December 31 – “Yup. Yum”

Finally.  Our Big Day Family Christmas Experience was here.  All of our kids and grandkids and three of our granddogs made their appearance at the same time.  Chris put a big roast in the crock pot and made ready to heat up some brisket and veggies to go with it. 

 

We started off the day with a donut run.  Luke garnered the honors of being the Donut Man for the day.  He came back with a dozen iced with sprinkles donuts.  Six pink (little sister’s favorite) and 6 chocolate.  He also nabbed a few dozen donut holes.  Meanwhile, the breakfast pull-apart bread was baking in the oven.  Wait.  Where else would it be baking? 

Everybody finally arrived, and we had a big lunch.  Roast and brisket and rice and green beans and baked beans and a big salad and crescent rolls.  Yup.  Yum.

 

After lunch we did our family gift exchange.  I received two t-shirts.  One said, “Theology Matters.”  The other said, “Jesus took naps. Be Like Jesus.  Mark 4:38.”  I also got a silicone base for doing jigsaw puzzles that allows you to roll up an unfinished puzzle when you need more table space.  Amazing.  We both got a mug with a picture of the National Parks on it.  There was also a pen to use to mark the places as you visit them.  Then you bake it in the oven and the pen marks never go away.  Can’t wait to try that.  Chris’ haul was similarly grand, as was that of each little child present.  And that. By the way includes kids from 5 to 68. 

 

Next came a round of dessert.  Frozen cheesecake.  Christmas mix chocolate.  Divinity.  Yup.  Yum.

 

Dessert was followed by our version of the Candy Cane Games.  Every person got to do something (if you count me leading and Chris taking pictures).  Even five-year-olds, AnnaGrace and Ezra had their moment in the sun as they led the Jingle All the Way game.  Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.  We ended the fun with a reading of the Christmas story from our children’s Bible. 

 

Next came a trip to the park to play basketball.  Well, for some of “us.”  Josh, Christi, Kel, and Christina did the honors there.  Chris and I stayed behind and did some straightening up.  Chris also had a few minutes to chat with April and Nathan.  Guess she was catching them up on her latest medical history. 

 

The rest of the evening was spent watching college football, playing an array of table games, or, well, eating.  Yup.  Yum.

 

Psalms 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

 

Father, thank you for big family gatherings.  Well, big to us, anyway.  Guess yours is a bit larger, huh?  Amen.

December 30 – “Completing a Christmas Experience”

I made yet another quick trip over to Walmart yesterday.  This is getting to be quite the regular occurrence.  This time we needed one element to complete one particular grandchild’s Christmas Experience.  Gummy Bears.  Yup.  That was the only one of the two favorite candies expressed by Luke that we didn’t have any of.  His other favorite was candy corn.  That’s my grandson right there.  Candy corn.  Good stuff.  But I ran into a slight problem.  The only gummy bears I could find that actually said “gummy bears” were the Walmart value kind.  One bag left.  Now, they probably tasted the same.  I don’t know because gummy bears are decidedly not on my personal favorites list.  But even looking at them through the little window on the bag?  Nope.  Couldn’t do it.  They looked … nasty.  So, like any self-respecting grandparent, I upgraded him a bit to a name brand’s specialty edition.  Hope he still likes ‘em.

 

I had a meeting at church right after lunch, and by the time I got back home Josh and his family were there.  They were in the process of getting their new lab puppy MaddieBelle established for the next few days.  Seems Freddy did a little dominance asserting when they arrived.  MaddieBelle didn’t seem to mind.  She rolled right over. Guess she was waiting for Freddy to rub her belly or something.  Glad they got that out of the way. 

 

The rest of the day was spent pretty much relaxing.  We watched college football with the dream analyst who knows all and sees all about any sport known to man and a few that haven’t as yet been discovered, Caleb.  The kid is a whiz.  I did catch him on one tiny thing, though.  I saw the Oklahoma coach on the sidelines and identified him as Bob Stoops.  Caleb corrected me.  Come to find out, he is not actually the real coach.  He is just interim.  We were both right.  Of course then Caleb proceeded to name his predecessor and where he was now coaching.  Another win for the sports professor.

 

1 Corinthians 10: 31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

 

Father, thank you for getting Josh and his family here safely.  And thanks for riding with Kel and his crew all the way back from Lubbock.  Amen.

December 29 – “The Process of Pre-activity”

Chris and I walked a mile and a half yesterday.  she decided she felt up to adding an extra loop to the course.  About halfway through my new watch buzzed on my arm.  When I checked it, the thing said to me, “You appear to be exercising.  Want to keep track of it?”  Well, that was weird.  Although I guess it had been along for the ride the whole time, so why shouldn’t it be aware of what we were doing?  Just kind of unexpected that it would pull on my coattails, so to speak, and begin a conversation with me.  I replied, “Sure, you can do that if it makes you feel better.”  Chris told me I had to push a button to talk back to it.  Figures.  She actually walked me through the whole process of pre-activity when we got back home.  Apparently I was supposed to push a few buttons before we ever left the house for the walk to let the little creature inside know what was coming.  He likes to be kept in the loop.

 

We did some last-minute gift wrapping.  Well, Chris did the wrapping.  My job was to write the recipient’s name on the gift tag.  So if you get the wrong gift from us, I’m the guy you need to complain to.  While wrapping we discovered just a few more things we wanted to get, so I went to Walmart while Chris made some divinity.  Of course that is terrible stuff.  No one likes it at all.  Except maybe Jachin, but he is in Lubbock, so at least I get a head start on him.  If you haven’t already, you definitely need to read here, “sarcasm.”  Her divinity is amazing.  She also made some of that white chocolate covered stuff – wheat chex and pretzels and M&M’s and cheerios.  Yum.  She’s making all this good sweet stuff, and yesterday she told me I better enjoy it, because after the first of the year she was gonna see to it that I lose some weight.  Not sure where that threat came from.  I think she just doesn’t want to be the only one losing weight around here, and there isn’t much other choice for a companion.

 

We had a pleasant surprise in the afternoon.  Nathan and Cailyn stopped by after their trip to Galveston Kroger.  Actually they also had to drop off one of Cailyn’s friends who lives here, hence the Galveston Kroger stop.  They chatted and ate their lunch – some kind of raw fish bait looking stuff.  Sushi, maybe?  As always, it was great to see them.  They will be back tomorrow for Family Christmas. 

 

We finished off the day by watching some Texas Tech football and a Harry Potter movie.  Missed the Houston Cougar game earlier in the day, but the good guys won both games.  Guess Harry won, too, so that makes three for three …

 

Proverbs 21:21 says, “Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”

 

Father, please be with Josh and Kel and their families as they travel today.  Amen.

December 28 – “The inspection ... sort of”

Chris took some extra time out of her busy day yesterday to show me how to use my brand new iWatch (or whatever they call it).  It’s the kind that connects with your iPhone.  Now I can do EKG’s and check my heart rate and blood oxygen levels just like her.  I can check the weather here and in Waco or Denver.  Basically … it can do almost everything my phone can do.  Oh, yeah.  It can even tell me what time it is.  Imagine that.  Whatta watch.

 

Chris went in for a recheck to her eye doctor yesterday.  She is having trouble with her eyes being really dry.  The doc said she is convinced that it is medication related.  The cardiology docs are just as certain it is not.  The only resolution is for them to treat the symptoms.  Strangely enough, that’s exactly what Chris wanted … relief from the symptoms.  Imagine that.  She now has eye drops that she is supposed to put in a few times a day. 

 

Meanwhile, I went down to the Jamaica Beach City Hall to get a permit for the stairs replacement job we had done.  I know.  Kind of backwards, but they are really bending over backwards to help us on this.  The lady I needed to see was out on an inspection, but she was expected back soon, so they assured me she would call me when she got back.  That was around 9 a.m.  I decided to go back over to the church.  I wanted to get started on getting a handle on just what was in the office there that I need to bring home by the end of the month.  It will mainly be my books, of course.  I also have two file cabinets there that are mine.  Both full of stuff, of course.  And a lot of trinkets and souvenirs that I have accumulated over the years.  No idea where to put any of that stuff at home, though.

 

So back to my story.  Finally at around 11 I called the inspector’s office back and left a message.  A few minutes later I decided to just go back over there.  This time she was in her office, but she was just finishing up with the guy ahead of me.  I hung out in the city’s little museum.  Seaside has two mentions in the timeline of Jamaica Beach History they have on the wall.  One notes the year the church began meeting (1991).  The second records the first ever Easter sunrise service on the beach (1994).  Glad we have continued both of those traditions through the last 26 years.

 

The inspector finally finished and came to get me.  Very nice lady.  She even suggested we go on over to the church so she could show me what needed to be done.  She did all her measurements, and said they were all within proper range.  Well, except for the final step onto the ground.  We need to build a platform of some kind between the bottom step and the concrete walkway.  Otherwise we are good to go.  By a really fortunate coincidence, Ed happened to be driving by, so he stopped to see what was going on.  I asked him to weigh in on the situation to get a fuller, construction-guy take on the whole thing.  He agreed with the bottom step thing, and he also recommended some structural modifications to the point where the stairs tie into the deck.  Bottom line form both of them was that the stairs are sturdy enough, but could be better.  We want better. 

 

I went right back over to City Hall and got the permit we are required to have.  Then I talked to John, a contractor friend, on my way home.  He will take a look at it in the new year and get them fixed up so they can pass full inspection.  Whew.  That’s a load off my mind.

 

Psalms 23:3 says, “He refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

 

Father, thank you for the help and willingness to work with us of the inspector (Anna) and City Hall staff (Nola) and Ed and John.  Jamaica Beach has been a great place to have connections.  Amen.

December 27 – “Christmas travelers (not us)”

To start out my look at Christmas travelers (not us), I forgot to mention one of my favorite WalMart sightings this year.  You know how the Salvation army has bell ringers and pots out this time of year?  Well, one day they had someone ringing the bell that obviously traveled a long way to get here.  It was the Grinch, himself.  And I guess he had his three sizes bigger heart with him.  Actually, the guy was just wearing one of those massive Grinch heads that WalMart sells at Halloween. 

 

Well, after our resounding 95 people in attendance on Christmas Eve, we bounced back with a hearty 22 on Sunday morning.  Well, 22 plus the ones who joined us online.  I think some people forgot what day it was.  We even had one fellow who came in pretty close to the end of the service.  He explained to Chris that he honestly thought we weren’t having a service.  He just happened to think about it as he watched some TV and decided to drive by to make sure.  Hey, I’m proud of him for coming on in anyway. 

 

Sunday afternoon I for one napped through another Christmas movie.  Then we watched some of the snow football game in Seattle.  Then came a return to the very first Harry Potter movie.  I’m afraid I may have continued my napping session through that one as well. 

 

I had a sort of check-in chat with Kel by text.  He and his family were on their way to Lubbock for Christmas time with Christina’s family.  All seems well with them.  We will see them upon their return Wednesday or Thursday.  Our family Christmas is scheduled for Thursday, I think. 

 

We started out for a walk in the early evening, but our neighbors Corey and Janell had just returned from their Christmas trip to the Dallas area.  We chatted for a long time with them, hearing all about their adventures up in Covid Country.  We missed them at church this week, but it sounds like they had a good time.  It sure is great to have some good neighbors. 

 

1 John 4:11 says, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

 

Father, thank you for watching over the Geran’s and Kel’s family and Josh’s family as they all hit the road and did some traveling.  Please keep that road safety going for them all.  Amen.

December 26 – “It was a really good morning …”

Yesterday felt like an old-fashioned Christmas.  And by “old-fashioned” I mean like I used to feel about Christmas morning when I was a kid.  Except not so much the anticipation.  I just couldn’t sleep.  Neither could Chris.  For some reason she was awake at 1:30 in the morning and never could get back to sleep.  I started stirring around 3:30.  I finally gave in and got up at 5.  Ho.  Ho.  Ho.  Happy Christmas.

 

It really was a good morning, though.  Chris and I shared our Christmas gifts first thing.  I got some baseball cards for my 1963 series I am trying to complete.  Oh, and an Apple watch.  Now I can watch my heart rate right along with Chris.  Chris got a really pretty (if I do say so myself) hoodie, her usual desktop calendar, a cruise ship charm, and a wood carving (my creation) of Syllie the Squirrel (a character from my Christmas Eve children’s story at church, also my creation). 

 

Next we went over to Kel’s to watch them open presents.  Always a fun time.  We also may or may not have helped them eat some breakfast bread that Christina made.  She added a special treat to the recipe this year.  Crumbled bacon.  Interesting flavor, to be sure. 

 

Then we headed over to Nathan’s.  We finally got to see their fully repaired and operational - with no puddles – back yard.  They have had problems with their septic system since they moved in, so they were pretty excited to have that issue behind them.  They are still dealing with the company through lawyers, though.  The end of that story is still to come.  The yard, though, looks really nice.  Nathan was pretty excited about his ice machine that makes Sonic ice.  I taught him a new word that he was inspiring in my life … covetousness.  Cailyn showed us all of her great gifts.  Lots of cowgirl-ish paraphernalia.  She is truly embracing her new Santa Fe country culture.  We had a little brunch with them.  Bacon made in their super fryer and eggs.  Sensing a bacon-ish pattern here …

 

We swung back by Kel’s and picked up their dog and their hamsters.  The family is heading to Lubbock for a family Christmas with Christina’s crew.  We have responsibility for the canine.  Brennan has apparently agreed to take on the little rat job.  I never have understood why they call them hamsters.  They are too little to make back with.  And they certainly aren’t fat enough to pull out a ham.  Not to mention they are so hairy …

We finally managed a FaceTime call with Josh and his crew in Waco  sounds like Santa made his scheduled stop there sometime after their Christmas Eve service.  Josh had a cold  But don’t worry. He went to the ER to get checked out.  Negative on all tests for our latest bugaboos.  The kids were all excited to show us some of the goodies they received.  It’ll be good to see everybody together next week for a Vaughan Family Christmas. 

 

Oh, well.  Nothing prevented us from grabbing a bit of a nap in the afternoon.  Chris even snuck in another one last night while we watched a movie (It was the Jim Carey Grinch, so she didn’t miss anything.  We have already seen that one).  I think she slept better last night.  I haven’t heard her stirring yet, anyway.  By the way, it sure doesn’t feel like a Sunday, after the Christmas Eve service just two nights ago.  Hope we have some folks who remember …

 

Matthew 6:3 says, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”

 

Father, please wake up some people who need to be in church this morning.  And keep Kel and his brood safe on the road.  Amen.

December 25 – “Merry Christmas, World”

We pulled a one miler together yesterday.  Chris is toughing her way through it.  She’s a little discouraged, but hanging in there.  She figured up through the miracle of modern watch-ery that the walk we took through the lights at Moody Gardens was about a mile as well.  Merry Christmas, Chris.

 

I followed my own personal goal of making a trip to WalMart on Christmas Eve to check out the people.  Chris was doing some baking and realized she needed some sugar, so I HAD to volunteer to make the trip.  After all, it’s in my husband contract, isn’t it?  Speaking of husbands, I saw quite a few of what appeared to be that species wandering aimlessly through the store.   Some were pushing mostly empty carts.  Others were going all-out, tossing in one of everything they passed.  I passed Dale from church and his son, but they didn’t see me.  Too focused, I guess.  Merry Christmas, Dale and Son.  Out in the parking lot I saw Cathy from church getting into her car.  I had to pass right by there, so I eased over to the passenger side and pressed my nose against the window.  She was beyond happy to see me.  Yep.  That must have been it.  When she recovered from her initial elation, she rolled down the window to say hello.  Merry Christmas, Cathy. 

 

On the way home I was listening to Christmas carols on the radio.  That famous song came on, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”  I listened carefully to all the lyrics, since after the first verse or two I often check out.  One of the verses captured my attention, though.  It goes like this: “A child, a child, shivers in the cold.  Let us bring him silver and gold.”  OK.  Aside from the lack of mention of silver in scripture, we have a much bigger problem here.  The baby is cold.  How about a nice blanket?  Or a long-sleeved onesie?  Merry Christmas, Wise Men.

 

Last night at church we had a record crown.  Best count and last I heard was 95 people.  we had every one of our usual chairs in use, as well as several rows of our backup chairs.  Along with the regular Seaside attenders, we had families from the community and their families who had come in for the holidays.  We had several families from the nearby RV park.  And children.  Lots of children.  Speaking of children, I wrote a new Christmas story this year.  I asked Ezra and Noa to come to the front when I read it and sit with me.  They were joined by ten or twelve more of the visitor kiddos, all of whom sat at my feet (I was in a rocking chair) as I read another tale from the Deep Meadow.  Kel did a great job putting the service together, and his Charlie Brown Christmas tree was a really big hit.  The music was great, as usual.  I was particularly impressed when Jim led out in singing “How Many Kings,” one of my newer Christmas favorites.  He even hit the two really high notes at the end of the song.  Super job.  Sadly, one of the visitors left her purse.  We did our best to contact her, but to no avail.  Perhaps she will give the church a call when she realizes it is missing.  Or we can send it to her.  Merry Christmas, Seaside. 

 

Luke 2:11 says, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

 

Father, thank you for your unspeakable Christmas gift to us, Jesus.  Merry Christmas, World.  Amen.

December 24 – “yearly/not-so-yearly”

Chris went for a walk yesterday.  She actually made it a mile, but she was apparently huffing and puffing by the time she got home.  Gotta watch that girl …

 

Meanwhile I went out to Jamaica Beach City Hall to see about a permit for the stairs we had built on our retreat center.  Unfortunately, the lady I needed to talk to won’t be there until Monday.  Guess she got an early start to her Christmas holiday.  I did grab the church mail, though.  The box was filling up a bit.  Even had an actual box in the bigger box they have for big boxes.  Think through that one …

 

I saw an unusual truck on the way home.  From the front it looked like a very cool paint job of a lightning strike.  I’m pretty sure that was the intent, anyway.  But when it passed me, I saw that it was one of those transport trucks for panes of glass.  Suddenly all I could see in the paint job was a giant, shattered pane of glass.  Probably not what was intended. 

 

We worked for a while on the first draft of our yearly/not-so-yearly Christmas letter to send out this year.  Actually, Chris did the work.  I sat in the rocking chair and offered my assistance with remembering things that happened over the year.  We had a lot of stuff packed into these last twelve months.  You know … these last two whole years wouldn’t have been so bad if we could just leave out the Novembers.   You know, that’s the month around here for heart attacks and added stents.  How about we say now that that’s enough?  Or maybe just skip November this next year? Hate to miss Thanksgiving, though …

 

Last night we went on our second date in less than a week.  Part of our ticket to Cirque Joyeux included admission to the Moody Gardens Festival of Lights.  We have been a few times before, but I t has been a while.  There are a lot of the same images, but they have completely re-configured the walking path.  The Jesus Story used to be right at the beginning.  Now it is next to last, just before the Twelve Days of Christmas.  I would have ended with the Jesus Story, myself, but I guess they wanted to close with a peppy song. 

 

Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

Father, thanks for the chance to share some fun experiences with Chris this past week.  We haven’t been able to travel lately, so we’ll just find the next best thing.  Amen.

December 23 – “Cirque Joyeux”

Chris went to rehab again yesterday, so I used the opportunity to finish my Dad gift shopping.  I thought I had already done that, but found that I forgot one.  No excuse for it.  I knew what I wanted.  Just didn’t pick it up last visit.  While I was out, I remembered one other item I wanted to get for Chris. Couldn’t find it at the usual places (aka Walmart), so on a whim I thought I would try Randall’s.  As I pulled into the parking lot I saw our worship pastor Jim and his lovely bride Charlette leaving.  They didn’t see me.  Didn’t recognize the truck.  Or maybe they were so enamored with each other that they only had eyes for … well, you get the picture.  Anyway, I got parked and went into the store, only to find that the lights had just blown out.  Happened just minutes after Jim and Charlette left.  Hmm.  What did you guys do in there?  They didn’t have to close the store, but they were operating on emergency power.  I still checked for the item I was searching for.  No luck.  On my way out I noticed one of those huge inflatable Santa decorations had deflated.  Guess he was not essential personnel.  I commented out loud as I headed to the exit, “Oops.  Santa crashed.”  It brought a chuckle … no, more like a guffaw from one of the workers.  Guess it was a needed stress reliever.

 

We had a date in the afternoon.  Chris’ Christmas present was a trip to Moody Gardens for the matinee showing of the Cirque Joyeux.  Kind of like a tiny baby Cirque de Soleil.  It only lasted an hour.  Negative reaction first?  It started no less than 45 minutes later than the time recorded on the tickets.  We decided they must be allowing time for people to buy snacks at the concession stand.  By “we” I mean us and the other couple sharing our table.  They were a retired Air Force couple visiting from New Mexico.  We started out sharing simple info like where we were from and what our families were like.  Then the husband asked whether I was retired or still working.  Once he found out I was a pastor, the fun began.  He regaled us for the entire time we waited for the show to begin with one pastor joke after another.  By far my favorite part of the show (other than being there with my gorgeous wife, of course).  We were impressed with the strong men and the twin sister trapeze act.  The clown character was pretty good, too.  He pretty much held the show together.  The whole show only lasted an hour, which kind of surprised us.  Guess we were expecting more.  But then, I can’t remember the last time I went to a circus …

 

Matthew 2:10 says, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

 

Father, thank you for the fun we had at the circus yesterday.  Please be with our new friends from New Mexico.  Give them a safe trip back.  Amen.

December 22 – “Getting close”

Chris went to cardiac rehab again.  The 36 session process has begun in earnest.  The appointments are not set up as regularly as they were last time.  Some weeks she has two, others three, and a few only have one.  She is jumping right in with a vengeance, though.  The first session was easier than she expected, but in this second one they turned up the intensity a notch or two.  She’ll get into the flow of things before long, though.

 

Meanwhile, I actually went shopping.  I picked up a gift for Chris,. But my main goal was to finish grabbing my infamous Dad gifts for the alleged “adults” in our immediate family.  These are the ones that are like gag gifts, only way better.  They are from me.  They are also well-thought out expressions of a Dad’s love during a time when a simple Dad Joke just doesn’t seem like quite enough.

 

I spent a lot of time working on the sermon for Sunday.  It should probably be two different ones, so I have to decide what to leave out and what to emphasize.  That’s hard, too.  It’s a really fun story. 

 

Once Chris had a chance to look over the Christmas gifts, we made a trip over to Target.  A few things there satisfied some of our list.  Then it was back to the house where Chris went into a wrapping frenzy.  Once it’s wrapped, she copies it over in ink on her master list, and that one is officially done.  We’re getting awfully close, but we’re not done yet.  I have one more Dad Gift to go.  We have a few others still hanging on the big list as well.  Gotta love Christmas.

 

Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

 

Father, please be with Chris at rehab today.  Help her to get back into the flow of things quickly.  Amen.

December 21 – “What’s a ‘non-insurance’”

Big work day for me yesterday.  I started work on the sermon for Sunday.  I actually figured up that I have three more sermons to prepare for before the Big Exit.  Best to get started now. 

 

Kel called and we started work in earnest on the Christmas Eve service for … hey, that’s this Friday, isn’t it?  He has arranged an order of service, and we divvied up the portions of it.  He asked if I would like to do another of my legendary Christmas stories.  Those have showed up at random times over the years.  Many of them take an animal’s point of view.  Some have been about children.  I think one even came from the perspective of a sculpt up on a shelf.  Many times the story revealed a clue about what the Christmas carving that I do for Chris every year would be.  I got started on that assignment right away.  Lots to do at the computer over the next few days.

 

Last night we pulled out some of the Christmas gifts we have purchased already.  Nope.  Not done yet.  Chris will reassess and reevaluate a time or two before our family gathers for our Christmas fun.  And that won’t happen until the week after the actual Christmas.  Keep those ideas a-comin’. 

 

We got one of those “Notice of non-insurance” letters the other day.  Is that even a word – “non-insurance”?  All it is, is a reminder letter to pay your insurance premium.  It’s not late or anything.  Just giving you a thinly veiled threat about the horror that will occur should you indeed allow it to expire.  And this one was from the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (Is that what TWIA stands for?), so the hidden implication is … if you don’t renew now, we will send a hurricane to your house and knock it completely down to the foundation.  Then we’ll send a flood to destroy that, since your flood insurance is due on the same day … and you haven’t paid it yet, either.  Whew.  Better get that check in the mail.  We only have eighteen days to avoid the unthinkable. 

 

Matthew 1:21 says, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

 

Father, thank you that with you we don’t have to worry about “the unthinkables” of the world around us.  You are our peace and all we really need.  Amen.

December 20 – “An excellent tour guide”

We went to church with Josh and Christi and family yesterday.  It was quite the experience.  I knew it would be exciting when AnnaGrace volunteered to take us up to the balcony to their usual seat while Mommy prepared her Sunday school room.  On the way inside the building, we saw one of the children’s ministry workers that we met at Kids’ Camp.  I happened to know that it was her birthday (thanks to Facebook’s daily notifications).  What else could I do to honor such an occasion but sing to her on the steps of the sanctuary.  Loudly.  The kids she was supervising at the time loved every minute of it. 

 

But back to the story.  The newly arrived at five years old (that would be AnnaGrace, not Christi) marched us up the stairs and into their favorite pew.  From that vantage point she regaled Chris with details on how their church was “a little different” from ours.  The only one I could hear was the fact that theirs is a little bigger.  Actually, Seaside’s worship center could fit inside theirs probably three times, maybe four.  So … nice observation, AnnaGrace.  You are an excellent tour guide.

 

The service had some of the same elements as ours, only done in a slightly different way.  They lit an Advent candle, then read a scripture in English and Spanish.  They also did a choir special of a medley of spirituals all centered around the Christmas story.  I got a kick out of one situation during the congregational singing, though.  We started into a rousing rendition of Go Tell It on the Mountain.  Of course Chris and I couldn’t help ourselves.  We sang the Galveston-corrected version – “Go Tell It on the Island, over the dunes and everywhere.”  Caleb and Luke looked a bit puzzled until Chris explained what we were saying and why.  Then Caleb broke into a huge smile and gave me a big thumbs up.  He loved it.  I think we may have a convert.

 

We left right after church for home.  We intended to stop at Cracker Barrel in Bryan-College Station for some lunch, but the place was packed.  Couldn’t even find a place to park.  So it was on to Buc-ees for a chicken fajita wrap and a deluxe BLT, extra bacon.  Bet you can’t guess who ordered what?  It was some good stuff.  And fast. 

 

We arrived home around 3 or so.  And what should we see as we drove up, but the front door open and Freddy standing at the storm door to greet us.  Seems the Kel family had crashed at our house after church.  Christina was out shopping somewhere, so it was easier for them to hang around, since we had the special event last night at 6.  Speaking of said special event, the Caroling Down Under (Christmas carol singing under the retreat center building) went well last night.  Several visitors came, and one gentleman even joined the praise team.  He told me later that he kind of understood what was happening at Seaside with me retiring and my son taking over.  With him it had been a little different.  Seems he retired and his Dad took over for him.  Go for it, Dad …

 

Habakkuk 2:14 says, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

 

Father, thank you for the folks who came out last night for the singing.  And a special thanks for the way Jim welcomes people to join in with leading worship.  We have been blessed by some really special folks that way.  Amen.

December 19 – “two grandparentses”

Yesterday we enjoyed our very own Super Saturday of basketball.  Cary and KayLynn, our good friends and surrogate grandparents on occasion, even drove in from Arlington for the big day.  As AnnaGrace commented upon gazing at the sea of elderly in her living room, “Now we have two grandparentses here.”  We also got to meet the newest member of their family, a bumbling, dumbling, goofball of a chocolate Lab puppy named MaddieBelle.  She is loads of fun, and the kids all are doing their best to teach her proper inside protocols.  They each take turns sitting in the makeshift pen with her, “so she won’t be alone.”  Now understand that I said “the kids” there.  I mean all of them … including Josh and Christi.  That pup is getting some serious spoiling.  It’ll be interesting to see how she interacts with the other grandpups when they come see us in a week or so. 

 

A quick game report for the basketball day:

Caleb’s lost in a game in which they were clearly outmatched.  They gave it their hardest, though.  I was especially impressed with Caleb’s defense.  Very aggressive.  His Uncle Nathan would have been extra proud of him.  Why?  He fouled out of the game.  Sigh.  Fouling … Kind of a Nathan specialty.

 

Now Luke’s team proved to be the dominators rather than the dominated.  They pretty much had their way with the poor guys on the other team.  Other than the opponent’s point guard, a little bitty guy who could dribble with the best of them right-handed, they just didn’t have the personnel to match up.  The final score was 14-5.  Oh, and Luke scored 10 of those.  Not saying there is a proud grandparent anywhere around or anything …

 

Zak’s game was the finale of the bunch.  Of course the speed and quality of play drastically increased.  Zak’s team started a little slow, but ended up winning by 20 points.  And Zak scored 9 points, a fine tally, but his little brother Luke made sure to record for posterity that he scored one more than his big brother.  They are engaged in a raging sibling rivalry to see who can end the season with the highest per-game scoring total.  Personally, I was more impressed with Zak’s intense defense and above all, his rebounding.  Often the shortest guy on the floor, he showed a knack for getting to position to out-jump much taller guys and grab the ball.  Checking box number three here … It’s official.  The Vaughan boys proved themselves to be … well, awesome.  Little sister was a joy to be around.  And grandpup MaddieBelle was the icing on the cake.  Nani and DadDad were most assuredly beaming the rest of the day.

 

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 

 

Father, thank you for a really fun day of sports and puppy-snuggling.  Be with Josh as he preaches here and Kel as he shares with Seaside back home.  Amen.

December 18 – “A flutter in my gutter”

It was a very early morning, even for me.  I got up at 4:15 to get to the hospital in time to pray with a young man having a pretty serious surgery on his shoulder.  He is an aspiring electrician, so that shoulder is something he will definitely need use of.  The surgery was scheduled to take somewhere between four and five hours.  The he has to be in a sling for 16 weeks.  That’s a hard pill to swallow in the best of circumstances, but when you are young and convinced you are at least somewhat invulnerable, it can seem like cruel and unusual punishment.  I prayed with Jason and his Mom, and later his Dad arrived as well.  And not long after that, Dad and I were summarily dismissed per hospital protocol.  I did hang out with Dad for a long time after that near the hospital’s main entrance.  The surgery did go well, by the way.  Now the really hard part begins … keeping the arm in the sling while it heals.  Hang in there, Jason.  And you, too Mom and Dad.

 

I got back home around 6 or 6:30.  Still not Chris’ usual wake-up time.  So I tried to be as quiet as possible.  I opened the front door quietly.  Or so I thought.  I didn’t turn on  light, again because I didn’t want to wake Chris.  I was easing over to close our bedroom door so I could turn on some lights.  I slowly reached out to grab the doorknob when … what to my wondering ears should appear, but a shriek from my love with the sound of great fear.  And truth be told … that scream may or may not have … er … let’s just say, stirred some emotional response from me as well.  No, I didn’t scream like a girl, but there was most assuredly a bit of a flutter in my gutter.  I quickly reached over and turned on the light.  There she stood, not two feet from me, phone clutched in one hand, and both hands clutched to her chest.  Not the image I had hoped to see. 

 

See, she had heard the front door open, but when no lights ensued, she bravely rose from the bed, trusty weapon in hand (the phone), to investigate.  The startle at the bedroom door did cause a little racing of the heart, I imagine.  Hey, as Josh said when he heard the story, “I hear Dad was trying to give you a jump start on your cardiac rehab.”  Yup.  That was it, for sure.  She recovered quickly, though.  Fast enough to fire out a minimalistic scolding: “Don’t you ever do that again.” 

 

As it turned out, all worked out for the best for Chris.  She was up anyway, so the extra time made it possible for her to have a leisurely breakfast, take a shower, and head over to her actual cardiac rehab with no need for hurry or fret.  I’m sure she really appreciated the whole scenario … in the end.

 

She was gone for only about 40 minutes or so.  The first one is pretty easy stuff, and she only got winded a few times.  As soon as she got home, we hurried over to pick up the truck.  That part in the window had rusted to nothingness.  Dennis said once again, the truck had been “Galvestonized.”  He was able to save the glass, but that was still a big financial hit.  But enough about that.  We stopped at Whataburger for some on-the-road lunch, and we were off, a little before noon.  Waco – and our big grandkid basketball weekend – here we come.

 

Psalms 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

 

Father, thank you for the successful surgery for Jason.  Now please be with him through the long healing process he now faces. And be with Jim and Laura as well, as they care for him.  Amen.