January 31 - “Attack of the no-holiday-needed elf and an altercation with Mr. Rude”

I awoke to a rather pleasant surprise yesterday. It was trash day, so I dragged myself out into the early morning chill expecting to grab the handle of one of our great green monster cans and haul it to the street. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a vision of completion of that task so near. Yep. Apparently, a little no-holiday-needed elf had already posted our trash can out at the street. What a great, unexpected treat. Thank you, O Thou creeping do-gooder of the pre-dawn sultry darkness. 

Kel came over for a staff meeting, so I put my pastor emeritus hat on. We spent some time planning for the upcoming Ash Wednesday service at church. I’ll be doing most of the teaching part about the origins of Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday. He will join me for the more liturgical part of the service. It should be pretty interesting if you have never been to one. February 14 at 6 p.m.

Once Kel departed, we looked to the rest of our afternoon. The jaunt to Walmart was the most interesting. Of course I spent a lot of the time just watching people. But our simple checkout attempt almost turned into an altercation of sorts. 

We were trying to get a gift card. Sounds simple enough. Especially since we waited in line to see one of the actual human being checkers. For some reason, though, she just couldn’t get the transaction to go through. She finally called a manager over to help, and it finally went through. The problems didn’t go away, however. 

We then wanted to use the gift card to purchase the last few items. Our now-flustered checker swiped the card and … told us we still owed some money for the purchase. Wait, what? It was a brand-new card. She was getting more and more distressed, but gave it one more try. This time it went through, and she handed us the convoluted receipt. 

Ever-vigilant, Chris began her usual routine inspection before we left the register. Needless to say, it was not an easy one to navigate. And that’s when it happened. The person in line behind us pushed his case of water bottles up to the register and rather angrily (and certainly rudely) snarled at Chris, “I don’t plan on waiting here all day. You can take that over to customer service and deal with it there.”  Read here a long three count of silence as Chris slowly turned her head toward Mr. Rude 2024. To her credit, Chris managed to keep her composure as we eased away from the stand. I finished perusing the receipt. It was a little convoluted, as I said, but at the bottom line, it was correct. 

I think Chris was ready to take down the other shopper, in spite of the fact that he outweighed her by a good hundred pounds. She kept her cool, though. I was proud of her restraint. 

Ah, Walmart. You never cease to entertain me. 

Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭33‬ ‭ says, Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.

Father, bless our dear trash can elf. Oh, and please be with that guy who was in such a hurry. Help him find his place of peace. And thanks for protecting the poor old couple living on social security that he was terrorizing. Amen. 

January 30 - “Back in the saddle”

We are back in the saddle again (hey. Somebody ought to write a song about that). Of course for us it means I joined in with Chris for her walk. She dropped back down to one mile with me. My back felt fine. My shingles remnants barked just a tiny bit. My hip … well, somebody’s gotta take up the slack, right? The old hip did ache for about the second half of the walk, but it wasn’t enough that I had to stop and stretch it out. Thats progress.

Speaking of progress, I went to Randall’s to pick up a prescription of mine that is rapidly approaching running out. As it turned out, there were actually two ready for me, and one for Chris as well. And the guy even pulled a new cream off the shelf for us that was half the cost of the same thing in prescription form. I’ll take it. 

Last night Chris made some broccoli cheese soup and garlic bread for supper. Yum stuff. 

We closed out the evening watching Sam’s new favorite show: Worst Cooks in America. Those people can do some very strange things in the kitchen. 

Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭ says, Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

Father, please keep on blessing those pharmacists and their assistants. They have really helped us out over the last few years. Amen. 

January 28 - “Lessons from the dark”

We went to Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco yesterday. We know the pastor there. He has some pretty special children. 

We also went to “our” Sunday school class. They have adopted us for whenever we are in town. We adopted them right back. Nice relationship there. The teacher drew a great cartoon caricature of Nicodemus on the white board as his introduction to the lesson. Amazing. Maybe I can hire him to draw some Visual Verses for me. 

He also said some cool things about light. Like: the only way to get rid of the darkness is to produce light. Even the smallest bit of light, by definition, dispels darkness. Sounds a lot like what we learned in home group Thursday. And that, combined with the pictures Helen sent illustrating the same point, makes me think God might just be working on something there. Way to go, God. 

Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬ ‭says, And he told them a parable to the effect that they l lol ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Father, thank you for being  a guiding light in this darkness we call living. Amen. 

January 28 - “Avoiding poop patrol”

Yesterday we did some volunteer work. Well, sort of. Chris volunteered to sweep leaves and pick up dog poop. She did both. I volunteered for the dog poop patrol, but I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not invited to carry out that particular outdoor activity. Probably best. My back would have killed me by the end of the day. 

So what was the big deal with such an extensive operation undergirding it? Caleb was having eight or ten friends over to celebrate his birthday. I did take part in developing a list of possible movies for the kids to watch. Not that any of my suggestions made the list. Didn’t matter, though. Princess Bride won the selection process, and the kids loved it. Most of them recited lines along with the characters (“My name is …” Come on. If you’ve seen the movie 2 or 3 times you know what comes next). There were plenty of other things going on. A fire pit blazed in the back yard. Smores and chocolate chip cookie cake and pizza smoldered in the kitchen. Happy birthday, Caleb. 

Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭26‬ says, Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Father, thank you for Caleb and for the joy he has brought into our lives. Amen. 

January 27 - “Proud Grandparents Moment”

We got off the island again yesterday. Last night was Zakary’s big Senior Night at his basketball game. It took us a while to get started, but by 10:00 we were on the causeway. Only issue we faced was the thick fog bank. Thankfully it was hovering just over Galveston Bay. When we got past that, the weather was much nicer. Just really cloudy, which was good, since it meant we didn’t have to deal with sun in our eyes. Hey. Silver linings, right?

We pulled into Waco around 2:00 and headed to the church where the kids were in their homeschool co-op classes. Chris sat in on AnnaGrace’s Legos class. They were building bridges. AnnaGrace’s held up an entire gallon of water. Woohoo!

Speaking of proud grandparents … 

The JV game had the good guys winning 54-23. That’s Caleb’s team. They are working toward an undefeated season. Caleb scored 12 or 14 points and had almost as many assists. All off the bench as the sixth man. Proud grandparents. Woohoo!

During the varsity girls game (which the good gals won by ten), a random stranger in the crowd next to me. Leaned over and said to Chris, “Your granddaughter is just as beautiful as you are. I can see where she gets her beauty.”

Yep. Proud … er … Well, I was sure proud. Twice. 

And finally the varsity boys game started. In a real nail biter, the good guys won in spite of a free throw missed streak of 7 in a row. Zak finally made one to take the lid off the basket. Final score 59-53 good guys. Proud grandparents moment. Woohoo!

Senior night festivities began after the boys varsity game. A big balloon arch was set up at mid court. There was a flower for the seniors to present to his or her mom. Poor dads. They had the privilege of holding the basketball that the team had signed for each senior. As the senior and his parents walked under the arch, the announcer read about the seniors’ plans for college, their favorite Bible verse, and the individuals who have had the most influence in their lives. Sounds like a lot, but the whole thing only lasted about eight minutes. How do I know that? Because I videoed the whole thing. You know … proud grandparents moment and all … 

 ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭says. And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Father, thank you for Zakary. He has grown into quite the young man. It’s hard not to be proud of him. Amen. 

January 26 - “When the cat’s away?”

Chris had a check-in meeting with her PCP yesterday. In a nutshell … all is ok. Chris got to see all the latest pictures of the doc’s little kids. And they did get around to discussing Chris’ ailments and most recent meds, tweaking a few. This doc is quite the people person. 

We managed to finish the jigsaw puzzle before home group. I pieced together a lot of it in between the movies I was watching. Chris finished it up after supper. I was kind of mean to her this time. The pieces I left were all the same color, all part of the body of a big ol’ brown bear. 

I understand that Sam is planning another big party while we are in Waco this weekend. That means Chinese food and a cat jigsaw puzzle. You know the old saying, “when the cat’s away, the mice will play”? Well, in this case, it’s more “when the mouse is away, the cats come out to play.”  Oh, well. As long as they fumigate the joint before we get home. 

Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭says, The Lord is at hand, so 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, thanks for the folks in our home group. Bless them. Amen. 

January 25 - “Thunderstormistic?”

We had one major rainy night (and all day) in Galveston. We woke up to flood warnings for a while. It did rain a lot, but it seemed to be intermittent, so the water had a chance to drain some before the next wave came through. Well, at least that’s how it came up until the Big Boomers started in last night. Yep. It got downright thunderstormistic, with super high winds and lightning and absolute downpours all the time. Freddy didn’t like it. At all. And when the lights flickered, the rest of us weren’t all that comfortable, either. But we survived. 

Yesterday was also haircut day. It’s been a while. Like since before my surgery. It was beginning to feel - and look - pretty bushy. Suzann did her usual bang-up job. Won’t take near as long to dry it now. 

The whole afternoon was one of those stay-at-home, ho-hum days. I got a hefty start on a new puzzle. Yet another one on National Parks. It’s pretty colorful, though. Shouldn’t be too hard. 

‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬ says, And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Father, thank you for the taste of your power we experienced in that thunder last night. Awesome. Amen. 

January 24 - “The Near-fatal Banana Debacle”

OK. OK. Before anybody gets too worked up and worried out there … no, I did not slip on a banana peel and fall and break my head. Or even my now-fragile back. Nor did Chris. Or Sam. No.  The situation was near fatal, however … for the bananas. 

We went to Walmart, as we sometimes, (ok. Habitually, then) do when in need of the refreshment that comes from, well, eating. We gathered the things we needed. But then … we arrived at the banana stand. Now, understand, I eat a banana a day. But this day I had eaten my last one. No hidden stashes.  Just me and my empty curvy metal thing with the pointy end upon which one hangs his gaggle of bananas. 

But alas and alack, the banana stand was, well, not empty, but dangerously close. We eased over to check out the final few remaining banana bunches, but I held out little hope of finding even one stray good banana amongst the paltry few really bad ones remaining, facing imminent death. 

My pessimism appeared at first glance to be well-founded. Things (i.e. bananas) were not looking good. But suddenly, tragedy was narrowly averted! Chris reached behind part of the display and came out with just the perfect batch o’ bananas. Phew! My pending panic attack dispelled, we continued on and concluded our trip. Bananas on deck. All is well. 

Hey. Couldn’t resist tossing a little bit of banana drama into your lives today - all three of you who read this. Go on. Have a banana. You know you want one …

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ says, Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.“

Father, thank you for bananas. They are good. Amen. 

January 23 - “Seeing OUR cardiologist”

We took another day-trip into Texas to see Chris’ cardiologist. Well, I guess technically he would be “our” cardiologist. I did see him, too. Just not today. Well, I guess I did see him, since I was with Chris, but I didn’t “see him” see him. At least not for him to listen to my heart or anything. 

It was Chris’ regular checkup day. To make a short story even shorter, he was kind of worried about the same partial blockages he has been watching (and the pains and shortness of breath she’s been having). He switched around some medicines again. Wants her to come back in six months. Unless, of course, something comes up. So I guess that’s a fairly good report. 

Back in Galveston, we went straight to Randall’s to get prescription refills for the both of us and some stamps. Sadly, they had no stamps. Something about a shipment being held up. Stamps on a shipment with groceries? I thought they just went down the street to the post office. Oh well. I can do that. 

The next phase of our plan was to hit Walmart after lunch for a few things …like milk and bananas. That plan got put on indefinite hold when the bottom dropped out of the sky. A friend in Jamaica Beach posted that they were having 2” of rain per hour there. Yep. He was right. And it hit here with a vengeance. To pass the time, I finished up some work on the Bible study for Thursday. Then I put on the very last of the Hallmark Christmas movies we had saved. Great way to spend the afternoon. 

Matthew‬ ‭9‬:‭36‬-‭38‬  says, When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Father, thank you for the good report from the doc. And thanks for the rain. Amen. 

January 22 - “Battling the blaze”

Our Sunday morning began like any other Sunday morning. We got ready. We had some breakfast. We loaded up the car and headed for church. But then …

On the way there I began getting text messages. They were from a text stream of fire fighters committed to caring for each other in difficult circumstances. They had just been notified that several of our squads were in process fighting a structure fire. Stressful enough, of course, but this time there was an added stressor. Preliminary reports from neighbors and subsequently family who arrived on the scene placed three adult victims in the house - an elderly couple and their adult special needs son. I dropped off Chris and Sam, then headed to the fire location. 

The pre-1900 house was fully engulfed when the first crews arrived. It was burning so hot that crews did their best to knock down the worst of the flames while also concentrating on saving the neighboring homes. That was a chore in itself. The houses in that neighborhood from that time period were built very close together, so the danger of spreading was quite real. 

Galveston Fire Department crews worked tirelessly for hours to get the fire enough under control so that search and recovery teams could locate the victims. 

Special shout-out here to Santa Fe Fire and Rescue for their assistance, and to Galveston Police Department for their presence. Fire Marshals were active on scene. The medical examiner and his team, along with our fire fighters, handled recovery of the victims with professionalism, compassion, and dignity. 

The results were certainly tragic. The family faces a long period of adjustment now. The new, young firefighters must deal with what for several of them was a first fatality fire. 

I am more proud than ever to be associated with the finest fire fighters anywhere. Please pray for the family, of course. But also pray for our young men and women first responders. Theirs is not an easy profession. 

James‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭ says, Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Father, please walk with the family of those involved in the fire. And watch over those fire fighters who responded to the call. Give special attention and grace to those who were directly involved in this tough call to search and recovery. Amen. 

January 21 - “IT’S COLD OUT THERE!”

27 degrees when we left Waco. And I’ve been getting/seeing posts of temps all over the country. I have come to a conclusion. IT’S COLD OUT THERE!

It was still cold when we stopped at Buc-ees in Waller. Temp app said it was 44. Still felt like 21 to me. I had a giant BLT (only ate half of it). Chris had a chicken burrito. Sounds healthy, right? I almost couldn’t lift it. She said two things about it. It was spicy hot (must have been. She can usually handle spicy with ease). And it was chock full of rice (Unexpected. I would have thought maybe beans). It was all good eating, though. And as a bonus, I was able to replenish my supply of candied cashews (or whatever they call them).  

We made it home in time to watch the Texans playoff game. Not that I have watched them much this year.  But, hey. They’re the team from Texas left hanging around, so what else could I do? Aaaand of course they lost. Oh well. Better luck next year. 

Good to be home. 

1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬ says, So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Father, thanks for you for a safe drive home. Thanks as well for keeping us and Sam and the rest our family warm! Amen. 

January 20 - “Honoring Alicia”

  We got a pretty early start. In the car, loaded up, and on the road before sunup. JUST before sunup. We left at 7:10. Sunrise 7:14. Atta girl, Chris!  

We made really good time on the trip up to Arlington. Very little traffic. Even the Madisonville Buc-ees was way down in attendance. Great for us. Not so good for them. 

The church was packed with friends and family and well-wishers. One of Alicia’s sons spoke and another of her young relatives sang a song. For us, it was one of those old home weeks, as we saw friend after friend from our days at that church. Definitely a bittersweet afternoon. 

Before heading for Waco and Zak’s basketball game, we got together with the Winkles and the Huntley’s for an early dinner. Where? Cracker Barrel, of course. 

After lunch/dinner (not sure which. It was 3:00) we divided into two cars. Cary and I in one and Chris and KayLynn in the other. And off to Waco for basketball we headed. And just as we took the exit in Waco for the game … Josh called. They had just received word that the opposing team had called to say they weren’t coming. Game canceled. 

Not to be deterred, Christi slipped into hostess mode. How about an impromptu Dessert party? Zak’s girlfriend and her friend came. Christi stopped at HEB and grabbed a few cakes to go along with the ice cream in their freezer. It was yummy.  

I have to add here that I played a game last night that I have never played before. AnnaGrace, Josh and I started a rousing round of Toilet Tag. Never heard of that one? It’s pretty simple, actually. It’s like regular tag, only when you are caught, you have to squat and hold your hand up at the end of a crooked arm. That magically transforms you into a toilet. You have to stay in that position until someone comes by and pushes your hand downward, thus flushing the toilet and freeing you. It was pretty fun, but when Christi was drafted to join us, the intensity definitely increased. So much so that I was “instructed” by Chris to check out of the game. Apparently Toilet Tag was on the Taboo List for back surgery rehabilitation. 

We finished the night with family worship and a movie. The girls left for home around ten. Good night all. 

Hosea‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬ says, Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Father, thank you for our safe journey thus far. Please stay with on the way home today. And continue to walk with Dan and his family. Amen.