Posted in shopping

Drone delivery takes off

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Zipline drone delivery for food, groceries, and medicine is alive and well in Rowlett, Texas.

We wanted to experience it live, so we had some pizza delivered from Blaze and watched the drone drop it down in my son’s backyard.

Walmart, Chipotle, Crumbl Cookies, Popeyes, Village Coffee, are Torta Shell Tanqueria are just a few of the many establishments who use this delivery method. Depending on the time of day you can get free delivery!

I didn’t realize how popular it was until I saw the green lights from drones lighting up the night sky. They were everywhere. It was pretty to watch at least a dozen in sight at any one moment.

I couldn’t help but wonder if there are ever collisions. But I know they’ve done extensive testing to get the airspace to do that.

Do they ever mess up and leave the food on a roof? Or in someone else’s backyard by mistake? I hope so. That sounds fun.

And what if you don’t get what you ordered? Will they come and take it back? I doubt it.

It’s only going to get more common. Amazon and Walmart are already doing it in many larger cities. That means it’s going to be everywhere.

Pretty soon, we’ll hardly notice it, we’ll expect it, and we’ll complain if we can’t get it!

Posted in God, Through the Bible Devotions

Morning glory

Posted on by William Douthwaite

In the opening chapter of Job, a good, God-fearing, blameless, upright man suffers the unthinkable loss of his camels, oxen, donkeys, sheep, servants all his children, and his health.

Satan, who has caused this devastation, is certain Job will curse God. Job’s wife thinks he should curse God and die.

However, twice we read that Job did not sin in what he said. He doesn’t charge God with any wrong doing (Job 1:22: 2:10). Instead he praises God.

So what do you think it means to curse God? Blame him? Question him? Complain about him? Say bad things about him? Call him names? Accuse him of wrongdoing? Challenge his sovereignty?

Do we think of any of those things as sin? The commandments are clear. The bad stuff includes idolatry, murder, adultery, theft, and lying. Upset with God’s performance? Seems minor in comparison.

Except that evaluating Gods performance is putting oneself above God. And that flies in the face of commandment #1: no other gods.

What if the only appropriate response to God is praise? Praise for who he is, who he has revealed himself to be, and his undisputed place as God.

Doesn’t sound complicated. Yet it’s the hardest thing for us to do. On a good day. Never mind a day like Job had.

Start early. Don’t wait to see how the day unfolds. Just praise the one who gave you the day. Morning glory.

Posted in dogs, Great Dane

Happy Birthday, Willow!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Willow turned three years old today.

She started out as such a cute little girl, just a few pounds of puppy we brought home from Ocala. Now she is a 110 pounds of affection, watchdog, couch napper, and early morning walker.

  • She is eye-to-eye with me at the dinner table, unwilling to let any morsel go unlicked.
  • She sees the bunnies by the roadside in the dim morning light long before I do.
  • She hears low-flying airplanes and looks up to see what kind of bird it is.
  • She is not a water dog. Three drops of rain and she’s ready to come back into the house.
  • She lost a fight to a little black dog at the dog park. Stitches, cone, and a drain. And no more dog parks.
  • She answers to Scooby Doo, Marmaduke, and on occasion, Astro.
  • She sings for her supper. A very pleasant Great Dane song.
  • She can jump twenty-four inches straight up into the air.
  • When she’s happy, her wagging tail is a deadly weapon.
  • She is super-affectionate, with a kiss for everyone.

Happy Birthday, Willow!

Posted in Life

Life in the fast lane

Posted on by William Douthwaite

My semi-annual doctor’s appointment is the fast lane. From leaving my house to returning home: fifteen minutes.

I arrived five minutes before my appointment. Gave my name, they said, “You’re all set.” I sat in the empty waiting room for forty-five seconds before a friendly voice said, “William?”

I followed her into the first exam room. Stepped on the scale for my weight. Sensor on my finger captured my heart rate and O2 while she too my temperature. My blood pressure was good. In any pain today? Nope. Okay, the doc will be in soon. That took all of two minutes.

Sixty seconds later, a knock at the door. “Hey, thanks for coming in!” “Hi, doc, good to see you!”

His opening line is always, “So tell me everything.”

I could only reply that I had nothing to share. Feeling good. No issues I was aware of.

He did a quick run through of my bloodwork. Everything looks good.

I brought him up to date on all my recent vaccines: pneumonia, shingles, flu.

“Hey, I’ll see you in six months.”

He hands me a copy of my bloodtest results and an appointment card, and is out the door. I am back to my car in less than ten minutes.

Too fast? Too efficient? Maybe. I’m grateful that I’m healthy, and don’t have a lot of issues to deal with right now. Short doctor visits affirm that this is a great time to be alive.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Right person, right place, right time

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Suddenly, Esther suddenly finds herself queen in Persia. Her uncle, Mordecai, keeps his ear to the ground, and watches over her from a distance (Esther 1-2).

In that moment they have no idea what part they would play in the ongoing narrative of God’s plan of salvation for his people. That plan was in place before creation. That plan played out in the lives of Adam and Eve, Abraham, David, and so many others. “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

That plan could play out in our lives, too. I know it seems unlikely, but maybe I am a part of God’s plan to reach someone. Maybe you are. A co-worker. A grandchild. A close friend. You just never know. Your presence, your witness, your life may be the thing that sparks someone’s interest in Christ.

You might not ever know about it. You were the right person in the right place at the right time. You made all the difference in the world.

You never know.

Posted in pastor, Through the Bible Devotions

Getting ready to get down

Posted on by William Douthwaite

So I’m reading along, finishing up Nehemiah, and the narrative suddenly gets aggressive.

  • Nehemiah throws all of Tobiah’s stuff out of a room in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. Apparently, Eliashib the priest rented space out like a storage unit. No more of that (Nehemiah 13:7,8).
  • When he finds out that Levites and singers have all gone home because they weren’t being paid, he has “sharp words” for those in charge (13:11).
  • After Nehemiah shut down buying and selling on the Sabbath, he finds merchants camping outside the gates, waiting for the markets to open. He threatens to “lay hands on them” (13:21).
  • Once he finds out that men of Judah had married foreign women and hadn’t taught the children the language of Judah, he “rebuked them and called down curses on them…beat some of the men and pulled out their hair” (13:25).

I think every pastor dreams of Nehemiah moments:

  • Moments when he wants to just throw out a bunch of junk that has accumulated in the church. Old donated pianos no one plays and no one wants. Old books no one wanted to read that will take up shelf space in the rarely used church library. Food pantry donations way past expiration dates. Non-functioning computer monitors and printers that “the church might be able to use.” Throw it out!
  • Some people need sharp words. Like, “Stop it.” Or, “There are other places to worship.” Or even, “Put up or shut up.”
  • Fund raisers. Car washes. Raffles. Garage sales. Didn’t Jesus clear money changers out of the temple? How about not doing those things on a Sunday morning?
  • Physical violence? Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Punching and hair pulling? Maybe not. Pushing and shoving? Might get your point across.

One through three? Been there, done that. Number four? In my dreams. You know who you were.

Posted in Halloween

St. George Street Halloween

Posted on by William Douthwaite

We heard on the radio that families could trick or treat on St. George Street in St. Augustine on Halloween afternoon. We didn’t have any plans to dress up, but we thought it would be fun to go and see the costumes. It was a beautiful October afternoon, so we also took our Great Dane, Willow, along with us. I said, “We can tell people she’s a chihuahua in a Great Dane costume!”

Even though the parking garage was almost full, the city didn’t seem too crowded. Costumed adults and children were everywhere. Witches, princesses, superheroes, dinosaurs, bloody ghouls, bananas, aliens, the Sanderson sisters, and creepy clowns were outside and inside every store. I saw a dog in a Nemo costume, another in a banana costume, a third in a tutu, and a white dog someone had sloppily spray-painted with blue paint.

We visited the dog store and got a few free biscuits. Surprisingly, we found some all natural peanut butter at a jerky store. We’re fans and picked up two big jars. While we were there, we bought a big four-inch dark chocolate peanut butter cup. Yum!

It’s been a while since we wandered around St. Augustine, and we came upon a cider place, Cidersmith. Can we bring a dog in? Not inside, but she’d be fine at an outdoor table. Sign us up. We took a table, ordered a flight of four different ciders (pineapple, pumpkin spice, peach, and dry apple), along with a flat bread, some garlic Parmesian wings, and a bowl of water for the big dog.

As we wandered the street, virtually everyone who passed either said, “Marmaduke!” or “Scooby Doo!” And an occasional, “Whoa!” Our Great Dane is on the small size, but still an attention-grabber. All I had to do was sit down with her on a bench, and a parade of people came over asking, “Can I pet your dog?” Some of the kids were shorter than her. One was holding a white cane, so I described every detail. Several people took pictures. Instant celebrity status!

On the way out of St. Augustine, I washed all that down with a pumpkin cheesecake popsicle from The Hyppo.

Posted in Halloween

Pumpkins, skeletons, and ghosties

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Lots of Halloween decorations to see on my daily walk. I’ve noticed that most pumpkins are pretty happy, having a good time. A few look evil or surprised. Friendly ghosties and skeletons are popular. A few giant spiders on giant spiderwebs round out the yard art this year.

My favorite was the eight-foot tall pumpkin, inflated and smiling from early evening through to the next morning. It’s huge, and the edges of his smile look like a handlebar mustache.

A few yards had some purple and orange lights this year.

This flying bat was pretty cool

Posted in science

Our own front yard volcano

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Each week I tutor two of my homeschooled grandsons in math. We’ve begun adding a science project each week. One of our favorites is the volcano!

Their mom and dad knew about the project and gave strict instructions to do this outside of the house.

It’s a pretty simple project. I used a one liter water bottle. I had the boys wrap it in wrinkled brown craft paper secured with a little bit of scotch tape.

Using a funnel, I put a half cup of baking soda into the bottle. I added a teaspoon of red food coloring to a cup of vinegar and had the boys pour through the funnel. The “lava” bubbled up and flowed down the side of our mountain, better than I imagined it.

Like a good nerd grandpa, I showed them the chemical reaction on their homeschool marker board. I confess, I had to look it up. It’s been fifty-six years since high school chemistry.

In elementary school, the volcano was one of the classic science fair experiments, along with a lemon powered lightbulb and burning a hole in paper using a magnifying glass. Rarely did these win prizes, but they were popular projects nonetheless.