September 30 - “An inflicted fast”

A text from ATT greeted us in the morning.  Check it out:

Hi, it's AT&T. There's an outage in your area so your repair appt is on hold. We'll contact you once the outage is over.

Well, thank you very much. Glad we were going to church anyway. And as it turned out, I got another notification later. The service interruption should be repaired by Monday evening at 6.  There you go. An inflicted TV and internet fast. Let’s see how it goes. 

We stopped at Randall’s on the way home. They texted me six different times that I had a prescription ready. Hey! At least texting works!

I just remembered something the bride said to me after that vows renewal Saturday night. In her very broken English she said, “In Slovakia we say thank you by three times do this.”  Then she kissed me on alternating cheeks three times. Made me feel pretty special. 

Romans 5:3-4 says, Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Father, thank you for the kids in Experiencing God last night. They seemed really interested. Amen.  

September 29 - “But not before …”

I went up to the Jamaica Beach fire department yesterday to start my very long day. They were having a welcome ceremony of sorts. A large group (maybe 20 or 30?) of first responders left South Padre Island a week or so ago … on bicycles. They were riding to honor fellow first responders who had died in the line of duty in the past year. The ceremony was impressive. Citizens of Jamaica Beach held signs with the names of Texans being honored, including Galveston’s own Andy Jefferies. It was great to see our GFD biker representatives and get a big hug from them. 

In the afternoon we had the celebration of life for Sam Criswell. There were people who came in from different eras of Seaside history, like Ken, Mike and Rhea, Rick and Traci, and Laura. There were numerous people who knew Sam from being at Seaside more recently, and even a relative from each side of Sam’s family made the journey. At least one other watched online. 

All 3 of our boys were involved in the service as well as a few grandkids. Their Nana was really beaming! The celebration itself was just that - a celebration. Everything was upbeat, from the memories shared to the songs by the praise team and by Jim and Corey.  

And afterwards, we all enjoyed some of the great food that was definitely a Sam favorite - King Ranch casserole, German chocolate cake, and … lots of cookies! 

My personal favorite of the whole afternoon? The sendoff song at the end, “Lord of the Dance.”  There may or may not have been a few of us who teetered on the edge and beyond into actually doing a little jig. 

But my Saturday was not over yet. Last night I had to preside over a renewal of vows out on the beach. It was actually one of the sweetest ones I have ever done. The couple was from Slovakia. They had just flown here to spend time with relatives. 

That morning the husband, Viktor, surprised his wife of 30 years by proposing to her again - at sunrise - on the beach. How romantic is that? Then for the vows renewal (just at sunset, by the way), she was completely surprised as well. She couldn’t speak any English, but she could understand it really well. Through her tears of happiness, she made it through her vows. I repeated them slowly and just a few words at a time so she could keep up. 

Afterwards they were appreciative to the extreme. Even insisted I take home three of the homemade Slovakian sausages they were cooking, as well as some bread with homemade mustard slathered on it. Thanks , guys.

Meanwhile, back at home, Ken and Chris were chatting. When I texted that I was on my way, Ken went and got a pizza for our somewhat-late supper. He spent the night  and headed back to Austin bright and early. 

But not before … why not one more thing to deal with? When I got home I was met with the pronouncement that our cable was messed up. In fact, internet, cable, and our house phone were all out. I called in, and the tech support guy walked me through some things to check. Sadly the news was not great. Internet and cable were down. Gee … I already knew that. The problem seemed to be with an issue outside our house, though. First available appointment to check it out?  Sometime between noon and four today. Hmm. Guess we can live without the internet or TV for a few hours. 

Micah 7:7  says, But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Father, be with Viktor and Sylvia. Grant them many more years together as they love each other and you. Amen. 

September 28 - “For some insane reason”

Up and at ‘em pretty early. 4:30 wake up call for some insane reason! Actually, I did have a lot to get done, so I was glad for the extra time. I spent those first couple of hours working on the service for Sam. Had to get it out to the guys doing the service with me (Kel, Greg, Josh, Nathan).  

Next on the list was mowing the lawn. For some insane reason the grass just keeps growing. Sigh … great lesson, though. Life goes on. Embrace it. No … Enjoy it!

We took a few hours of the afternoon to drive out to Sam’s house. We needed to find an electronic gadget that she borrowed from a friend. It has to be returned to the telephone issuer. Fortunately, we found it! Even found the original box it came in. Check one more thing off the list. 

Romans 15:13 says, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Father, please be with us at the celebration today. Draw the ones there that you want to be there, and speak to some hearts. Amen. 

September 27 - “Surprise”

Well, we woke up to a surprise yesterday. On top of everything else going on (literally, as you will soon see), a big, thick tree limb fell “on top of” our car. Let me hasten to add that the smaller branches cushioned the blow enough that the car seems fine. We were able to lop off the smaller pieces enough to back the car out of the driveway. Then we just tugged a little, and the massive branch came crashing to the ground. I got out the trustee sawzall and chopped it small enough to be carried away by the trash guys. The weird thing was, it was not even the big broken branch we’ve been watching since Hurricane Beryl. Great. Still have that one to look forward to. That was NOT what we signed up for on the day’s long list of things to do. 

We also had a surprise visit. Well, we anticipated this one, but didn’t know when it would happen. Certainly didn’t expect it yesterday. Our contractor came by with his painter to give us a bid on the house. Why not?  

I also tried my best to make some headway toward getting the service planned for Sam’s celebration of life on Saturday (2 pm at Seaside if you haven’t heard yet). Too much tyranny of the urgent got to me, though. That will be one of my first jobs this morning so I can get it to all the ones who need it. In fact … Better get started. 

Isaiah 40:31 says, But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Father, help us get all these things done that we need to get done “right now” … at the right time. Amen. 

September 26 - “Hope and a New Journey”

The coolest thing I have seen happening through all the folks who have visited is the message of hope they all communicated when they talked to Sam. They may have said, “goodbye,” but it was always also accompanied by something like, “see you later.” That, my friends, is the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) hope in the future - the real, eternity kind of future - that Christians have. 

As Chris so eloquently said, “Sam has begun her new journey!”  She completed this leg of her life around 1 pm. And now the best is yet to come!

Please keep us all in your prayers. 

Romans 15:13 says, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Father, O God of Sam’s indomitable spirit, receive her into your arms and give her rest. She doesn’t have to “do it all” anymore. Amen. 

September 25 - “The Old-fashioned way”

Yesterday I finally got around to my job of cleaning off the back porch. Of course, that meant filling up the shed again. And I had to find a place in the shed for the wheelbarrow to live (the one I evicted from the garage a few weeks back). After shuffling and re-shuffling stuff, I finally ended up cutting a two by four to shore up a shelf so I could move some heavy stuff to the smaller shed. Even used an old-fashioned hand saw to make the cut. My Dad would be proud. My wife asked why I didn’t just go get a power tool. Thanks, Babe. 

Sam had some visitors throughout the day: friend Ed, Pastor Kel, dear friend Nancy, sister and brother-in-law Cathy & Mike, Mary Ann from her Bible study group, and finally special friend Lauren, who stayed the night to help. Thanks for coming, guys! 

Last night was a long one. The final vigil began. Some new developments led to a call to the hospice nurse. She gave us some things to do, and the wait continued. As I said, Lauren came over for a visit and ended up spending the night. She was ready to step in and serve a shift of watching over Sam. 

It was hard for all of us to get to sleep, though. Just felt like the end of this leg of her journey was rapidly approaching, and the beginning of her new journey was just clearing the horizon. 

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭ says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Father, bless all these folks who have been stopping by to check on Sam. They do make a difference. Amen. 

September 24 - “The Bed”

I was going to work on putting the back yard back into some semblance of order yesterday morning. That plan dissolved into nothingness when I got started back into going through files again. 

We also were anticipating the delivery of a hospital bed. Robert and Nathan were here to help out. The delivery guy was great. He absolutely knew his stuff, and got everything set up in no time. 

Nathan finished the punch list of the fence. A few pickets didn’t stick so he screwed them down. He also installed the one final picket we missed. Fence is really fine now. I hope. 

The Hospice nurse arrived late in the day. Between her and Chris and the magic lift machine, they got Sam moved from where she was into the den where we had the hospital bed. It was a pretty tough ordeal, but Sam was a trooper.  

Thank you’s for yesterday: Helen for Sam-sitting and just being there with her, Cathy for cat-sitting (again), Jim and Doug for coming by, (and thanks for the songs, Jim), Nathan for the fence again and for being, well, Nathan (of course), Robert for being here when the bed was delivered and helping the guy unload. Oh, and Sam’s sister and brother-in-law came by as well. 

Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭40‬ ‭ says, You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.

Father, help Sam be able to relax and get some rest. Amen. 

September 23 - “A change in perspective”

It was an early morning here. We were both up at 4:30. For Chris it was again. She has been checking in on Sam through the night. For me it was just … time to get up. 

I went on to church, but kept in contact with Chris. At one point she texted that Sam had begun coughing. She wondered if she should call the hospice nurse for advice. I voted a hearty yes. The nurse said she would be there in about an hour. I told Chris I’d come on home as soon as I realized I was starting to fall asleep. She told me to finish my nap before driving. I obliged … I think. 

OK. The word on Sam is that she is probably getting pretty close to the end. Or to change perspective … close to a new beginning for her with the Lord. We are so glad to have the help of hospice during this time. Keep those prayers coming. 

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭13‬ ‭ says, For I, Yahweh your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you.

Father, thank you for the presence and assistance of the hospice folks. Bless them for their work. Amen. 

September 22 - “What manner of human condition”

I was back on the inside track again. Well, except for the trip to Walmart. Just a few items. Milk. Kitty litter. Toothbrush tips (Hey. The trials of the electric toothbrush generation). A few other sundries as well. It was actually one of my quickest trips ever. And that includes the wait time for me to track down someone to help me access an item in the very top shelf, and then for that someone to track down one of their rolling ladders. She was really sweet, too. 

As far as my inside duties, I just had some more mail and files to sort through. I think I finally have a handle on what needs to happen. Making it work is another thing altogether … 

Last night was the infamous wedding that I “rehearsed” for on Friday. I actually couldn’t wait to see what manner of human condition would appear amongst the wedding party. I was really counting on that Seven-almost-eight-year-old flower girl to keep the crowds relatively sane and under control. 

It wasn’t the youngster, though. There was … an “Unknown Wedding Coordinator.” The scariest kind. Whoever she was, she totally changed the flow of the ceremony. Not that it was bad. Just … unexpected. See, I was supposed to meet the groomsmen at a door to the outside and all of us walk in together. Imagine my surprise when the line of groomsmen solemnly marched to their positions near the gazebo. Without me. Ten minutes early. Did you get that? Ten minutes early! Never happened in my 50+ years in the ministry. I made my way to the front, chatting with the crowd and then the groomsmen. I asked why so early? Their answer? “We were sent.”  Yep. The UWC was in charge. 

Everything else went pretty well. The bride and groom never stopped talking to each other until I specifically spoke to them (read hear, “Repeat after me,” at which point the groom dropped the ring.  Tough start there, my friend).  This one definitely ranks as one of my most unusual. Oh! And the entire wedding party seemed remarkably… um … not drunk. Thanks, guys. 

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬ says, Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

Father, be with this new Nathan and April as they begin their life together. Be with our Nathan and April, too. Amen. 

September 21 - “Non-drunk Humans”

I was on the outside again to start my day. Well, sort of. I started in the garage. Needed to clear out a little more storage space. That meant take it out and put it back, hopefully in a different order that would afford some more square footage. You know … Classic Garage Tetris. Not sure how successful I was. Well, other than moving the wheelbarrow around to start living in the shed with the new lawn mower (the wheelbarrow, not me). 

I spent a few hours on the phone trying to get an iPhone restored. I got pretty far, but it looks like I reached a dead end. Not sure where to go next, so I did what any thinking, reasonable human would have done. I put it down. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe Monday. 

After that bit of a fail, I had to hurry over to the San Luis Hotel. I’m presiding over a wedding this evening, and the rehearsal was last night. Well, if you can call it a rehearsal. Me and the almost-eight-year-old flower girl, and the fifteen-year-old autistic ring bearer, and perhaps the bride’s mom and dad were the only non-drunk humans on the premises. We made it through, though. I felt sorry for Fish Tales restaurant. They were all headed over there for the rehearsal dinner. This wedding should be … interesting. 

Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬ says, No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.

Father, be with us at that wedding tonight. It’s gonna be hot in the gazebo. Plus booze and/or hangovers. Tough combination. Amen. 

September 20 - “Bright Eyes”

Chris had an appointment with the eye doctor yesterday, so she was gone much of the morning. She got an explanation from the doc as to why she has trouble seeing to drive at night. One of three reasons: 1) cataracts. Those have been dealt with. 2) light colored eyes. Chris has very light blue eyes. 3) “when you reach a certain age …” Ouch. So basically … live with it and don’t drive at night. 

While she was gone, I actually spent time doing work at my desk instead of in the back yard. I was working on the plan for Experiencing God for Sunday night. We’re gonna have a game night, so I anticipate a lot of 4-square and ping pong and maybe some games brought from home. But I wanted to put together a kind of games fellowship with a debrief of each one as it relates to Experiencing God and, well, Jesus!

In the afternoon I was sent on an excursion. OK, OK. That’s supposed to be a classy way of saying Chris asked me to pick up a few things at Walmart. Never pass that up. 

Helen came by about four and brought Sam some supper. I know it was for Sam. It was Chinese food. Nope. Not for me. Chris and I didn’t eat until later in the evening. 

Speaking of eating later, just as we were finishing up, we had a phone call with some pretty special news. AnnaGrace was selected to be an angel in a production of The Nutcracker in Waco. Oh! And Caleb was number fourteen in the state in tackles for six-man football last week. Wanna meet some proud grandparents? 

Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭17‬ ‭ says, Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will give a reward to the lender.

Father, thanks for the explanation Chris got from the eye doc as to why she has trouble seeing to drive at night. It did explain a lot. Amen. 

September 19 - “Too many steps!”

Pavers: Phase Two: Trying to uncover and fill that sinkhole before it gets big enough to wreak havoc on its own. First step … pull up pavers that are obviously sinking. Step two … dig under and peel back the good sod that has grown over the low spot. Step three … scrape off to the side the good soil. Step four … Fill under the sod and pavers with leftover dirt from the side of house. Step five … somewhat level the area. Step six … reset the pavers. Too many steps! Aaargh! Why didn’t we call in a pro?! I’m stuck somewhere between steps four and five. Gotta plod on. 

We heard on one of our breaks that there was a pretty bad wreck near Cailyn’s high school. Bad enough that they shut down the major road that passes in front of the school. Cailyn was not involved. See, it just so happened that she wasn’t feeling well, so her dad picked her up early. Hmm. Thanks for that protection, Lord. 

Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭10‬ says, God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Father, we do thank you for protecting Cailyn and her friends from that wreck. Your ways are definitely mysterious sometimes. Amen. 

September 18 - “Sinkhole Coming!”

Pavers on the side of the house - including three extra rows and a row of bricks to boot - check. 

Now I’m ready to move on to one of two possible chores:

1. One would be to fill in the ditches made by the fork lift that unloaded all the fence stuff in the front yard as well as the holes in the back yard.
2. The second would be to pull up the patio pavers that are caving in because a big root of a tree that died after Hurricane Ike is rotting away (Sinkhole coming!). Then we need to pour in a bunch of just plain old dirt. 

Philippians 4:6 says, Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 

Father, thanks for helping me get through these chores. Amen.