I found the debates!

A day later and a dollar short, I found the debates! Some got a little heated this time, showing some fire now and again.

I am actually not a dollar short because our team took first place at Trivia. Once more we all brought something to the table, with Justin on fire tonight! He came up with a few answers, some by deduction and others a wild guess. Even got a hockey question right. I stink at the music questions and some of the TV questions if they are from a certain era. Rita teases me that I must live under a rock because I do not know the answers, but she is a decade younger than I am and has younger kids than mine. I think we got both sports questions right but not because we were confident in our guesses, just lucky!

After I got home, I called Mom. I didn’t call as usual while in the car since Justin was with me both ways for Trivia. He is staying on Fleming Island at Jesse’s mom’s house to mind the pets and feed the chickens. Yes, chickens!

Mom has had a fun, full few days (lots of alliteration there!) including a trip to celebrate her great-grandson’s birthday near Janesville over the weekend, riding in the car with a grandson, and two greats! She went to lunch with her former co-worker, attended Bible study Sunday with her former neighbor and church member in town from TX. A really cool time for Mom.

During the day today, a goofy one weather-wise, I worked on the outreach newsletter and got it ready to mail. Need to get some stamps so I can mail them. Pastor was going to update my mailing list for me but thus far, it’s the same last minus a few names of those who moved away or what have you. All day long the forecasters were telling about ferocious storms heading this way, with intermittent showers making the day wet. Justin said that the heaviest of the storms were coming around midnight which might make his day doing yard work a bit more difficult in the morning. The storms which caused the leak in my living room a week or so ago also had a water spout grow into a tornado on Fleming Island damaging a few homes along the river. Some trees toppled and siding torn off, that type of damage, and the weather people predict the same type of weather for us. Hope not!

Well, Sunday after the game, I decided to go visit my ladies in the hospital. My cough was quiet enough to not have me instantly thrown out of the hospital. I took with me the new/old book of prayers that Judy R. recommended and I bought. One titled prayer, in the form of a poem, was “In The Hospital” and both ladies commented at what a nice prayer it is. It describes the healing bed being God’s footstool, He is close at hand. Bonnie is moving to re-hab and might be moved already and Carolynn had to wait a few days until the congestion in her lungs is cleared up, and then go home. She was touch and go there for a while, saved with CPR by her husband until the EMTs arrived at their home.

From the hospital, I went to see/hear my neighbor sing at his church. Remember, Randy assured me that the service was not going to be happy-clappy….Well, it was nothing but!!!! What an experience! I saw that my fellow owners from The Palace, from whom Randy rents, were there also, and looked equally out of place and ill at ease. It was like a rock concert where folks are on their feet much of the time but I sat down almost immediately after being invited to stand by the preacher. The music leader, about halfway through, talked as he played some music under the speaking, about how the preacher and his wife came to this church a year ago, where only 13 people remained in membership. Already in retirement, they came back into the ministry and now have about 200 people on a given Sunday. Not bad.

There was everything going on, just what one would think happens at this type of church and service, but I was quite surprised by the flag waving and cheer leading. I was freezing but as I told Linda J. later, if I had been running up and down the aisles, jumping, and clapping, I might have broken a sweat, too. The offering bags were locked away in the safe from the morning service, so they took the offering in the reusable shopping bags one lady had with her. The preacher said we were being treated like their own folk, literally passing the hat, a man’s ball cap. As I mentioned to Linda and Mom, the spirit took a break during the offering but fired back up after the music restarted. When I left, after about an hour and a half, the event still going on, I called Linda and said, “Thank God for liturgical worship!” BUT, I did get to experience something outside my realm and actually did get to see my friend sing with this little group of singers. No solos for Randy as far as I could see, unless it happened after I left. They use the ‘follow the bouncing ball’ type of music shown a screen, songs rather than hymns, most with repetitious refrains.

Monday’s Bible study was great, very interesting as we now study Nehemiah. We have a man, a non-member, who has a street ministry and I believe, fancies himself somewhat a 'colleague' of Pastor K.’s. Joseph is big into personal testimony and relating the subject matter to what he has experienced or witnessed. A real challenge for whomever is leading the class. Joseph is a black man with white hair and is missing the front teeth on the bottom, perhaps three or four of them, which makes it sometimes extra hard to understand him when he speaks. He is going to come and get my ‘old’ TV when he can arrange to do so as he takes the bus for transportation. Joseph lives in the apartments just to the east of the church property and walks for Bible study and when he comes for worship. I am glad he can use the TV but I cannot lift it to take it to him. It can wait until he’s ready, it’s not in the way at all right now.

Lunch was more intimate with only four of us, allowing for more conversation with one of our newer members, Betty. She is sooo quiet and we know little about her but she did open up some at lunch. Very nice! I had the new menu item of braised beef served as a combo with a bowl of baked potato soup. Next time, I will ask for no bbq sauce being put on it, and will certainly order it again. Most delicious! Justin and I had dinner together at Koko’s, as I have already reported, so the lighter meal at noon was just right.

Time for sleep and waiting for the storms to begin, now that it’s done raining for the night…..