April 30 – “The menagerie grows”

It is rapidly coming down to the wore for our trip.  Yesterday I mowed and ran the weedeater in the yard while Chris cleaned house for home group.  She likes everything to at least look nice when we leave.  That always confused me.  Why bother?  No one is here to enjoy the neatness.  But this time there is a reason behind it.  Nathan and April moved in last night.  It is just a temporary thing though.  They are waiting for their house purchase to be finalized and closing to happen.  Then they want to do the usual cleaning and probably some painting before they actually move in.  for now, most of their belongings are in a storage unit.  The rest are here, waiting for just the right spot to open up for them to “live” for the foreseeable future.  Oh, and their presence means that the menagerie has officially grown.  With Kel’s additions, we now have five dogs, two dwarf hamsters, two goldfish, eight chickens, and a sea monster (which, by the way, has apparently given up the ghost.  Not moving this morning.  What an awesome crowd.  I almost wish we were gonna be here to fully experience it all.  Almost.

 

Brennan stopped by after baseball practice the other day.  He wanted to check on Simmelveis the Sea Monster.  Came back the next day to deliver his Kids Camp forms and deposit.  Looks like the decision of the maritime biologist Lauren and the consummate researcher Janell is … Simmelveis is some sort of copepod.  The kind that lives in any kind of water and eats algae.  In fact, we probably ingest them every day with our drinking water.  Frightening.  I couldn’t interest Janell in taking a sip of the Simmelveis infested waters, though.  So it would be food for the fish and help clean its tank.  I guess. 

 

We made a Sam’s run yesterday.  Had to pick up supplies for the fund raiser we have scheduled for tomorrow.  Serving food at the Sea Isle Craft Fair.  All free (for a donation if you have one).  Proceeds go to help our kids get to camp.  Of course all that is contingent on whether the event is still on.  It is raining right now, and it is scheduled to rain all day tomorrow a swell.  We’ll see. 

 

Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

 

Father, thank you for the chance to share in life with Nathan and April again.  At least this time the reason is more fun than hurricane aftermath. Amen.

April 29 – “That’s a win”

I did walk my three miles yesterday, but that wasn’t the big news on the exercise front.  Oh, I got to see and chat with our neighbor and fire fighter family, Hunter and his Daddy John and his big sister pet, Lucy the Wonder Dog.  But the big news was that Chris went to cardiac rehab for the next to the last time.  She brought home papers to fill out as part of her “exit interview.”  They had the same questions she had to answer back when she first started on this journey.  Fortunately, a few of the questions now have somewhat different answers.  So I guess we can call that a big win, right?  Kind of like the Astros big come-from-behind in the eight inning win last night.  Exciting stuff.

 

Chris managed to score a haircut appointment yesterday afternoon.  She was really wanting one before we left for vacation, so this was another win for her.  Plus, it looks really good.  Of course she always looks really good …

 

Simmelveiz the Sea Monster is still alive and swimming all around his little Tupperware dish.  Still not many other clues as to his true identity.  My brother thinks it may be something called a copepod.  His only question beyond my initial description was, “Is it bigger than the fish’s eyeball?”  Nope.  In fact, I think it would fit inside the fish’s eye.  Maybe I should write to the grand loch keepers of Nessie and see if they have any ideas …

 

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 

Father, thank you for the little wins and interesting creatures of your world.  Amen.

April 28 - “Beginning the zoo ...”

 We had a house full of visitors yesterday.  Kel and Christina went to lunch, so all of their kiddos stayed with us.  And said kiddos may or may not have helped just a tad with our most recent jigsaw puzzle.  Well, actually ... between us we finished it.  They have quite the eye for detail, especially Micah and Noa.  Well, to be exact, Chris finished it, as usual.  Last piece to make it official and all.  As it turned out, there was one piece missing from the puzzle.  Sort of.  Oh, there were 2000 pieces included, all right.  But one of them didn’t fit anywhere.  We are thinking it is from one of the other puzzles that our friends Mike and Celia gave us.  Some evil plot to drive us totally insane trying to make it fit.  What they didn’t realize, however was the hole in their diabolical plot.  Driving someone insane doesn’t work when they are already quite crazy on their own.  Now we are just driven to find the real puzzle to which the errant piece actually does belong.  When they left, they left their little dog, Leia, with us.  The family is going to New Braunfels for the weekend, so Leia gets to spend some time with her favorite cousin Freddy.  Oh, and the little rat-ish things.  Guinea pigs?  Hamsters?  Not sure which.  They took turns running in their spinning wheel for the whole first hour they were here.  How can they still be so fat?

We also saw Nathan and April and Cailyn.  They are immersed in the throes of preparing to move.  Last night they began bringing stuff over here that they don’t really want to put into storage.  All of April’s outdoor and indoor plants now line our fence in the back yard.  A few televisions are propped on a bed in the yellow bedroom.  A couple of goldfish swim in their natural habitat aquarium.  Oh, and something exciting came with the fish.  At least, something was swimming with the fish.  A teeny tiny something.  No idea what it was.  A baby, maybe?  And errant sea monster, more probably.  April isolated the creature from the other two and was determined to flush it.  But kind-hearted Cailyn came to its rescue.  Well, maybe it was scientist-brained Cailyn.  Either way, the mystery sea monster now has its own Tupperware dish to flit about at its leisure.  I gave it a tiny flake of fish food last night after Chris went to bed.  I’ve been. Wondering if that was wise.  Should you feed a sea monster after dark?  Only time will tell ...

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, help Nathan and April get all the details worked out for their move and for the two houses involved.  And give Kel and his family a great weekend together.  Amen.

April 27 – “Put it on the list”

Chris started her last week of cardiac rehab yesterday.  Seems kind of sad to be done, after 36 sessions there.  Actually, she is apparently eligible for 36 more.  She is considering taking a month off, then seeing if the doc will let her go back for some more, just because she is staying in good shape.  The funny thing about her session yesterday, though … when she arrived – after 33 sessions, mind you – they told her she had to sign consent for treatment and assignment of benefits forms.  One would think they would handle that at the beginning, wouldn’t one?  But nobody asked me.

 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I did my three miles.  Check.  Then I hit the computer.  I am trying to get as much done as I can early in the week, so we can use the rest of the time to start looking toward vacation.  We have some serious preparations already on the list for that.  Chris let it be known that some of the shorts I have been wearing throughout the pandemic will not be fit for the trip.  I personally don’t see what’s wrong with a few holes here and there.  I get that they are in self-destruct mode, but they have a few miles left in them.  But … nope.  Allocated only for at-home usage.  Put it on the list.

 

Speaking of the list, we went to WalMart.  The plan was to pick up some bananas.  Nope.  Nary a single banana in the building.  They did have oranges and grapes, though, so we grabbed some of them.  And Chris had a shopping list of some things for the pantry.  And then there was the list.  We ended up getting our snacks for the trip.  Healthy stuff.  Chris is going to make some trail mix with no salt or sweets.  We also got some of those peanut butter filled crackers for her and cheese filled one for me.  No Pringles this time, a former fan favorite, but too much salt involved.  We already have the peppermints Chris likes to suck on while she is driving long distances.  I’m sure something else will come up.  When it does … put it on the list. 

 

Speaking of the list, we got our cable and internet bill yesterday.  It has gone up again.  Time to call the customer service wing and see what offers they can make me to keep me from switching companies again.  Always a pain in the neck.  Sometimes it is difficult to be such loyal customers …

 

Isaiah 53:6 says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

 

Father, we are getting a little excited about this trip.  Help us get everything done on our list.  Amen.

April 26 – “That is a good day”

We had a really good day at church yesterday.  It was baby dedication day for young Roman Anderson.  His Dad grew up at Seaside.  I married his Mom and Dad.  Now I had the chance to be a part of their first child’s dedication to the Lord.  I would say that is a good day. 

 

It was also a sad day in a way.  No less than three more of our RV winter Texans were present for the last time.  At least until they return in the Fall.  A few more have already headed back north.  We will miss their smiles and encouragement.  Safe travels, guys. 

 

After church (and a few pictures with the baby), we headed to Pit Stop Barbeque for lunch.  They are the ones with the really crispy fried okra.  Fried to perfection, I might add.  Their batter is sometimes a little extra-salty, but I enjoy it nonetheless.  Chris usually eats one tiny piece of my order.  She has to stay away from that salt, you know.  While we were in line I received this text from Nathan: “All these church people are making my wait for lunch take forever!”  I turned around to see him and April standing in line right behind us.  Didn’t even recognize them, what with masks and all.  Without saying anything, I showed Chris the text.  She was perplexed, wondering why he had even sent the text.  As it slowly dawned on her, she said, “Well, where is he?”  I turned her in their direction for the fun little reunion.  We let the lady behind us give her order first so we could stay back and chat.  They were in the process of packing everything up for their big move.  Actually the move will be to our house first.  They close on both the one they are selling and the one they are buying on the 30^th, assuming all goes well.  They want to do some freshening up of the new house before they move in, though, so we have borders for the foreseeable future.  Works out well for them, since we will be on vacation much of that time.  We will certainly miss the adventure, though …

 

Speaking of adventure, Kel and his gang were supposed to come by last night to borrow a few suitcases for an adventure of their own.  A weekend jaunt, actually.  Someone gave them a one day family pass to the Pleasure Pier, so they were coming by on their way home.  Well, after they stopped for some supper.  But IHOP was closed for some reason, so they ended up at Whataburger, the busiest place on the Island after dark.  It took almost an hour for them to get their food, so they hung out in the car and listened to the radio.  Thea munchies finally arrived, so they loaded up to come over to our house to eat.  But the car wouldn’t start.  Nothing.  No power.  Kel cleaned off the battery terminals with some of that acid they sell in the name of CocaCola, but it was still almost dead.  So he called us to come to the rescue.  We loaded up our car with the suitcases and jumper cables and headed right over (The Whataburger is about a whole mile from our house).  We got them hooked up, and the car started right up.  In fact, it was harder to get out of the parking lot than it was to start the car.  The line for drive through was outrageous.  They could sure learn something from Chic-fil-A.  But then, all the fast food places could learn from them.  We got them on their way back home, and we returned to the exciting extra-inning game between the Padres and Dodgers.  Padres finally pulled it out in the eleventh inning, after coming from six points behind.  Great comeback.

 

Matthew 20:28 says, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

Father, thank you for a really nice service for the Andersons.  Be with them as they bring up Roman to know and love you.  Amen.

April 25 – “Taming the Triple-B”

I finished up work on the sermon early morning yesterday.  Meanwhile, Chris worked in the yard.  Gotta admit, I was a little antsy about it, too.  Not that I said anything.  Working in the yard is probably one of her favorite things in the whole world to do.  But in the back of my head is a certain memory.  See, working in the back yard is where this whole heart thing started last summer.  Well, I guess it started sometime long before that, but we first discovered something was wrong when she passed out back there a few times. 

 

She policed herself pretty well, though.  She did get pretty hot at times, but when she did, she backed off and took a break and sat in the shade.  And she was wearing a cap, which is also a new experience for her.  She even called me out to help her at one point.  She was trimming back the part of that dreaded Triple B, the Bougainvillea Booger Bush (That’s the one with the inch long thorns that attack you) and couldn’t get the thicker branches cut through with the loppers.  Good to feel needed.  While I was out there I went ahead and deposited the pile of cut branches into the trash can.  No, really, I did.  I have the scratches up and down my arms to prove it.  Well, you can’t actually see them now, but they were there.  Really.  So … in the long run she didn’t do nearly as much as she is used to.  She was kind of frustrated about that, but I was glad she took it kind of easy. 

 

Speaking of yard work, we had quite the storm Friday night.  Not that it woke us up or anything.  I for one never heard a thing.  So how did I know?  Two things.  The grass was pretty wet.  Of course that sometimes happens with heavy dew or fog.  But the more tell-tale sign was all the small sycamore branches strewn about the front yard.  I got most of them picked up and deposited on top of our neighbor’s huge pile of cut-down-tree. 

 

Revelation 7:10 says, “And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God. Who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”

 

Father, it’s good to see Chris back doing what she loves.  It’s also a little scary to see her doing it, so thank you for watching over her out in the yard yesterday.  Amen.

April 24 – “Spring Sparring”

I returned to my three-miler yesterday.  Did have one little parenthesis about the start of the third mile though.  I stopped to chat with one of our fire fighter neighbors and his two kids.  Very cute kids, by the way.  Hunter is the human male child.  Lucy is the corresponding canine female.  Both greeted me.  Lucy was way more enthusiastic than Hunter, but I at least got a smile out of the youngster.  I guess when he saw Lucy meet me in the middle of the street to garner back scratches, he must have figured I was OK. 

 

Last night we went to an event that I never thought I would witness.  Never entered my wheelhouse growing up, in fact.  We drove into Texas to watch (No, not the Astros) … the final competition of a martial arts (Karate) studio’s Spring Sparring Season.  SSS.  Three of our grandkids were competing, Noa, Josiah, and Micah. 

 

Now, I certainly don’t understand the rules and regulations of such a competition, much less the scoring details.  But Noa must have done something right, because she garnered three points in one blow … three different times.  Josiah scored for his team as well.  In fact his team made it to the finals against the defending champions.  The were defeated in a close match.  Again, not sure how either team scored, but the other guys had more points at the end of the time limit.  Micah was really impressive.  He was paired up every time with someone who had already earned a black belt.  He did really well every time, too.  By the time he earns his black belt no one but the instructors will be willing to spar with him. 

 

So, an evening of watching kids beat on each other.  Interesting pastime.  I especially felt for the little bitty guy who walked out for his first match.  Maybe five or six years old.  In the first few seconds his opponent moved toward him and smacked him in the eye.  He started crying, so they pulled him aside and continued with other competitors.  Finally the little man was ready to try again.  He moved to the center mat.  His opponent did likewise.  And before he knew what hit him, the opponent nailed him in the stomach with a kick.  And he was down again.  That was it for this little superstar.  He was done for the night.  Kudos to him for his attempted comeback, though. 

 

They all did a really good job.  The event organizers encouraged all the competitors to leave any anger toward each other on the mat.  They talked about immediate forgiveness and other biblical values.  They pray with the kids, too.  Pretty impressive organizational structure. 

 

1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”

 

Father, thank you for invading the lives of those event organizers.  May they be blessed for their efforts at instilling core biblical values in the kids they teach.  Amen.

April 23 – “Over and over again …”

Well, yesterday will be an easy one to write about.  I really didn’t do much of anything unusual or exciting.  It was a scheduled off-day for walking.  Chris didn’t have cardiac rehab.  I completed my preparations for Home Group Bible study.  What was there left to do? 

 

Oh, yeah.  I worked on that pesky 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle.  So much so that it gave me a backache.  All that bending over and reach across the table.  I did get a lot done, anyway.  So there’s that …

 

Before I venture out into the great outdoors for today’s walk, I  can share about the last two songs that have graced my head while meandering through the neighborhood.  The first was a few days ago.  A friend asked on his FaceBook feed for suggestions for alien-themed songs to use in a trivia contest he was spearheading.  Honestly, I had never heard of a single one of the suggestions.  Not one.  So I offered one of my own.  The Flying Purple People Eater.  I’m not sure his usual readers knew that I wasn’t kidding.  But Dave did indicate that he loved my suggestion.  I wasn’t quite as enamored when I couldn’t get the song out of my head for the entire three miles that ensured.  “He was a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater …”  Over and over again.

 

As if that wasn’t enough, on an earlier jaunt about the blocks that make up our neighborhood, I picked up a random thought.  No Facebook memory jogs at all.  Just exploded into my consciousness and refused to disappear.  Yep.  Another song from yesteryear that I haven’t heard in decades.  No idea why this one showed up.  Anybody remember that old classic, “The Bright Elusive Butterfly of Love”?  Yeah, I don’t either.  At least not the whole song.  But the pieces that were left in my memory banks certainly made their appearance in a big way.  Over and over again.  So much so that my entire cadence was captured and determined by where that song was taking me.  I guess there could have been worse background music to subject myself to …

 

Romans 13:10 says, “Love does no harm to a neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

 

Father, thank you for music.  It is truly an expression of your own creativity.  Amen.

April 22 – “RV Life?”

Yep. It was cold yesterday.  And it got even colder when I went for my walk.  Chris went to rehab, so she was inside.  I was hoping she would kindly assure me that it would be fine for me to skip one day walking.  Especially when the wind chill was a brisk 45 degrees.  Nope.  She said, and I quote, “Hey, I don’t skip rehab.  You can’t skip walking.”  Ouch.  Total guilt trip.  I walked.  In the cold.  Wore two sweatshirts.  And gloves.  And a hoodie over my ears.  Tied up like an eskimo.  And I didn’t emerge from my cocoon until well into mile three.  Did I mention that it was cold?

 

On a brighter note, we got to see the Humphries Family one last time before they headed on their road trip to Austin.  They came by on their way out of town.  We also got to take a tour of the RV they rented for the trip.  It was really nice, especially for a large family road trip.  Lauren gave Chris all sorts of little tips they have learned about RV living.  I don’t think we’ll be using one on our trip, though.  I’m just not that interested in driving a tank.  And once we get to where we are going, it’s hard enough to find places to park in a car.  Maybe some day.  If a driver comes with it. 

 

We started a new puzzle.  2000 pieces.  It covers our entire little table.  I got the pouter edges all done, but I have an extra flat-edged piece.  Interesting phenomenon.  Guess I’ll have to see if it has crept in from some other puzzle or if it really does have a place in the middle somewhere.  I have most of the words located so far, but there are still a ton of pieces to go.  Maybe we can finish before we leave.  Hmm.  About two weeks …

 

Psalms 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

 

Father, please drive with the Humphries as they get situated in Austin for some time there.  Thank you for working out for them to see so many friends from this area.  May that same blessing carry through in Austin.  Amen.

April 21 – “Nope. Nope.”

We woke up this morning to 53 degrees with a wind chill of 46.  Nope.  Nope.  Just … Nope.  Oh, Summer … where art thou?

 

Chris had an appointment with her Primary Care Physician yesterday.  This one was to check out the alleged fluid in her lungs and the headaches she’s been having.  Chest X-ray revealed no fluid, but we did learn some more detail about what actually happened during the heart attack.  Apparently there was damage done, and now her heart is described in technical terms as “lazy.”  The top part pumps blood into the heart just fine.  It’s the bottom part that is damaged.  That’s the one that squeezes the blood out from the heart and off to the rest of the body.  It is “lazy” (Code word for “damaged”).  It doesn’t squeeze hard enough to fully empty the contents.  Then, before it can relax fully and prepare for the next round, more blood gets pumped in.  So when it tries to squeeze again, the excess is apparently squirting into the lungs.  The cardiologist must have been listening at just the right time to hear some of that excess.  It doesn’t appear to be anything to worry about at this time, but it does warrant “watching.”  Like everything else. 

 

Chris fessed up to her that we were planning to take a trip next month.  The doc was silent for a long, long time.  Chris is relatively certain that she was making faces under her anti- Covid mask.  Finally she spoke.  The opening was direct and to the point, “If not right where you were, at just the right time, doing just the right thing you were doing, you would be dead.  Period.”  OK.  Got that part.  But when Chris didn’t seem deterred she continued to say it wasn’t a great idea that we go, but that since we were going to do it anyway, there would be some ground rules.  “First, you can’t drive for longer than two hours at a time.  We don’t want blood clots to start forming in her legs.”  Umm.  Nope.  Nope … we don’t.  “Second, you have to drink lots of water.  More than you usually do, even.”  Well, if she does that we’ll definitely have to stop every two hours, just to go to the bathroom.  Which, if I’m being honest, will be just fine with me.  I have learned over my many years that there is no real reason to live life uncomfortably if it isn’t necessary.  “And finally, if you have any trouble at all with chest pains or anything, go straight to the nearest hospital emergency room.”  Well, that’s an advancement over the cardiologist’s demands.  He said we had to call 911, and I wasn’t allowed to drive us there.  Guess she sees more in me than he does.  Anyway, I suppose in a round about way this means we have the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for our little journey next month.  Counting down the days.

 

Psalms 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

 

Father, would you keep Chris healthy as we prepare for this trip?  It will sure be nice to get on the road again.  Amen.

April 20 – “Astro-sleuthing”

It was Monday once again, so back to the old grind.  I took a three mile walk.  Chris went to cardiac rehab.  Same ole, same ole.  Then I hit the computer (I hit it many times, actually, since I was typing.  Hah!).  Monday workday is the fullest.  And this week is even more so, because we have a baby dedication planned for church Sunday.  Young Roman Gabriel Anderson will make his first official appearance at church.  He did come to a soft opening of sorts when Officers Mom and Dad helped us with traffic at the Easter sunrise.  But this time he and Jesus will be the stars of the show.

 

Last night we went to Jachin’s baseball game.  Next to last one of the season.  The last one is tonight, but it is in Conroe, so we chose the Pasadena one.  Much closer.  When we arrived Kel told us that the coach of the opposition was an ex-Astro player, but he couldn’t remember the guy’s name.  That intrigued me.  I put on my sleuth hat and set to work.  He was wearing a uniform with the number two on the jersey.  My only real clue.  Well, other than the guy’s approximate age, just by looking at him.  I pulled out the trusty google machine and set to work.  On the outside chance that the guy was still proud of his major league accomplishments – proud enough to maintain his major league number – I looked up ex-Astros players who wore number two while in Houston.  It was not a huge list.  Alex Bregman, of course, but he is still active.  Chris Burke, of 18^th inning playoff game home walk-off home run fame.  Nope.  The look wasn’t right.  But then I came across another one.  The dates were right.  The number was right.  So I switched over to photos.  And there he was.  Had to be the same guy.  I even walked over by the dugout as the teams were warming up.  Yep.  I passed Kel right after that, and asked if he remembered the name Gerald Young.  He shook his head “yes” and said, “Gerald Young.  That’s it.  I just asked somebody.”  Guess my Astro detection meter is still working. 

 

Jachin did pretty well in the game.  Played center field and first base.  I was most proud that he went to the plate as a free swinger.  Got one hit in three at-bats, but connected every time.  The good guys lost this one, 3 to 1.  Jachin scored the only run on a squeeze bunt that was another exciting play.  Exciting times.

 

Psalms 23:1-2 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.”

 

Father, thank you for your protection on the rain-slickened roads on the way to the game and back home last night.  And thanks for that rain.  Makes for a happier Spring for Chris and other green-thumbers.  Amen.

April 19 – “Oh, you mean …”

Saturday evening we had a great meal with our friends from Arlington, Wayne and Sheri.  They treated us to the delicacies of Katy’s Seafood Restaurant on Harborside Drive near the docks.  Great ambiance.  Great food.  And lots of it.  Food, not ambiance.  Really big portions, but we ate inside rather than on the patio.  It was still cold outside.  Somebody get the memo to the weather that it is time to stick to warm from now on.  Wayne and Sheri joined us for church on Sunday as well, before they headed back home.  It was really good to see them.  We spent a lot of time talking about what to see in Hawaii.  It’s a favorite destination of theirs.  We are pining to check it off as a bucket list item.  Maybe next Spring …

 

Speaking of Sunday morning, we had some other special guests as well.  The Humphries family came in from Alaska just to be with Seaside.  Well, I guess they have other stops in mind as well.  They did live in the Austin area for a long time.  But it was great to have them.  They shared a brief testimony during the service, then gave us the expanded version during dinner on the grounds.  And there was a pretty good crowd present to welcome them.  50 plus brave souls out in the chilly, low-60’s weather.  Oh, and one quick little anecdote.  William and Elliott (ages nine and eight) both fell sound asleep during church.  Way too much excitement for them, what with a plane ride and then a rented RV to live in while in Texas.  I sat next to William at lunch and he asked me, “Did I sleep through everything today?”  I told him, “Yes, pretty much.  But I bet you were tired.”  He shook his head, pondered for a moment, then said, “Well, what did I miss?”  And he wasn’t kidding.  He wanted a synopsis of the sermon.  I told him we talked about Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist.  He considered that for a minute, then his eyes lit up.  “Oh.  You mean John the BAPTIZER.”  Right, William.  I stand corrected. 

 

Since we were talking about how John was testifying about who Jesus was, we also heard a testimony from another Seasider Marc.  He has had a fascinating life as the child of parents in the service overseas.  He had a clear encounter with God while a teenager in Germany.  Then his life changed again as a result of his connection with his new bride when they got married and started attending church together.  Awesome story, Marc.  And as was said yesterday, it is MARC’s story, not anyone else’s.  God loved him right where he was in Germany.  God loved me right where I was in Galveston.  We each have different stories bound together by the love of the same God. 

 

Hosea 6:6 says, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”

 

Father, thank you for the chance to see some great friends yesterday.  Bless Wayne and Sheri and the Humphries Family and Marc and Susan as they all serve you where they are as who they are.  Amen.

April 18 – “The truck did what? Tales of a late start wedding”

We had a wedding scheduled at the church yesterday.  Eleven o’clock.  Around 9:30, as I was just getting ready to leave, I received the first text from Jim.  He had received word from the bride that there was a flower delivery coming to the church and someone needed to meet it.  He was ready to go, so he hopped in his car and took off.  He was letting me know that he had been slowed in some traffic.  In his words, “Hopefully flower person will wait.”  Little did he know what awaited him …

 

I got ready right away so I could get to the church and be of whatever assistance I could.  When I arrived the flower people had already been there.  Some members of the family were there as well, and they had access to the building key.  Corey was there.  He and Jim were the music for the event.  But no Jim.  No bride.  No groom.  No member of the wedding party at all, in fact.  The bride’s Mom and Dad were there.  The photographer was there.  The clock was ticking.

 

More guests began to show up.  The photographers were taking shots of everyone in the building.  Seems they had tried to get to the house where the wedding party was getting ready but couldn’t get through the traffic.  Finally Jim called.  The problem was that an eighteen-wheeler had overturned on the main road that leads from the Western tip of the island to the church.  It was on its side blocking the entire road.  Apparently no one was hurt badly, but traffic was at a standstill and had been for an hour already.  He said he would get there as soon as he could.  Oh, and the wedding party had been at a house in Sea Isle near him getting ready.  They were stuck as well. 

 

Meanwhile, the church was filling up with more and more guests.  The clock was ticking closer and closer to eleven.  Texts were flying back and forth between the bride and her parents.  Jim was keeping us informed as to progress, or in this case, the lack thereof.  Two cranes were on scene.  Four wreckers.  Police, of course.  He asked me at one point if it I thought maybe it was a reasonable assumption that the workers had taken a lunch break around ten.  Jim was getting a little antsy.  See, he was beginning to experience a secondary issue that was rapidly escalating into a no-longer-secondary issue.  He had to go to the bathroom.  Some of the folks around him were dealing with the problem by making their way across the rattlesnake infested dunes to two porta-potties they spotted over near a condo building.  Jim declined that option.  He did consider giving up his place in line to return home and deal with the problem.  I may or may not have texted back some helpful advice.  Something along the lines of, “Think about waterfalls … crashing waves … gently falling rain … a dripping faucet.”  He was not amused.  He replied, “Niagara Falls is more like it!” 

 

Back at the church I made an official announcement at 11:01: “This is your official announcement.  We will not be starting the wedding at 11:00.”  I came back in a few minutes and offered a bag of flaming hot Cheetos or some dumdums and bottle of water or a juice box to anyone who wanted one.  Hey, it’s all I could find in the kitchen.  One little girl took a bag of Cheetos (not the flaming hot ones).  One guy got a bottle of water for his son.  No takers on the dumdums, though.  Sad.  The photographer was getting tired of taking pictures of everyone.  They already had artsy shots of the invitations and our hanging cross and the flowers.  I considered offering to let her take a picture of my hand and Corey’s hand so she could say it was the bride and groom, but neither of us had a diamond engagement ring on.  She asked if the church had anything else scheduled in the building for a while.  I assured her we were good to go until around seven when another group arrived for their meeting.  But I told her they have always been a flexible group.  We could simply set up a few more chairs and invite them to join us.  Again … not all that amused at the thought.  I tried a second idea.  Maybe we could all meet at the accident site, us on this side and the wedding party on the other.  I could holler out the service.  They could holler back their “I do’s.”  I thought that would be more fun than just FaceTiming it.  Nope.  Not an option.  Too hard to photograph, I guess.

 

Josh called to chat.  He asked what we were doing this fine Saturday morning.  I explained that I was in the middle of officiating a wedding.  He hurriedly apologized, then realized that either there was a really long special solo, or something strange must be up or I would never have answered the phone.  I explained the scenario to him as best as I could.  While I was talking to him, the bride’s stepdad approached, phone in hand.  I asked Josh to hold on for a minute.  The bride was on the other end and wanted to talk to me.  Now, here’s the issue with that.  I was talking to Josh, and Bluetooth was sending his voice directly into my hearing aids.  I moved the phone down so he couldn’t hear what I was saying, but I could still hear him and the interactions with his kids in my ears.  Interesting phenomenon.  I could hear the bride fine.  She just needed some encouragement that we were praying for the Lord to assist in any way possible with moving that huge truck.  So I dealt with that while hearing at the same time all about Josh and AnnaGrace’s walk outside.  Eerie. 

 

Finally, sometime after noon, Jim texted again: “Maybe moving.”  It was the first sign of progress in well over an hour, so I announced it to the crowd, most of whom had become family even if they weren’t before they arrived.  They gave a few cheers and some half-hearted applause.  By this time it was a matter of, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”  But it was true.  Jim showed up first and frantically began setting up (after, I am fairly certain, making a trip to the bathroom).  The bride and groom arrived soon thereafter, and we were off.

 

I did liven things up a little bit when I added a phrase to the opening remarks.  Something about the “Garden of Eden was supposed to be perfect – even more perfect than Lambeau Field.”  Only football fans will understand the reference.  See, they are huge Green Bay Packers fans, and that is the name of the field where the Packers play.  The bride caught it right away.  So did someone in the audience.  A loud guffaw exploded in the silence.  Kind of set the tone that we would be following the enforced flexibility of the circumstances.  At the end of the service after I announced them to be husband and wife, the entire wedding party slipped on sunglasses for the walk out.  Oh, and speaking of the Packers, When they were talking pictures after the service, the bride and a friend of hers slipped on some Packers gear for pictures.  Cheesehead hats and all.

 

The music went off without a hitch.  Beautiful as usual, Jim and Corey.  Especially after the service when they were taking pictures.  Someone convinced them that it would be a good idea to play “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”  I have no idea who that encourager might have been.  Kind of a risky move to be playing a song like that at a wedding, don’t you think?  But the maid of honor and even the bride’s mom were both on board.  Several of the guests sang along.  The photographer had a hard time keeping the bride still.  I would say it was a good, fun choice.  I couldn’t get them to play through their coffee house gig song list, though.  That would have been helpful for the hours we spent waiting for the truck to be cleared.  It made for a fitting end to the day, though.  They had a team all ready to set the place back up for church today, and got it done in record time.  Quite the Saturday morning, simple wedding …

 

Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

 

Father, would you walk with Chris and Laurie as they begin their life together?  Draw them closer to you.  Amen.

April 17 – “Weddings and baseball”

Two experiences from yesterday warrant at least a mention here today.  First, I am performing a wedding later this morning at Seaside.  Actually in the building, for a change.  Most weddings I have done are on the beach or somehow outside.  Not this one.  The couple is a little older.  They have been there, done that on the whole outside thing.  Good thing, too.  It is 63 degrees this morning.  As Chris just said, “For some reason, winter doesn’t want to give up.”  So yesterday I went to the church for the wedding rehearsal.  Now, Jim had let them in earlier in the day so they could do a little chair re-arranging and decorating.  Well, those folks completely transformed the room.  It looked like a wedding chapel.  Even the chairs were covered with some kind of blue material.  And the chairs were reconfigured to make room for a center aisle.  It was impressive.  The rehearsal itself, as is the case with most of them, lasted about fifteen minutes.  No children involved, so things move along quickly.  They will do just fine today.

 

From the church I went straight to the Ball High baseball game.  They were hosting a reunion of the 1971 baseball team (the year I graduated).  I hoped to get there in time to see some of the guys I went to school with and played summer ball with.  I got there just as they were being called onto the field.  Each of them was introduced and threw out a ceremonial first pitch to one of the current Tors players.  That was kind of fun to watch.  Ten or so balls flying in all directions.  Let’s just say, not all of the guys have kept up with their arm strength.  I did get to say hi to most of the ones I knew from way back when, and I stayed to watch the game (Ball High lost 6-3).  I didn’t go to the after party, though.  Instead I stopped over at the Little League field to watch our neighbor Brennan play a game there.  He is usually an infielder, but instead he was put in left field.  Tough transition.  I don’t know how his game ended up.  I left when the rain completely covered my glasses and I couldn’t see anyway. 

 

So … weddings and baseball.  See?  I’ve said it for years.  Baseball goes with anything.

 

1 Timothy 6:12 says, “Fight the good fight of the faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

 

Father, please be with the guys from that 1971 team.  Keep them healthy and happy and draw the closer to you.  Amen.