Chaplains on the River

I liked the chicken so much, the captain gave me an extra chicken he had in his room.  I was delighted!  (I’ve always wanted a rubber chicken!)  I spent some more time talking with him and the rest of the crew in the galley, and we had a great time talking and laughing and having fellowship together.

Ministry on the River chaplains are always here for you to talk with at any time.  We wecome your calls, and your families’ calls, whenever you need us for great or small crises.  And the rubber chicken, now residing in my office space, is a tangible sign for me that we are also here to share your joys and your laughter.  I look forward to seeing more of you out in the intracoastal gulf waterway, and welcome the chance to share a smile and a laugh, as well as to talk about more serious topics with you.  May God bless you and give you much time to laugh.

Last week, the waters in the channel near Houston were covering over low roads, like this one where DeZavalla Road normally passes over a channel inlet.  Here, the waters from the inlet were covering the road, so that I couldn’t see how deep it was. 

On this day, I turned around and took an alternate route.  The next day, the road was visible under the water, so my little car and I waded through. 

Mariners are used to navigating the waters every day, so this little bit of water probably doesn’t look like much to you.  It gives me an appreciation for what you do, working long hours and long days, in wind and rain and sometimes snow and ice.  You know that sometimes, just as I had to turn my car around and take another route that day to get to my destination, often you will wait and watch for the weather and conditions to get better before you can continue on.