October 31 - “Some more old friends”

Work around the house was the order of the day. Chris is still sorting sewing and quilting supplies. I repaired a part of the old sewing machine that we brought over from the  Tradewinds house. It needs new belt, but we just may get that one to work again. My favorite saying lately … guardedly optimistic. 

In the afternoon we made our trip over to Walmart for groceries. Chris also was on the lookout for some fabric to make a doll-ish creation that AnnaGrace dreamed up in her head and drew a picture of. That one is gonna be very interesting.  

We saw some more old friends in the breakfast aisle. This week is the big Biker Rally in Galveston. For quite a few years now, Seaside has hosted a group of Christian bikers who hang out with the crowds and look for ways to share Jesus with them. And for the last few years they have brought us several hundred New Testaments with the biker logo on the front for the expressed purpose of us giving them away at Halloween. So … we saw a few of the guys who come every year and who have become good friends. Always great to meet up with someone at Walmart who doesn’t mind a big hug. 

And speaking of big hugs, our regular Walmart friend - that we made a few years back by sharing a fried turkey leg with - spied us heading toward the checkout counters. She reserved us a spot and another big hug, to boot. Ain’t hugs grand?

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬ says, Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present  your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.

Father, keep the bikers safe this week. There’s a lot of them here, and sometimes those bikes are hard to see. Amen. 

October 30 - “Ho! Ho! Ho! No.”

Bea’s funeral went without a hitch, of course. We saw several more of the folks we knew from our South Oaks Baptist Church days. Great to get reacquainted. Not so great circumstances, of course. 

Before heading home, we had lunch with Larry and Dianne at Arnold’s. Pretty sure that wasn’t the real name of the place, but as Larry explained, it is basically a hole-in-the-wall hamburger joint, and the owner reminds him a lot of Arnold from Happy Days, and the food is homemade and really good. He wasn’t wrong. 

I was wondering if Chris would want to make a second stop at a place we checked out on our way into town. It was called The Christmas Company in Madisonville. Frankly, it was quite disappointing to me. Oh, it was a big barn full of Christmas decorations and ribbons miscellaneous paraphernalia. I was guardedly optimistic.  There was one thing I was looking for. One very simple request. But No. they didn’t have a single t-shirt that said, “Ho! Ho! Ho!”  We didn’t go back. 

We did make a stop on the way home, though. I mean, other than the one for gas at Buc-ees. Nana had to set eyes on Ezra to make sure for herself that he was OK. He was doing great and even eating up a storm. 

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬ says, For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.

Father, please continue to walk with the Bryant family. Love them and bless them lots and lots. Amen. 

October 29 - “Missed”

We are off on another abbreviated road trip. Sadly, this is another one to attend the funeral of a friend from our days at South Oaks Baptist Church in Arlington. 

Bea Bryant was the quintessential wife and mother. And not just to her own kids. It seemed that everyone who came in contact with her was treated like one of the family. I know we sure were. Her sweet smile and Southern charm welcomed many strangers and reassured many regulars around the church. And her children certainly reflect her loving spirit. She “done good” raising those youngsters of hers. I know she will be missed. But I also know that her unwavering love for Jesus places her in just the right place right now - in his arms. 

Special thanks to the Huntley’s for letting us stay the night with them. 

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭34‬ says, Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Father, bless the Huntley’s for their hospitality to us. Amen. 

October 28 - “In and out”

The sermon yesterday was on unity in diversity within the church … One of God’s favorite things, for sure. Kel did a good job working through the last half of 1 Corinthians 12. Next week … Love!

After church we went out to Bay Harbor to put the trash out for pickup and pick up a few things ourselves to try to clean up at our house. It was nice to be there in less than our usual three or four hours. This time took about thirty minutes or so. In and out. 

And speaking of in and out … on the way back home we stopped at the church again. This time our goal was to vote. The parking lot was just beginning to reflect a lot of early voters. But we managed to get in and out in a pretty short time. It was fun to say hey to the workers, too. The same people have been doing it for years. 

Last night was another Experiencing God study night. All of our teenagers were there again, so we had a really good session. Just a few more to go with this study. 

Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭says, I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Father, be with our kids doing this study. Keep them safe in your care through the week. Amen. 

October 27 - “On floats and free sno cones”

We watched the Baylor homecoming parade yesterday morning on their YouTube channel. Why? Well, it seems the Texas Wind homeschool sports group had a float. We saw very clearly Josh, and we were pretty sure we saw Caleb. Luke was in there somewhere, too. I got a text from Josh that Luke discovered a real treasure at the parade. Seems he stumbled across a newspaper - the real kind made out of actual paper. But the treasure? The paper had a crossword puzzle inside. That’s my boy. 

After the parade I did some backyard cleanup while Chris carried out the extensive task of watering all her plants. Then we ate some lunch (I had pizza rolls. It’s been a while…). 

We also watched a little bit of a Spider-Man movie. It was that inter-dimensional one where all three of the guys who have played Spider-Man come together to fight all the super villains. Don’t know how I missed that one. 

Meanwhile, Chris searched for updates on refrigerators. Yep. Ours is still not here. Still back ordered. It allegedly will come November 4th. Sure. I’m not really expecting it. 

Last night we went to the Jamaica Beach Halloween event at the park. Seaside was asked to be the sno cone people again. The volunteer fire department brought out the big ladder truck. The police brought out their race car. Folks in golf carts gave away candy to kids. One old guy with a pony tale was giving away those huge candy bars. Called himself the crazy uncle, so he had to give away crazy big candy bars. Nice. My favorite costume was the guy with the homemade hat. It was all out of aluminum foil. You know - the kind that repels attempts by aliens (or the government) to control his mind. Oh, and among the kids, the fire fighter costumes best out the police, three to one. Woohoo!

After the event we stopped at Kroger. Thought I was gonna say Walmart, didn’t you? Nathan let us know that Kroger had Butterball turkeys on sale for 99 cents a pound. Can’t beat that price. And Thanksgiving turkey frying is rapidly approaching. We picked up our allotted two. Guess we’ll have to cut back on our total this year. Why?  Because we don’t have any fridge space!

Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭ says, I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit

Father, thanks for the chance to hand out those free sno cones and represent you. Amen. 

October 26 - “Oops. Not so”

We walked again. I know. Same old story. Guess it’s not hurting us, though. At least the cardiologist was impressed the other day. I suppose that made it worth it. 

Oh, and speaking of cardiologists, I said in yesterday’s post that Chris had an appointment with her cardiologist. Oops. Not so. It was the oncologist. I got the nurse practitioner part right, at least. (And I snuck into the blog site and changed it. Now no one will ever know).

We did add a little time working in the backyard. Chris ripped out some fast-growing, offending weeds. I filled some slow-growing, encroaching holes with the dirt we bought the other day. Necessary, but not too exhausting. 

After lunch we did our errands run. First stop was back to the funeral home to pick up the Gideon New Testaments to give away next week. Thanks, Carnes Brothers, for being the conduit there. 

Next we made a quick revisit to Randall’s pharmacy. I know we were just there, but I got a text from their computer that a prescription for me was ready. Can’t let those go too long, or that computer starts calling me. 

Finally it was down to the good stuff. Yep. Walmart. We wanted to find something to give to Ezra when he has his tonsils out on Tuesday. Think we found just the thing. What? No. I’m not telling. That’ll ruin the surprise. 

Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭ says, For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well.

Father, please bless the guys down at Carnes Brothers (and the Gideons) for donating those New Testaments. Amen. 

October 25 - “Jumped again”

Jumped onto the road again - this time on wheels. Chris had a check-in appointment with her oncologist. Well, actually it was with the oncologist’s nurse practitioner. The big guy was out of the office. All was good this time. Next appointment is not for three months. 

On the way home we stopped off at the funeral home. Again, not a personal call. We are both fine. We were there to pick up a box of Gideon New Testaments they are providing for our Halloween outreach party. Sadly, the doors were locked. Guess they didn’t open until ten. We were fifteen minutes early. Well have to pick them up another day. 

Last night we’re back into home group. Well, at least for this week. Next Thursday is Halloween, so we hope they will make their way over for the party. 

‭‭1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬ says, Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God — God remains in him and he in God.

Father, thanks again for those amazing folks at home group. Amen. 

October 24 - “Low-key”

We jumped back into walking again. See what I did there? Jumped. Walking. Makes it sound like we really did a blast of a workout. Just our usual two miles, though. 

We tried to keep the rest of the day pretty low-key. Of course that included a trip over to Walmart. We needed to get some oranges and bananas, but the main thing was some more Halloween candy. Not sure how many folks will be here for our usual party next Thursday, and we want the kiddos to be happy. 

Oh, and speaking of Halloween, I also need to stop by Carnes Funeral Home before then. They are providing us with a few hundred Gideon New Testaments to give away. We appreciate their willingness to join in on the outreach potential of the hundreds of kids that usually come by here. 

After Walmart we made a stop at Randall’s. Their computer had already sent me two texts and even called me to remind me we had a prescription ready. That would have been enough, but then we found out Randall’s had Blue Bell ice cream on sale. Couldn’t pass that one up. 

Last night our day of ease continued. After our supper of a baked potato, Chris hung out in the backyard watching for hummingbirds. I stayed inside so I could stay cool and keep one eye on the birds out there and the other on a movie. Very relaxing. 

Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬ says, Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.

Father, thanks for “very relaxing.”  Doesn’t happen very often. Amen. 

October 23 - “Lighted tunnels”

Early start yesterday. Literally. I woke up at 3:30. Tried to doze back off, by I finally gave up around 4:30. I did get some work done at my desk, but I also managed a few minutes of doze time. 

Once Chris joined me, we had some breakfast. Then we headed into Texas to the League City house. The goal for the day was to locate any remaining files and to make any determinations we could regarding the viability of saving any of the house contents. It took us a while longer than expected to get there. The freeway was shut down to clean up after a big wreck earlier in the morning. 

We stayed at the house up there until after twelve noon. About an hour or so longer than planned. Not that we were finding a lot. Just a lot to go through. 

Maybe someday soon we’ll see the light at the end of this tunnel. 

Psalms‬ ‭59‬:‭16‬ says, But I will sing of Your strength and will joyfully proclaim Your faithful love in the morning. For You have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble.

Father, we sure could use one of those famous lighted tunnels. Amen. 

October 22 - “Appointment Disappointment”

I had my six-month check up with my cardiologist yesterday. I’m pretty sure I passed with flying colors. The thing is … he seemed so disappointed that I was so healthy. Guess that meant one less heart cath he would be able to do. 

While we were there, we noticed a sign at the front desk. Apparently, I could also get a flu shot while we were there. Yep. Flu shot. High dose. The one reserved for older people. Never felt it. Mark of a really good nurse. She also reminded me to “Move your arm a lot so it doesn’t get stiff.” Yes, Boss. 

Speaking of people in just the right position. They had a great receptionist. She was very pleasant, even when we asked the unenviable question, “Can you change this appointment?” Give that lady a raise. 

We then made our way over to a different set of clinics in a totally different part of the hospital grounds. Chris had to have some blood drawn for labs for her cancer guy appointment coming up on Thursday.

That seemed like a full enough morning, but no. On the way home we stopped at the monument place to verify some things about the headstone for Sam and her brother. Everything looked good, so we went ahead with the order. Now if all the boxes can quickly get checked for the will, then we’ll be able to pay for it from the estate. 

From there we dropped off some mail at the post office. We covered another one of Sam’s bills. Can’t have the electricity getting shut off. 

Next was Home Depot. That one was kind of spur of the moment. We needed some dirt. Yep. Just dirt. We still hadn’t leveled out the ground under the pavers on the side of the house. That’s what I spent a few hours doing in the afternoon while Chris went through some sewing stuff. 

But before the manual labor began, we decided to do a little splurge. Actually, it wasn’t exactly a splurge. We used a gift card. But we went on a lunch date. No, not to Whataburger. We had a gift card to Saltgrass Steakhouse. Good stuff. Chris had grilled chicken. I had surf and turf. We both had plenty for a leftovers meal as well. We’re gonna have to do that more often. Thank you to the kind soul who gave us the gift card. 

Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭28‬ ‭ says, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Father,  bless those folks who gave us that gift card. We needed that. Amen. 

October 21 - “Double Dunk”

Big day at church yesterday. Sure, it was Third Sunday Dinner on the Grounds. But that’s not it. The big news this time was that Ezra was baptized. In fact, Kel dunked him twice out there in the Gulf of Mexico. Double Dunk. Two for one. Apparently, the first wave didn’t get him completely wet, so they went back in for seconds! I told Kel they should have gone for three in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!  Special day. Great fun. We are proud of you, Ezra. 

After church we went down to Bay Harbor. Just had to put the trash out again. Probably at least one more run for that purpose. We also stopped and picked up the mail out there. Gotta stay on top of that, too. 

The LaMarque crew were all at our house when we got back home. The usual. Sticking around in town until Experiencing God started at six. Jachin was with them this time. Oh! His roommate came to Seaside with him that  morning. First time we have met Will. Seems like a good kid. 

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭ says, He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds.

Father, thanks for Will. He and Jachin seem to have really hit it off. Amen. 

October 20 - “Recognized”

We were up early and on the road again. After filling up with gas and grabbing a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit from McDonald’s, we headed on further north to our reason for making this trip. Yet another friend from our days at South Oaks Baptist died, and her funeral was yesterday. It was held at a funeral home in Kennedale, Texas. 

As is the case in sad occasions like this, we saw numerous old friends from a whole different era of our life. I was even surprised that we were recognized in some of the cases. And the reunions didn’t stop when we left the funeral. We went for some lunch with the Huntley’s at a random McAlister’s Deli in Mansfield. And as we chatted, yet another family from our South Oaks days just happened to arrive for a sandwich as well. Great to see all you guys. Let’s do it at something other than a funeral next time, OK?

Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ says, For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Father, walk with Ray and his family as they deal with missing Carol. Amen 

October 19 - “Unexpected sightseeing”

We made a trip over to Walmart yesterday for some cookies and a few other essentials. After all, we HAD to have cookies to take with us. Oh, I forgot to mention. We were heading ultimately to a funeral in Kennedale. But last night was to be spent in Waco joining the family in celebrating Luke’s completion of the book, The Three Musketeers.  Deep reading for a youngster, right?

I went to Whataburger to pick up a quick lunch while Chris baked the cookies. She also did some birthday gift wrapping (Happy Birthday, Luke). But finally we got on the road. 

On the way we stopped at Hobby Lobby to do a quick return of something we bought the other day. Just didn’t work where Chris wanted to put it. The exchange didn’t take but a few minutes, and we were back on the road. 

All was well until we got about an hour and a half outside of Waco. Little town called Hearne. Apparently the town decided to completely shut down the Highway that runs through the middle of town for a major construction project. Fortunately, we were able to skirt the town and the standstill traffic. It was definitely a scenic route, but way better than the alternative. 

That is until we realized that the U.S. highway we were then on also shut down completely - both ways.  Yet another detour. Hey. No problem. We are all about road trips.   

We made it with time to spare for the big pizza and a movie start. That movie is chock-full of swashbuckling action and even a love story subplot. Best part of the movie, though, was hearing Luke’s running commentary comparing it to the book. In just about every case … “the book was better than the movie.”

Best part of my day, though came when we told Josh and Christi and Caleb about the B.R.A. event we went to. Caleb was one part fascinated, one part horrified, and three parts hilariously entertained, particularly by the antics of the BRA bra red carpet men and by the very fact that a tattoo artist for nipples even exists. He pondered making one of those his first tattoo. And at that his dad slowly shook his head from side to side, speechless. His mom buried her face in her hands, commenting, “What are you gonna say when someone asks you, ‘What did you talk about with your grandfather this weekend?’”  I gotta say … I haven’t laughed until I cried in a very long time. Thanks for that, guys.

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ says, Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled.

Father, thanks for the road trip. We sure packed in some unexpected back roads Texas sightseeing. Amen.