March 12 – “Playing Protect the President”

Well, we made it through yet another loud, raucous, boisterous, rowdy, wild, wonderful few days full of ten grandchildren all in the house at the same time.  That meant video games and Yahtzee and Legos and G.I. Joes (did I mention that 7 of them are boys?) and baby dolls (the three girls are pretty strong-willed, even the three-month-old), not to mention the tears and laughter that flooded the entire house pretty much from the time they woke up until they crashed into their beds or sleeping bags at night. 

We managed to squeeze in a fishing trip between raindrops, but they honestly did just fine when left to their own play devices.  Swinging in the back yard.  Just running up and down the deck stairs.  Playing hide and seek outside and inside (The inside part of the game got nixed by parents, however, in an effort to protect the littlest cousins). 

My personal favorite game that they played was one oldest cousin Jachin came up with.  It was a live-action thriller called, Save the President.  Everyone drew from a hat his (or her – Cailyn was in the middle of everything) character to play.  Some were secret service agents assigned to protect the president at all costs.  Others were terrorist assassins with the enviable task of abducting Mr. President.  Oh, and Josiah was the lucky one who became President Trump, himself.  I saw bad guys hiding under my desk (with me sitting there) and good guys slinking around corners, searching for any signs of danger before allowing President Josiah Trump to pass through.  There was a lot of gunfire involved, and even a knife or two.  All weapons were part of the role-play participant’s body, however, so no kitchen utensils were actually involved in the process.  Besides, everybody knows it’s way easier to switch from a gun to a rifle and back to a gun and then over to a knife when all you have to do is change the shape and position of your hands and fingers.  But did I mention that it was loud?  Oh, yes.  Very loud.  And how did little President J. Trump fare?  In the end, not so well.  I found him laid out in the hallway, obviously the victim of a kidnapping gone bad.  Well, a combination of that and not much sleep at the mis-named “sleepover” the night before.  Needless to say, with his demise the game came to a close.  President Josiah eventually overcame his battle scars, though, and rejoined the human race, just in time for a 30 minute media period, if I’m not mistaken.  Can’t miss that Wii baseball challenge.

1 Tim 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men — the testimony given in its proper time.”

Father, thank you for made up games and the fun that ensues when cousins get together.  Amen.

March 11 – “Cousins’ Sleepover”

Well, the weather finally cleared off enough for all the grandkids to head outside to play.  They have been in my office since a little before six watching Nerf Wars on an iPad.  Funny show.  Three kids attack each other with Nerf guns to the narration of analysts and action commentators.  It sure kept them entertained for a few hours. 

Since I’m not sure how long I will have access to the computer, I’ll hurry with this post.  It is pretty much the text of a conversation overheard in the backseat between Micah, whose Dad is a mail carrier who wants to be in the ministry, and Zakary, whose Dad is pastor of a large church in Waco.  Let’s listen in …

Micah: “Maybe your church can hire my Dad as associate pastor and we can move to Waco.”

Zak: “We already have an associate pastor.”

Micah: “Fire him.”

Zak: “We can’t fire him as long as he does nothing wrong.”

Micah: “Let him preach a lot so you can find out something wrong.”

Zak: “He already preaches every Sunday.  We have two services going on at the same time.”

Micah (despondently): “Oh.” 

Micah did try again later on, though, with Josh, himself.  Cut out the middle man and go straight to the senior pastor, you know?  Micah asked Josh if there are houses for sale in their neighborhood.  According to Pastor Josh, there are, indeed.  Micah then asked, Does your church need an associate pastor?

Apparently intrigued, Josh replied, “No, but we need a college pastor.” 

And then, pensively, to no one in particular, he added, “Kel would probably like being a college pastor.”

Gotta love it when the family makes decisions for the guy who’s not even in the room.  Kind of like setting him up with a blind date.  Wonder how Kel feels about that …

1 Timothy 2:1-5 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, thank you again and again for this brood of grandkids you have given us.  Amen.

March 10 – “Pastries for Padres”

Well, yesterday I went to Pastries for Padres.  I actually thought it was Pastries WITH Padres, but I was rather severely corrected by my date.  Nope.  Not Chris.  My date was Cailyn, and I was honored when she asked me to accompany her to her school’s breakfast for Dads.  Her Dad had to be at work, so I got to be his stand-in.  Proud to do it. 

When we first arrived, there didn’t seem to be that many people there.  Oh, we saw five or six Dads who were obviously hand in hand with their little dates, but the parking lot wasn’t all that crowded.  By the time I left the event a scant half-hour later, however, the parking lot was totally full.  Cars were parked lining every street.  Cars even blocked the driveways into the lots. 

Once we got inside, there were Dads everywhere.  And more kept coming.  I saw two local pastors, four fire fighters, one EMS guy, a few guys who worked for city crews.  And a host of other Dads, of course.  Oh, and there were even some Moms in the building.  And siblings galore.  I kind of felt sorry for all of them, though.  See, I got to sit next to the most beautiful young lady in the whole building.  And apparently one of the most popular as well.  She couldn’t keep up with all the youngsters calling out, “Hi, Cailyn” as they worked their way toward the food lines.  When we finished our tasty cinnamon rolls, Cailyn even took our trash to the trash can.  Quite the little hostess. 

Oh, I almost forgot … in one of the highlights of the morning Cailyn used my phone to take a selfie of the two of us.  Then she posted it on line, where a lot of folks have since registered their approval.  Then she sent it to her Mom and Dad and Nani.  Ah, technology.  Ain’t it grand?  And technology operators?  The younger the better.  I would call this event a rousing success. 

1 Timothy 1:17 says, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Father, watch over all of those youngsters and their families.  Amen.

March 9 – “A brand new … fail”

For as stressful a day as yesterday was, it doesn’t seem that we got all that much done.  I started out by heading out the church for staff meeting.  Not a difficult task.  In fact, I really enjoy our staff meetings.  We spend the first few minutes just praying, and Jim and I have a generally good relationship as well.  That’s because he’s good at music, and I am happy to let him be.  How’s that for a less self-depreciating way of saying “I’m not”?  We got all the music situated for the upcoming Easter Sunrise service on the beach, and we (read here “he”) even figured out a plan for improving our sound system.  This is the earliest I have had all the music together for that service in, well, ever.  Thanks, Jim.

When I got home it was “have a bite of lunch and then mow the grass.”  Not a problem.  We just got a brand new lawn mower, remember?  I finished up the back and front yards, but I noticed things were getting more and more difficult, even with the front wheel drive option engaged.  As I headed to put it back in the shed, I glanced down at it from a different perspective, looking from the front, and I saw the problem.  The plastic casing that covered the drive mechanism and the wheel adjustment gears was … broken.  A tiny little strip of plastic under a bolt was expected to handle the entire weight of the mower plus the added stress of adjustment of the wheels.  It failed.  I tried to get it to fit back together, and I guess it would be possible to add a washer or something.  But that’s really not the point, now, is it?  That was the second time I have mowed.  Twice.  I hadn’t even used up a full tank of gas.  One would expect a brand new Craftsman mower to last just a bit longer.  So … now I have to go through the inconvenience of finding out what their procedure is for repair or replacing at least that part or at best the entire mower.  Sigh.  I’ll add that to my list for next week.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 says, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

Father, thank you for Jim and Charlette.  Bless them and give them peace in all they do.  Amen.

March 8 – “Honoring Officer Sanderson”

I joined our Galveston Fire Department Honor Guard and chiefs at a funeral yesterday.  On-duty fire fighters were also part of the occasion, helping to block traffic for the funeral procession to the cemetery.  And our honor guard helped with the casket watch at the funeral home the day before.  Why such an appearance?  We were joining hundreds of others in honoring the life of a Galveston police officer who died after a lengthy battle with cancer.  Officer Sanderson was only 31 years old, but throughout his chemo and radiation treatments, he refused to limit his time on shift.  He served as a canine officer as well as a marine diver.  One anecdote shared about him said that when he went to dives after his treatment began, he would put duct tape over the port in his chest so he could continue.  Sounded like he was quite a committed young man.

There were representatives from police departments all over our area on hand to pay their respects.  Check out some of those that I saw: Pearland, League City, Alvin, Constable, Sheriff, game warden, Houston, Galveston county ambulance, Hitchcock, Dickinson, Friendswood, Baytown, Texas City, UTMB, LaMarque, Bayou Vista, Santa Fe, Texas Department of Public Safety, Webster, Port of Galveston, Kemah, Pasadena, Lake Jackson, Jamaica Beach, Freeport, Katy, Tiki Island, Santa Fe ISD.  There were also representatives from the Galveston County Auto crimes task force, the mounted officers unit, Beach Patrol Surf Rescue, Marine Division, and probably others I couldn't identify.

One of the most impressive things was the presence of fifteen or so officers from the Canine division lined up with their dogs.  Most of the dogs were German Shepherds, as I would have expected.  There was one classic bloodhound, though, and another that looked like a standard poodle with all of its hair shaved except for a beard on its face.  All the dogs were a little unsettled, but for the most part they were remarkably well-behaved.  There was one small altercation, though.  One of the shepherds slipped his restraint and went after another of the dogs before the officers could separate them.  It was a brief little brawl, but all was well in mere seconds.  The officers’ command of the animals was actually amazing.  Officer Sanderson’s canine partner was allowed into the service, and he added a few comments to the priest’s sermon here and there. 

It was a rather chilling feeling to be a part of so many standing at attention and saluting as the hearse arrived with the casket and the limos with the family.  The silence was broken only by an occasional sniffle or the far-off cry of a seagull.  Even the cameras stopped clicking and whirring for a long moment or two.  The scene was repeated after the service concluded.  Officers and honor guards lined the walk from the church door to the hearse and limos.  The Patriot Guard was on hand with motorcycles and flags.  On-duty fire fighters arranged trucks to block traffic along the procession route from the church to the cemetery. 

Pockets of citizens holding flags solemnly stood as the line of official vehicles passed by.  One group of wrecker trucks meticulously parked in formation along the route and flew American flags.  Two fire department ladder trucks extended ladders from opposite sides of the street and hung a huge American flag between them, as the procession made its way beneath.  Later that day I listened to the playing of the final radio call for Officer Sanderson.  That is always a sobering experience.

All in all, it was a breathtaking experience.  I’m proud of the participation of our GFD honor guard, both in the casket watch and in being a part of the service day ceremonies.  These young men train hard to represent the department and honor the fallen.  I am honored to be considered their mascot of sorts. 

2 Thessalonians 3:16 says, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

Father, walk with Officer Sanderson’s family as they continue to deal with their grief.  And bless our honor guard as they continue to train and perfect for this beyond the call of duty task they have taken on.   Amen.

March 7 – “Insurance: Repairs Required”

We received a somewhat disturbing message from our homeowner’s insurance company yesterday.  It seems they are going to cancel our policy on April 2^nd.  Well, unless we can get some repairs made to our house and get them photos of the repair work before then.  Let me back up a bit first.  This company is actually a new one that our agent switched us to in January.  A lot cheaper for the same coverage than what we had.  But it meant they had to send a guy out to take pictures and do an evaluation of the property.  So about his evaluation.

Most of the property and even our fence received high marks.  Part of that fence, by the way, is falling apart.  The metal horizontal support bar is rusted all the way through in several places.  Guess he missed that.  But what he didn’t miss was the dry rot that has affected two or three of the eave trim boards.  Also, the biggest offender was the house siding on the back and sides of the part of the house that was an add-on.  That siding has never matched the rest of the house.  In fact, it was installed in a really odd way.  The top part looks fine.  Four by eight sheets of some kind of wood.  No problems there.  But the bottom two feet all the way around the house forms a sort of weird skirt.  It all had to be replaced after Hurricane Ike, but it never did match the top wood for whatever reason.  That entire skirt is now rotting and peeling, and has to be replaced. 

So here’s the thing.  We already knew about all those issues.  In fact we already have a bid from our contractor, and we have been trying to save up enough to get them taken care of.  We just didn’t expect to suddenly have a timeline of three or four weeks to be done.  So much for saving up.  I contacted our contractor to see if he could fit us in.  He assured us he could get it done, but he couldn’t start for at least a week or so.  Fine. 

Meanwhile, Nathan came by on his way to an Honor Guard event and found out what we were having to do.  And when he found out how much it was going to cost, he kind of bristled.  Not that the cost was exorbitant.  He just figured he and some buddies could probably do it for much less – hundreds rather than thousands.  And we were going to have to do the painting ourselves anyway.  He told me to do some measurements for materials and he would see about when he could get the deed done.  Well, OK.

I emailed our contractor back and told him to put a hold on carrying out the plans until I could see what Nathan had in mind.  And then I started measuring.  I haven’t translated all the figures I have into a coherent materials list yet, but I should be ready sometime this afternoon (I have been asked to attend as fire department chaplain the funeral of a Galveston police officer this morning).  Nathan said he might be able to do the job on Saturday, but he had to check with April.  Just so we finish in time to get those photos in. 

2 Thessalonians 3:13 says, “And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.”

Father, please give us some good weather so we can get these repairs done.  And give Nathan and his friends whatever extra energy they need to help us out.  Amen.

March 6 – “Bittersweet”

We had kind of a bittersweet moment at church yesterday.  We had to say goodbye to two of our Winter Texan couples who have been here for several months.  There’s the bitter part.  They are heading back to their homes (and grandchildren – there’s the sweet part, for them, at least) way up north (Indiana, I think).  In that time they have both jumped in headfirst and become involved in life here at Seaside. It was always great to see their smiling faces, and they were among the best at inviting folks from their campgrounds to join for worship.  In fact they brought yet another couple with them Sunday morning.  After chatting with them for a while, I asked the new family, “So, are you going to take their place since they are leaving us?”  After a long pause they replied, “No.  I don’t think we’ll be replacing them.  We’ll just make our own place.  How’s that?”  That, my new friend, is a perfect answer.  Welcome to Galveston.  And welcome to Seaside.

2 Thessalonians 3:4-5 says, “We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command.  May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.”

Father, ride home with our good friends who are headed north this week.  Give them a great reunion with their families.  Amen.