August 31 - “Good guys win times two!”

Sam had another appointment yesterday. She and Chris took off in the morning for Texas while I started the process of getting things together for our later venture farther into Texas. 

After a quick bite to eat, we hit the road for Waco. Caleb had his opening of the season football game. It meant pretty tight squeeze as far as getting there on time, but we decided to take on the challenge. Besides, Christi needed some costume jewelry and bow ties for the class she teaches at their homeschool co-op. What class could that possibly be? Hold on to your hat … it’s called Tea Time. I think she teaches them how to have a real live tea party. Great fun. I guess. 

After our requisite stop at Buc-ees, we made it in plenty of time for the football game. The score was 54-26 … good guys win! And Caleb played a great game. He had several unassisted tackles, and combined for several more. Way to go, defense!

And to top off the evening, Sam kept me updated through the Astros game. The good guys won that one as well!

John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Father, thanks for that relatively uneventful drive. Be with those teeming hordes of people we saw on the roads, though. Amen. 

August 30 - “He’s back home”

We walked again. Made it the whole two miles this time. And yes, we were hustled up a bit by the thunder. Made it home with mere moments to spare. The downpour did happen. We didn’t get wet, though, so there’s that …

Sam had another appointment, so the two lovely ladies went back into Texas. And on their way home they made a stop for some lunch. Olive Garden special. Yum. 

While they were out, Robert stopped by. He has been visiting his family in Indiana for the last two months. Good to see him again. He and Sam have been good friends for years, so she was particularly happy to see him. 

We also took the car in for a checkup of its own. The onboard computer had already told us we needed an oil change. He found a few other of those deferred maintenance things that really needed to be done as well. Gotta keep that thing running smoothly for future trips.  

Psalms‬ ‭113‬:‭3‬ says, From the rising of the sun to its setting, let the name of Yahweh be praised.

Father, thank you for Robert’s safe trip back home. Amen. 

August 29 - “Speaking of …”

Speaking of “baaaaack” … we were back on our walking track again. This time we went a mile and a half before ducking inside. Why? The whole time our conversation was punctuated with rumbles of thunder. The clouds were roiling (how do you like that word?). And occasional droplets of rain were splattering around and on us. We did the whole walk and run and sing and dance in the rain already. Chris was NOT ready for a second go. 

Speaking of Chris and “go” … she had to go again to take Sam back into Texas for a doc appointment up there. It wasn’t a long one, though. In fact they were back so fast that Freddy didn’t even realize it was them. She usually watches at the door, then comes and gets me. No announcement this time, though. Chris has to holler out for me to come help them get in. Come on, Freddy. You’re slackin’.  

Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭ says, Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me.

Father, thank you for our little dog. She teaches us every day lessons on loyalty and obedience (of the lack thereof!) and commitment. Amen. 

August 28 - “Dancin’ in the rain”

Yep. That’s what I did the other day. We didn’t want to miss another day of workouts. Well, the walking kind of workout, anyway. Those days I spent digging and cutting roots definitely count as workouts. But we missed our walks. 

So there we were, back on the blacktop again, pleased at first that there were some clouds in the sky to take the edge off of the sun’s heat. Until … 

Well, those nice, fluffy clouds began to take on a duller hue. And then a noticeably darker one. Until finally there was no mistaking - they were downright black. And obviously heading our way. 

We plodded on, however, chatting and enjoying the cool breeze. All that began to change about halfway through the first mile. We felt a few sprinkles here and there. No problem. We laughed and continued on. Then the drops got heavy. Then their best friends began to show up. Then acquaintances. Chris asked if I wanted to turn around and head home. “Nah. Let’s finish at least the mile” he said. 

Well, then all those friends invited their neighbors who invited their friends and family. Before we knew it, a cascade of rain representatives was drenching us. So what did we do about it? Turn back? Too late now. Complain? Why? Would this be an unsolvable conundrum?

Nah. I did what any self-respecting 71 year old would have done. I started dancing. And singing a little bit. Come on. You HAVE to dance a little in this life because - well, why not?  

Chris, however, had a different idea. She suggested that we try running for a bit. Hey. Why not? They make us run on the treadmill for those heart tests, don’t they? So off we went. We did take a rest, but after two spurts, we made it home after exactly one mile. I’ll take that as a success!

Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ says, For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light — for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth — discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.

Father, give us plenty more chances to throw off convention and do some more dancin’ in the rain. Amen. 

August 27 - “Pacing Puppy”

Did you get to enjoy the gentle rumblings of the late-night thunderstorm that passed our way Sunday night? Ah, there is nothing quite like being still and anticipating the next stirring of sound, protected as you are by the roof overhead and the warm blanket around you. Sigh. 

Well ... Our experience wasn’t anything like that. See, we have our very own forecaster, undoubtedly trained by the Weather Channel under Jim Cantore. About thirty minutes before the rumblings began, Freddy … well, began. 

Now, generally, her usual spot for napping the first part of most nights, before she leaves for parts unknown in the rest of the house and the great outdoors of the back yard is at the foot of our bed. And that beginning of the evening was the same. Lights out. All’s well. 

That is until about thirty minutes before those first rumblings. Our sweet little puppy dog became quite agitated. She paced and circled at the foot of the bed over and over. Just the hint of a whine escaped her. It is difficult for humans to find a comfortable spot when a little dog has incorporated your feet and legs into an Olympic racetrack. Soon I adjusted some covers for her and created a fine spot that she could claim as her own. 

And then the actual thunder began. Oh, my. Suddenly the confines of the track expanded dramatically. Now not just feet and legs were involved. Oh, no. Now she tromped on backs and stomachs and shoulders - anything that stood in her way in an irrational race to be right next to our head, to curl up on our pillows, touching head and ears and, yes, faces if need be. 

And that’s not all. As if the positioning wasn’t enough, she garnished it with panting. Loud panting. Doggie breath in your nose loud panting. Inconsolable panting. And did I mention it was loud?  

I finally got up and made sure the computer was unplugged. I watched a few rounds of the lightning and heavy rains show. I checked on our new lawn mower that is parked on the back porch under the deck. And finally, I trudged back to bed, turned on the light, and worked another crossword puzzle. 

Freddy was no better. Chris finally grabbed her and held an arm across her to keep her in one spot and assure her that we understood the presence of a thunderstorm in the vicinity. I finally managed to drift off as the last, now-distant dull roar of the skies faded. 

Oh, and yes. I was awake again at 5:00. No thunder. No pacing puppy. Just time to wake up. Thanks, internal body clock. Wouldn’t want to miss anything. 

Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ says, Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.

Father, thanks for you for the refreshing rain. We did need it. Amen. 

August 26 - “Surprise guests”

We had a special guest at church yesterday. Kel was well into his sermon, when he said something that sounded dangerously close to “Siri.”  Suddenly, someone’s phone blurted out a reply, “I’m sorry. I didn’t quite understand that last thing.”  Without missing a beat, Kel replied, “OK. Well, I’ll be happy to repeat that for you.” Glad to have you with us, Siri. Come back anytime. 

After church we had some special guests here as well. The LaMarque Vaughan’s- and Kailey, Micah’s girlfriend - came over. They brought pizza for lunch, so no problem there. It was a lot of fun to see the interchanges between all of them. Oh, and I found out that there is a chance that I will get to teach the youth in our upcoming Experiencing God series. We’ll see how that plays out. 

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ says, But if anyone suffers as a “Christian,” he should not be ashamed but should glorify God in having that name.

Father, thank you for surprise guests. Always welcome. Amen. 

August 25 - “A mini-road trip”

Early morning mini-road trip. All the way to … Pearland. Hey. I know it’s not that far, but it took us an hour to get there, so as far as I’m concerned, it counts. 

Oh. Why? We went to cheer on Cailyn at one of her soccer games. Woohoo!

This was a club team she had to try out for. She is the starting sweeper (defense), and made some pretty amazing stops. I was impressed with her whole team. They passed better than any girls’ team I have ever seen (and just about every boys’ team as well). The passing worked well for them, too. The good gals won this one, 1-0. They played again last night, but we couldn’t go. However that turned out, though, I was sure proud of them. 

We stopped at Joe’s Barbecue in Alvin on the way home. Used to be really good stuff. Not so much yesterday. Not a lot of flavor in the sides, and my ribs were tough with not much meat. Chris’ chicken was pretty good, though, and the best part our respective meals? Mac  and cheese for me. Potato salad for Chris. Guess we’ll be shopping for a new place in Alvin. Hmm. Wonder if that Jack in the Box we went to on our wedding night still there …

We also took care of one more errand while we were out that has been on our list for a few months now. We went to Home Depot and bought a new lawn mower. The old one has served us well, but it is completely rusted through in several places, and the pull cord has already broken once. Corey and Janell helped us a lot when we got it home. They carried it to the back porch for us. Thanks, guys!  We got it out of the box and put together without too much difficulty. Now we wait for the grass to grow. Exciting times. 

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬ says, Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Father, thank you for neighbors who care enough to carry heavy stuff. Bless them for that. Amen. 

August 24 - “Still lingering”

I did some more digging. But this time I added some serious cutting with the sawzall as well. Four or five pretty large roots are now down the tubes. Still lingering, however, is one pretty massive root ball. And all that is just what is on our side of the fence. Whew! Oh, and of course it was still majorly hot. I was beat. 

Speaking of fences, Nathan came by to do some measuring. He needed some more specifics so he could figure exactly what materials we need to buy. Looks like we made it onto his schedule for Labor Day weekend. Woohoo!  I let my neighbor back behind us know. He was grateful to have the update. Haven’t seen the neighbors on the side, though. Guess we’ll just have to surprise them, like they did us when they chopped down the trees. 

Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ says, And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Father, thank you for Nathan’s ability to figure out all those fence calculations. Amen. 

August 23 - “Plans, plans, plans”

Yesterday my planned morning was to finish the weed eating in the back yard and follow that up with some more root digging.  All hot stuff … literally. However …

Well, add one more thing to the list. We’ve been tracking the air in one of our back tires for several days now, and it definitely has a slow leak. We already replaced the front tires, so we knew this was coming. Of course no one I know ever actually welcomes yet another hit to the wallet, but you gotta stay safe. And hopefully we will be back on the road soon. Well, at least after we have the oil changed. That notice appeared as well. 

They actually got the car in pretty quickly. Maybe 30 minutes after I checked in. Of course this was Firestone, though. They had to go through it with a fine tooth comb to find something else wrong, so they can charge us to fix it. This time was no exception. But I already knew about their “discoveries” thanks to my top-tier mechanic Dennis. Just the tires, please. 

Back to the plan I mentioned earlier … Chris did the weed eating while I was at Firestone, so that was checked off. We were going to take the car in for an oil change this morning, but Dennis couldn’t do it after all. That brings us back to … some more root digging. Woohoo!  

Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬ says, Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord

Father, thanks for the ease of getting those tires. Gotta be safe. Amen. 

August 22 - “Join the attack”

We made it outside again yesterday. We did switch up our usual roles, though. Chris was on mower and edger duty. I was back attacking the roots of that fenced tree. That is some back-breaking tool, let me tell you!  I got to use the sawzall a time or two, though. That made it worth it. I think we are going to try to get Micah and Josiah to join the attack force sometime in the future. 

After the Astros’ sad loss to the Red Sox, we made a Walmart run. Not a huge one, but there were a few things we did need (Read here BANANAS).  Of course we couldn’t walk out with just four or five bananas, though. We did our best to clear off Chris’ shopping list. Still have a few items for next time, though. Like coffee. Not a small deal there!

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭ says, But seek first the kingdom of God and His de righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Father, thank you for protecting us out in that heat again. Amen. 

August 21 - “Testing … Testing …

We had an early morning wake-up text yesterday. Not on purpose, but early nonetheless. A little before five my phone sounded its incoming text notification. Even woke Chris up. Not a problem, though. It was from Keith Jefferson, a long-time friend (who happens to live in the Eastern time zone, hence the early nature of the text). He was just checking in to join the thundering hordes in wishing Chris a belated happy birthday. Thanks for the thoughts, Keith. Long time no see, my friend. Come back to Texas and visit some time. 

Speaking of long time no see … Chris had one of those stress echo tests. Her appointment was for 9:30. By 11:30 I was getting pretty antsy in the waiting room. She finally came out shortly thereafter, though. No emergency admittance or anything like that. Just a really long test. Of course they passed the baton to her cardiologist for any final say on future tests or caths. 

There was one thing. On our way to the elevator Chris stopped at the bathroom. She came out with an extra paper towel over her hand. The IV site had begun to bleed again, and blood was dripping everywhere. We went right back over to the echo lab, and they immediately sent a nurse to re-dress the site and wrap it with some of that elastic tape. No messing around with blood, that’s for sure. 

Back home, I spent well over an hour on the phone with Home Depot trying to get some idea if what their promised “inconvenience discount” was going to amount to, so I could plan out my payment schedule to avoid interest charges. Here’s a summary:

1. Pay something on your account or they will “fee” you to death. Now. I’ll connect you with Customer Care to address the discounts issue. 
2. I’m trying to get a manager to approve more than $150 (that’s my limit). Also, I’m on hold with Whirlpool trying to get a sooner delivery date. 

And that call ended up with them hanging up on me. I called back and got a different person. Different instructions. 

Then I saw a voice mail from the first person I talked to. Seems that now the delivery will be September 13 - three days sooner. And the “usual” compensation is 20-25%. Still have to wait for delivery to request it, though. 

Then an email came from that first person again. I quickly asked her to send me an email with the info she said in the voice mail. 

Whew! At this point I just hope we’re still getting a fridge!

Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭says, Even now — this is the Lord’s declaration — turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster.

Father, thanks for being with Chris through that two hour ordeal. Amen. 

August 20 - “I’m just getting started!”

Yesterday I had the honor of stepping back into the pastoral role for a time. A very special lady from my days as pastor at Seaside died - Jane Chipman. Her children asked me to preside at her funeral. Well, at her celebration of life, really. 

There really was much to celebrate, too. She was married to her husband Boyd for 70+ years. Wow. She enjoyed joining him on fishing trips and hunting excursions. She adored her family and beamed with pride whenever she talked about any of them.  But most of all, she loved Jesus. She was committed to the Lord enough that she was bravely baptized in the Gulf of Mexico at what some would consider an “older age.”  Not for Jane, though. As she would say, “I’m just getting started!”  

I was definitely privileged to have known Jane and her husband Boyd (they came as a matched set in just about everything).  Oh … and it was a lot of fun, too! They have been reunited now. They are with Jesus, and … “They are just getting started!”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭ says, No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

Father, please welcome Jane into your arms. Amen. 

August 19 - “I undertook a task”

We had another great day at church. Especially when we got to dinner on the grounds. Lots of good stuff. I enjoyed the ribs and the ice box key lime pie. And the fellowship, of course. Great folks. 

The other day I undertook a task that left me groaning and dragging, for sure. I began the arduous task of moving pavers and digging up tree roots and clipping out said roots as I could. They all connect to the tree we have to get out that is growing enmeshed in our chain link fence. At least we hope they do. Some could be remnants of the big tree the neighbors previously cut down. 

The plan is to remove that fence and put up a full privacy fence. Just hoping to help the process, even at the expense of my poor body. Guess I’ll get back at it … maybe Wednesday. Or Thursday. Or …

Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭24‬ says, Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”

Father, thank you for the great folks you have drawn to Seaside. Amen.