January 7 – “Contemplating relational dynamics”

I had another chance to contemplate the dynamics of relationships the other day by watching the cousins play.  We got a call that Josiah was going to the doctor to get an ear checked out, so his two big brothers wanted to come over here for a visit rather than tag along.  Not a problem, especially since we were already having Cailyn over while her Dad went to work and her Mom took a test for school.  That's always been Chris' motto: The more the merrier, especially when it refers to grandkids.   It was the interactions that fascinated me once again.  Cailyn arrived first, and she is very much into stickers right now.  And Chris found a huge stash of stickers the other day, so guess who was resplendent with a coat of stickers?  Well, she put a few on Nathan before he left, and I think Chris and Mom may have received one apiece.  I'm still pulling stickers off blue jeans.   But then the boys arrived and everything changed.  Cailyn thinks Cousin Jachin pretty much hung the moon, so she swoons whenever he looks at her.  Of course that doesn't happen all that often, since he's six and she's two.  And he is – how shall I say this? – not very into stickers.  So her attempts to lay one on him were summarily rebuffed.  But that didn't seem to affect her infatuation.  It was like watching a teenage girl get excited about her pop singer heartthrob idol.    Now to his credit, Jachin can get very rough with Micah, but is incredibly gentle when he realizes Josiah or Cailyn are around.  At one point he got down on the floor across the room from Josiah and called out to him to "come see big brother."  Josiah was happy to oblige, and started his army crawl across the wood floor.  However, Micah also noticed the situation, so about midway between the two, he threw himself onto the floor and began his own, "Come to me, Josiah."  The littlest guy wasn't thrown by the sudden change of events.  He could no longer see Jachin, so he kept going headfirst into Micah.  Of course Jachin wasn't too happy with that, so he threw himself headfirst into Micah as well, from the other direction.  They arrived about the same time and ended up in a heap.  Thankfully, Jachin saw to it that Josiah was on top.  Unfortunately, he also saw to it that Micah was on bottom.   Micah and Jachin can get themselves into some hilarious situations with their wrestling matches as superheroes or pirates or Star Wars figures or – just as brothers.  Micah sometimes feels left out or trodden down (hey, Jachin is two years older, so most often he is, literally, on the bottom of the pile).  He has learned to take it for a long time and even to continue the role play in the situation, but there always comes a time when it is his time, and he has learned to lobby loudly for attention.  There's the middle child in him coming out.    Just before the Moms returned, I had somehow been pulled into the scenario as the evil villain or strange monster or something.  I was sitting in my office chair and had the boys crawling all over me.  Cailyn was watching for a long time, trying to decide if she wanted a piece of the action.  I could see it in her eyes, though.  I had seen that look in her Daddy's eyes way too many times when he was growing up.  She would be joining us.  It was just a matter of how and when.  Cailyn wanted to be right in the middle of everything.  Finally, she made her move.  No sound.  No out of control whoop and run.  No.  She had it figured out.  She made eye contact with good old DadDad, looked at him with those big brown eyes, and just pushed her way in.  What could I do?  I hastily adjusted the developing story line to explain why the monster-evil-super-villain now had a female interloper sitting on his lap.    Jonah 4:1-2 says, "But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the Lord, 'O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.'"   Father, I don't want my praise of you to come out of a bitter and angry heart.  Amen.

January 6 – “Service Pack”

Out of the vast array of knowledge hidden away in my brain regarding the realm of computers, I decided to try to figure out a way to have the words to songs available for our home group.  Actually, I have tried several times and been unsuccessful.  It seems the version of powerpoint on there couldn't read the files of songs that I saved on the other laptop.  Strangely enough, it still couldn't when I tried this time.  But I had an idea.  It was a strange one, and pretty much a totally unfamiliar concept with my entire breed (that would be males).  I pushed the "Help" button.  It directed me online to the internet web help desk.  Hey, don't those guys know everything?  I was encouraged.  As long as I didn't have to talk to anyone in India or Pakistan, I could say I figured this thing out "on my own."    To my amazement, the exact same error message appeared on the first set of possible responses, so I quickly jumped there.  Of course it took page after page of saying the same thing in PC and MAC talk, but there it was.  The first thing I had to do was see if this version of Microsoft Word had received all the updates.  Now, I didn't really care of all the security things were there.  It was doing what I needed it to do.  But maybe, just maybe, I would get lucky and there would be an update somewhere in there that would teach the program how to read the language of the future.  Well, of its future, anyway.  The stuff I needed it to read was all done on Office 2007.  Still old news, I know.    So I downloaded the "service pack number three to Office 2003" program onto the laptop.  It took the expected 15 or 20 minutes.  I remember those service packs to Windows XP that took forever to load.  Then I had to restart.  And then … Amazing.  Now it can read the powerpoints I created back when I had office 2007 on the laptop that had the monitor that died.  Now all I had to do was figure out how to switch the screens over so I could use two monitors at once.  The old laptop was simple.  All I had to do was push one button on the keyboard and it switched over.    Wait a minute.  Another idea began germinating in my head.  If I could remember which button that was, maybe I could hook up the old laptop to the monitor of the now-dead desktop and have access to those file again.  I plugged in the monitor and plugged in the computer.  The battery was dead from sitting for so long.  It slowly whirred to life.  I took a chance and pushed one of the keyboard options, and pow! - it came up on the desktop monitor.  That at least gave me access to whatever was on the laptop.  But more importantly it allowed Chris and me both to be online at the same time.  Chris said she had gotten spoiled by having that option, so that will make her very happy.  And when I load her solitaire game on that computer she will be in hog heaven.  It looks strange, and it feels weird to type at one keyboard and look at a different monitor.  But it serves the purpose for the time being.   If only it were so easy with living life.  Load a service pack program.  Plug in a new monitor and push random buttons until it pops to life once again.  I don't know.  I'm more impressed with the way Jesus did it.  Less need for customer support if he lives inside of you instead of in a foreign country.  Automatic updates – for eternity.  Yeah.  I still have to decide about which new computer to get.  But I think I'll stick with Jesus with Jesus on the life stuff.    1 Peter 1:3-5 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."   Father, thank you for being the ultimate in service packs.  Amen.

January 5 - "Interior design"

Chris is on a roll.  She's figuring out where to put pictures on the wall in the hall.  That means getting some more frames to replace the ones that drowned in the flood.  She pulled out the pictures and evacuated with them, so they are safe.  Won't be long and we'll have the three boys' graduation pictures back up.    She also cleaned out the big bedroom closet so she could start work on our bedroom.  I even cleaned out the smaller closet in there.  Of course, there wasn't all that much in there, so it took me all of ten minutes.  We are going to finally turn over to Salvation Army the blue jeans that I wore after Hurricane Ike.  They were given to us by some friends in Arlington, and were too big, but they sure were perfect at the time.  I just rolled up the pant legs and cinched up my belt and waded in on the stench and debris.  Wow.  Not what I intended to think about today.  But thanks yet again to the Winkle Family.    Right now we have five newspaper rectangles hanging over our bed.  I asked Chris if she was providing late night reading material.  Actually it's just a decorator's technique for deciding where to place some old framed doilies made by our Moms and Grandmothers and beyond.  She also wants to get a braided rug for in there.  I knew a rug was in her sights, but I thought it was for the den.  It was.  This is another one.  The one in the den is on hold until we decide what furniture to get for in there.  What we have now are the couches and chair that were donated to us after Ike.  We greatly appreciate them, and they have served well.  Chris is just ready to get something that really goes with the house.    She was mentally moving furniture last night.  That's one of the many things I appreciate about my wife.  She can see things in her head.  That means I don't have to help her actually move those couches and chairs and tables and dressers six or eight times until she is satisfied.  I think she even has a spot for an old cedar wardrobe that was Mom's.  But that's at my brother's house right now.    My biggest problem with all this decorating stuff is that I really have no eye for it.  Sometimes I really have no preference one way or the other when she asks what I think.  But over the course of our 35+ years together I have learned that "I don't care" is never an acceptable answer.  Sometimes "I have no preference" will work.  Mostly though, she wants to hear a choice one way or the other.  And sometimes she even goes with the one I pick.   Isaiah 65:17-18 says, "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy."   Father, thank you for the touch of creativity you have put into Chris.  It reminds me of you.  Amen.

January 4 – “Encouragement”

I got a great word of encouragement at church Sunday.  A friend who moved away several years ago came back to visit and to show off her new little baby.  We reminisced and caught up just as you might expect.  Then she said something to me along the lines of: "You have had an impact on some lives."  She didn't go into any detail, and she probably had no idea how important it might be, but it sure jumped out at me at the time.   I guess it was something I need to hear at least every now and then.   Being a pastor here in Galveston is a lot like being on a mission field somewhere, except I get to see my family all the time.  In a resort area, there are just not that many core people.  That's not a totally bad thing.  It means that we get to see a lot of adults come to Jesus.  There are not a lot of people hopping from one church to another because they get disgruntled or because they want more of their own personal needs met.  I think that may be the hardest thing for people to understand who do come here from "established" churches.  The same "rules" just don't apply, especially if we are going to touch the people where they are.  The other thing that's hard to communicate to people is that for me and Chris, Seaside is more than just where we go to church.  It is our life.  And it has been for over fifteen years now.  I would say we are quite invested in it.   I feel like we have had to start over at Seaside at least 4 times.  Some have been very obvious, like after Hurricane Ike, when everyone had to start over.  Other times have been more subtle, like when yet another key leader was transferred or moved away from the Island for whatever reason.   It was OK when there were some powerful encouragers around every Sunday.  Seems like that always changes, though.  I miss John and Katie and Ken and Keith and Steve.  And now most recently Lanny.  But as usually happens, God has sent us some new possibilities to step into that encourager role – Tom, Mikey, Nancy, Ned, Mildred, Lavon.   So, I take a deep breath, say another prayer, read the last page of the Bible again, and what else can I do but smile?  God is, after all, God.   John 21:16 says, "Again Jesus said, 'Simon son of John, do you truly love me?' He answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said, 'Take care of my sheep.'"   Father, thank you for the sheep you have called out here.  Protect them.  Amen.

January 3 – “TLC”

I woke up around 3 A.M. with a stomach bug.  It has been making the rounds of our family, and I guess it was my turn.  I didn't think it was possible to sleep so much in a 24 hour period, but it sure beat the alternative.  Things weren't so pretty when I was awake.   Cailyn came over to spend the day while her Dad was at work and her Mom was in school.  She's already had this stuff.  I received some of the best TLC I have ever experienced while she was here.  It always makes me feel good when she wants to hang out with me.  But she knew something was up with old DadDad.  I guess because her own Mommy and Daddy have already been through it, too.     Chris did her best to keep her away from me.  A couple of times, though, when she snuck away from Chris, she came into the bedroom and crawled up in the bed next to me and just sat there, grinning.  When I made it to the couch, she would continue playing and jabbering, and suddenly she would remember that I was there and would without a sound walk over and pat me on the arm.  My favorite was when she walked up behind me and patted me like she had before, but this time she grinned, cocked her head to the side, said, "Hi, DadDad," and bent over and kissed my arm.  That's enough to make you melt, even when you're not feeling like jelly already.  What a nurturer.   Psalms 144:3 says, "O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?"   Father, thank you for showing your care through Cailyn.  It sure added to the effectiveness.  Amen.

January 2 – “Out of the woods”

Caleb had a birthday party at his other grandparents' house in Crosby back on New Year's Eve.  Christi decided that it would be a good opportunity to have a party closer to home so maybe more family could be there.  Seemed to work out pretty well on that count, but I think she had a lot of work to do.  Must have been hard to "relax" and visit family with all the preparations going on.   It was a train theme ("Two, Two," rather than "Toot. Toot."  Very cute).  The kids started out by painting a row of boxes arranged to look like a train with each box containing a letter and spelling out CALEB.  I got to be the engineer for some train rides (wagon pulled around the driveway over a track drawn with sidewalk chalk).  I think they tried to do a game of pin the number on the locomotive, but it didn't last long with the younger guys (two-year-olds).  I did see Jachin and Zak gave it a try, though.  Pizza from Little Caesar's was the fare of the day, along with birthday cake, of course.   The random activities that just kind of erupted were by far my favorite ones.  The Powell family lives out in the country, surrounded by lots of trees.  Made me nostalgic for when we used to have trees in Galveston.  Also for when we used to visit relatives in Spring out off of the old Budde Cemetery Road.  That used to be out in the country.  I think it's an upscale subdivision or something now.  Anyway, one of the most popular activities was the little swing they have attached to one of the trees in the front yard.  They had a great time as the adults would swing them so high that they could check out the roof for lizards and bugs and such.  It was fun to watch the games they made up using the pool balls and pool table and not sticks.  And they were masters at creating games from their imagination using absolutely no toys at all.   But the most fascinating thing that I saw all day came during "The Hike."  BobBob, my counterpart on the Powell side, took us on a hike through the woods.  He told them to look for armadillos and raccoons and all sorts of critters.  Thankfully the only critter that made its appearance was the doodle bug (rolly polly?) that Jachin found.  What shot this event to the top of the list, though was one simple interchange between the four-year-olds Micah and Zakary.  As we got far enough in so that we could no longer see the house behind us, Micah queried, "Does anybody know how to get back out of these woods?"  Without missing a beat, Zak answered with a completely innocent and trusting, "We don't have to know the way out.  We just have to follow BobBob."  Wow.  How humbling.  We don't have to know all the details of the future.  We just have to follow Jesus.  Thanks, Boys.  In Josh's words, "That'll preach."   Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."   Father, forgive us when we try to find our own way out of the forest instead of just following you.  Amen.

January 1 – “Happy New Year”

Just remembered a few more exciting tidbits from our holiday experience with the Josh Vaughan family.  One thing that was kind of funny.  When Cailyn first got here the other day she was proudly pushing her brand new baby doll stroller across the front yard.  Never one to miss a photo op, Chris ran in to get the camera.  That was Cailyn's cue to become the bashful two-year-old, so she hid behind her Mommy's legs.  That was Caleb's cue to appropriate this fascinating new contraption on wheels.  When Chris finally got the picture, Caleb is pushing the stroller and Cailyn is reaching out in confusion, saying, "My stroller."    Their last morning here Josh and Zak started playing with some of Josh's old Lego's sets.  Zak had a great scenario going about the Imperial flagship having a force field and shooting Josh's lowly pirate ship with lasers.  Josh responded dutifully to each of Zak's forays, but all the while he was lost in his own little world.  Once again he was six or seven years old, stricken with chicken pox and quarantined in the house for ten days (That's when he received this particular set.  I'm not sure about the age, but the chicken pox I remember).  When it came time to go to Jachin and Micah's for a play date, Josh just wasn't ready.  He was almost finished building the complete pirate ship, so he graciously volunteered to stay behind "for just a few minutes."  He even volunteered me to give him a ride later.  Indeed, it took him only a few minutes beyond when they left, but by then he had begun toying with the idea of putting together the Imperial flagship as well.  That temptation proved more than he could bear.  After an hour or so Christi called to see where we were.  His excuse?  "It's raining."   Chris and I volunteered to take back the presents we gave that were duplicates, so we made that journey.  Target, Academy, and of course, WalMart.  Jachin already had the Lego Star Wars set, so he'll get some money so he can buy his own.  Santa brought Zak the exact same Imaginext Batmobile that we found.  Luckily, we found the Bat plane at Target.  Nathan got a fryer from his in-laws in Corpus Christi, and the video game we got April, come to find out, it would only work with about $600 worth of other attachments.  So they are going to find something else that will work for them.   1 Timothy 2:1-4 says, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."   Father, help us to focus on the things that matter this year.  Amen.