Our Pantry has been receiving regular supplies of fresh fish. Recently, at the Port O’Connor Pros Tournament, we received those fish which had died in the catch and have not allowed any to go to waste (probably waist!). We had three blue marlin donated during the Lone Star Shoot Out (thanks Mr. Randy Bright), which have been shared with people in the area. We were invited to participate in the Shark Tooth Tourney, but due to scheduling conflicts were not able to help clean the fish. But following the tournament, we had those who had cleaned the fish bring them to the Chapel, and we cleaned, bagged, and have them in our freezers. In addition, we had a friend come recently from Phoenix who has been sending gift packages back to help fill the holes in our pantry shelves – Thanks Bob and Sherry!

Pastor Joane led our ladies in hosting another special ladies Retreat. Guest speaker was Pastor, author, convention speaker, and special friend, Susan Nordin for the Friday evening service. A fresh anointing was upon every part of the activities and all the ladies present gave testimony to a touch from the Lord. On Saturday, Pastor Joane preached and then taught “Bible Journaling” to the ladies, which was received with enthusiasm! Our new Retreat Center was used and proved to be a great blessing to those who spent the evening with us. We can hardly wait for the next year’s Ladies Retreat because we know ladies from this community will be greatly blessed by participating.

Captain Robert has a Sea Academy Class scheduled for August 21 through August 28 here at the Chapel. We understand the class is already full, but another one is scheduled from October 23 through October 30. Those interested in taking these classes should contact Captain Robert as soon as possible at 361/758-6184 to get on the list. Great interest is being shown, so classes are filling up quickly.

I recently made a trip to LaGrange to install a new pastor there. Pastor Walt Williams had served as the pastor for 37 years and retired at the age of 88! We sincerely appreciate his many years of faithful service and trust the Lord will grant him an Sister Annette many years of restful retirement.

On August 23, I will be going to East Bernard to install a new pastor there in the place of Pastor Joe Barbee and his wife Lois. They have served that congregation for the past 16 years and seen the Lord move in many special ways. It is always an honor for me to be a part of pastorial changes.

Our Men’s Group is planning a trip to Hallettsville on Saturday, September 12 for a Men’s Breakfast. Pastor Junior and his men always serve us well and we sincerely enjoy the trip as well as the food and fellowship. All men are welcome to come and caravan with us.

On a very personal note, Pastor Joane and I are proud grandparents of a boy, born on Sunday, August 9. He was almost 9 pounds and 20 1/2 inches tall. Both Mom and Dad and baby are doing well, as well as are his two brothers and two sisters. The baby’s grandparents are still beaming over number 14! Congratulations, Dom and Vicky!

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdonimational congregation who are actively seeking pathways to helping the people of this community. We offer many services other than just the church services. One will always find a warm welcome at any time. Our Sunday Bible Study begins at 10:00 a.m. with Morning Service at 11:00. On Sunday evenings, we gather at 6:00 p.m. Pastor Joane leads our Fisherman’s Bible Institute on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and all are welcome to a deeper study of God’s Word. Our Midweek Service is on Wednesday and begins at 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome and all are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”

The point may seem elementary; but all of us have a past. Somewhere in our lives, there are things we wish we could forget—things that, if we could find a way to do it, we’d simply make it go away, as though it had never happened. You may not be the not-so-proud owner of a rotting corpse in your closet, but perhaps you’d give anything to wipe away some incident of utter humiliation in your life; or you’d recall words of bitterness and hatefulness spoken in a moment of uncontrolled anger. Maybe in your past, you told a lie on someone that wounded that person deeply. No doubt, we can all think of moments that haunt our minds.

However, perhaps your past failures bear a more serious hue. You’d like to forget those things were ever a part of your life, but the thoughts of what you’ve done seem to constantly dog your steps, hounding your weary mind day after miserable day. Over and over, your mind is consumed by one thought, “How could I have been so foolish.”

Well, the good news is that for the child of God—those who have turned their back on their sins, and given their heart and life to Christ, there is the promise of complete forgiveness. God’s Word tells us that, “…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7b). In verse nine of that chapter, we are assured that, “If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Maybe you’re aware that God has promised forgiveness for your past sins, but you just can’t seem to rid yourself of the feeling that the “Hounds of Hell” are going to catch up with you one day. Again, the truth of God’s Word should help us here. The Bible says, “…and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19b). Speaking of the superior nature of Christ’s priesthood and His intercessions for sinners, the writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote, “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 10:17). Does God need to say anything more on this subject? However, there is more. God further assures us with these words: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

Allow me to conclude with the following true story.

In the 14th century, Robert Bruce of Scotland was leading his men in a battle to gain independence from England. Near the end of the conflict, the English wanted to capture Bruce to keep him from the Scottish crown. So they put his own bloodhounds on his trail. When the bloodhounds got close, Bruce could hear their baying. His attendant said, “We are done for. They are on your trail, and they will reveal your hiding place.”

Bruce replied, “It’s all right.” Then he headed for a stream that flowed through the forest. He plunged in and waded upstream a short distance. When he came out on the other bank, he was in the depths of the forest. Within minutes, the hounds, tracing their master’s steps, came to the bank. They went no farther. The English soldiers urged them on, but the trail was broken. The stream had carried the scent away. A short time later, the crown of Scotland rested on the head of Robert Bruce.

The memory of our sins, prodded on by Satan, can be like those baying dogs—but a stream flows, red with the blood of God’s own Son. By grace through faith we are safe. No sin-hound can touch us. The trail is broken by the precious blood of Christ. “The purpose of the cross,” someone observed, “is to repair the irreparable.”

You don’t have to be pursued by your past anymore. “Jesus paid it all/All to Him I owe;/ Sin had left a crimson stain,/He washed it white as snow.”

The Alcoa Foundation generously donated $45,000 to Victoria College for the purchase of equipment to be used in VC’s Instrumentation and Electronics Technology Program.

Seven Emerson 475 field communicators will assist students in their familiarity with calibrators commonly used in most process plant and oilfield instrumentation. The gift supports Victoria College’s Facilities Master Plan, which includes the expansion and modernization of classrooms and labs for VC’s instrumentation, electronics technology and welding classes.

“Victoria College is very grateful for Alcoa’s continued support of VC’s Instrumentation and Electronics Technology Program,” said VC President David Hinds. “This equipment will allow the students to become familiar with the use and operation of technology they will see in the workplace.”

Alcoa is proud of its long-term partnership with Victoria College, and is pleased to continue supporting education in the area,” said Kevin Riggs, Alcoa Point Comfort Operations plant manager. “Alcoa Foundation invests where Alcoa has a presence, partnering with communities to address local needs in a sustainable manner. Since the curtailment of the refinery at Point Comfort Operations, we are fortunate that Alcoa Foundation has continued to support the area during this time of transition, enabling us to continue our long-standing relationship with Victoria College.”

For information on Victoria College’s industrial trades offerings, call (361) 573-3291.

This fine tale begins with the origin of the flag of Ireland.

It begins with a bar of green to stand side-by-side with a bar of orange. The green represents the Catholics and the orange represents the Protestants. In between the two is a bar of white. The white is a representation of peace.

Ireland has been through their fair share of battles. It has been a battle between Southern Ireland (Catholics) and Northern Ireland (Protestants). From Dublin to Belfast, that battle has occurred for many years.

The origins of the flag of Ireland is a promotion of peace and unity. You may have differences with your neighbor, but the good Lord above will ultimately prevail and tell you, “Peace be with you.”

That is why I would like to share this modified version of the flag of Ireland. I call her the Interlink Flag of Ireland. It is meant to not only further the peace in Ireland, but that of the country that we all love and honor so dearly, which is these United States of America.

May God bless y’all as an American of Irish heritage!

Take care,
The McDaniels

Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give to you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid. – John 14:27

I suppose every hobby, sport, pastime, and obsession has their own words and jargon used while pursuing that activity. Some even carry over from a professional side of said hobby. Over time words and phrases develop that only seem to be found in those circles. So it’s no great surprise that the world of birding does as well.

First of all, is it bird watching or is it birding? Some say it’s the same thing, but many say that bird watching or being a bird watcher is maybe more on the “easy” side of the hobby, enjoying backyard birds and casually watching birds around your area. The more serious hobbyists define birding or being a birder as more on the “serious” side, even competitive, keeping lists of birds for every outing, and traveling solely for the purpose. That’s the beauty of enjoying birds… you can take it to any level you wish!

The one thing that really helps to see birds no matter what your level of involvement is a pair of binoculars. But who as time to call out for a pair of binoculars when in the midst of seeing that rare birds! Binos! A few folks still stick to “binocs,” but most just shorten it to “binos.” Oh and if you have a nice, big, fancy spotting scope mounted on a tripod to view far away with… that’s just a scope.

So you’ve gotten serious about those birds. Now you are keeping track of every one you see on lists or on eBird or other listing software. You might be keeping a list for your yard, a list of birds seen in your state, or country or… you get the picture. Now you are a… lister! You tick off species on the list as you see them.

Today I got a text from my coworker Sue from the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory about a fairly rare bird that had been found in our area. It wasn’t long before my girlfriend Denise and I were loaded up in the truck with our binos and scope driving over to the refuge to try to find it. We were chasing that bird! Well no, not like getting out and running after it chasing it or chasing it away… just going to find it to see it. Chasing! We did manage to find it, making it a successful chase. By the way, in Britain it is called twitching… chase a bird and tick it off the list.

That same bird was a bird Denise had never seen before in her life, and made it extra special. It was a lifer, a new bird on her life list of birds she has now seen. Lifers, especially the more rare ones, are certainly a reason to celebrate. So now a growing part of birders are now celebrating with lifer pie. Yes, it really is pie! Eat some pie for every day with a new lifer.

And that seems to be a good place to end this deep lesson into the birding lingo! Enjoy the birds… and hopefully with some lifer pie!