Visit to Edmond for Graduation

I had a wonderful visit to Edmond to attend the HWAC graduation. Click the picture below to view all the pictures.

UB 2016 Charlotte, NC

The three NC and SC congregations met for a wonderful feast-like celebration of Unleavened Bread. We all met in a local hotel for the NTBMO and most stayed over to keep UB in the same venue. That's always a treat when we can eliminate some travel to spend more time enjoying fellowship and having a leisurely breakfast.  We were all delighted to have the Heerma family with us and our own Mr Davis back after recovering from his illness.

Click here for my Unleavened bread pictures

Meet our new dog, Princess!

It’s been about 10 months since our previous dog died and we had been wanting to get another Shiba Inu but they are hard to come buy if you don’t want to buy a puppy so we went to our local rescue to see what they had. Kenny went first and text me pictures of dogs he was interested in. I went later that day and when I walked through there were a number of pitbull or mixes of pitbull – those were immediately crossed off. Others were very ancy jumping up or barking – crossed those off. Then I saw one reddish dog just sitting quietly. That peaked my interest. They called her Bettyboo – a Boxer Lab mix which we later found out is called a Boxador.

At the shelter

They brought her out to the greeting room so I could see how she would react and I was happy that she came right up to me and was very friendly but also reserved. I text Kenny that I thought this would be the one. A little while later Kenny came and met me at the shelter. He wasn’t as keen on her because she was timid and slinked into the room with her tail down. So we left. I had fallen for Bettyboo and was disappointed but we needed to both agree so I figured it would work out.
After thinking it over and getting input from his friends Kenny text me the next day, Thursday, that he was going to get Bettyboo (I was out with clients) .
It was interesting because the Saturday before we had found a lost dog in our neighborhood and took it home while we waited for the owner to come get her.

Lost dog..

Reunited with owner

 
Kenny named her Princess which is we are still getting used to and I keep calling her Petra (the previous dog). She is about 9 months old and alternates between being mischievous (chewing on socks, jumping on the back of the sofa, emptying trash cans) to being very timid. Obviously she has had some trauma. We are enjoying her thoroughly and have had endless laughs and cuddles. We hope to have her as long as we did Petra.

Playtime at bedtime

She loves her bones

Guitars and fellowship

We had a couple of the local brethren come over today to learn guitar. One teacher, a novice and a complete beginner. The guys had fun learning and fellowshipping and they plan on making this a regular jam session!

Wonderful FOT 2015!

FEAST OF TABERNACLES 2015

It's 10pm on Monday October 5th and we are back home after an exhilarating Feast of Tabernacles 2015 topped off by having Mr Gerald Flurry give the last message and closing prayer. I'm sure you'll get to hear Mr Flurry's message so I won't spoil it by providing details!  Today was the Last Great Day and we live in Augusta, just 2hrs from the site in Stone Mountain so we had a quick journey home.  One of the benefits of rainy weather during most of the feast was that it put our focus on fellowship and getting to know our wonderful brethren and share our experiences. Mr Macdonald had challenged us in his day 1 message to get out of our comfort zone and meet new brethren and we certainly benefited from that admonition.

Apart form services, the foyer of the hotel or coffee shop were ideal places to hang out and meet folks or learn the game of Mexican Train!  It was especially exciting to meet brethren who were attending their first feast.  So now we are back home and we have plenty to go over before the next Holyday season begins!

See all feast 2015 photos HERE

 

 

Happy FOT 2015!

Thankful for God's Protection

You always dread getting a phone call to tell you that something happened to your loved one. Well on Saturday September 12th I got that call. Thankfully it was from my husband Kenny and he was not hurt badly.

On the way home from services Kenny's usually very reliable Chrysler 300 stopped dead in the middle lane of I-26 west near Columbia (I was home sick that day). Right then and there could have been a major wreck if any cars had been directly behind him going at 70mph as they usually are on that highway on a Saturday.  He called me immediately and while he was still on the phone he told me the police had just arrived so they came on the scene very quickly.  About 5 mins later he called me back to say that his car had been hit from behind while he was still in it. Kenny still had his seatbelt on so he only hit his head on the wheel and was able to walk away with whiplash.  The other driver who was taken to hospital on a stretcher. Kenny did go to the hospital and x-rays and catscan showed that all is well. He will just be quite sore for a while.


Trumpets is tomorrow and this incident just emphasizes the great need for prayer for everyone as they travel during these fall holyday season.  I am very thankful for God's protection as without a doubt this could have ended up much worse than just our time with our 9-year old car coming to an end.

We hear or read the cliche all the time about making the most of life and letting people know you love them now. An experience like this makes it real that tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us.

Road trip to Oklaholma

We just returned from an unplanned but not unwelcome trip to Oklaholma. Our good friends Desiree and Thurman's marriage happened sooner than expected so we took the opportunity to take a road trip to Ardmore, OK and then to Edmond afterwards. It was great timing as PYC just started and it was awesome to get some of that camp fever.  A 15 hr road trip is always fun with Kenny: he drives, I sleep some, we catch up on some church audio, we laugh, sing-a-long to some favorite tunes and see what new things we can discover about each other. A refreshing change from routine.

As we passed through Atlanta we saw a car with a PYC tag (license plate) and then our own street signs!

This was our first time passing through Dallas, and I was fascinated by the ginormous overpasses and that they were all painted! I guess it's true that Texas does everything bigger! 

Reed Wedding Pictures

 

Edmond & PYC Pictures

 

Musings at 48.25 years old

  

I am finding that this is a very true quote and I have been reflecting a lot on what I am learning from my life's experiences.  I don't know if it's because I am approaching 50 (now turned 48 in January) and I can't believe I am there already, or because I am in the most challenging job I have had for a long time where I see a lot of sickness and human nature. It is so real to me that we only truly know ourselves when we are put in different situations. We may think we know how we feel or react but until we are in it under duress then we really find out what our true character is. I understand more deeply why we need to go through different experiences, whether to learn to see things from other's perspectives, or to test the depth of our character and highlight areas for improvement. Every day, several times a day, I ask myself, what am I to learn from that incident or situation? How could I have handled it better (or maybe on a rare occasion I actually did pretty well!). Sometimes it's obvious but often it isn't clear or it could be multiple lessons. Of course, with human nature sometimes I just don't want to see the obvious and it takes a while for it to sink in!

I also find myself reflecting on how short our time is. To me the past 30 years have gone by so fast. I regret not doing more when I could have been further along in certain areas by now. If I had started that habit 5 or 10 years ago what fruit would have been borne by now. Thoughts like that are a spur to get on and be a doer. I want to look back in another 5 years and see what was accomplished rather than regret what wasn't.  

That's another thing I have come to realize - how futile regret is. You can wallow in it and nothing changes. It's a total waste of energy. Just learn from the past and move forward. I often ponder that God has given us a new day, new week, new month and new year to remind us that we can start over again and again and again. That's so encouraging. 

Here's to 1.75 more years of experiences and learning as I reach age 50 (God willing).

This is Love

This Is Love

Love is a giving a caring, a soul that's always sharing

Though unnoted it's deeds are, they're derive from a vibrant spa.

A sensitivity to others, with heartfelt care for all brothers

Regarding not the color of their skin, for to hm all men are kin.

Not content to tramp one mile, love travels further (with a smile)

Always forgives when he's been wronged, hurt is forgotten before too long.

Love flows from God, down through his son, then into us (if we'll only come)

A precious gift of life, yet free, a vital commodity for you and me.

Redeem Time

Redeem Time

Take time to use time:

Every precious moment counts

Please don't abuse time:

It is forever lost

Take time to give time

To others who may need

Comforting words, a kind deed

Take time to see

Take time to gold-mine

For treasures deep and rater

And as you've freely gotten

Take time to share

Take time to ensure

Your name stays in the book

Then you'll soon find that 

Time is no more.

Ode to Maternal Love

Ode to Maternal Love

When I was small and wrinkled

With a face that often crumpled

Bawled to bring the house down

You love me just the same

Though I was often messy 

And really quite a smelly

Constantly demanding

Your devotion didn't wane

And as I grew and toddled

Hands sticking to all and sunder

(A typhoon at large)

With firmness you directed

Unconscious of all danger

Ignorant of fire and water 

Nothing sacred in my grasp

With ingenuity you protected.

As with "whys?" I would exhaust you

Continually wanting more 

With such tender love 

You did inspire

So now I just want to say

To you who loved me first

Thank you for bringing me

Safely to this hour!

You CAN make it

When life seems tough and dreary and you're kinda getting weary
of the struggles that make your mind a battle ground.
And if you're  tired of fighting and fighting.
You just feel like alighting from this train that's kingdom bound.


Well remember God has called you cause he knows he can support you,
and besides, He'd never let you down.
He is confident you'll  make it and assured that
you can take it, He really wants you to wear the crown.


So keep on, don't stop striving and before you know it you'll  be thriving on love (He won't apply the brakes).
For God knows what he is doing and if you trust everything to him,
you'll find that He never makes mistakes.

What a world we live in

This week we have rioting in Baltimore. This is becoming more frequent in America and we know where it is leading. 

What a World We Live In

What a world we live in
Who could not wait to see
God's kingdom to replace it
And bring us sanity

Everyone is searching
For something more in life
But no one wants to listen
When you tell them what is right

Governments are failing
Can't solve their nation's woes
The reason is rebellion
And not following God's laws

Families divided
Delinquents everywhere
Abuse requires “helplines”
Drugs are a panacea

So soon mankind will suffer
Because they wouldn't learn
Then the Lord will be here
Still some refuse to turn

What a world we live in
Yet no one turns to God
He has all the answers
He made us, after all!

A Passover Poem

Passover Reflections

He didn't have to take the pain

For all he knew it could have been in vain

Yet something we can't comprehend

Made him persist until the end

Misunderstood for 30 years

His closest friends knew not his fears

He had a fight to overcome

Yet in face of hunger this was done

Such love as this is hard to find

That one would suffer for another's crime

Not knowing if mankind would claim

This olive branch grown out of pain

So at this time we pause to reflect

And consider all, lest we forget

How Jesus Christ did sacrifice

In order that we might have life.

                                                     

                                                By Melonie Holmes

Lessons from Petra

Our recently deceased dog Petra was a Shiba Inu which is a Japanese breed known to be reserved and independent. He would come into our room at night and sometimes, I would wake up.   One night while I was getting back to sleep I began to think about dogs and how they are a unique animal that seems to be have been created to be "man's best friend". I wondered about the characteristics of dogs and what they could teach us maybe about our relationship to God. Here are a few of my thoughts. Bear in mind that our dog is an inside pet and I'm not a dog expert by any means and this is the first dog that I have ever had so these were just my thoughts and observations. 

Dogs rely completely on their owner - unlike cats which roam outside freely and can catch their own food, a dog seems to me to be totally dependent on their owner for everything. They eat when we say, go out when we say etc. This is how we need to be with our Father, relying completely on Him for everything. 

They love to be close to their owner - eventhough my Shiba Inu is independent he still likes to be around either me or my husband. He'll sit in the same room but just isn't the type to need to be petted, as long he is in the vicinity of either of us he's content. If we      move to another room he'll follow. I know other dogs are very much more affectionate and need a lot of petting. We need to love to be close to God.

They love to eat what we eat - this may be bad training on our part! but our dog knows when we have some juicy beef bone or possible left overs and he will wait until he's certain that he's not getting any before he'll eat his own food. When I come in from shopping he looks eagerly at the bags to see if  I'll pull out any goodies for him. We are given so much spiritual food straight from the mind of our Father and we need to be eager to eat it.


They can be stubborn - As I mentioned, Shiba Inu's are by nature independent. Sometimes he will be lying down and I will call him and he'll just ignore me. I might have to call him three times and make my voice sharp for him to even look up! We need to not have this characteristic and be receptive and quick to respond to God's direction.

Dogs quickly bounce back from correction - whenever Petra does something naughty and gets told off or spanked he'll slink off by himself for a while. It won't be long though until he comes shyly back looking for a rub. That's how we need to be when we are corrected and realize that it's for our good and God never stops loving us.                        

They fast and seclude themselves when they need to recuperate - A few months ago Petra was attacked by a couple of pit bulls and had some fairly severe lacerations to his back, neck and leg. He was in pain and shook up. When we brought him home from the vet he spent the next two weeks barely eating, not wanting to interact with us and hiding in the bathroom or other quiet areas of the house. Exactly 14 days later he emerged back to his normal self. Sometimes we need to take time out to fast and reflect to get ourselves back to spiritual health.

What are some of the lessons you've observed from "man's best friend"?

                                     

Remembering Mr Armstrong in my life

Today is the 29th anniversary (or should I say memorial) of Mr Herbert W Armstrong's death. I came into the WCG in June 1985 in England so I never did get to meet him or see him speak live. However, his impact on my life was monumental from the first time that I picked up the Plain Truth magazine as a teenager.

July-Aug 1983

First Issue in 1934

This is one of the first Plain Truths that I read in 198.  It had an article "Is all flesh good for food" which prompted me to take my first step by ceasing to eat unclean meats.

It's been a privilege to be here to see so many of his prophecies come to pass and continuing to unfold. This year is going to be very very interesting.

Inspiring Lives

I love stories about how ordinary people have endured through extraordinary trials. Last night we went to see the movie "Unbroken" which we were excited to see because we had read the book.
This morning I read an article in the latest Royal Vision (Jan/Feb 2015) by Mr Hilliker "Endure Hardness". They complemented each other well because the movie is about how Louis Zamperini endured a brutal time in WW2 including a 40+ day ship-wreck and a sadistic Japanese POW guard.

The RV article really brings out how much we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and appreciate our trials for the character it builds. It's such a hard concept for us as humans to embrace. I know I am "soft" in many areas.

If you want some inspiration and encouragement in enduring put "Unbroken" on your reading list (the book is 10x better than the movie). Another great read is "It's not what happens to you, It's what you do about it" by W Mitchell. He went through a horrific bike accident and was burned badly which left him disfigured, then 4 years later, he was paralyzed in a plane crash.

Some other inspiring books I have read are: The Hiding Place and The Helen Keller Story.

 What other endurance movies or books have you found inspiring?

Focus on the Good

At a feast a few years ago, one of the ministers mentioned that he kept a regular journal and would indicate whether the entry was a positive or negative . I had been keeping a journal but tended only to write when something negative happened or something was bothering me. Hearing this idea gave me the thought to be more balanced and use it to give a fair assessment of my days. So now I prefix my entries with "Good" or "Bad".

Examples of what I would prefix with "Good" are:  I meet someone that had some information I needed; an article is on pcog.org that provides help with an issue that I prayed about; I land a bargain at the store; I am able to help someone.  Here are some of the things I noticed from doing this:

• It's easy to focus on and remember the bad things that happen, it takes more effort to recall the good things.

• I try to write the good things as soon as possible (I keep a digital journal) as I have found that if I wait until the end of the day it's so easy to forget the many little good things that happened (how short the memory is).

• By doing this I have found that I can monitor my life and see trends. If a lot of "bads" are showing up it makes me take stock of my life to see why.

• It enhances my prayers because I am able to thank God in detail for more of the big and small blessings he gives.  

• Sometimes, something that I thought was negative actually turns out to be a positive and it's great to go back and edit that entry and note how things worked out. It makes me see truth in "all things work together for good". 

• It puts life in perspective to see it in black and white as I said before the negative gets exacerbated in our minds over the good. I have truly seen how there is much more positive things that happen in reality. 

Give this a try yourself even just for a week. You may be surprised by how much more aware and thankful you become of the good stuff that goes on in your life and also catch yourself when there are things you need to work on before they get out of hand.

Grow old with me!

Grow old along with me! 

The best is yet to be.

These famous lines come from the poem Rabbi Ben Ezra by Robert Browning. Today is our 15th wedding anniversary and as I was reflecting on it, these verses came to mind probably because we had dinner last night with a couple who have been married 43 years and a widow who was married 57 years. That put our 15 into perspective! In my work with seniors it has become commonplace to find marriages of multiple decades even longer than I've been alive. Such a wonderful contrast to what we see on the hollywood news where a marriage of longevity is an aberration.

There's something wonderful about building a life with another person who knows all about you and is committed to you. You've shared so many situations that no one else in the world knows about it, seen each other cry, shared in-jokes, the coded look and secret touch.

I believe that marriage is the greatest opportunity to see a reflection of your true self. It can be quite alarming (!), but there is so much comfort in the knowing that you have a safe environment to grown in. Kenny and I read an article Via La Difference which we could relate to so well as we have a built in difference just in nationality - he is American and I am British. You would think that these kindred nations are quite alike but we noticed some cultural things very early on in our dating and we still laugh today over a few incidents.  Here are a few of the things I enjoy about our marriage:

• We can just hang.  There's no awkwardness in silence, yet we can discuss almost anything openly. 
• We laugh alot. Kenny is hilarious in ways that other's don't see. 
• We help each other. I know that if I'm not feeling well Kenny will take up the slack.
• He is so positive. I have rarely seen him get down (and if he does it's very short-lived) even though he has dealt with constant pain for many years, he remains cheerful and upbeat.
• He loves God. 

I so appreciate being married to this man of steel and velvet, and look forward to continuing to grow together in this life and then live our eternity as the Holmes team!