January 14 – “Beware alien-induced frequencies …”

Haircut day once again.  That would be for me.  Chris can go a lot longer than I can.  I just can’t stand the tickling in my ears.  Oh, and speaking of ears, I have an interesting new malady to complain about.  My right lower jaw has been sore of late.  I’m pretty sure Chris hasn’t punched me while I was sleeping (Although I have slept past seven for a night or two.  Maybe she has).  Also, and even more strange, every so often, my right ear starts tingling.  Very odd.  First I blamed the long hair.  Then I thought it was my hearing aid emitting some strange, alien-induced frequency in an attempt to take over my body and begin their evil plot to take over the earth.  As exciting as that would be, I’m afraid I have figured out the solution.  When my head is placed in certain positions – like when I concentrate for long periods of time at the computer, or when I’m working on a jigsaw puzzle – I can replicate the odd sensation, to an extent.  It looks like my old neck injury and subsequent surgeries are coming back to bite me again.  Whenever you have a surgery on one level of level of the spine where you fuse or replace a disc, it places extra stress on the two adjoining levels.  They eventually begin to fail as well.  Why not add some issues up there to match the ones down low and in the middle.  At least now nobody back there can feel left out …

 

Speaking of the rest of my back, we managed to fit in a mile walk yesterday.  Freddy stayed home, so we also increased our pace a little bit.  I also did my back stretches for the first time in a while.  Yep.  I’m sore today.  We’ll definitely hit the streets for another walk later, though, so that should help loosen these cranky old muscles and weary bones.  I should be spry as a Spring chicken before long …

 

Chris cooked up a new dish yesterday.  Not a full-blown five courser.  Just a side dish.  She discovered some fresh green beans that were packaged in a special bag that you can pop into the microwave and cook.  Keeps them away from all those evil cooking oils and buttery goodness and suspicious spices.  They came out tasting really good.  Well, once I snuck a little bit of salt onto mine.  Really surprised me.  Keep that fresh stuff coming …

 

Psalms 34:1 says, “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.”

 

Father, thank you for things like fresh green beans and long walks.  I guess sometimes “good for you” can be fun and tasty as well.  Amen.

January 13 – “Minnie’s missing nose”

I wheeled out the garbage early in the morning.  And that’s a remarkable thing … why?  Not so much remarkable as … cold.  Really cold.  It was 39 degrees.  I was hesitant to even check the wind chill.  But I did.  34 degrees.  Ouch.  No walks around the block until that thermometer hits closer to 50 at least.  OK, I hear myself saying all that, and the younger version of me deep down inside is laughing and snidely remarking, “Hah.  You used to run in the snow when you lived in Denver.”  Indeed I did.  But that’s part of the reason I moved to a tropical island paradise. 

 

We did make an effort to bundle up and go to Randall’s.  We needed some fruit, and we were one stamp away from Chris’ goal of getting two of the pans they were offering in a promotion.  We got the stamp.  And they were out of the pans.  But they assured us they would have some more in a week or so.

 

After I spent some more time working on the sermon, we shifted gears and put in some jigsaw puzzle time together.  We are slowly but surely getting ol’ Mickey done.  We’re having some difficulty locating Minnie’s missing nose, however.  Ah, the trials and tribulations of a puzzler, right?

 

Matthew 5:10 says, “Blesses are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Father, please keep the folks who had to have their vaccination postponed safe and calm.  Sounds like the trauma of the notifications is just as troubling for them as the fear of Covid.  Amen.

January 12 – “… humming a lilting tune”

We actually needed the alarm to wake up yesterday.  First time in a very long time.  It was set for 6:30.  Why?  Because Chris had an appointment with her cardiologist at 9 over in Texas.  The meant we had to leave at 8 or so.  Fortunately there was no real traffic to speak of, so we arrived in plenty of time.

 

The receptionist was humming a lilting tune from behind her mask.  I could actually hear it, too.  In fact, when she finished checking Chris in, I commented, “Keep on singing.”  She was pleased to hear the encouragement and vowed that she would. 

 

The doc was great as usual.  He came in the room and sat down.  Didn’t seem at all hurried.  He even said that he wanted to make sure we had all of our questions answered.  Good thing, too, because Chris had a page full of queries for him. 

 

A few of the outcomes …

He wants her to get into cardiac rehab as soon as possible.  In fact he said he would call them to see what was the hold-up.  Apparently one of the things they do over there is monitor the heart while challenging her physically.  The plan is to retrain the brain to believe that it can do more than it thought it could.  Interesting.

He also adjusted her meds a bit.  Still trying to get just the right tweak on those to stop the intermittent chest and back pains. 

I asked him if she (and me) should get the Covid vaccination.  He paused a second or two, then went into a convoluted explanation of his own journey with making the decision for himself.  He wasn’t too keen on it at first, so he did some heavy research.  He knew the whole idea that it altered DNA was really silly, but he wanted to know some of the deeper details.  His conclusion?  He took it.  And he did recommend that Chris take it as well.  I asked if he thought I should get one, too.  He was a lot quicker to agree that I should.  I sent a message to my doctor to see if he concurs.  Of course now it looks like all the doses are being sent to Houston …

 

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

 

Father, thank you for that receptionist with the tune in her heart.  Bless her for that.  Amen.

January 11 - “Winter Storm (Galveston version)”

It was a great day at Seaside.  Around 47 hearty souls in attendance.  Before worship we were all comparing the texts we were receiving from various parts of North Texas and beyond.  Why?  They all depicted the results of Winter Storm Meghan … snow.  All the snow apparently stopped north of I10, though, so we didn’t get any.  The perks of living in a tropical island paradise, remember? 

 

We had several new visitors in our midst once again.  One young couple told me they had been to lots of churches in the times they have been to Galveston, but this was the first place where they really felt “at home.”  Another lady shared that she was recovering from serious brain surgery, and one of the Seasiders had recommended she try it out.  She loved it and asked if it would be OK if she came back.  Absolutely!  Another couple met me at the door after worship and asked if they could share our FaceBook page with their kids and especially their two grown grandkids.  They said the kids would love “the Visual Bible thing, and you used props in the sermon.”  Certainly!  Great day.

 

A small group of us went to Salsa’s after church.  Cailyn was with us and was starving.  That’s a Mexican restaurant, by the way … not a nightclub.  Seaside Family fun.

 

We made it back home and we were glad to get inside.  It was 44 degrees and raining.  Miserable weather to be that cold and wet and none of it snow.  But Chris made hot chocolate.  I made a fire in the fireplace. 

 

Chris got a call from Josh.  She thought it was another snow picture from the Waco winter storm.  Nope.  Seems Christi was in the emergency room with possible appendicitis.  Come to find out it was something else a tad less severe.  They were able to give it a temporary fix, and her pain was relieved.  They’ll deal with the permanent fix this week sometime. 

 

John 13:35 says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 

Father, please be with Christi.  Relieve her pain and help the docs to get the issue taken care of quickly and efficiently.  Meanwhile, be with the rest of the family as they get through their schedules with a “limited Mom.”  Amen.

January 10 – “…uncomfortable at times …”

Wow.  Did I ever sleep late yesterday.  I didn’t get out of bed until seven.  I guess I was primed for the day, because I went ahead and did a mile walk since Chris was still asleep.  And did I mention that it was cold?  Yep.  Cold.  45 degrees with a wind chill in the 30’s.  Cold.  I had on a t-shirt, a long-sleeved flannel shirt, a hoodie, and my heavy jacket (the one that is one step below my snow jacket).  I didn’t grab gloves, though.  could have used them.  And I did wish I had a stocking cap to cover my ears.  This getting healthy kick can be … uncomfortable at times.

 

We had a phone call from Waco.  AnnaGrace wanted to show us a new friend she had accumulated.  She called it “My Little Pony.”  I’m not sure it was from the franchise of the same name, but little it was.  Tiny, in fact.  Fit in the palm of her little hand.  Cute, girly stuff.  There in Waco they are getting ready for a projected Winter Storm Meghan of Hallmark Channel proportions.  100% chance of snow.  I tried to talk Chris into driving up there after church.  She declined.  Sigh.  Travails of living in a tropical island paradise.

 

The LaMarque Vaughan’s came over for supper.  In fact, they brought the supper.  Christina made spaghetti and meatballs.  Pretty good stuff.  They were on the Island for one of their regular visits to the library.  Glad those youngsters like to read.  After we ate, we settled in to watch some sports on TV.  I finally got to see a Baylor men’s basketball game.  Been trying all season.  They made short work of TCU.  I’m not sure they can beat Gonzaga, but that would be a really good game.  After that game we watched some pro football.  The older guys are doing a fantasy football thing.  I have no idea what teams were playing.  Don’t really care.  The boys were rooting against Tom Brady, though, if that sheds light on anything.  Oh, and that team without a name from the East Coast played, too.  Not sure if it was the same game, though.  Who won?  Don’t know.  Did I mention that I don’t care?

 

But today it’s off to something that I do care about … church day.  And we get to pick up Cailyn to come with us.  She always brightens the day of everyone there. 

 

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more a you see the Day approaching.”

 

Father, thanks for all of our youngsters.  And please be with us at church today.  Amen.

January 9 – “The Seventeen Commandments”

I have officially entered the Covid-style information era.  Oh, we’ve been doing FaceBook Live at church pretty much since the beginning.  And one of our small groups has been doing Zoom from the start as well.  But not me.  Not Zoon.  We tried it once when Josh and his boys were setting up a fantasy baseball league, but we never did get it to work.  But now …

 

The chaplain from the local hospital here, UTMB, did a presentation to the ministerial alliance, notifying us that pastors were once again welcomed on campus, to a certain extent.  They are re-issuing visitor badges, so we have to jump through the proper hoops to get vetted.  Of course a lot of the hoops have been generated by Covid protocols, so some things can’t yet happen in person.  The orientation interview for clergy is one of those.  And it was only being done via Zoom.  Hey, how hard could it be, right?

 

I clicked on the link she sent me about fifteen minutes ahead of time, just to give me time to get familiar with everything.  Good thing.  It couldn’t find the Zoom app I had already downloaded on my computer, so it downloaded a new one.  And then, when it automatically opened the new one, there was a message that to receive this particular Zoom meeting, the software I had just downloaded had to be updated.  So it took off doing that.  It finally showed a screen indicating that the host for the meeting would be opening the doors soon.  Guess I did the right things.  Actually I didn’t do anything but watch.  But I was glad I started early. 

 

All of the updates were completed with about three minutes to spare, so I read some while I waited.  The set time for the interview came and went with no change, so I was beginning to get worried that I had left out a step.  But finally her face appeared.  Nice, reasonably cluttered office.  She said hello, and I responded, but she then said she couldn’t hear me, and I needed to unmute myself.  Great.  How do I do that?  A message appeared saying to push Alt-A, so I tried that.  Nope.  I accidentally bumped the mouse, and an options bar magically appeared at the bottom of the picture.  Sure enough, there was a picture of a microphone with an X through it.  I clicked on and started talking again.  Success.  She said she could hear me.  But then she indicated that she couldn’t see me.  Oh, great.  Another button.  But I was an old pro now.  I moved the mouse and the bar reappeared.  And there was a little camera with an X on it.  Click.  Success.  I was viewed.  I apologized for my lack of technological prowess, and explained that this was my first time Zooming.  I said that I was beginning to wonder if I should have called one of my grandchildren to do this for me.  She concurred that generally they are the way to go with all things technology. 

 

The session was pretty simple.  She just went over the “Seventeen Commandments:” the most important things a visiting pastor should know and do.  Things like, “Don’t use your card when you are here to be seen yourself,” and “Limit visits to 30 minutes,” and “If the patient doesn’t want to see you, we will kick you out,” and that all-time favorite, “No proselytizing in the halls.”  She found my photo in the system, so I don’t need to take another for my new ID card.  Now I just need to let them know when I am coming and stop by and pick up the card.  That’ll make me officially official, I guess.  Oh, and she said to feel free to call their office any time I might need them to make a visit for me or to help in any way.  Great folks, those chaplains …

 

Psalms 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

 

Father, thank you for the chaplains at the hospital.  Bless them for the work they do there.  Amen.

January 8 – “she gazed longingly backward …”

I snuck in a mile walk before Chris woke up yesterday.  I gotta say … it was cold.  The wind chill was 45 degrees.  It felt weird just walking in my heavy coat with no particular place to go.  Now it wasn’t my heaviest coat, mind you.  I do have a snow jacket reserved for the bleakest of weather.  Later in the morning Chris insisted that I take a break from work and go on a walk.  We met the Geran’s out for their jaunt around the neighborhood.  Oh, and it was not so cold this time, except in the wind.  And in the shade. 

 

So, mile number two, this one with Freddy in tow.  And she proved to be a real chuckle on this one.  As we reached about a half a mile, we crossed over the street that led to a short-cut back home.  Yep.  Freddy recognized the short cut.  She started tugging at the leash to go in that direction.  I called her back to my side and we continued on, but then she stopped again.  This time she gazed longingly backward, lamenting the lost opportunity.  She paused a few more times before finally resigning herself to her fate and joining us for the last leg of the walk. 

 

I spent about an hour at the computer doing a chat with an AT&T genius.  I was trying to get our account straightened out.  Since we just upgraded Chris’ phone, I checked the upcoming bill online.  It was beyond convoluted.  The employee was really nice, though, and I’m pretty sure we got everything fixed and accounted for.  At least for now …

 

Chris took an afternoon nap.  I sat at my desk and listened to a piano jazz album on my new record player.  Can’t say I have ever done that before.  Ordinarily I don’t particularly care for instrumental stuff.  I like to hear words.  But this I liked.  Very relaxing. 

 

Nathan and Cailyn came over just in time to help us cram our Christmas stuff back in the attic.  We had to get it out of the way one way or another before home group.  If they hadn’t come Chris and I were going to haul it all out to the garage.  That breach of restriction protocol would have gotten us in trouble with our loving children …

 

Home group has finally started back.  We even had Stewart and Sonya, some new Seasiders, with us.  It was intro to Joshua week, and we start going through that book next week.  After the teaching we chatted and shared stories about past Seaside excursions.  Lauren of course had photos of each event, as well.  Sonya was in stitches as she laughed at our anecdotes.  Glad we could be of assistance …

 

2 Samuel 7:22 says, “How great you are Sovereign Lord!  There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”

 

Father, thank you for our home group crew.  It’s good to have a small group growing together again.  Amen.