September 30 – “a third set of eyes …”

Chris had a bone density test yesterday.  I’m not sure what that’s for.  Apparently, it consists of a couple of x-rays to make sure she’s not melting down from the inside out.  Not doubt a side effect of some rare random hybrid of the Covid.  Everything else seems to be.  She said all she had to do was lie down on a table and wait while a little bar made its way slowly, closer and closer to her face.  Yep.  She was … uncomfortable.  Even though it was just a little bar and she wasn’t in the dreaded MRI chamber of death, her claustrophobia kicked in.  All worked out well, though.  It stopped just short of the land of no return.  Or the land of “that thing is not getting any closer to my face or I will claw my way off this table and …”  Well, you get the picture.  In fact, the whole thing only took about ten or fifteen minutes.  Guess she passed.

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch (no, not a literal ranch.  Where did that saying come from anyway?), I spent some time trying to catch up on the Monday work I missed because of the MRI I had.  I wanted to get as much done as possible before we have to go to my appointment with the neurosurgeon this afternoon.  I did talk to him on the phone already, but he said I could still come in and see the actual MRI pictures.  Besides, we have been accumulating questions about possible surgery and about what kind of life-quality I would have with or without it.  In fact I still have to go through them all and do some organizing of thoughts before we leave.  This is one of those occasions where I plan to play my hard of hearing card to make sure Chris gets to come to the appointment with me.

 

We did watch the Astros game in the afternoon.  They surprised the world by actually winning their first playoff game.  Keep it going, Guys.

 

2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

 

Father, please come with us to that appointment this afternoon.  We could use a third set of ears in there.  Amen.

September 29 – “MRI DAY II”

 We finally took the truck in to see what the issue was with overheating a few weeks ago.  Everything checked out as fine except for … the radiator.  Yep.  Radiator leak.  That original 1992 radiator finally gave up the ghost.  Boy was that an unexpected hit to the ol’ budget. 

 

Ha.  I just typed in the word “budget.”  That amazing watchdog named Spellcheck decided that was not what I meant to say.  Instead it changed my word into … “buffet.”  Well, I guess that’s what tends to happen with automotive repairs.  You start out on a budget and end up with a veritable buffet of issues – and costs - to choose from.  Ah, well.  Dennis was able to get a new radiator and have it installed before we even finished our grocery run.

 

The truck wasn’t the only thing creeping into our usual Monday routine.  It was also MRI DAY II.  After we dropped the truck off, we headed into Texas to one of the UTMB facilities up there for the MRI on the thoracic part of my spine.  The last one only took ten minutes, so we were anticipating something similar.  Silly us.  Everything was different this time.  They had to wedge my neck into a stabilized position this time.  And put that extra piece over my head to make sure I didn’t move from the neck up.  Absolutely Chris’ favorite part of the procedure.  Not.  And then they finally started.  And the knocking and buzzing and thumping continued off and on for nearly an hour.  That was a long time even for me.  I was just getting relaxed enough to maybe catch a few winks in spite of all the racket when the test was over.  It was a good thing, too.  My lower back was getting really sore just from being flat and immobile for so long.

 

I dutifully called the doctor’s office when we got home - as instructed - to let him know the test was done.  And to my surprise he actually called back.  He had seen the report and said it pretty much confirmed what he had said the last time I was in the office.  Apparently, there is a disc that kind of exploded inward toward the spine.  It is putting some pressure on the cord as well as on the nerve coming out from that area.  That’s what’s causing the numbness.  There are also numerous other bulging discs as well, but this is the big one.  He doesn’t think it is a real danger to the spinal cord at this time.  If we do nothing, the disc material could slowly dissipate over the next year or two.  On the other hand, something could happen to make it worse and a surgery would become a little more urgent.  Now I have to decide if I can live with the numbness, intermittent pain, and activity restrictions.  And then there is also the matter of the two areas of concern in the lumbar regions.  It is quite a lot to think about.  Too much, in fact, to come to a conclusion over the phone.  I asked if we could go ahead and keep my appointment for Wednesday so I could talk to my wife and come up with other questions – basically, so I could process the whole thing.  He was perfectly fine with that. 

 

And so there we are.  It appears the ball is in our court to decide on whether to have the surgery or not.  I still have some questions about that part.  I’m not all that excited about the perennial restrictions on lifting and strenuous activity … no matter what choice we make.  It’ shard to acknowledge to you have to ask for help.  Hmm.  Maybe we could make a “Heavy Lifting Jar” and put in all the things we run into that require assistance.  Then when the grandkids come over, they can each pull one out of the jar.  But then, who will we get to lift our suitcase when we go on one of our little mini-adventures?  Maybe we can just pack four or five tote bags instead of one suitcase.  So many lifestyle changes to consider …

 

Romans 12:5 says, “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

 

Father, please give us some of that supernatural wisdom to make some informed decisions down here.  Amen.

September 28 – “A chaplain-esque afternoon”

 After the tropical storm hiccup last week, it was sure good to be back at church in person yesterday.  And we had a good group of folks gathering with us outside under the building, so they must have thought so as well.  I even met several folks who just moved to Jamaica Beach full time.  They have bene coming to the Easter sunrise service for some time, so they were excited to be at a “regular” service.  Welcome to the Island.

 

After church, as we were gathering things together and carrying things back inside (No, I didn’t carry any chairs or pulpits or tables or anything), a fire call came through, and the response was to the convenience store next door.  As usual we all stopped and said a prayer for the firefighters and police and paramedic crews responding as well as for the victim.  Our volunteer firefighter Lauren hurried away. 

 

Much later Lauren called to see if I was still at the church.  the call was for a probable drowning.  The victim’s adult son was on scene and pretty distraught.  The Jamaica Beach fire chief was wondering if I could come talk to the guy.  Chris stayed at the church with a few others and I set out to find them.  There was a fire truck on scene, so it wasn’t that hard to locate them.  With the traffic barricade and people on the beach, though, it took me a while to actually get there.  Lauren met me and filled me in a little more on what was happening. 

 

The son was pacing a long length of the beach, back and forth.  I approached him, introduced myself as the fire department chaplain, and asked if I could walk with him for a bit.  He was still overwhelmed and having a hard time processing just what was happening.  I assured him that everyone on scene was doing everything they could to locate his Dad.  He also let me pray with him.  Beyond that I left the talking up to him, and we walked in silence for a long time.  A police officer eventually stopped us and asked if he could ask some more questions.  The guy agreed, but seemed to be leery of the officer.  After that interview concluded, we walked away again.  That’s when I assured him that even later when he had had time to absorb everything, he could talk to a fire fighter.  I promised him that they would listen and get him directed to where he needed to be.  He had been trying to make a phone call to some relatives, so I encouraged him to take another walk alone and when he was ready he could make the calls.  Later on a few ladies who had been on the beach in a spot next to him and his Dad came over.  They presented him with an envelope of cash that had collected from the folks around them.  He tried to refuse, but they were pretty insistent.  We all prayed together again. 

 

I spent some time talking to the Galveston police officer who was doing the interview. I also talked to the Jamaica Beach officer who had been on scene earlier.  I checked in with the Jamaica Beach volunteer fire fighters who were on scene.  And I spent some time with the Galveston Fire Department crew who had responded as well.  The Galveston Beach Patrol was there.  They and the Jamaica Beach marine rescue team had been out in the water doing a search for almost two hours.  A Coast Guard helicopter arrived and was doing their grid search from the air.  Every one of the first responders was professional and focused on getting the job done, while remaining aware and of and showing compassion for the son.  I was proud of all of them.  It was definitely a chaplain-esque afternoon. 

 

I finally left the scene when a victim response person from the Jesse Tree, our local social service agency, arrived.  As we left the church, Chris and I noticed the Coast Guard helicopter suddenly stopped and hovered over near the State Park.  Sure enough, Lauren texted not long after to say that the copter had indeed located the body.  Praying now for that son who had the responsibility of notifying family members and walking with them through a really tough time ahead. 

 

Philippians 4:4-7 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Father, please walk with Jason and the rest of his family through these next few days as they face decisions and experiences that are unlike any they have ever encountered.  Draw them to yourself so they can also experience your peace that passes understanding.  Amen.

September 27 – “Padre Power”

Day two of our little mini-adventure found us with an entire morning in our hands before we had to get to the funeral at 2.  So … three or four hours in Corpus Christi, Texas.  What to do?  What to do? 

 

We quickly settled on a trip back in time to World War II.  Well, sort of.  We went to explore the U.S.S. Lexington, an aircraft carrier-turned museum that is moored in the Harbor.  Nathan remembers it well.  Way back when he was in training for the Refinery Terminal Fire Company right out of the fire academy, they used the Lexington as the base for their training.  Rescues from tight spaces inside the ship as well as zipline and high angle rescue maneuvers on a cable strung from the ship to the shore.  It was hard to imagine when he told us about it the first time.  After seeing it up close and in person … it is harder to imagine.  That thing is huge.  And it was not easy for Claustrophobic Chris to deal with the tight stairwells and very skinny walkways, not to mention the glimpse of the “coffin boxes” (that’s the nickname they gave to their sleeping bunks).  One of the most impressive areas, was an entire room filled with scale models of every type of airplane ever used in battle since, well, since airplanes were used in battle.  And the middle of the room had models of battleships and submarines and aircraft carriers.  We immediately thought of Caleb.  He would be fascinated by that place.  The actual flight deck was pretty impressive as well.  Planes and helicopters of all shapes and sizes were parked, and you could get up close and personal with them.  I have to say, though, that my favorite discovery came in the ship’s chapel.  Tucked away in a back corner display case was a very small collection of items honoring an obscure radio show that used to happen onboard ship.  It was produced by the chaplain (which is what caught my attention) and was called Padre Power.  Even had a sweatshirt with those words on it.  Padre Power.  I really like that. 

 

The funeral was over in Aransas Pass, about 30 minutes from Corpus.  It was an interesting one.  It actually felt kind of disjointed.  Well, it felt like no one was really in charge.  I know a few Galveston funeral directors who would have whipped this outfit into shape without hesitation.  The pastor was a bit wordy, but he loves Jesus.  Come to find out this was the fourth member of this family he has had to perform a funeral for in less than a year.  That’s gotta be tough for the family to be sure, but for the pastor as well.  I appreciated him sharing that the deceased had become a Christian at camp.  That always makes this kind of transition much easier.  On lighter note, my favorite line from the pastor … “I always worked in small churches that couldn’t afford to pay me enough to help me raise my wife and children.”  Wait.  Raise his wife?  My wife is still raising me …

 

At the graveside another guy had been asked to speak.  He did a great job.  He established his connection to the family, then shared a very succinct, clear gospel presentation.  And then the other pastor preached another sermon.  Again, he was a really nice guy and obviously had a strong history with and connection to the family.  Ah, well.  We got through it all relatively unscathed.  Nathan and April stuck around for another day to be with the family, but we headed on home.

 

And on the way home we stopped at K2 Steakhouse in Bay City.  Really nice place to eat.  Huge portions of food (we brought home doggy bags).  Chris had a massive chicken and avocado salad and I had an equally massive chicken fried steak.  Good stuff.  The rest of the way home we watched the Astros game on my phone.  Well, I watched, she drove and listened.  Freddy was ecstatic to see us.  She ran in circles for a good ten minutes before she wore herself out.  It’s nice to be missed.

 

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Father, please continue to walk with April’s family.  Give them peace and wisdom for the days ahead.  Amen.

September 26 – “Return of the Road Trip”

 We are back.  Road trip time once again.  Actually we are kind of piggy-backing on a trip to attend a funeral, but it has been a long time …

 

So we headed south-ish.  Ultimate goal?  Aransas Pass, Texas.  That is essentially Corpus Christi.  And there is a National Park nearby where Chris can get a stamp in her book.  That’s the plan for our early departure.  We did think about continuing on down to the Brownsville area where there is a battlefield national park, but once we got closer we realized that it was still two and a half hours from Corpus.  Just a bit too far.  Next time.  At least it gives us an excuse for another trip, right?

 

Since it was a fairly unfamiliar terrain - especially when good ol’ Google Siri took Chris on a wild goose chase between here and Bay City.  You should have heard the two of them arguing.  It got even better when Chris purposefully took a “wrong” turn so she could stop by the cemetery where her mom is buried.  I had to turn off Siri.  She couldn’t keep up – since it was a fairly unfamiliar terrain … I kept track of the wildlife we saw.  That’s one of my road trip “things.”  Ready for this one?  Black cow, white cow, brown cow lying down in a field with a white bird sitting on his back, hawk, donkey, horse, dog, longhorn cow, vulture, deer, cat, bugs (a delightful assortment created a marvelous array of design … on our windshield), a company called “Liquid Rides” (hey, I said “wild life,” didn’t I?  Who wouldn’t want to ride a liquid ride?  Actually it was a place that sold boats), Heffelfinger Memorial Park (That’s just about the most classic name I have heard in a long time), a dog riding in a golf cart with a big American flag, the cleanest most socially distanced Whataburger I’ve ever seen (in Port Lavaca, Texas), and a great blue heron.  Gotta love it.

 

As I briefly mentioned before, we took a melancholy detour through the metropolis of Van Vleck, Texas.  That’s where Chris’ Mom is buried (also where we saw the two deer).  Then we drove through Bay City, where Chris grew up.  There we drove by the house where she grew up and the one where she lived for several months taking care of her Mom during her last days.  It was kind of sad, but then Chris was ready to take on the rest of the trip, with or without Siri’s help. 

 

We found a hotel that was in the group we usually stay with.  It was on the other side of Corpus Christi from where the funeral is today, but only by about thirty minutes.  We got checked in, and then headed out to the Padre Island National Seashore.  It was … a beach.  We drove for a long time - to the absolute end of the road, in fact - to get to the visitor’s center.  But Chris did get her book stamped, so there was that.  We took a walk to check out the seashells, but the beach had obviously been scraped before we arrived.  It was a nice little walk though, not too far to be painful.  And they did have a gift shop.  That’s where I found a very cool new stuffed friend.  A baby sea turtle hatching from its egg.  Named him Johannes Kemp Ridley, the Billionth.  Chris looked for a thimble for her collection, but they didn’t have any.  The ranger did recommend a gift shop “back at the north end of the Island.”  And Chris innocently asked, “Where is the north end?”  Sorry, but that struck me as funny.  We had just driven to the bitter end of the road.  There was nothing in front of us but sand and salt water, so it had to be back the way we came.  I guess it was kind of like us orienting everything on Galveston Island as “The West End” or the “East End.”  Fortunately, we were all wearing masks.  Unfortunately, it struck the ranger and the clerk as funny as well, which caused my laughter to increase a tiny bit.  It may or may not have become audible.  Chris took it all in stride, though.  She is awesome.  In fact she drove right to the gift shop and was rewarded for her efforts with a souvenir thimble.  Then on the way back to the hotel the rewards kept coming.  We found a Luby’s that hadn’t yet received word that they were all closing.  Chris had liver and onions.  I had chicken fried steak.  Good stuff.

 

We made it back to the hotel in time to watch the Astros game.  Strange.  The only channel carrying the game in this bastion of Astros AA farm team, the Corpus Christi Hooks?  The feed from the Texas Rangers.  Kind of weird to listen to the home-town announcers, especially when the Rangers had a walk-off victory in the tenth inning.  Fortunately for the Astros, though, the Dodgers had a come-from-behind victory of their own over the Angels, so that put the Astros into the post season.  Honestly?  Things just don’t look so good for the Houston boys this year.

 

Well, Chris is up and in the shower.  We are going to try to sneak in a little tourist activity before the funeral.  Here’s hoping we can find a place to change clothes before the ceremony …

Psalms 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

 

Father, thank you for this chance to do a quick road trip.  But please be with April and her family as they walk through the tough days ahead.  Give them wisdom in the decisions they have to make.  Amen.

September 25 – “AAR Day”

 It was AAR Day - Attempt At Redemption Day - yesterday.  The hearing aid place finally called to reschedule the appointment they failed to keep the other day.  Lots of “I’m sorry’s” and attempts at explanation.  Seems “Someone” was supposed to call all the clients and inform us that the office was to be closed because of the tropical storm.  Uh huh.  And “Someone” simply fell down on the job.  Yeah, that “Someone” person tends to wreak havoc wherever he goes. 

 

As it turned out, Someone was actually on site this time when I arrived.  The audiologist was not there, but the receptionist was.  Seems she has been trained to clean the hearing aids and even look in people’s ears with the cool machine that broadcasts the internal image onto a huge television screen.  She can’t do anything about what she sees, of course.  In fact the company is not even allowing the audiologist to reach in there with her tools and scrape out excess wax and gunk.  There might be Covid lurking in there, you know?  She did a pretty good job inside my head.  Found the eardrum with ease on the left.  Had a little more trouble on the right, though.  She discovered that my ear canal over there has an extra twist in it that makes accessibility a bit more difficult.  Hey, I can’t make things too easy, now, can I? 

 

I do like her, though.  She’s very personable.  She asked about my back issues and promised to pray for me.  She even asked me what I wanted to be called, being a pastor and all.  I told her I get called all sorts of things, so she could take her pick.  I think she settled on “Pastor,” but I assured her she could keep calling me Kelley if she wanted.  Hey, the old geezer who was leaving as I arrived got called “Sweetie.”  Guess they have something special …

 

Matthew 5:41 says, “And whoever compels you to go a mile, go with him two.”

 

Father, thank you for Marcie over at the hearing aid place.  She really seems to love you and wants to follow you.  Bless her efforts and draw her closer to you.  Amen.

September 24 – “Nice, but odd”

 Well, it felt like an actual cold front came through here yesterday.  Well, a cool front anyway.  Except that the wind was from the west.  The skies were totally overcast, but the radar picture on my phone showed us as totally clear with nothing but blue skies overhead.  Odd.  Nice, but odd.

 

I took another walk with my two girlfriends yesterday.  Umm, that would be Chris and Freddy, just so you know.  We’re still just going around the block.  My back starts tightening up, and the doc said if it hurts at all to stop.  But, hey, at least the walk was a dry one.  And cool.  It was very cool. 

 

Freddy is getting to where she likes this whole going for a walk or getting in the car with us altogether too much.  I grabbed a key to go check on my neighbor and Freddy went nuts.  She rand in circles around Chris’ chair.  And when it became evident that she wasn’t to be included in this particular endeavor, she jumped into Chris’ lap and sulked until my return.  That’s all we need … a temperamental dog. 

 

I have to confess something here.  I’m getting a little stir crazy.  We are being very careful (Read here, Chris is making sure that I am very careful) about what I do and don’t do and where we go and don’t go, since I have that MRI on Monday and the neurosurgeon appointment on Wednesday.  If he starts making more noise about surgery, then I don’t want to exacerbate the injury or “risk the Covid.”  As it is, I’ll probably have to have one of the evil Covid tests anyway if I have to have surgery.  I’d just as soon it come back negative to make everyone happy.  So … five more days. Maybe we can go to WalMart or something.  Just to give me a “go fix” …

 

Luke 6:36 says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

 

Father, thank you for that mercy as it is directed at me … all the time.  Amen.

September 23 – “Not a sprinkle band”

Looks like our tropical storm is officially no longer a threat to society.  Well, except maybe some remnant flooding issues.  The National Weather Center has issued its last advisory on “Post-tropical Depression Beta.”  Let the clean-up begin.

 

I slept in yesterday.  Yep.  5 a.m.  That’s thirty extra minutes.  I’ll take it.

 

Chris got a haircut yesterday.  Looks really cute.

 

We rearranged the area around my desk so we could set up the old TV there.  That’s gonna be the gaming space for when the kids are all over.  We are also planning to get another one of those small DVD/Blue-ray players.  That way there can be two movies going at the same time – one for the little guys and one for those a little older.  The Firestick also works on the old TV, so we can get Netflix on it, too.  I tell you what, the Nani and DadDad Resort is slowly taking shape. 

 

We had a couple of surprise visitors yesterday.  Jim and Charlette were in the neighborhood, so they stopped in to say hi and check on us.  They are always lots of fun.  Couldn’t get them to sit down, though.  They left the windows down in their car.  Not sure why that prevented them from sitting inside the house, but, hey I’ve never been much of a slave to logic, either. 

 

Last night we took a walk in the tropical storm.  Well, in the tropical depression.  OK.  Would you believe, in the rain?  It wasn’t raining when we started, so we hooked Freddy up to her new harness and headed out.  And before we got onto the second street a rain band came through.  Not a sprinkle band, either.  This was a full-blown rain band.  It poured.  And we just kept on walking.  By the time we got home I’m pretty sure Freddy was trying to figure out what was wrong with her two humans.  Hey, Freddy.  Nothing’s wrong.  Just a nice, romantic walk in the rain.  All in-love couples do it, don’t they?

 

1 John 5:13 says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

Father, thank you for your protection once again.  Now please help us wade through all the pandemic stuff so we can put it behind us as well.  Amen.

 

September 22 – “Another Tropical Storm Adventure”

Yesterday was another Tropical Storm Adventure around here.  To start the day I had an appointment to have my hearing aids and ears checked out.  Bright and early 9 a.m.  The weather wasn’t all that bad.  As I told numerous friends who called or texted to check on us … intermittent heavy rain bands, high winds, and high tides.  There had been some street flooding, especially in areas that usually flood with extra-high tides anyway.  But again, not so bad.  I got ready and made my way over to the hearing aid place. 

 

I arrived about five minutes before my nine o’clock appointment.  The parking lot was deserted.  Completely empty.  I pulled up to the office, grabbed my trusty mask, and headed inside before the next wave of rain hit.  And … the door was locked.  Not a single light was on, save the little blinking one from the security camera inside.  Interesting.  I returned to the car and waited.  No tech.  I called Chris and chatted.  No receptionist.  One SUV pulled up and parked nearby, but he didn’t even exit his car.  No phone call to cancel.  Speaking of phone calls, they even called me Friday to confirm the appointment.  Hmm.

 

I finally gave up and went back home.  I had made some surprise plans for Chris.  I talked her into getting into the car and taking a drive.  Yep.  Simple drive in the rain.  Actually, I wanted her to see the newest tourist site for the city.  It had just been installed the night before.  A fishing pier.  Sounds kind of anti-climactic, doesn’t it?  Well, the exciting part was that it was actually a piece of the 61^st Street fishing pier that had broken loose in the storm and floated like a raft trying to escape Gilligan’s Island until being washed ashore not all that far from its origin place.  Now it sits proudly in the sand at the light at Seawall and Central City Boulevard.  Its sole purpose in life now?  Provide an opportunity for some of the funniest Tropical Storm memes on FaceBook.

 

Oh, and while we were out, we drove back by the hearing aid place.  Still shut down tighter than a drum.  Another customer drove up as I returned to the car.  Nope.  Nobody’s at home.  Oh, well.  I guess the storm scared them off.  I can’t wait for them to call to reschedule, though.  I want to hear their explanation …

 

Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

 

Father, please keep your hand of protection handy for the Gulf Coast.  Amen.

September 21 – “Early. Really early”

Up and at ‘em … 4:30 a.m.  Yep.  Early.  Really early.  I was wide awake at 4:30 yesterday morning.  As it turned out I needed the extra time.  We were not meeting up at the church because of the tropical storm coming and tides rising.  That meant I had to redo a large portion of the pre-teaching announcements and prayer guides.  Not difficult, just time-consuming. 

 

I have to admit, I really felt rusty at the whole talking to just the camera (and Chris sitting behind it) thing.  It is so much easier when there are actual faces to connect with.  I guess I managed to muddle through it though.

 

So … the storm.  It is Tropical Storm Beta, and it looks like it will stay that way.  No hurricane this time.  Rain bands and gusty winds came through all afternoon, but it never seemed too severe.  High tides continued to descend upon the West End of the Island, though.  Everything continued through the night.  The storm is supposed to make landfall later this morning, then turn directly toward us and make a pass-through.  Looks like we really might get the 3-7 inches of rain they are predicting.  Probably some of those tropical storm force winds as well.  Here we go …

 

Nathan came over yesterday afternoon and helped us hook up the new TV set.  The actual physical lifting and placing on the stand didn’t take long at all.  Figuring out how it works is another matter.  See, it’s a smart TV.  Smarter than me for sure.  Nathan did most of the figuring out, but on more than one occasion I heard him mumble, “We need to get Cailyn over here.”  In the world of technology … you’re getting old, Dad.  The Wii connections are too old for this TV.  I guess we have to figure out a place to set up the old TV for gaming.  Either that or find an adapter that transforms those three cables into one HDMI connection.  It probably exists.  I just wouldn’t know what to even ask for.  Oh, well.  I suppose if the grandkids want to do video game badly enough, maybe they’ll find one of those connectors.  I did manage to introduce the computer to the new TV.  They were a little reluctant at first.  The computer was totally fine with making a new friend.  The TV, however, resisted its overtures numerous times before finally succumbing and agreeing to the play date.  Assuming their friendship continues to mature, we should be good to go for music at home group from now on.  Oh, and for a video platform should we need to do FaceBook Live from our living room again. 

 

1 John 2:3 says, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”

 

Father, thank you for the rain we have received so far.  I understand there is a lot more where that comes from … Amen.

September 20 – “It’s coming …”

Yesterday was an all-church workday at Seaside.  Sort of.  we were going to clean the worship center and even paint it.  We are going to be hosting early voting and then Election Day voting, so we wanted to be good hosts.  And also there is a looking ahead just a bit to our returning to inside worship.  So we faced the usual: sweep and mop, clean the windows, clean the bathrooms, clean the kitchen, clean the nursery, vacuum the chairs, etc., etc., etc. However … we cut it all short.  Oh, we did some cleaning.  The place looks pretty good now, actually.  Very nice job, Seaside crew.  But no painting.  Why?

 

There’s a storm in the Gulf … again.  Tropical Storm Beta is bearing down on us even as I type.  By the way I’m typing at 4:59 in the morning.  We have had so many storms this season that they ran out of names for them.  We had to dust off the Greek alphabet.  The rain bands haven’t quite arrived, but they are due to begin by around 7.  And the tropical storm force winds should follow shortly thereafter.  The storm tidal surge began a few days ago, and it will get worse before it gets better.  Here we go …

 

Yesterday we went to WalMart to get some hot dog buns for supper and some bananas for breakfast.  And let me hasten to say that were successful in that quest.  But I must also add that we also came home with a new TV.  I haven’t been able to get our computer to communicate with our old TV anymore.  That’s a problem when we do song videos at home group or at FaceBook Live home presentations (like will be happening this morning).  Corey and Janell helped us carry it in the house, so I didn’t do any back breaking labor.  But we haven’t set it up yet.  There might be a problem.  It will just barely fit on our TV table, with an inch or so sticking out on each side.  But the bottom line is, if we keep it, we (read here, Chris) would have to rethink our design scheme for the rest of the wall.  We really don’t want to hang it on the wall because of the cords hanging down with the connections to the DVD player and Wii for the kids and such.  We decided to ponder the situation for the evening.  Nathan said he would try to come by today to help.  his help will either be setting up what we have or helping us get it back to the store to trade it for the next smaller size that will fit.  Meanwhile … no music for FaceBook Live today, just the teaching.  We are really going back to how this broadcasting started for us.  We’ll try to figure it out and get better next time. 

 

Stay safe.  And be the church.

 

1 John 1:7 says, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

 

Father, we are waiting patiently (sort of) for this storm to come and go.  Please do your protection thing.  We need it … again.  Amen.

September 19 – “Moo-Eyoop”

Well, yesterday our computer decided it was time for a little update.  Why, sure.  How bad could it be, right?  Just a few extra minutes and I could be back at it, all fresh and updated and all.  Umm.  Nope.  This time it just so happened that the computer was extra-hungry.  It wanted not just a brief morning snack.  Or even a mid-morning brunch.  Or even a nice, quick lunch.  Oh, no.  It was time for … MUUEWP (Pronounced “Moo-eyoop”) … Major Update/Upheaval of the Entire Windows Program.  Of course it was.  And once you have started on one of those things, there is no going back.  In fact, if the computer senses you thinking about it, a screen will magically appear warning you not to turn off your computer.  And heaven forbid if you try to touch it.  I was too afraid to chance it, but I’m pretty sure there is a “Back away from the keyboard” warning function in there somewhere.  It took no less that four and a half hours before I was even given the opportunity to put in my password.  And once it took that, it had to actually load everything.  Finally, the desktop screen appeared with my usual icons on it.  BUT … it had forgotten which picture I had been using as a desktop screen background.  With a toss of my head in victory I showed that technological beast who ultimately was boss.  I reloaded it.  And it did as it was told.  Back up and running.  Hope you didn’t miss me too much …

 

Cailyn came over for lunch.  Her Mom and Dad had to make a quick trip to Corpus to help with some family matters there.  Cailyn still had to go online a time or two to get school assignments and updates and be counted present in classes.  She did hang out in one of the zoom classes.  She likes the teacher a lot.  I do, too.  No, I’ve never met her, but I donned Chris’ big ol’ floppy sun hat and some cool aviator shades, held on tight to my stuffed dolphin and one of my colorful chickens, and crashed the class.  Just walked up behind Cailyn and leaned over to see what was going on inside that little box there.  The teacher greeted me warmly and asked how I was doing.  I asked her the same.  I didn’t stick around too long, though.  I was afraid Chris would come into the room and want her hat back.  But I did meet the teacher, so to speak.  Very nice lady.  Reminds me of Mrs. Shelley up at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco.  Maybe I’ll visit again someday …

 

Matthew 4:4 says, “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’”

 

Father, please provide your protection from this new storm in the Gulf.  I’m not in a position to do all those preparation procedures right now.  Amen.

September 18 – “Hello in there …”

 I had to make a quick jaunt out to the church yesterday.  Someone was interested in using the retreat center for a board of directors retreat.  They wanted to check it out first to see if it would work for them.  The kitchen got an immediate thumbs’ up.  She wasn’t so sure about the bunk rooms, though.  Apparently a simple bunk is a bit too rustic for some of their older members.  Hey, I get it.  I feel the same way about sleeping in a tent. 

 

I did manage to score a haircut in the afternoon.  I didn’t really need one.  Oh, those aggravating little strands were just starting to sneak over the tops of my ears.  I hate that.  But is this case the haircut was like having a spa day for me.  See, I was really tired.  Long night with not much sleep included.  I just couldn’t turn my mind off, what with all the revelations and questions still flying around in there about my back.  I did three or four extra crossword puzzles and read a few chapters in my novel.  That didn’t really do any good, so I ended up spending a few hours writing out what became yesterday’s blog entry.  I just needed to get everything straight in my mind, so I did what any self-respecting male would do.  I retreated to my internal guy cave and went to work.  I’m not sure I got anything solved, but at least I was able to talk about it a little easier yesterday.  Sure am glad I have an understanding wife who doesn’t mind waiting outside the cave.  She also knows just when to stick her head inside, whisper a soft, “Hello, in there,” and see how I’m doing.  Quite a valuable skill, ladies.

 

Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

 

Father, thank you for that understanding you have blessed Chris with.  And thank you for that Chris you have blessed me with.  Amen.

September 17 – “’More Probable’ Scenario”

The time had finally come.  My appointment with the neurosurgeon loomed before me.  Dutifully wearing our masks, Chris and I made our way into the clinic building.  I answered “no” to what I assumed were the typical Covid questions.  In fact, I replied, “If those were the typical Covid questions, then ‘No.’ I have trouble hearing.”  Not a lie, of course, especially since she was wearing a mask as well and I had no visual clues from her lips.  Best thing I could have said.  Now Chris would be allowed to accompany me as my official “Assist Person.”  The lady handed me a sticker rewarding me for being so “Patient.”  She gave Chris one that said “Visitor.”  We were on our way.

 

There was little to no wait time once we checked in at the clinic desk.  A nurse greeted us, weighed me, and led us to a room.  She was quite pleasant, and began the tedious task of verifying who I was and what was my issue.  Until … suddenly she whipped her head around from the computer screen.  “What did that say?” she asked no one in particular as she rose and made her way to the door.  And as she opened it, she muttered those fateful words … “Fire Drill.”  She quickly apologized before shutting the door behind her and going off to perform her assigned duties.  Just to be sure, I checked the fire department app on my phone.  No calls.  It was indeed just a drill.

 

She returned to us soon after we heard the all-clear given, and within seconds all was as if nothing had happened.  She completed her assessment just as the door opened to reveal a young doctor.  He turned out to be the chief neurology resident.  It was his job to pretend/practice being an actual doctor before the actual doctor came in later.  No problem.  It gave me a chance to hone my questions.  He did a pretty good job.  He showed us the MRI on the computer and gave us a run-through of what seemed to him to be going on.  Nice kid.  I liked him.

 

He finished his assessment and patient teaching, and then left to get the actual neurosurgeon.  I had seen him before some three years ago, so I kind of knew what to expect.  He is very old-school.  Kind of blunt and not quick to “jump to the knife” so to speak.  He pulled up the MRI pictures as well as a backdrop for our conversation.  He was kind of impressed when we pulled out a CD we had of an earlier MRI from 6 years ago.  He dropped that one in as well.  Once the pictures were up he pointed out several things, and said that I had the back of a firefighter.  He said “It looks like you have done some very hard work in your day, heavy lifting and such.”  I replied, “Well, I’m a pastor, so I guess I have lifted all sorts of stuff through the years.”  Aaaaand … so much for the small talk.

 

He said I had bulging discs at several points as well as varying degrees of moderate to severe stenosis throughout my lumbar area that he was sure were causing me some grief.  They were secondary, however, to the issue that had caused the extreme pain and was still causing the numbness and swelling.  That seemed to be a collapse of vertebrae in the thoracic area (T11-12) that had caused yet another bulging disc. It appeared that two of the vertebra in that area may even have already started to fuse together.  That fusion was causing unusual stress on the other vertebrae and discs.  The thing that makes this such a big problem (Here’s where my family doctor would insert, “I am worried”) is that in this area, the actual spinal cord is involved, whereas in the lumbar region, it is “just a mass of nerves.”  His “I am worried” was not as ominous as the family doc’s, though.  He assured us that although it could be serious, it wasn’t something that was going to kill me overnight (as long as I am careful).  We have some time to get some more scans to get a fuller image of what is going on.  But the MRI I just had – the one that he was looking at - was only for the lumbar region.  He couldn’t really see the detail he needed.  

 

So Step One is to get another MRI, this time of the thoracic region.  Oh, and in the meantime I am not allowed to lift … anything.  Well, maybe a carton of milk, but absolutely nothing heavier than that.  And no inordinate twisting, either.  I can do some light back stretches unless they begin to hurt.  Then I stop.  I can also do some walking unless it begins to hurt.  Then I stop.  But “stay as active as you can.”  Sounds like the next week and a half will be fun.  That’s the soonest they could schedule the new MRI.  After the MRI I’m supposed to “pester” him until he reads the report and gets back to me.  But what he didn’t know was, they never did cancel my appointment with him that got moved up to this one.  So I kept that appointment.  Now I’m already scheduled to see him two days after the MRI.  Hope they get it read and back to him in time.

 

At that point we will be able to discuss the next course of action. 

Best Case Scenario.  Depending on what the MRI shows, we watch it, be careful, do some physical therapy and it fixes itself. 

Worst Case Scenario.  Surgery to install rods and pins all along my backbone.

“More Probable” Scenario (Chris wants to change this to “alternate scenario”). 

            Do physical therapy while waiting to do these:

            1.  Start with the thoracic bulge and do what surgery is needed to fix that.

            2.  After that surgery heals, then move to the next worse area, L4-5 and fix that.

            3.  After that surgery heals, then move to next worse area L2-3 and fix that.

            Then if I’m still around, we’ll see what needs to be done next!

 

So what was the best thing about the visit?  We learned that both of those guys are believers.  Now if I do have to have surgery at least I can ask them to pray for me.

 

Psalms 51:1-2 says, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

 

Father, thank you for putting the right people in place to meet the most intricate of our needs.  Amen.