February 7 – “A Few Minutes”

No plumbers.  But our contractor did call to say they were due to start next week.  He also said he was going to tell the electricians to start as well.  He said we should be ready for sheetrock by the end of February.    I presided over a fifteen year vows renewal at the San Luis Hotel tonight.  It turned out to be quite an ordeal.  It was to be a big surprise for the wife.  The husband had arranged everything with the hotel wedding coordinator.  She's the one who called me.  All I had to do was go to the desk and tell them I needed them to call the husband.  I checked in as instructed, but they had no one by that name registered.  They called the coordinator at home and gave me the phone.  My bad.  I had the wrong name.  She gave me the room number and said to have them call that room, but only talk of the man answers.  When they looked up that room number, though, there was a different person registered in it.  Now they really didn't know what to do.  They called the coordinator back, then made three or four other calls.  They told me they would have to run it down and try to find him.  About ten minutes later a guy walked up to me and asked if I was Kelley Vaughan.  Someone found him.   Hi wife was having her hair done.  He apologized and asked if I could wait until she got ready.  He said they had been stuck in traffic around Baybrook Mall for four hours.  We walked over to the counter so I could give him my cell number.  He was going to call me when she was ready.  As we turned around the wife walked up.  She apparently has some kind of radar on him.  Anyway, I faked it.  I said, "We just struck up a conversation.  He was interested in talking to a local."  She was totally buying it.  Then he choked.  Froze up.  Nothing would come out of his mouth.  Finally he introduced me and said, "He's a pastor and he's going remarry us in a few minutes.  As soon as you get ready."  She looked at him, then me, then back at him.  She said, "Are you serious?"  and looked to me for confirmation.  I nodded as he started into this long explanation of what had happened.  She never heard a word past "He's going to remarry us in a few minutes."  She finally interrupted his explanation attempt and said, "You did this for me?"  She hugged him and began to cry.  Wisely, he shut up.  Then she looked back at me and said, "A few minutes?"    Almost an hour later they finally called and told me to come on up to their room.  We got the ceremony done, and they are destined for fifteen more years of wedded bliss.    Genesis 2:24 says, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh."   Father, thank you for that couple's fifteen years.  Thank you for our thirty-three.  Amen.

February 6 – “A time”

Still no plumber.   But today we met with the Amish Cabinet guys again.  This time we had to drive to North Houston to their showroom.  Not an easy place to find.  When we finally arrived, though, it was pretty interesting to see in person the quality of work they offer.  Chris had done her homework.  She had a bunch of questions.  And by the time we left I think she was ready to sing them up.  I know I was.  Our next decision is whether to have them build the cabinets in the dining area part of the family room.  If we can decide on all this by Wednesday they can get the cabinets made and back to us by the third or fourth week of March.  Otherwise it'll be sometime in April.  I sure hope we're ready for cabinets by the end of March.    On the way home we drove past one of the churches I used to work at, Woodland Baptist in the Houston Heights.  That was an interesting church.  The people lived in such fear of the transitional neighborhood that they had bricked up all the windows.  Not only that, they put up an eight foot chain link fence all around the church.  With barbed wire on top.  Facing inward.  It looked eerily like a concentration camp designed to keep people in rather than keeping criminals out.   Shortly after we left they put up a gat across the parking lot entry to keep people from parking there during the week.  The only time people parked there was when parents came to pick up their children from the elementary school across the street.  Seemed to me like a great place for ministry to occur.  It's no longer a church.  It has been converted into apartments.  And the house we used to live in is no longer there.  That was a fun house.  The doors and windows didn't lock.  Next door was a self-proclaimed "boarding house for illegal aliens."  It was not uncommon for us to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of gunshots.  Our neighbors liked to celebrate by firing into the air.  They were great neighbors, though.  They knew exactly when we left town and when we came back.  They watched out for us, even if they were a little scary sometimes.  Both houses are now very nice duplexes.  Times change.   Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."   Father, help me to be OK with your timing.  Really.  Amen.

February 5 – “Fishing with Scooter”

No plumbers today.    We took the Explorer in to have the oil changed and the blinker fixed.  That thing is still going strong – well, maybe not strong, but still going nonetheless.  It should get us to Mansfield next week for our Caleb fix.  That trip means I will probably teach at SCA on Tuesday instead of Thursday.  Today was a lot of fun.  Those kids are great.  Can't wait to get to know them better.   The highlight of my day by far was my fishing trip with my Boston Terrier granddog, Scooter.  I stopped on the way home and got some bait.  I honestly didn't think I'd catch anything, but it was such a pretty day I had to try.  After all, the Channel Eleven Norman number was a ten.  I didn't tell Scooter we were going fishing.  I didn't even tell Chris.  It's not like I had to drive somewhere.  Just walk out to the dock in the back yard.  I think Scooter just came down for a leisurely trip to his private outdoor bathroom and stumbled upon the old man with the fishing pole.  Once down there, though, he wasn't about to leave.  And he impressed me with his level of anticipation.   I've been impressed with his anticipation ever since I first met him.  He's the first dog I've know who almost never gets fooled by the old "I didn't really throw it" trick when playing fetch.  And he's pretty good at anticipating which way you're going to kick it, too.  Those anticipation skills really came out this evening.  First was when he ran to the water's edge and turned back to me as if to say, "You sure are slow, Old Dude, but I'll wait for you."  Then he kicked into  bouncing mode when I baited the hook and walked toward the canal to cast.  His eyes stayed firmly fixed on the bait.  In case, I suppose, one of the dangling shrimp should happen to escape.  Every now and then some ducks would swim by.  That was definitely an event.  As soon as he noticed them, Scooter was at the water's edge, shivering all over with anticipation – "Maybe one of them will get close enough for me to eat.  Or at least play with."  Did you ever notice that some ducks are really ugly?  One of these was.  And the other one looked like it posed for one of those duck paintings.  I guess one was male and one was female.  They stayed close together.  And there was a little guy nearby diving and swimming by himself.  One little happy family.  But, oh, if Scooter could only get a little closer.  He also spent a lot of time gazing at the water.  And at things floating by in the water.  I went and stood by him one time just to see what he was looking at.  All I saw was water.  But then, I'm not Scooter.  My favorite Scooterism of the day, though, came when I sat on the dock so I could rest my back.  I kept the line in the water.  And Scooter stood directly under the pole and watched it very carefully, waiting.  Nothing happened.  He looked in the water.  He looked at me.  He waited.  Nothing happened.  He looked in the water.  He looked at me.  He waited.  Then he had about all he could stand.  He looked at me, then at the pole, then at the water.  Suddenly, he jumped up and grabbed the pole!  If the fish won't make it move, Scooter will.   Revelation 22:20 sounds like somebody who was in the habit of anticipating.  "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."   Father, help me be a Scooter-quality anticipator when it comes to you working and coming.  Amen

February 4 – “The Bird”

I saw a bird today.  I know.  I can hear the "Woo-hoo-ing" from here.  OK, for most of the world that is not such a big treat.  But this particular bird was in my back yard.    See, I spent the morning working on our income tax.  At least on what records we have left to work on.  We have pretty extensive documentation from about, oh, September 14th on.  We have been very careful to track everything since the storm.  Before then we have medical records that we evacuated with and that's about all.  I'm not even sure what kind of stuff I should be gathering related to our losses.  I checked our accountant's website, and the only place even close to "losses from a hurricane-related flood" is "Other."  I guess I'll have to make a phone call.  Woo-hoo.   Mom and Chris had a Wednesday Club meeting this afternoon.  They get together with a bunch of other ladies get together and report on different things.  This year they are doing "Flowers of Texas."  Anyway, Wednesday Club days are when I try to do things like get a haircut.  So that's what I did.  Got a haircut.  Woo-hoo.   So that's what my day had been like when I arrived at our house.  I was anticipating a house full of plumbers.  But there was no one.  Had been no one.  A perfect end to a truly woo-hoo day.  I went through the empty hull to the backyard.  Maybe there was something I could do for an hour or so that would get me out of the woo-hoo doldrums.  I moved some boards from one side of the yard to the other.  Picked up some trash.  Brought the trash can off the street.  That's right.  Woo-hoo.  After another trip to that trash can, I stopped in front of our leaf-less fig bush and looked up into the naked branches of our magnolia tree and the bleak tips of our pecan tree.  "What's gonna happen, Lord?" I thought.  "Is it ever going to be green again?  Will these trees go the way of the other six we have cut down so far?"  As my sad gaze fell slowly toward the lower branches of the fig bush, I heard a faint sound.  A knocking.  A rapping at my fig tree's core.  I stood as still as I could until I located its source.  There, about mid-bush, was a woodpecker.  Now, it definitely was not Woody.  This guy had no red head.  His was more white with a black Mohawk and a Zorro mask across his eyes.  Not ugly.  Just not redheaded.  And he (or she, I guess) was beating that head over and over again against the tree, even in the presence of the huge hulk of a me standing nearby.  Then a mocking bird landed.  I've seen mocking birds at work against cats.  Great dive bombers.  This had to be the end of the woodpecker's focus.  But no.  Then another mocking bird showed up.  This one noticed me, though.  He bounced along the top of the fence until he was about four feet away.  Then he gave me that cock-eyed, sideways, bird-head stare that said, "What kind of tree are you?"  And the woodpecker?  Smacking his head over and over.   I pondered what possible deep spiritual truth could I be standing in front of.  Was this the cryptic answer to my woo-hoo day dilemma?  Well, in a way I guess.  What did I derive from this rare glimpse into the secrets of nature?  To be honest … sometimes the answer is just not there when you want it to be.  Sometimes you just have to keep hanging in there – even if it feels like you're knocking your head against a tree over and over – even if a huge, ugly "what kind of tree are you?" is looming over you – even if that one mocking bird that really gets your goat shows up and refuses to leave.  Sometimes it's time to … keep going.  To not give up.  And to wait. I think in that faint tap, tap, tapping at my fig bush door, I was hearing a voice all right.  But it was more like the voice Job heard in chapter 38:2-7. "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?  Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.   "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?  Tell me, if you understand.  Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!  Who stretched a measuring line across it?  On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"   Father, I'm sorry I get so frustrated and impatient.  Enough said.  I'll wait.  Amen.

February 3 – “Can someone help me?”

I started the day working on next week's sermon.  I thought I would just put a few ideas down, but ended up typing and reading and thinking and praying for almost three hours.  Sometimes it works like that.  Sometimes not so much.   We did go into Galveston to take Mom to Luby's.  Christina joined us with two two-year-olds and a five-year-old.  That was an interesting experience.  The eating part was very quiet.  But when they got done, they wanted to get down and play.  Marching in a circle.  Driving a transformer around the table.  Crawling up in DadDad's lap and begging to be tickled.  That was a fun lunch.   The weather was beautiful today, so this afternoon we went to get bait.  At least I thought that's where we were going.  We ended up at Lowes and Home Depot pricing cabinets.  We found some that look like they will work for main bathroom.  We also found some for our create-a-hutch wall in the family room to go with the glass cabinets we already have.  Now we're waiting for prices.  And we have an appointment Friday with the Amish guys about their kitchen cabinets bid.  We also went by the house to check the mail.  No plumbers yet.   Something unusual happened when we were at the house yesterday.  The lady who lives a few doors down came over.  Now that wouldn't be so unusual, except that she is pretty old, and walks with a cane – barely walks.  We were doing some cleaning inside.  We looked up and there she stood, hanging on to her cane and the door and faintly saying, "Can someone help me."  Chris heard her right away and jumped into action.   She got her to sit down and tell us what happened.  It seems she had just been telephoned by her niece's alarm company, and was in a panic trying to get there to check things out.  The niece was out of town and the cab was taking too long to get there and the house might be burning down.  Chris got her into the truck.  As they drove off, I called Nathan to see if he could find out what was happening through the fire department.  To make a long story short, the fire fighters had already been on scene and checked everything out.  They offered to return or to talk to the lady on the phone.  She was just relieved that they had come.  And she was especially glad that Chris had been the one to bring her.  She thanked her profusely, and even gave her a quick tour of her house when they got back.   Our neighbor needed to know that someone had been there before her.  Someone had walked where she was walking.  Someone who was trained and had the right equipment to deal with whatever problems might exist.  Someone she could trust.  Someone she could talk to on the phone if she needed reassurance.  She also needed someone to be there with her in the flesh.  Someone to tell her that everything was going to be all right.  Someone who had a relationship with the experts.  Someone who knew what they could do and that they would do it.   Wow.  She is a great picture of us.  We need Jesus and the spiritual salvation and solace he gives.  We need Christians and the physical reassurance and calming touch that they can give.      Colossians 1:18-19 says about Jesus, "And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."   Father, thank you for going through it all first.  Amen.

February 2 – “A Happy Heart”

I had an unusual chore this morning.  I had to meet a FEMA guy at mom's house.  He took two pictures of the outside of the house and asked me to sign his form.  Then he was done.  Supposed to get some more aid money for Mom.  We'll see.   Since we were already in Galveston, Chris and I moved on across the street to get some work done.  Our first task was to move the Franklin stove over to the corner.  Then we broke up and scraped up the decorative Mexican-looking tile that was under the stove.  Last vestiges of tile in the house.  Well, the only tile that might be left might be under some of the walls added after it was put down.  But the stove looks really good there.  I think I'm for keeping it now.  Even if it means I have to be the one to spend hours with a wire brush and high heat can of spray paint.   Then we started attacking the stuff in the back yard.  We started three piles.  In one we threw away a lot of stuff that just had no hope of making a comeback – like photos that got wet, stuck to each other, and became rock hard chunks of cardboard with a blurry ghost image of who-knows-what.  The second was for stuff that was ready to make the trek across the street to storage in Mom's garage – Like a boatload of wicker baskets of every shape and description, from Easter egg holders to tiny baby holders.  (Actually that one made the cut and got to come home with us to Omega Bay.  Yes, the very basket that Chris used to sleep in as a tiny baby is downstairs at this very moment).  The third was for stuff that we wanted to bring back to the Omega Bay house and "work on."  Stuff like: Some cross stitch patterns.  Some stamps from Kel's collection when he was a kid.  A rooster (it's a wooden thing you hang on the wall with places at the bottom to hang your keys on).  A whole bag full of dolls and doll clothes that Chris wants to wash – cabbage patch dolls, Barbies, baby dolls, and miscellaneous doll-dolls.  Gotta get them up to snuff before Cailyn gets old enough to play with them.  And that basket that was Chris' bed when she was little.   You know, today was a good day.  Not because everything went perfectly.  Not because I felt great.  Actually, I felt drained and exhausted and even a little dizzy most of the day today.  But today was a good day because Chris smiled a lot.  And when we were getting ready to leave, she said, "I don't know how you feel about it, but as far as I'm concerned, we got a lot done today."  Happiness and a sense of fulfillment.         Proverbs 15:13 says, "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."   Father, I want Chris to have that happy heart all the time.  Amen.

February 1 – “Super Sunday”

This morning was a very special one for the Vaughan Family.  No, we didn't finish our house overnight or anything like that.  It was baby dedication day at Seaside, and Cailyn was presented to the Lord.  She did great.  She wore a dress that Chris' mom made.  It was one of those super-long Christening dresses like all babies used to wear years ago.  In fact, each of our other grandkids has had a picture made in it, even though they are all guys.  She only squawked a little bit (when they handed her to me), but that was just to let everybody know she was real and not a perfect little doll.  We had a bunch of folks over for lunch to celebrate afterwards.  Great roast and rice.   One of the guys who came over is one of those computer geeks.  In fact, earlier in the week Nathan called him and he tried to walk us through networking our laptop and desktop, but we couldn't figure it out.  Well, today we had a captive audience.  He sat down at the desk and entered a different world.  It was amazing to watch him.  Always is for me to watch these guys when they are at work.  All of a sudden they'll groan or blurt out a "Yes!"  I have no idea what happened, but I try to rejoice with them or console them, whatever the case may be.  It took him a long time to figure out what was going on.  Seems the laptop's Norton Utilities didn't want to let another computer in on its territory.  He took care of that easily enough.  But the desktop just wouldn't cooperate.  He finally had one of those "Aha" moments.  He restarted the computer and switched over to "safe" mode.  There on the screen was the option to log in as Administrator or as Owner.  The regular screen only offered the Owner option.  With that new opportunity, Daniel was able to go right where he wanted and take care of the problem.  Now I can work on the laptop and save it to the desktop.  I can also go to the desktop hard drive and pull files onto the laptop.  This will make my work a lot easier, if for no other reason than I can type while sitting on the couch.   We did finally make it to one of the super bowl parties.  Actually we went to the one that emphasized the commercials.  It was a lot of fun, mainly because there was a die-hard Cardinals fan.  He didn't know many of us, though, so he seemed pretty reserved.  Until the fourth quarter when the game got really close.  He cheered and cringed with just about every play.  The ones who really didn't care who won kind of egged him on in his pain.  We enjoyed Mexican food and dips of all kinds and some great company.  It was a fitting ending to a "super" day.   Well, it would have been, but we are still having trouble with getting on the internet.  I'm not sure I'll be able to post this tonight.  I guess I'll hang on to the Super Family, Super Computer Network, and Super Super Bowl Party.  Actually, I think it would be a better idea to hang onto Matthew 6:33-34: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."   Father, help me stay focused on what matters – on you.  I've had a lot of trouble with that lately.  Amen.