April 17 – “… not a minivan”

Big news today – and unexpected.  Mom and I went to Luby's for lunch today, since Chris was in Houston / Bay City doing the doctor appointment thing.  After we ate we dutifully went by the house, even though the texture was complete yesterday and the contractor is out of town camping this weekend. (Poor guy.  Camping is evil.  Every time I have attempted it, Satan has reared his ugly head in one way or another.  Worst headache I have ever had.  Skunks preventing young children from reaching their parents.  Torrential downpours that rained into our tent and flowed over the dam, just to name a few).  Anyway, imagine my surprise when I looked to the side of the house and saw a brand new air conditioner compressor.  We had to go check that one out.  It is huge.  Looks like about twice the size of our last one.  I think our house will be very cool.  Of course, there's no thermostat yet.  Installation of the compressor is another of the payment breaks the company has.  We have to pay another 30% before they'll install the thermostat.  Makes a lot of sense.  Can't do it until the contractor gets back, though.  They only work through him.   I spent the afternoon downstairs at Omega Bay doing some salvage cleaning.  I sprayed some Clorox solution in the laundry basket that Chris used to sleep in as a baby.  It's still drying, since the rain finally hit us.  I also wiped down the Bible Chris got when she was nine years old and an old German Bible I got several years ago.  It was published in the 1800's.  I tried to dry off some baseball, basketball, and Marvel Comics cards that were in those plastic display pages.  I think they'll have to stay in the pages forever.  I was working on some of Chris' recipe cards that got wet when she got home, so I stopped there.    Chris got to see the painted fireplace for the first time.  She seemed to like it.  Mom says it looks new.  I don't know if a Franklin fireplace is supposed to look new or look like an antique.  It definitely looks fresh if nothing else.  I can't wait to see it in our house, even if we never hook it up.   Josh texted me last night to say he bought a "sport utility vehicle … not a minivan."  I replied that minivans are quite utilitarian.  Haven't heard from him since.  Nathan and April are looking for a bigger car, too.  I think they want one of those utility vehicle things, too.  Kel and Christina have been looking for a long time.  I guess we need to start looking, too.  Our Explorer (which is a sport utility vehicle, as I understand it), is leaking in the back somewhere.  Maybe we can get something smaller.  Whoa.  Something is backwards here.  I think I'm getting old.   Proverbs 17:6 says, "Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children."   Father, I'm sure proud of my grandkids.  I hope my sons are proud of me, even if I drive an old SUV.  Amen.

April 16 – “Sheetrock Humor”

I found out the "scoop" on the texture guys, so no "slinging mud."  Ha!  A little sheetrock humor there.  I did find out what happened yesterday.  Seems the texture guys got there sometime after five p.m. and found the door locked, so they couldn't work.  This morning our contractor called and asked if we were the culprits who locked up.  Amazingly enough, it wasn't us.  Best we can figure it was probably the plumber working next door.  We let him use our electricity, so he promised to lock up when he was done.  They couldn't get in this morning either, so the contractor had to let them in.  Oh, did I mention that they did it?  We have texture.  I guess when it dries we can go ahead and start painting it.  That means picking out colors.  I'm glad Mom and Chris are well on the way to having that done.    Chris left around 7:30 this morning for the next round of chauffeuring her Mom and Dad to Houston.  Her Mom had an appointment today, and her Dad is having foot surgery tomorrow.  Next Monday my Mom has a hearing aid checkup.  Next Tuesday and Wednesday her Mom has a couple more appointments.  Then soon after that she begins another round of chemo.  Things are going to be hectic around here, to say the least.   I started actually painting the outside of the fireplace today.  We decided we should get it done as soon as possible to cover up the miraculously appearing fingerprints.  The high heat paint said only one coat was needed, but after looking at it as it dries, I'm not convinced.  You can still see the brush streaks.  Of course that's probably due to operator error.  Maybe after it completely dries we can buy one can of the high heat spray paint and give it a different look.  It already looks much better though.   The kids at Seaside Christian Academy were great today.  They all seemed to follow the story the whole time.  Maybe that's the secret – just tell stories.    Psalms 31:14-15 says, "But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.'  My times are in your hands."

April 15 – “AP Byline ….. Jamaica Beach”

OK.  Three big disappointments today.  The first I can't say I didn't expect somehow.  I went by the house around 2:30 and there were no texture guys there.  I went inside the house.  No texture guys had been there.  Maybe they're coming later.  Probably not.   Number two hurt a little bit more.  The Amish cabinet guys didn't call, so I emailed them.  The reply was very upbeat, but not what I was hoping for.  The cabinets were supposed to be in Houston today.  They were not.  One of the guys is in Indiana now picking them up.  He is scheduled to leave there on Friday to head back to Houston.  Now our call to schedule installation won't come until early next week.   Finally, I found a Bop It Extreme toy in a box of donated clothes.  I was really excited.  That is one of the best going-to-camp activities ever.  We used to have one.  I was pleased to have one again.  I stopped at WalMart for batteries while I was in town.  Anxiously, I put them in and bopped.  Nothing.  So I twisted.  Silence.  I pulled.  Nothing.  I flicked.  Nothing.  Bop.  Nothing.  No sound.  The toy, sadly, was dead.  Someday I hope we find another Bop It Extreme.  Or just a Bop It.   I did find out one interesting thing.  There was a Houston Chronicle photographer at our Easter sunrise service.  She took a lot of pictures.  A few of them even made the Chronicle.  One of them made the internet as the editor's pic of the week.  I don't know how long it'll stay, but it was at www.chron.com.  It was of me baptizing a teenage girl.  It was a really cool picture.  A wave is crashing over her head just as it hits the water.  I told her it was God baptizing her with a wave.  Well, it turns out that AP picked up that picture and put it on the wires.  I got a call from Josh.  He said it was in the Dallas Morning News.  He saved us a copy.  Today I got a letter from Katie, a lady who used to go to Seaside.  She sent me the picture, too.  From the front page of the Huntsville newspaper.  Hey, now here's an encouraging thought.  In spite of everything, at least part of the world is getting word that people are coming to Jesus.  And the word is going out courtesy of the Associated Press.  I'm not sure that's what they intended.   I love Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."   Father, I give you my discouragement.  Turn it into joy as only you can.  Amen.

April 14 – “Slipped filter”

The sheetrockers got their work officially approved by the contractor today.  That means the house will be textured tomorrow.  Didn't I just say that a few days ago?  The kitchen cabinets due in Houston tomorrow.  They're supposed to call us and set up a time to install them.  Now we won't have to cover them up when we texture the walls.   This afternoon I began wirebrushing the rest of the fireplace.  I started out by wet/dry vacuuming the inside.  It had a lot of the sandblasted dust still there.  I pushed the machine behind me and bent over the task.  When I finished I tried to blow the dust off of my glasses, but it didn't help.  That's when I turned around.  The filter inside the machine slipped down, causing a blockage.  As a result the dust had been spewing out the exhaust all over the garage.  There was dust in a v-shaped pattern running from the machine to the back wall, and a cloud of dust hovered in the room.  I hurried to open the back door, and the cloud that rushed out looked like the building was on fire.  I had to clean out the inside of the machine, then turn it on to blow the dust out of the engine.  Then I had to use it to clean the floor.  Finally, I turned to the job.  I had promised Chris I wouldn't work on the fireplace itself while it was inside (something about dust flying all over the place).  Instead I took the only two parts that were loose – a handle to hold a pot over the flame, and the initial piece of the smokestack.  I used an electric drill and a wire brush attachment.  By the time I finished with those two little pieces, I was worn out.  I'm so thankful for Nathan's buddy who sandblasted the outside for us.  I think it's going to take awhile to finish.  And the problem is, we also have to paint it as soon as possible with high heat paint or the sandblast job will start to reverse itself.   I went to the Seaside Christian Academy school board meeting tonight.  They talked about the school handbook for awhile, but the big news was, the Headmaster resigned.  He was a guy who has been volunteering in the position for three years.  Looks like now we need to hire a headmaster, an English teacher, and a math teacher, or some combination thereof.  We could use some help out there!  Anybody know somebody?   Check out Psalm 15: "Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?  Who may live on your holy hill?  He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.  He who does these things will never be shaken."   Father, I want to be a man like that.  I want my sons to be like that.  I want my grandsons to be like that.  I want my granddaughter to marry a guy like that.  Amen.

April 13 – “Sandblasted”

This morning I had a marathon session of my own with our contractor.  I thought Chris had to be there for that to happen.  I met him at the house.  He came to mark some areas for the sheetrockers to redo.  When he finished I asked him one specific question about the interior door order.  He then had me walk the house with him – twice.  He counted every door and matched it to the order sheet we had.  We found out that the total number of doors was correct, but the specific kinds of doors were wrong.  Glad we got that cleared up.    I almost forgot that I was supposed to babysit Jachin and Micah while Kel took Christina to a doctor's appointment.  Kel called to remind in plenty of time, though.  Mom decided to come with me.  Micah slept the whole time, and Jachin was in a highly creative mood with legos.  He said he was trying to create one good enough to win a five dollar gift certificate prize from the legos people.  Now that's motivation.   Nathan called while I was there to let me know the fireplace was ready.  A friend of his sandblasted it and some iron skillets for us.  They were really rusted after swimming with Ike.  After Christina called to let me know they were on the way home, I left the boys with Mom and went to pick up the stash.  It looks really amazing.  On the outside.  For some reason he didn't do the inside.  On the inside it doesn't look any different than it did when we took it to him.    Wow.  There it is again.  Maybe God is trying to get something across here.  Pretty on the outside, filthy within.  Sounds like Jesus talking to the Pharisees.    Matthew 23:27-28 says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."   Father, I'm listening.  Does someone else need to?  Amen.

April 12 – “Unsettled weather”

Easter.  The one day in the year when we really don't want it to rain in Galveston.  Well, at least in Jamaica Beach.  On the beach.  From about 5 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.  Once again, God did something amazing.  All week we have been hearing weather reports about the dangerous thunderstorms and generally unsettled weather guaranteed to hit Galveston "in the early morning hours on Easter Sunday."  The Weather Bug radar seemed to substantiate the reports as we got ready to leave around 5 a.m.  And as we drove into town the wet stuff on our windshield appeared to absolutely confirm our worst fears.  And the call I got from the guys already at the church didn't help matters.  It was already sprinkling, they weren't sure about where the tide was, and they couldn't remember who was responsible for getting the generator.  Online reports indicated a 70% chance of serious precipitation over our area.  About that time Chris pointed out a brief break in the clouds revealing the full moon.  We decided to wait until I got to the church to decide.  I think God heard our conversation and was laughing at us.  All of a sudden the online report was updated to a 5% chance.  What?  By the time I got there we decided to give it a shot.  Good thing.  There were over a hundred people ready to brave whatever elements might occur.  The weather was fine – not at all cold, certainly not hot, and NOT WET!  The new sound system worked perfectly - we couldn't hear the whooshing of the wind.  The praise team sounded great.  Everybody in the crowd jumped right in on the songs and readings.  The two "baptiz-ees" were excited and jumped right in to … the water!  We even had a guest photographer from the Houston Chronicle there taking pictures of everything.  And after the service we had a huge crowd join us back at the church for breakfast.  The ten o'clock service was great as well.  There was a whole different crowd there, and they got into the singing and message of the day as much as the early group did.  It's great when God has his way.   Chris had to leave this afternoon for her Mom's.  She has another doctor's appointment tomorrow to discuss the results of the latest blood test and bone scan.  Her Dad has foot surgery this Friday.  She'll be taking him to that as well.  Going to be a tough week for her.   Proverbs 10:29 says, "The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil."   Father, thank you for giving Chris a great day today to carry her through what promises to be a tough week.  Amen.

April 11 – “An Easter egg hunt”

Today we had a family day.  Kel and Christina came over with Jachin and Micah and even an extra little guy they were babysitting.  Nathan and April and Cailyn (and Scooter) came, too.  We started out with dyeing some Easter eggs.  Chris began anew her tradition of saving an egg or two from each year.  She found out years ago that as long as they don't crack, they will last a long time.  The insides slowly dry out.  That means they go through a period where you can gently shake it and hear the rattle.  It's kind of a scary thing, though.  One year when we lived in Denver the boys were playing soccer in the house (no, they weren't supposed to), and the ball landed on Chris' egg basket.  Eggs exploded all over the wall, and the house stunk almost as bad as it did after Ike.  Speaking of Ike, some of Chris' eggs actually survived the storm.  The dye was all gone, so you can't tell when they were made.  I'm trying to convince her to let them go away and concentrate on her new collection.    In the spirit of yesterday's blog, there are some things that even though they look pretty on the outside (like a dyed egg), there is the potential for some really smelly stuff on the inside.  To put it succinctly, sin stinks.   Jachin and Micah had a great time hunting eggs.  But I think Scooter had more fun than they did.  He ran around jumping like a deer.  He thought every move the boys made was directed at chasing him.    Wonder why I haven't said much about Cailyn?  She slept through the whole thing.  She woke up after everybody left.  We did get to be a part of something big.  We got to watch her turn over by herself for the first time.  We'll make it into her baby book.  It's not exactly the history books, but we'll sure take it.   John 11:25-26 says, "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?'"   Father, please give us some good weather for the sunrise service in the morning.  It can get cold on the beach, and we have two baptisms.  Amen.