Author: jamin.phillips

Last week, I was quite busy serving friends and family.

On the last day I volunteered at the church building, one of my best friends asked me if I wanted to go to Dallas on Tuesday, the 29th to help his mother-in-law move some furniture.   She had hired movers for most of the furniture, but some pieces were going to my friend’s house, so I helped him hook up and clean off his trailer and headed to Southlake.  Her house is big and she has really nice furniture, so it was crucial we had to pack the furniture well and be sure it did not break.  Luckily when we got there another friend of ours from the Metroplex was there and did a majority of the work.  The movers were also there still and had some helpful tools that we borrowed to move a bookshelf, a glass buffet, a couch, and a coffee table with chairs.  My friend bought me lunch at Mary’s in Strawn and dinner at Chuy’s.  We got back around 10pm, and after unloading I got home at almost midnight.  This will be a theme for the week.  While we were traveling, he asked if I would help him drive a moving truck to Austin on Friday and back on Saturday because his brother is moving.  His brother is also a close friend.

On Wednesday, I went to lunch with a Pastor from Beltway and accepted a new volunteer opportunity for the foreseeable future.

On Thursday I went to  my parents’ house to help them with whatever they needed.  They were cleaning their garage when I got there, but that was a quick job.  I started looking for things to do when I noticed that the grass around the house and shop was tall. I grabbed the weed-eater and started trimming.   It took me about an hour to finish around the main part of their property.   I then went to the entrance to the driveway.  While I was out there I scared a snake out of its hiding.  That got my heart rate up.  When I finished, I came back to Abilene with my Dad to pick up some oil for his old truck and went to Lowe’s for some tools.   I wanted to help him change the oil in his truck that day, but had to postpone that to later in the week.

On Friday morning I left for the Austin area with my friends.   It was a bittersweet weekend.  It was fun to hang out with them, but saying goodbye to one of them was hard.   I am sad because for a while he and his wife have been probably our closest friends.  He and I have similar interests and jobs, we also have similar senses of humors.   It will be hard with him not close.  I am, on the other hand, excited for him because he is now in a city where he can live up to his potential and earn fair wages for his talent level and his education.  After waiting for the movers and unloading more things at the storage unit, we did not leave the Austin area until 3 hours after we planned and had to drive the truck back through Austin traffic, on one-lane highways, and trough a rainstorm.   We got back to Abilene about 10:30, then unloaded some trash, filled the truck up with diesel, dropped it off, and after driving my friend and his son home, I got home at midnight on Saturday.

On Sunday, my Sister and Brother-in-Law came down to visit my parents with their two kids.  We hung out with them after Church that day until late evening and went back out there on Monday (Labor Day).  I changed the oil in my Dad’s truck, which was about 20 minutes of work that turned into 6 hours.   We first realized that the salesman at the auto parts store gave us the wrong filter, and then realized we did not buy enough oil.  In the meantime, we went to lunch and I went with my Dad to meet a contractor at a property close to my parents’ that my Realtor friend is trying to sell.  The contractor was supposed to meet us around 2:30, we waited until 3:30 and she did not show up.   We came to Abilene to buy more oil and made what we thought was a quick trip to Harbor Freight.  While we were in Abilene, the contractor texted and said she was at the property at 4:30.  She probably won’t get that job.   I finished changing the oil in a matter of minutes.   Laura and I came back home early in the evening.

I spent the last day of my Sabbatical resting.  I’ll see y’all tomorrow.

When I first planned my service week for my Sabbatical, I thought it was a chance for me to help out and do something I have some experience with that was also a former job.  Before I worked for DIG, I worked at Beltway Park Church cleaning the building late at nights.  My time there was beneficial for my faith.  It stretched me and I became friends with some incredible men.  One of those men still works there, but in a different capacity.

Several months ago two things happened that made me realize that this was a good time and opportunity for me to serve.  The first thing that happened was that the dates of my Sabbatical changed.  Later on, Beltway Park’s North Campus decided to start a Thursday night service, which started on August 24th.  That week was also the week we were back from vacation.

The first day of my Sabbatical, I went over to the church building to discuss what I would do and a time rage of the days I would work.  My friend told me that he was moving from the evening shift to the day shift and would be doing landscaping for the Church.   I was a little disappointed because I was looking forward to hanging out with him.   On the other hand, I was excited for his new opportunity. (This will also be a theme later in my Sabbatical.)   He introduced me to the man I would work with two weeks later, which was a Divine Intervention type appointment.

For the first day, I set up a couple of rooms for a conference the Church was hosting for a local organization.  I also organized part of the Sanctuary/Worship Center/Auditorium after the previous day’s services.  I also knew that the next day would be putting up all of the tables and chairs I set up on Monday.   Tuesday was an interesting day.  The head of the maintenance team was taking the day off because his wife was having surgery, and the man I was working with had an appointment 100 miles away and couldn’t work.  I got the opportunity to work with my friend for a few hours clearing out and storing chairs and tables.

On Tuesday night, Laura heard a noise that sounded like rain.  I told her I thought it was rain, until she went into the garage.  Our water heater was spraying water at the ceiling.  I was worried we had a $500 problem on our hands and it stressed me out.  I unplugged the water heater with a towel so I would not get shocked.  I turned the valve off to the water heater.  I thought that would solve the problem, but water just kept spraying.  I then released the pressure valve on the water heater, which took some of the pressure off of the geyser that was washing the paint off of the ceiling.  I then shut off the water to the entire house, and the water slowly stopped spraying.  Laura called her dad, and he and his friend (who can fix anything) came over.  We made a quick trip to Lowe’s and bought a hose for $11, put it on the water heater, and that was the fix.

Wednesday Laura came home at lunch time and I was to take our car to the church building to start working.  Fifteen minutes after she got home, I went to start the car and it would not start.  I thought the water heater would be the only stress of the week.  Because we only have one car, it is an inconvenience to have jumper cables, but no other car to jump it with.   Again we called Laura’s dad because everyone else we tried was not available.  Luckily he was close by running errands.

I got to the church building later then I had planned.   I helped set up a room and clean others.  Thursday was coming with its new church service.   I mentioned to the man I was helping how stressful the past 18 hours had been for me.   Later I would find out that was poor judgement on my part.  This man later told me that he had to rush his wife to the ER the night before and found out she had 67% of her lung function.   He never told me that I should have refrained from complaining about a water heater and a car battery, he was so gracious towards me.  A couple of pastors prayed for him that day and I encouraged him.

On Thursday I helped before the service for a few hours and picked up Laura from work and we went to the new service.  I mentioned to her about the man’s situation regarding his wife’s health.  After service, I stayed until 10 pm and he said he had met Laura and said how great of a woman she is because she told him we were praying for him.   I was encouraged by that.

Friday I helped him and his co-worker begin to prepare for Sunday.  His co-worker had only worked there for less than two weeks.   I was able to teach the new guy some things and get to know him a little bit.  The man whose wife had been in the hospital was getting released to go home on Saturday, but the diagnosis was bad.  The doctor said her condition was terminal and she had just a few years at most.   Hearing that broke my heart.

On Saturday we started earlier because most of the building was not being used.   Before I left, my friend, my new friends, and I got to pray for each other.   It was a growing experience.   The timing of it all fit perfectly with the things God had for me, and also for my new friend.

On Friday the 8th, we left for vacation with Laura’s Dad to meet the rest of her family on the beach at Dauphin Island, Alabama.  It has become a family tradition and this was the 5th year we have gone.  Laura’s brother rents a house on the beach on the Gulf of Mexico on a small island about 40 miles south of Mobile.

We usually take two days to get down there because it is a 12 hour drive with no stops.  When I was younger, driving 12 hours was easy, but not now.

Our first stop was in Weatherford.  Laura’s Dad has talked about a Car Museum/Restaurant for years and has wanted to go for a long time.  The place is called Vintage Grill and Car Museum.  We saw some old cars and some historically unique ones.  I highly recommend going and the food is good also.

Our overnight stop was in Minden, Louisiana.  It is just East of Shreveport, and close to the halfway point of our journey.  The hotel we stay at treats us well and the breakfast is good too.  The reason I like it is the cost.   While we were there, we met some nice people that were having a school reunion for Minden Webster High School, which from my understanding closed in the 70’s.  I was really impressed with the community the alumni of Webster High have and the love they showed each other.

On Saturday, we ventured on to Dauphin Island.  We got there in the evening so we didn’t do much that day.  On Sunday we played in the ocean some and saw a small shark.  Laura’s Dad said that is was only about 18 inches long.   I didn’t see any more the rest of the week, but we did see plenty of Dolphins.  We went to Mobile to go to shopping for food on Monday.  One of the traditions we have developed is each family unit picking a night of the week to cook for the rest and the last night having leftovers.  Our night was Monday, which was a good decision, we got that “responsibility” out of the way and enjoy the rest of the week.  On another note, Mobile has more traffic than I prefer, and someone thought I should drive.  The only stress of the week was getting around a large city and not knowing any streets.

On Wednesday, Laura’s brother and sister-in-law rented two jet-skis (sea doos).  We rode these out for a few hours.  On one of the trips I took one, my goal was to ride it as far out as I could.  I think I got 3 miles out.  The water was calm further out, and I wanted to go further, but I did not know what time it was, and wanted others to get a chance to ride.   Riding out to the horizon with nobody around was calming.  I saw some dolphins and crabs floating at the surface, but no sharks.

Thursday morning some of us got up early to go to Fort Morgan, which has a significant history.  There have been battles at Fort Morgan dating back to the War of 1812.  The Fort was constructed between 1833 and 1834.  To get to Fort Morgan from Dauphin Island, we have to take a ferry.  It got pretty hot that day.  Laura’s niece has two kids, a daughter that is almost 4 and a son that is almost 2.  While we were walking to the fort, we had to walk down a street, through tall grass, and on uneven sidewalks for probably half a mile.  To healthy adults, it is easy, but for toddlers, it can be arduous.   When we started the trek, Laura asked the 4 year old if she wanted to hold her hand.  Her response to Laura was, “I want to hold Uncle Jamin’s hand.”  I think my wife is jealous because of the attention I get from children.  Several mornings when she would walk downstairs, Laura would be asked by a 4 year old, “Where’s your friend?”  Not “Good morning Laura,” or an invitation to play.  Somebody wanted my attention and my time.  There have been several times on my Sabbatical that I have been reminded of the analogies in the Bible, especially in the Gospels of “little children.”  Uncle Jamin may be a mythical legend, and when the nieces and nephews get older, I may be boring and lame, but now I will give kids the attention they ask for and spoil them.   That was the main factor in buying a 2 pound jug of Utz Cheese puffs that I am still trying to finish 2 weeks later as I type this.

Thursday evening, we went back to Mobile.  Again I was chosen to drive.  Mobile has a minor league baseball team, the Bay Bears, which is the Double A affiliate for the Angels.  I bought tickets for 4 of us, Laura, her Dad, our Brother-in Law, and me.  The parking lot was fairly sparse.  The tickets I bought were good seats and only $9 a piece.  After the first out of the top of the first inning, two of the interns/hostesses came over to us and told us we were chosen for the “best seats in the house” promotion.  My first thought was “we have good seats, and there aren’t alot of people here, so we could move down a section and be on the first row.”  They moved us to Suite 2, which is Directly behind the visitors dugout.   We had an air-conditioned room with a tv and a couch and a bar to eat at.   I spent the whole game outside in the box seats in front of the suite because I love baseball more than comfort.  We had a hostess take our orders so we would not have to go to the concession stand.  We were treated really well that night.   If you ever go to Mobile during baseball season, check out the Bay Bears.

On Friday we rested more and ate leftovers as some of the family left, including the kids.  The last 24 hours or so at the beach were quiet.  We cleaned up Saturday and stopped to eat breakfast together and headed home.   The 3 of us, Laura, her Dad, and I decided to come back in one day, and got back at about 2 in the morning.   I drove all but 100 miles, which wore me out and I skipped a nap for the first time on Sabbatical.

The first day of my Sabbatical was more or less uneventful. I read the entire Gospel of John, and the first chapter of “Cure for the Common Life” by Max Lucado.  Two weeks ago today, I came down with an allergy attack that took away any energy I was hoping to exert.  It was a mystery why my allergies reacted that way for a couple of days, then I remembered what I did the day before.

My parents had a garage sale on the 4th and 5th, which was the Saturday before I started my Sabbatical.  My Mom’s two sisters came to visit them and help, along with their husbands, one of my cousins and another cousin once-removed.  (The generation gap in family trees confuses me sometimes.) Their garage sale was going on at the same time as a family reunion for Laura’s family on the evening on the 4th and the first part of the 5th.  Laura’s family is large,  I don’t know how many cousins she has or how many her Dad has.  This reunion was for her Dad’s Mother’s parents’ descendants.  I met some people I have not met before, so that was interesting and fun.  It was also exhausting to my introvert side.

When that was over, we headed to my parents’ place to see my Mom’s family and helped clean up after the garage sale.  That meant a long trip with an open trailer from Eula to Abilene for a stop a Goodwill to donate an inordinate amount of clothing (some of which may still be on South 11th and Treadaway).

My parents could have garage sales every weekend from now until Kingdom Come and still have too much “stuff.”  They have always been garage sale aficionados, but over the last year, they have gotten hooked on auctions as well.   So on Sunday, the 6th,  I got the opportunity to go with my Dad and two uncles to an auction in an older part of town.  I wasn’t planning on buying anything.  However, when we were outside, there was a stack of “Abilene” bricks along with a half full propane tank for my grill and some other “junk.”  When I saw it, I was sure the bidding would be too high.  The auctioneer started at $5, nothing, then he went to $2, nothing, and again asked for two.  Because I did not expect to buy anything, I did not register to bid.  So the third time the auctioneer asked for $2, I elbowed my Dad and said I wanted it and would pay him back.  I got about 45 bricks and a propane tank for $2 and tax.  There were so many ants and spiders in that stack of bricks, I had to put on gloves and still got bit a couple of times.  I think those bricks had been in the same stack for over 20 years and some of them may be 100 years old.   I have always wanted “Abilene” bricks.  Abilene is home to us and has had a significant place in my family.  

I tell this story partly to explain the mystery of the allergy attack.  On Tuesday, I had time to reflect and also figure out what to do with the bricks.   I remembered walking into the house and recalling the smell, it smelled like a pet or a hundred pets, specifically cats.  So, on Monday, the 7th, I rested.

On Tuesday morning, I rested some more, and did a few things around the house for Laura, and in the afternoon, we did chores together.  On Wednesday, the 9th I called my Mom to see what they were doing and if I could go out to their place and clean off my “new” bricks and measure them.  She told me they were going to pick up my niece, who is 3, because my 2 month old nephew was having his second surgery in two weeks on his throat.  I don’t know much about medical procedures, but I think the surgeries were called “supraglottoplasty.”  The first one was on the sides of his throat to clear up some tissue that constricted his breathing and the second surgery was on the top of his throat.  Fortunately, the second surgery went smoother.  I went with my Mom and Dad to meet my Brother-in Law, kids in tow at a truckstop around Gordon.  It was a good time for me to chat with my parents about things we haven’t really talked about in several years.  It also gave me a chance to compliment them on how well they raised my siblings and me.  On the way back to their house, we stopped at DQ in Ranger and got to see my parents be grandparents and buy too much ice cream for my niece, which meant she got to share with “Uncle Jamin.”  A quick discloure, there may be future blogs about the legend of “Uncle Jamin” and his status, which rivals Greek Mythology.  After getting back to Mom and Dad’s, Mykenna (my niece)  wanted to see the chickens, so we walked behind the shop and watched the chickens and I collected the eggs.  Going to the “farm” (only 5 acres) is one of her favorite things to do, evidenced by her perpetual singing of “‘Nellie and Pop-Pop’ have a farm, E-I-E-I-O.”(Nellie and Pop-Pop have become my parents’ grandparent nicknames.)  We came back to Abilene and hung out at our house for a couple of hours until Mykenna got tired and they went back to Eula.

On Thursday, Laura and I did more things around the house, including yard work. Finishing up my first week of sabbatical, on Friday the 11th, we left for vacation with Laura’s Dad to meet Laura’s family for a week on the beach.

test.

-Jamin Phillips