October 24 – “Owners”

This morning what I thought would be about an hour interview with a headmaster candidate turned into two and a half hours.  He indicated that he is impressed with the Seaside way of doing church and school.  The interview team was impressed with his candor and qualifications.  It looks like he will be a part of Seaside Christian Academy in the next few weeks.  That means I need to get everything together and into a user friendly format for the transition.  He is going to come in several times before he begins to go over stuff with me and get the lay of the land.  I almost can't remember what it was like to concentrate on being a pastor.   This afternoon we went to the birthday party of two brothers who go to Seaside..  They had one of those bounce houses going.  The hamburgers were great.  I don't know what seasonings they used, but it was really good.  Chris got to meet several medical people.  I figured they were talking about UTMB or something.  She told me one lady wanted to know if we were the "Owners" of Seaside Church.  She was interested in the school, but she was also really interested in the church.  She had never been to a church that accepted people as they were, even to the point of not having to dress up on Sundays.  She said she would try to come.   We cleaned the church after the party.  After we got home Chris and I cut some boards to make a shelf to put over the television.  Kel and Christina and the boys came over and we heated up some pizza.  We ate it, too.    Today's events have been quite a test for my new hearing aids.  We were inside IHOP for the interview.  That was by far the most difficult part of the day for my ears.  Very loud.  We were outside at the birthday party.  That wasn't so bad.  It was kind of hard to tell if the people I was hearing were talking to me, though.  Cleaning the church was quiet.  I had sweeping and mopping duty.  I took the hearing aids out when we cut the boards.  I knew I wouldn't be able to stand that level of noise.  I put them back in when the boys came over, though, and it really did seem to make a difference in how well I could understand Jachin and Micah.  I'm told I'll get used to it … hearing again.    John 7:37-38 says, "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.'"   Father, let some of those streams flow tomorrow.  Draw some people to yourself.  Save someone and let us see it.  Amen.

October 23 – “Just plain old”

Today was hearing aid day.  We headed for Houston this morning to pick up Mom's repaired hearing aid and my TWO brand new ones.  That's right.  I am officially "just plain old" rather than "getting pretty old."  I have devices crammed into each ear, and they are supposed to remove all excuses from my marriage communication portfolio.  They are also supposed to guarantee a quieter setting on the television.  We stopped by Luby's (They still have one in Houston) on the way home.  It was loud in there.  Everything sounded like it was amplified by a microphone in a room full of nothing but tile.  Oh, wait.  It was.  Even after we got home I was still amazed at how loud everything was..  We also have a lot of tile..  I do remember something in school about sound bouncing around off of hard stuff.  It does.    I called the air card people to reinstall the software so I can use the air card again.  We uninstalled it yesterday when we were trying to "fix" it.  Then it wouldn't reinstall.  The tech was very nice.  She went through the whole rigamorole of trying this and checking that.  Finally she said, "I guess the only thing we can do now is have you go somewhere and download the software off of the internet."  That's all I wanted to do it the first place.  The air card works fine now.  Now I need to figure out why the wireless connection won't work.  I have an idea on that one, but I don't know if it will work.  I'm going to load the software that came with the router on the desktop and see if it will pick up the laptop as the "extra."  Who knows.   A really good friend of ours who moved to Washington State came by this afternoon.  We haven't seen Kathy in a long time.  She was down to take care of some business and see her mom.    Chris wants to build a shelf in the room where our freezer is.  Right now we have one of those metal shelves that really should be in the garage.  It's full of toys.  Except for the hand sanitizer and wasp killer on the top.  She said she had it all up in her head and it was up to me to help her get it out and build it.  I told her to draw me a picture.  She handed me a piece of paper with three or four lines scribbled on it.  I handed that back and asked for at least three dimensions.  The next version is still in production.   John 6:35 says, "Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'"   Father, help me think about you when I get hungry or thirsty.  We'll spend a lot more time together that way.  Amen.

October 22 – “Name on the board”

I finally got a call from the PE teacher today.  She is not going to be able to teach regularly any more, if at all.  Several changes have occurred at her workplace that makes her presence more required than it was before.  Now I need to come up with some kind of weekly format for PE.  Today I led a fun time of youth fellowship games organized around school topics.  We had vocabulary word games and grammar (mad libs) and trivia and even a little math mixed with spelling.  They seemed to have a good time, and the period went by really fast.   After school I sat in on a parent – teacher conference for a kindergartener.  He is one of the sweetest kids around – very lovable.  His parents just wanted to make sure he was getting positive reinforcement along with the proverbial "name on the board and checks after it" record.  I think they came to a good resolution.  Now we need to watch it and see how everything goes.   I got an email from the school board member in charge of setting up interviews with prospective headmaster candidates.  We have an interview on Saturday morning at IHOP with the guy who came by the school the other day.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the team thinks of him.  Our math teacher had a good interview with a company in Houston, so he may be leaving soon.  Along with this headmaster candidate, we do have a few who have mentioned math as an area of interest this time.  I think we'll be OK.    Home group is beginning to heat up.  Tonight we had a discussion about death and death customs that we have experienced.  We found out who wants to be cremated and who is creeped out at the thought, who wants to donate their body to science and who wants to be buried where something else can grow as a result of their decay.  It was all based on the passage in Philippians where Paul says to him to die would be gain.   Tomorrow morning we head up to Houston to pick up my new hearing aids (plural!) and Mom's repaired one.  One of the students today found out where I was going and said, "You mean, you're going to be able to hear us now?"  Hmm.  Maybe not such a good thing after all.   Philippians 1:21 says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."   Father, I get the "to die is gain" part.  I'm not sure I feel good about the "to live is Christ" part.  I need some help there.  Amen.

October 21 – “A Real Pirate Ship”

I took today off from school to spend the day with Josh and Christi and Zak and Caleb.  They were only going to be here today.  This morning we headed over to see the Elissa.  We almost didn't.  Josh checked the internet site and saw that the ship had sailed to Corpus Christi.  I remembered the regatta was last week, so it sounded reasonable to me.  But when he double-checked it, we found out that he was reading an article from 2007.  We got into the gift shop to buy our tickets about five minutes before the first wave of rain hit.  It actually went by fairly quickly, though, so we boarded ship during a light sprinkle.  Zakary was great.  He couldn't believe we were getting on a real live pirate ship.  He is planning to dress like a pirate on Halloween, so this was quite a treat for him.   We had to choose somewhere other than Luby's for lunch, so we went to the Spot.  Even Zakary commented on how loud the music was.  He and I did have fun pretending after we ate.  The dining room became our … you guessed it! … our pirate ship.  He would go to each window and check the waves.  The air conditioning condenser unit became the ship's engine.  His favorite place was the window facing the beach.  That made it seem really real.    After a rest time, all the cousins descended on the house.  For the rest of the afternoon chaos prevailed at the Vaughan house.  The boys were running constantly around and around and squealing and laughing.  Cailyn wouldn't go far from her Mom.  She couldn't figure those boys out.  I fried a batch of fish for supper, and the wildness finally settled down around 8 or so.    Josh had his laptop with him, so I tried to make it easier for him to connect to the internet by changing something in the way the wireless works on my dsl.  Bad decision.  To make a long story short, now we don't have internet service at all, and the software that operates our air card is not there anymore.  Computers can do strange things.  I called tech support and the best they could do was tell me we needed to switch to a slower bandwith because we must be too far away from the nearest signal.  Doesn't make much sense to me.  OK, Geek squad, help me.   Psalms 36:7-9 says, "How priceless is your unfailing love!  Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.  8 They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.   9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light."   Father, cover me with your light so that is all I can see.  I'm tired of the dark.  Amen.

October 20 – “Be Quiet”

We had an interesting evening..  I worked on the sermon last night until around eleven.  As I was closing up the house and getting ready for bed, I noticed out the front window an unusual flickering of light.  I opened the door and saw that a car's headlights were pointed in our direction and were not moving.  And that flickering light appeared to be a person with a flashlight walking around in our neighbor's yard (The condemned house).  As I leaned around the corner I heard a lady's voice, "Can I help you?"  I responded rather quickly, "I was just coming outside to ask you the same question."  She entered into the light where I could see her.  She was a police officer.  She said our neighbor's front door was open and she had just gone inside to check it out.  I told her the house was abandoned and if anyone was inside, they were probably dead by now.  She immediately radioed that whoever was coming to back her up could forget it.  As she left she told me, "You're being a good neighbor, watching out for their house like that."  I told her she was doing a great job as well.  Nice way to head for bed, all safe and cozy.   I had a first today at school..  A four-year-old was brought to the principal's office for time out.  He crawled up in one of the chairs in my office and as soon as the teacher left he started talking.  He didn't stop for twenty minutes.  He told me in a progressively louder and louder voice that what he had said that got him in trouble was, "Be quiet.  Be quiet!  BE QUIET!"  By that last one he was screaming.  It was all I could do to keep from laughing.  He agreed that he was not the one to say "Be quiet."  He promised to tell his teacher he was sorry and to say "Yes, Ma'am," when she asked him to do something.   On my way to school I prayed the prayer I have been praying for weeks now, "Lord, please send us a headmaster."  Not long after the four-year-old incident, the high schoolers came and told me there was a man out on the porch.  I went outside and greeted him.  He said he was working as an assistant pastor at one of the local churches, and lived in one of the subdivisions near Seaside.  He had seen the ad in the paper and wanted to stop by and see if this might be a place God might want him to work.  We talked for awhile, and he revealed his interest.  He moved here from Colorado where he had been … headmaster at a Christian school.  Not only that, he also taught math.  The two things we need.  Imagine that.  He came in and we talked for a long time.  I introduced him around, and gave him a quick tour.  He took an application and said he would return it tomorrow.  Could this be an answer to prayer?  Maybe.    Josh and Christi and Zakary and Caleb came in tonight.  They will just be here tomorrow, but it will be good to see them for however long they can be here.  Christina brought her boys over, and Nathan and April and Cailyn came, too.  It was "Cousin Heaven" here for a few hours.    2 Peter 3:13 says, "But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."   Father, if your new heaven is anything like the joy I saw on the faces of the cousins tonight, I sure am looking forward to it.  Amen.

October 19 – “Cookies”

My hands and left elbow are still pretty sore today.  I sure hope this wave goes away soon.  It has gone beyond annoying again.  Now the pain has begun to consume my thoughts and make it hard to concentrate.  My appointment with the rheumatologist is November 2nd.  I guess I'll have to make it.   I had another frustration at school today.  The kids were really great.  They are getting better and better.  But one of the teachers didn't show up today and didn't call.  It was one of the volunteers, so there's nothing I can do about it.  But now I have to develop a contingency plan in case she does it again or doesn't want to come back at all.  During that class today the kids played Monopoly.  That worked pretty well for most of them.  I really don't know what to do.       We have been receiving calls about the teaching positions.  Several today were interested in elementary.  We have two or three possibilities for headmaster, but so far only one resume has been returned.  I'm praying several of the others will get their application back in so we can have a choice.  The guy who sent his resume used to work with my uncle.  I asked about him, and my uncle said he was a really hard worker.  I know that doesn't help much.  I guess we'll have to wait for an interview.    I talked to Chris.  We were texting back and forth and I kept getting ahead of her.  She decided it would be easier to talk.  That was great by me.  Her Mom had chemo today, and her Dad has an appointment tomorrow, so I won't get to see her until tomorrow night.  She told me to ask Mom if she ate anything today.  I asked.  Ensure and some cookies.  We went to McAlisters Deli.  We both had a good meal.  And of course, a chocolate chip cookie for dessert.    Luke 24:36-39 says, "While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.'"   Father, I admit I am troubled.  Let me see you.  Amen.

October 18 – “A Bad Hand Day”

Today was a bad hand day for me.  They started springing up every couple of days or so since about August.  Some days I dread shaking hands with people.  Today was close to that bad.  Every joint in my hand aches.  My knuckles swell up.  I have been afraid to wear my wedding ring because of that one.  My wrists hurt, too, so I unconsciously try to protect them by putting my hands in my pockets or by holding them up against my body.  I didn't know I was doing that until Chris told me.    Speaking of Chris, she left this afternoon for another round of Bay City doctor appointments.  Her Mom's is in the morning.  Her Dad's was supposed to be in the afternoon, but they switched it to Tuesday.  Chris is pretty upset about that, because this is supposed to be his surgery followup visit.  He's already been to the emergency room since his surgery, and his surgeon still hasn't seen him.  Chris is supposed to come home Tuesday afternoon in time for Jachin's soccer game.   Church this morning went pretty well.  We started late, but everybody seemed to be following the teaching and not falling asleep.  One single man who has been visiting for awhile said he wanted to join up.  He actually already has as far as participation is concerned.  He brought some ribs for dinner on the grounds, and he helped set up and clean up.   Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."   Father, once again, I just needed to hear that today.  Rest.  Gentle.  Easy.  Light.  Amen.