August 25 - “A mini-road trip”

Early morning mini-road trip. All the way to … Pearland. Hey. I know it’s not that far, but it took us an hour to get there, so as far as I’m concerned, it counts. 

Oh. Why? We went to cheer on Cailyn at one of her soccer games. Woohoo!

This was a club team she had to try out for. She is the starting sweeper (defense), and made some pretty amazing stops. I was impressed with her whole team. They passed better than any girls’ team I have ever seen (and just about every boys’ team as well). The passing worked well for them, too. The good gals won this one, 1-0. They played again last night, but we couldn’t go. However that turned out, though, I was sure proud of them. 

We stopped at Joe’s Barbecue in Alvin on the way home. Used to be really good stuff. Not so much yesterday. Not a lot of flavor in the sides, and my ribs were tough with not much meat. Chris’ chicken was pretty good, though, and the best part our respective meals? Mac  and cheese for me. Potato salad for Chris. Guess we’ll be shopping for a new place in Alvin. Hmm. Wonder if that Jack in the Box we went to on our wedding night still there …

We also took care of one more errand while we were out that has been on our list for a few months now. We went to Home Depot and bought a new lawn mower. The old one has served us well, but it is completely rusted through in several places, and the pull cord has already broken once. Corey and Janell helped us a lot when we got it home. They carried it to the back porch for us. Thanks, guys!  We got it out of the box and put together without too much difficulty. Now we wait for the grass to grow. Exciting times. 

Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬ says, Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Father, thank you for neighbors who care enough to carry heavy stuff. Bless them for that. Amen. 

August 24 - “Still lingering”

I did some more digging. But this time I added some serious cutting with the sawzall as well. Four or five pretty large roots are now down the tubes. Still lingering, however, is one pretty massive root ball. And all that is just what is on our side of the fence. Whew! Oh, and of course it was still majorly hot. I was beat. 

Speaking of fences, Nathan came by to do some measuring. He needed some more specifics so he could figure exactly what materials we need to buy. Looks like we made it onto his schedule for Labor Day weekend. Woohoo!  I let my neighbor back behind us know. He was grateful to have the update. Haven’t seen the neighbors on the side, though. Guess we’ll just have to surprise them, like they did us when they chopped down the trees. 

Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ says, And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Father, thank you for Nathan’s ability to figure out all those fence calculations. Amen. 

August 23 - “Plans, plans, plans”

Yesterday my planned morning was to finish the weed eating in the back yard and follow that up with some more root digging.  All hot stuff … literally. However …

Well, add one more thing to the list. We’ve been tracking the air in one of our back tires for several days now, and it definitely has a slow leak. We already replaced the front tires, so we knew this was coming. Of course no one I know ever actually welcomes yet another hit to the wallet, but you gotta stay safe. And hopefully we will be back on the road soon. Well, at least after we have the oil changed. That notice appeared as well. 

They actually got the car in pretty quickly. Maybe 30 minutes after I checked in. Of course this was Firestone, though. They had to go through it with a fine tooth comb to find something else wrong, so they can charge us to fix it. This time was no exception. But I already knew about their “discoveries” thanks to my top-tier mechanic Dennis. Just the tires, please. 

Back to the plan I mentioned earlier … Chris did the weed eating while I was at Firestone, so that was checked off. We were going to take the car in for an oil change this morning, but Dennis couldn’t do it after all. That brings us back to … some more root digging. Woohoo!  

Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬ says, Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord

Father, thanks for the ease of getting those tires. Gotta be safe. Amen. 

August 22 - “Join the attack”

We made it outside again yesterday. We did switch up our usual roles, though. Chris was on mower and edger duty. I was back attacking the roots of that fenced tree. That is some back-breaking tool, let me tell you!  I got to use the sawzall a time or two, though. That made it worth it. I think we are going to try to get Micah and Josiah to join the attack force sometime in the future. 

After the Astros’ sad loss to the Red Sox, we made a Walmart run. Not a huge one, but there were a few things we did need (Read here BANANAS).  Of course we couldn’t walk out with just four or five bananas, though. We did our best to clear off Chris’ shopping list. Still have a few items for next time, though. Like coffee. Not a small deal there!

Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭ says, But seek first the kingdom of God and His de righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Father, thank you for protecting us out in that heat again. Amen. 

August 21 - “Testing … Testing …

We had an early morning wake-up text yesterday. Not on purpose, but early nonetheless. A little before five my phone sounded its incoming text notification. Even woke Chris up. Not a problem, though. It was from Keith Jefferson, a long-time friend (who happens to live in the Eastern time zone, hence the early nature of the text). He was just checking in to join the thundering hordes in wishing Chris a belated happy birthday. Thanks for the thoughts, Keith. Long time no see, my friend. Come back to Texas and visit some time. 

Speaking of long time no see … Chris had one of those stress echo tests. Her appointment was for 9:30. By 11:30 I was getting pretty antsy in the waiting room. She finally came out shortly thereafter, though. No emergency admittance or anything like that. Just a really long test. Of course they passed the baton to her cardiologist for any final say on future tests or caths. 

There was one thing. On our way to the elevator Chris stopped at the bathroom. She came out with an extra paper towel over her hand. The IV site had begun to bleed again, and blood was dripping everywhere. We went right back over to the echo lab, and they immediately sent a nurse to re-dress the site and wrap it with some of that elastic tape. No messing around with blood, that’s for sure. 

Back home, I spent well over an hour on the phone with Home Depot trying to get some idea if what their promised “inconvenience discount” was going to amount to, so I could plan out my payment schedule to avoid interest charges. Here’s a summary:

1. Pay something on your account or they will “fee” you to death. Now. I’ll connect you with Customer Care to address the discounts issue. 
2. I’m trying to get a manager to approve more than $150 (that’s my limit). Also, I’m on hold with Whirlpool trying to get a sooner delivery date. 

And that call ended up with them hanging up on me. I called back and got a different person. Different instructions. 

Then I saw a voice mail from the first person I talked to. Seems that now the delivery will be September 13 - three days sooner. And the “usual” compensation is 20-25%. Still have to wait for delivery to request it, though. 

Then an email came from that first person again. I quickly asked her to send me an email with the info she said in the voice mail. 

Whew! At this point I just hope we’re still getting a fridge!

Joel‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭says, Even now — this is the Lord’s declaration — turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster.

Father, thanks for being with Chris through that two hour ordeal. Amen. 

August 20 - “I’m just getting started!”

Yesterday I had the honor of stepping back into the pastoral role for a time. A very special lady from my days as pastor at Seaside died - Jane Chipman. Her children asked me to preside at her funeral. Well, at her celebration of life, really. 

There really was much to celebrate, too. She was married to her husband Boyd for 70+ years. Wow. She enjoyed joining him on fishing trips and hunting excursions. She adored her family and beamed with pride whenever she talked about any of them.  But most of all, she loved Jesus. She was committed to the Lord enough that she was bravely baptized in the Gulf of Mexico at what some would consider an “older age.”  Not for Jane, though. As she would say, “I’m just getting started!”  

I was definitely privileged to have known Jane and her husband Boyd (they came as a matched set in just about everything).  Oh … and it was a lot of fun, too! They have been reunited now. They are with Jesus, and … “They are just getting started!”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭ says, No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

Father, please welcome Jane into your arms. Amen. 

August 19 - “I undertook a task”

We had another great day at church. Especially when we got to dinner on the grounds. Lots of good stuff. I enjoyed the ribs and the ice box key lime pie. And the fellowship, of course. Great folks. 

The other day I undertook a task that left me groaning and dragging, for sure. I began the arduous task of moving pavers and digging up tree roots and clipping out said roots as I could. They all connect to the tree we have to get out that is growing enmeshed in our chain link fence. At least we hope they do. Some could be remnants of the big tree the neighbors previously cut down. 

The plan is to remove that fence and put up a full privacy fence. Just hoping to help the process, even at the expense of my poor body. Guess I’ll get back at it … maybe Wednesday. Or Thursday. Or …

Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭24‬ says, Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”

Father, thank you for the great folks you have drawn to Seaside. Amen.