AWOL in July

I was recently at a family reunion where I was chastised on several occasions for not writing enough which is amusingly ironic for there are some people who think I talk too much! :<)

I thought that June was busy. Now I miss it. July has been a nonstop flight without a landing. So far this month has been filled with 50 to 60 hour work weeks, a baptismal service at another Church, a near car jacking at my Church, hosting a STEP team of 40 people, a family reunion with not nearly enough forks in the tree, playing handy man on a Senior neighbors home and, oh yes, least I forget, an interview with an FBI Agent. How has your month been?

For some strange reason, the busy season at work did not start until after the Farmers planting season but once it started, it hit with a fury. I've spent plenty of days this month working from 3:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. and I've managed to do most of it with a smile. Not a pretty smile but a smile nonetheless.

Sunday, July 15th, we had a Baptismal service. Since we do not have a Baptistry in our building we traveled to Bridgeview COG for what I thought was going to be a joint Baptismal service with at least two other Churches. Turned out that the other service was earlier in the day and they were pretty much waiting for us to get done. Due to the circumstances I had to make a tough call and unfortunately our Baptism was over and done before some of our members arrived. I have a great group of understanding people but needless to say, I won't be passing out "Pastor of the Year" ballots anytime soon! The good news is that several individuals made a public confession of faith in Christ through Water Baptism.

Adding to the fun of that day, just before we left our Building to travel to Bridgeview, a couple of our ladies were at the Gas Station across the street from our Church, when a man car jacked the car next to them at gun point. Narragansett is a fairly safe place to be but we are definitely in the City but thankfully we know that God is even bigger than the City!

This past Saturday we had a family reunion at Rochelle, IL. I was able to see people that I had not seen in quite a few years. It was a memorable day for the most part and I fear that it will be an unforgettable day for other parts! LOL The hi Lite of the day for me was my brothers and I, helping Dad walk around the Picnic Shelter four times. That and playing music again, with Mom & Jeff. It was a fun day.

This past Sunday, Narragansett hosted a S.T.E.P. team from several Southern States. Mostly Teens, this group of 40 gave us a shot in the arm in Attendance, energy and enthusiasm. We held a "Taste of Narragansett" luncheon for them, serving them dishes from our varied cultures although several of them said "this is as close to Alabama food as we have had since we've been here!" Yes, we do vary greatly in culture! LOL

This week has brought a little less overtime, thankfully, but while I was out on my Patio, I noticed that Racoons had torn off the flashing around the Plumbing vent pipes on my Neighbors roof. My neighbor is an elderly woman that could be easily ripped off so yes, not having enough to do, I volunteered to fix it for her. Luckily, they had not done that much damage yet so I was able to replace the flashing into the existing shingles. I believe we should go out of our way to help the elderly. I also believe that we should act on our beliefs! LOL

Well, that about wraps it up from here! ----- Oh yeah, I can hear some of you screaming, "What about the FBI?" OK, OK!

One of my former employees has joined the Military. Apparently the job this person is being given, merits the highest of Security clearances and guess who this person put down for a reference? Yes, lucky me! I've watched a lot of TV shows where Federal Agents flash their Badges but now, Now I've seen the real thing. It was cool and unnerving at the same time. One of the questions that I was asked was this, "Do you think this person can be trusted with matters of National Security?" While my answer was yes, the thought that went through my mind was this, What would qualify me to answer that question? It takes all of my prayers to keep my members from being Car jacked!