December 5 – “Honor”

Full day today.  Four chances to honor.  Four radically different situations.    This morning we went to clean the church.  It was in pretty good shape.  Chris did the bathrooms and miscellaneous cleaning.  I swept and mopped all the floors.  By the time we finished the guys who were working on the school building came over to get something to eat.  Enter honor number one.  I asked if they would let me pray for them.  They were volunteering their time and energy to our project, so I asked God to bless them.   This afternoon we went to Jachin's six year old birthday party.  Honor number two.  The theme was Star Wars.  They had pod races in the back yard.  Each kid held a big cardboard box decorated to look like a pod racer and ran in a big circle.  Everybody watching counted out his time.  That worked well until the first wreck.  Micah was swamped in the big old box and couldn't see where he was going.  He crashed.  That wouldn't have been so bad, but all the other kids kept on counting, ten … fifteen … twenty.  They finally got tired around twenty- three.  Micah waited patiently for his Mom to get to him, and then he cried for awhile.   I had to leave the party early to go to the funeral of a Jamaica Beach police officer who died a few weeks ago.  Honor number three.  It was a very unusual service.  It started 45 minutes late.  He was a member of a motorcycle club for law enforcement people.  His son wanted to ride his Dad's motorcycle in the procession.  The problem was he couldn't get it started.  Someone finally talked him into driving his dad's pickup instead.  The chaplain of the club led the service.  There were several eulogies, and a lady from the club had an amazing singing voice.  The sad part was that they never mentioned Jesus.  Except when the guy prayed "in Christ's name."  He read the twenty-third Psalm and said there is hope.  That's about it.  After the service they were heading for the beach to spread the ashes.   When I got home I got to enjoy the fourth "honoring."  We get to babysit Cailyn all night.  Strictly to honor her parents need for a night out, right?    Revelation 5:13 says, "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!'"   Father, I honor you above all.  That's yet another kind.  Amen.

December 4 – “sNOw”

It's mid afternoon in Galveston, Texas.  The temperature is 36 degrees and allegedly falling.  The wind is out of the north at 18 to 20 miles an hour, so the wind chill is 27 degrees according to the good old faithful Weather Bug on the other computer.  There is sleet and really cold rain falling from the sky.  I heard that it is snowing hard in Houston.  I even heard there are flurries in Dickinson.  But not so as of yet on Gilligan's Island.    When I got up this morning it had just begun to barely sprinkle, so I figured I had time to read at least the Galveston newspaper before tackling my nasty task for the day.  Our outside pipes needed to be wrapped before the horrendous cold front arrived.   By the time I finished it had started raining.  Cold, slow, rain.  Not all that hard, just slow and steady.  And did I mention cold?    I put on my Houston Astros sweatshirt (with the hood) and ventured out.  The faucet head in the front yard wasn't too hard to cover.  I found three of those plastic cover things, and only had to try two of them to get on to fit.  The one in the back yard up next to the house was also easy.  It already has insulation around it.  And one of the caps was cut to fit, so it went right on.  The toughest one was the one that sticks up out of the ground in the back yard.  It had some insulation already on it, so it could have been worse.  I had to devise a cap for it, though.  That meant dealing in old newspapers and duct tape.  My fingers were numb when I finished.  I came back inside, looking forward to a hot cup of coffee.  Then Chris said, "Did you get the new one on the side of the house?"  Of course not.  I totally forgot it was there.  Since it sticks out too far from the house to use one of the plastic caps, I had to trade off the flexible one from the front yard for a hard plastic one.  Also had to do some newspaper work there.  Again came inside looking for coffee and some hot water to run over my fingers.  The Astros sweatshirt was drenched.     I was glad to be finished.  It wasn't until later in the day, after Chris and I made a quick run to Target and the vet and Randall's and Office Depot and WalMart, that I found out the worst mistake of the morning ordeal in the rain.  Mom said she went to the front door to see if it was snowing, and both of our dogs, Heidi and Fritz, met her there.  I left the back gate wide open.  Didn't even think about it.  See, there's another reason why I can be glad it was a cold, rainy, miserable day:  The dogs didn't want to be outside either.   Ephesians 5:19-20 says, "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."   Father, thank you for the rain.  And sleet.  And wind.  And cold air.  And any other weather-type word that might become appropriate as the evening gets colder.  Amen.

December 3 – “High Tech”

We got to see Cailyn for awhile today.  She came over with her parents.  They had lunch with us – Sonic burgers.  In memory of Ike days.  Then Nathan and April set up the lights outside that look like animals and a tree.  April also devised a grid for poking candy canes into the ground at strictly specified intervals.  The plan was good.  It should have worked.  But they asked me and Nathan to stick the little things into the ground.  We got them in the right general area, but we had them pointing in every direction, and even growing out of the ground at a grotesque angle.  Nathan and I then decided that today would be just the day to organize – the attic.  We wanted all the Christmas stuff to be accessible through the stairs inside the  house.  Makes it a lot easier on those who have to get it down every year.  That meant we had to move the stuff that was already there over to the garage access hole.  It took awhile, but we got it done.  And we have a lot of extra empty space up there now.   I spent a big part of today working on home group stuff.  I had to figure out a way to get all the songs available to us to sing again.  I also was hoping to develop a way to make it exportable to other new groups as they start up.  That meant making sure I had all the words to the songs.  I found out we are missing two of the cd's.  I guess they didn't make it through Ike.  Another one was damaged, so I couldn't get it to copy to the computer.  I think it plays in a cd player, though.    I finally learned how to do something today.  It's been a long time.  Since Nathan was here, he taught me how to hook the laptop to the TV and use the TV as a monitor.  I sure hope it works.  I plan to use it tonight at home group.  I have songs on the laptop that I will play from there.  Then I'll click on the words as they are projected on the TV screen.  It worked this afternoon, so if I don't get too confused, we should be very high tech tonight for our worship.  I do have all the instructions written down, so if I can read it should work.  And hopefully Brian will be there, too.  Between him and Eric, if I mess something up, they should be able to fix it.   Romans 12:10 says, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."   Father, be with  our home group tonight.  Help them find you in something that happens.  Amen.

December 2 – “Clean Air Texas”

The truck needed an inspection sticker.  By the end of last month.  I actually noticed it the week of Thanksgiving, but we had no time to get it done then.  So this morning we dropped it off.  I know it needs windshield wiper blades.  When we turn them on, the right one flops all over the place.  That would be a clue.  I also had him change the oil.  We have one of those little stickers on the windshield that tells you what your mileage should be when it's time for your next change.  My usual pattern is to bring it back when the mileage is somewhere between two and five thousand miles over the number on that sticker.  Today I was actually around a hundred under.  The mechanic couldn't believe it.  He called back about four.  The place where he has to take antique cars like ours wasn't able to get to it today, so it won't be ready until after lunch tomorrow.    I took some time out today to put the rope lights back out on our patio.  They are technically Christmas lights, but we use them year round as lighting for the deck.  I'm finally getting around to doing some more things around the house after my six months' hiatus as headmaster.  We still have a lot to do on the house, but at least most of it is not readily visible.    While I was at it, Chris had me put up the icicle lights on the front of the house.  The rest of the stuff for out there is stuff Nathan and April had from before the storm.  I don't know how to set it up.  They will have to finish up.    We filled out our application for the Clean Air Texas voucher today.  That's where you get a couple of thousand dollars toward the purchase of a newer car that is not so deadly to the clean air of the greater Houston area.  Now we have to fax it or mail it in.  Then we get started looking for a newer car.  The "newer car" part won't be difficult.  The Explorer is a 1992.  And it is getting really bad.  The AC doesn't work at all.  The heater is sporadic.  The shocks are shot.  Of course that does make for some fun rides.  Two of the windows won't operate.  The motors are burned out.  Chris thinks the rear universal joint may be going out soon.  We're looking at a Chevy Cobalt or Chevy Equinox.  We sure don't want a car payment, though.  Ah.  One more stress.   Chris has a sore throat.  She mentioned that at least her Mom doesn't have chemo next week.  Is her body taking advantage of that to crash for awhile?  Drink lots of fluids, Chris.   Romans 12:9 says, "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."   Father, please heal Chris quickly.  Give her rest without sickness.  Amen.

December 1 – “Twinkle Tongues”

I spent most of the day sitting at my computer.  I worked on the sermon most of the day, and I am really tight and sore.  Actually, I think that problem has something to do with that pain attack yesterday.  Ever since then I have not felt right.  I feel like I want to go run, but every time I move there is a pain somewhere.  I think I just need to go take a run.  I know.  I'll go with Mom when she walks her two houses down and back.  I hope I can beat her.   We did go to WalMart  this afternoon to get a movie.  It has a clip I want to play Sunday morning to illustrate the sermon.  It's that new Star Trek movie with the young guys versions of Spock and Kirk and the gang.  That was a weird one to watch when it came out.  The actors made it eerie.  They had the same characteristics as the original guys.   We also got clips to hang up our outside lights, but it is cold and wet.  Chris tried to get Nathan to come help us earlier, but he wasn't interested in the rain idea.  It's supposed to snow in Houston on Friday.  Jachin's birthday party is scheduled for Saturday at a park.  Outdoors.  One good thing, though.  His theme is Star Wars on that planet of nothing but ice.   Chris and I are going to the University of Houston choir concert tonight.  Houston and Ashley from church are singing.  They are really a couple of twinkle tongues when it comes to singing.  I hope it's music we can understand and not that high church, opera sounding stuff they used to sing at seminary chapel.  Maybe it'll be Christmas songs.   Hey, Tech support guys.  I lost the wireless connection between my laptop and my DSL.  I have no idea what to do.  I have reinstalled everything onto both computers, but it still says it can't find any networks.  I stumbled on one screen that listed eight networks, though, including the one I created for this connection.  But to no avail.  Any help would be appreciated.   Jude 1-2 says, "To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: 2 Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance."   Father, I could use some of all of those right now.  You always know.  Amen.

November 30 – “Miss My Wife Monday”

Today was really one of those "I miss my wife" Mondays.  Most of them are when Chris is taking her mom to chemo, but today for some reason I especially missed her.  Guess I'm just a big baby.   I started working on next week's teaching around six this morning.  Mom had to be at a clinic at 8 a.m. for a fasting blood test.  We got there right at eight and she was first in line for the lab.  It didn't take that long at all.  We even had time to swing by the bank and were still home well before nine.  I started back on the sermon and the next time I looked up it was 11:30.  I was pretty stiff, so I got up and fixed Mom some leftovers for lunch.  We're watching her closely the next few days to make sure she gets around after her fall on Saturday.  She seems to be doing fine.   I had two calls right at lunch about the school.  The first was from a Mom in Wyoming.  They are planning to move to Galveston and wanted info on Seaside Christian Academy.  Get this.  She called "Moody Museum," which she thought might have something to do with D.L.  Moody, a famous evangelist.  I guess she got Moody Gardens.  Whoever she talked to knew Clay Thomas was a pastor, so she called him.  When she mentioned a Christian school, Clay told her to call us.  Rather than make her call somebody else, I talked to her for a long time about the school and about Galveston.  They plan to be here sometime in December, and if all works out, their son will enroll in eighth grade in January.   The second call was from our headmaster.  He understood that someone was going to relieve him after the lunch hour from now on.  My understanding was that I was not supposed to go back in a teaching/administrative capacity to make it easier for the kids to accept the new administrator and his discipline.  That means afternoons are not accounted for.  The administrative assistant stayed today, and the school board president and one of the other interested members are supposed to talk about solutions tonight.   After that call I couldn't get back in sync for the teaching, so I went to the garage and started testing tools to see what I have available for carving something for Chris this year.  That decision made for an interesting hour or so.  I got out the dremel – one of the first tools we replaced after the storm.  I didn't have very many attachments, so I tried out the sander.  After a few seconds the sandpaper blew out.  Really.  It was like a tire on a car blowing out.  The dremel was OK, so I took the attachment off and lost the little tiny screw that goes in it.  I found the screw as I lost the little tiny washer.  Then I lost the screw again.  I finally found the screw, but I decided to try something else.  I got out the drill and tried the sander attachment on it.  Worked fine, but the sandpaper wouldn't stay on.  That's when I decided I wanted to use the dremel with the attachment that I had before the storm.  So I went to Home Depot.  Of course they didn't have that one in stock.  I got a few different ones and headed for the garage.  The first one was too little to fit the cap.  It just spun around wildly like it had fallen off a roller coaster and was caught by the seat of its pants.  The other one worked, but it would be slow going.  I used it for some time.  I know it was longer than a few seconds, because when I stood up off my stool, I had one of those pain attacks where every square inch of my body felt like it was on fire.  I'm sure it originated in my back, and it passed fairly quickly.  Ouch.  But then I had an idea.  The skill saw.  We bought that after the storm.  I tightened a piece of wood into the vise and turned it on.  The wood popped out of the vise and the vise popped off the table and fell to the floor, narrowly missing my toes.  Next I found an old coping saw.  Ah, memories.  The first things I carved for Chris, I used a good old, hand-held coping saw.  And this one worked like a charm.  Until the blade broke.  I went back to the dremel again, with that one tip that worked, but seemed slow.  This time instead of sitting on my stool, I stood up and held the wood tightly near my chest so I could control the direction of the dremel.  And sure enough, the tip got caught in my shirt and wound around and around.  It went so fast, I couldn't even find the off switch.  It finally just kept groaning at me while I forced it back around and around until I found the switch.  It never occurred to me to pull the plug.  Now I have three tiny little dremel holes in my shirt.  At that point I decided it was time to text Chris and see how long before she got home.  And I needed a shower.   Psalms 68:3 says, "3 But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful."   Father, Thank you again and again for my wife.  Missing her makes seeing her again so sweet.  Amen.

November 29 – “Sinking”

After church today we had a discernment meeting.  It's almost December, so we had to begin facing our usual end of the year gloomy news.  God has been great to us since Ike.  Our building didn't suffer much damage at all.  Sister churches sent us supplies and workers and money.  Seasiders from out of town and former Seasiders were more than generous with offerings.  We got a gift from a professional golfer, of all places.  It all helped us get through the last year and get to the point where the Seaside Christian Academy building is almost finished.    In the meantime, we were still dealing with the loss of key families after the storm.   Galveston is just not the same.  I heard we have gone from 65,000 in population to 45,000.  That's a lot of people not here.  And the ones who are here are still trying to get back in their homes, or "reestablished" in "new" personal routines.  We are just now beginning to get some hint of where Seaside and Seaside Christian Academy might be as organizations.  And that news is tough to look at from a purely organizational point of view.  The church needs about $10,000 a month, and we have been receiving about $8,000.  That adds up after awhile.  The school is behind, too.  But they have several prospects for new students, and some of them are supposed to start tomorrow.   Our financial guys are on top of it, but we are really praying hard now as well.    God has provided just what we needed when we needed it in the past.  There's no reason to think he won't do that again.  He certainly has plenty.  We need to trust him and be about doing what he has called us to do: make disciples of all nations.  That means spending time with people who are not believers, and being creative in ways to communicate the gospel to them.  And trusting God.  Trust.  It's not in the textbook for raising money for non-profit organizations.  But I can't think of a better place to start.   Speaking of finances, I paid some of our personal bills this afternoon.  We are looking at where else we can cut our budget and finish paying off the rest of our house bills from Ike. And pay for my hearing aids.  And get a car.  Mom's is really getting to its last leg, I'm afraid.  I haven't talked to Chris yet, but I think we can stop the Houston Chronicle and read it online.  Mom used to read it, but she only makes it through the Galveston paper lately.  We could also stop the aircard.  There's a problem there, though.  I can't get the wireless part of the laptop to work anymore.  I need tech support.   Wow.  I guess I'm sinking into "Chris is in Bay City again and I'm losing focus" mode … again.   Luke 24:51-53 says, "While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God."   Father, You are God.  I'm glad.  We need you over and over again.  Amen.