my wheelhouse.  On the bright side, I was almost finished with the weeding.  On the dimmer side, we still had to go get those booklets.  And the prescription and fruit.  On the bright side, now we could do the errand-running together. 

On the bright side, we did finish the errands, all before we had to pick Cailyn up from school.  And on another bright side, we stopped in to see Nathan at the fire station on our way home.  Always great to see Cailyn run full-speed into his arms.  There’s just something special about that kind of love.

Once we got back home I finished up writing the funeral service and dove into incorporating the new idea into the sunrise service object lesson.  On the bright side, the idea fit really well with what I had already written.  It feels a little more coherent to me now.  On the dimmer side, that meant I had to re-orient my pastor’s copy of the service booklet to include the changes.  Not as fun a task, but one I was up for.  So on the bright side, it only took a few deletions and a paragraph or two of smaller font size to bring it into submission.  I think it’s ready to go now.  

And on the bright side (for you, at least), I’m done for today …

Luke 22:19 says, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”

Father, thank you for all the “bright sides” you grace us with every day.  Help us become more proficient at recognizing them.  Amen.

April 17 – “Getting focused”

Very slow news day today.  We attacked the front yard weed collection.  Both of us.  Still didn’t finish, but Chris did get one of the flower beds cleaned out.  Looks nice. 

We followed Jachin’s baseball game on the telephone app.  They lost the game, but Jachin got to play the whole game at first base.  He also walked in his time at bat. 

Chris made some great lima beans for supper.  Lima beans and crescent rolls.  She attempted some the day before, but they would never soften up.  She thinks they were too old.  Guess when you - er, “they” - get too old, you/they get all crusty and stubborn.  Hmm.  The ones yesterday were just right, though.  Good stuff. 

I heard back from the children’s pastor at Josh’s church in Waco.  We are hooking up with their group for children’s camp this summer.  Looks like we have three girls going.  Chris and I will go, too, as sponsors.  Shelley asked if I would be interested in teaching the church group Bible studies for the three days we are there.  I haven’t taught at a children’s camp in years.  Sounds like fun.  Now I just gotta remember how to think like a kid …

Today begins the really focused time for Easter preparations.  Picking up the song booklets, making a Sam’s run, getting baptism applications copied and ready to be filled out, gathering needed objects for the sunrise service object lesson, and of course going over the teachings for the weekend.  Not to mention prayer … a lot of prayer. 

John 13:34 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Father, take charge of all the preparations for Easter this week, teachings, worship, food, egg hunt … be at the center of it all.  Otherwise it just wouldn’t be Easter.  Amen.

April 16 – “The RLC Near-Encounter”

We made our trip to the post office yesterday to pick up that tax packet from our accountant that we missed delivery of because we were working in the back yard.  We were kind of apprehensive about going to the post office on that particular day.  Why?  Well, we anticipated large crowds in “honor” of April 15^th … Tax Day.  Doesn’t everyone celebrate it?  Oh, we didn’t expect fanfare and parades.  And we weren’t disappointed.  There were none of those.  There was a bit of a line, however.  Some disgruntled.  Others patiently waiting.  I tried to bypass the system and go directly to the pickup window.  They have a little doorbell that you ring.  Meanwhile Chris got in line just in case.  “Just in case” won the day.  She reached the front of the line before anybody ever came to answer the doorbell.  Once we got to the counter things went fast and easy.  They handed me the package, I signed for it.  All was well.

Once we were in the car I opened the packet.  And sure enough, what I had dreaded came to life.  We already paid the tax due for last year.  The accountant had emailed us what we needed to get that taken care of.  But the document I was looking for was the one that shows how much we need to pay quarterly so the hit at the end of the year is not so difficult to swallow.  It was there, right on top.  And the due date for the first installment?  Yep.  April 15^th.  We went back to the house, had a quick lunch, wrote a check to cover the payment, slipped it in an envelope, and headed back to the post office.  Twice in one day.  Tax Day. 

The second line was longer than the first.  Of course it was.  All we needed this time was one of those magical cancellation stamps on the envelope to prove we got it there on April 15^th.  The lady behind us was in the same boat.  Just a cancellation stamp.  She noticed the chaplain designation on my cap, and started up a conversation.  She thought it said Carnival at first.  Cruise line or traveling festival guy?  It was a fun conversation.  Something to pass the time.  By the time we finished our transaction the line was almost to the door.  Yikes.  I tried to encourage those toward the back with a “Hang in there” and a “The line is moving.”  Not sure how appreciative they were though.

We even almost got hit by a mailman in his truck on the way out of the parking lot.  He was hurrying to the parking area behind the building, because it was his quitting time and he had somewhere else to be.  How do I know so much about that mailman?  It was our son, Kel.  His son Jachin had a baseball scrimmage, and he was heading over to watch it.  Gotta watch out for those RLC’s (Relative Letter Carriers).

Philippians 2:8 says, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!”

Father, Watch over our RLC this week as he makes his deliveries.  Amen.

April 15 – “The Outburst”

Well … Happy Income Tax Day, I suppose. 

We had quite the day at church yesterday.  Two different men approached me asking to be among those getting baptized at the sunrise service on Easter.  One has been coming for some time, and has seen a complete turn-around in his own life.  I’m meeting with him again on Sunday morning before the service.  He plans to be there early to help the crew with the chairs and sound system setup. 

The other was there for the first time Sunday with his wife and little baby.  I met his wife a few weeks ago when I did the funeral of her mother.  She had to help me out with her name when I didn’t recognize her right away.  Anyway, the husband told me he had never really been to church, and had for sure never been baptized, but he definitely wanted to do it.  I walked him through what salvation looks like and how baptism is a picture of that.  He told me he had prayed earlier during the service.  I really think he has responded to God as fully as he knows how.  He does have a lot of learning and growing to do (as do we all), but I’m pretty excited for him.

We had a great lunch with five or six other Seasiders over at the local Jamaica Beach grill.  We did some laughing and talking and eating.  Oh, and speaking of laughing, let me back up for a second.  Right in the middle of the teaching at church, when I was explaining some connection or another within the Palm Sunday story we heard a rather loud outburst from the kids’ room just off the sanctuary where Chris leads the youngsters to hear some of the basic Bible stories.  Now, an outburst is not all that unusual, and generally when it happens one of the parents make his or her way over to calm the child or be of assistance. 

Not that kind of an outburst this time.  Nope.  This time what we heard was laughter.  Not a chuckle or giggle, mind you.  This was an all-out, all-in belly laugh from the heart of a little child.  It was the kind of laugh that you absolutely cannot ignore.  At the very least you have to acknowledge it.  At the very best you have to join in.  It became rapidly evident that among us “older, more mature” creatures, we were experiencing a little of both.  Heads were turning in that direction.  Grins were spreading across a multitude of faces.  Hey, I was enjoying it so much that I stopped trying to ignore it.  I unleashed a bit of a chuckle from deep down inside, left the flow of the teaching for a minute, and said, “There’s nothing quite like the laughter of a little child.  Go ahead and join him.”  Some did.  Others at least smiled.  Some were a bit confused that I would allow such a distraction.  But, hey.  Things like that happen when a family gets together.  Why not enjoy those special moments when they come?  They are truly a gift from God.

John 6:35 says, “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’”

Father, thank you for the two guys who want baptism.  Help them to grow and mature more and more in you.  And thanks again for that belly-laugh sermon interruption.  Welcome anytime.  Amen.

April 14 – “Speaking of …”

We went to Sherwin-Williams yesterday.  It’s a local (or maybe national chain – I don’t really know) paint store.  We were on the hunt for some stain for the new back door.  Yep.  We have never completed that project.  Sorry about that.  The problem is, we can’t find the name of the stain anywhere in our records.  The original staining happened after Hurricane Ike, and Chris kept meticulous records, but nowhere in there does it say the name of the stain.  I peeled off a tiny sliver of the old door before it was hauled away, and we chose one that looked close.  They said we could return it if we just tested a small area and it wasn’t right (as long as the can looked clean).  And … it wasn’t right.  Of course not.  It just wasn’t golden enough.  We’ll head back over there on Monday, I guess.

Speaking of Monday, we also have to go to the Post Office on Monday.  Seems our letter carrier tried to deliver our income tax packet from our accountant that requires a signature.  We were home, but in the back yard, so we missed it.  Put that one on the list.

Speaking of the back yard, we finished weeding the lawn back there.  I also trimmed off some dead branches from the oleander tree.  Yes.  It’s shaped more like a tree than a bush.  At least it used to be.  Later on I pulled some weeds from the front yard as well.  Now that’s gonna take some doing.  Stay tuned.

Speaking of some doing, I stayed up late for the Astros again.  Not as late this time.  Seattle moved back their start time since it was on a Saturday.  Altuve hit another home run.  Astros won again.  Seventh or eighth in a row now.  That’s some doing.  Keep it up …

Luke 19:38 says, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Father, draw those folks to the Palm Sunday service today who you want to be there.  Amen.