A Great Trip To Maine

Thank you to my wonderful, Maine family!

Kennebec River in Maine

Hallowell, Maine

Hallowell, Maine is named for Benjamin Hallowell, a Boston merchant and one of the Kennebec Proprietors, holders of land originally granted to the Plymouth Company by the British monarchy in the 1620s. It is 6.1 sq. miles (5.9 sq. mi of land and 0.2 sq. mi. of water). Its elevation is 39 ft. The 2000 census shows a population of 2,467.

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Maine. I am lucky enough to be related to a fantastic family that lives in this beautiful state. They opened their home and showered me with so much hospitality and love that they spoiled me and made me want to take up permanent residence.

They treated me to delicious cuisine that is unique to Maine. I have always been partial to Maine lobster but they took me to a quaint little seafood restaurant outside of Hallowell to eat Maine shrimp. Wow! What a treat it was. I don't believe I have ever tasted shrimp that fresh. Also, they gave me almost an endless supply of maple, walnut ice cream. Yum! Yum! We also traveled to Freeport and it was such a beautiful little town with LOTS OF SHOPPING. My kind of town!

Wally and Sharron

The gracious host and hostess who always make my visits unforgettable. They are two very special people whose warmth and generosity are always present.

Corey - My Great-Nephew

Corey is working on his nursing degree. He has the compassion for people that is necessary to be a great asset to the nursing profession. He exemplifies kindness and understanding. He is also accomplished in the sport of bow hunting.

Kimberly - My Great-Niece

Kimberly is taking a break from school and plans to return soon. While she is waiting, she is working at a part time job. She is a beautiful, talented young lady who always radiates warmth and kindness.

Transformed

Yesterday, I attended a great conference. It was really an "eye opening" experience. I always considered myself a good person and always try to obey God's law as well as man's law. I thought I was doing a pretty good job but Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Todd Friel and Emeal Zwayne set me straight. None of us are without sin, even us Christians. The question is - have I repented all my past sins, asked for forgiveness and asked for the gift of everlasting life? What if I died today without doing this? That is a scary thought. Your outside appearance and actions do not fool God. God sees your insides and knows what is really there.

The four men delivered a message for everyone. They are articulate and God has given them a gift which allows them to teach in a way that even the most "thick headed" person can comprehend the urgency of their message. They also stressed that it is our responsibility to make sure all people we encounter know this urgency and realize they need to repent their sins so they, too, can have everlasting life. Our responsibility is to present the facts and to show the only way for the unsaved to get to Heaven.

They showed how to measure your goodness by using "God's Moral Standard of Goodness" which are THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. I would suggest that everyone who thinks they are a good person go to their website - http://www.wayofthemaster.com/ - and take the test and find out how good you actually are and if you are good enough to go to Heaven.

I consider my attendance at this conference to be a blessing. It made me realize that I must work on myself and the other people who are journeying through life with me to find the true and only way to get to Heaven. Thank you, God, for these gifted and dedicated men, their families and staff.

My New Challenge

Today was the end of the geraniums. They lived a long healthy life throughout the extremely hot summer but it was time for the fall flowers to take their place. I removed their faded leaves and their roots from the flower box and placed them respectfully in the trash bag. Actually, It was kind of sad. I guess I have a soft spot when it comes to witnessing the end of anything. But I planted some scrawny little pansies in their place.

My eyes caught a glimpse of the little pansies as I was checking out all of the fall plants at the store They really looked bad and probably did not have long before they were tossed out. Their color was faded and their leaves were wilted. I decided that I wanted to help them so I brought them home with me. I carefully removed their shallow little roots from the plastic prisons that were choking them to death. Quickly, I returned them to some fresh soil where their little roots could be free and stretch as far as they wanted. I gave them a big drink of water and wished them well. Now, only time will tell if they are strong enough to survive. Occasional reports on the status of their health and whether or not they like their new home will follow in the upcoming weeks.

Matt's Devotional

Today, I have been reading the Devotionals from mynakedpastor.com and contemplating my own insecurities and how to deal with them. The Devotionals are all good but the one written by Pastor Matt Miller on Tuesday October 2nd especially hit home and I wanted to share it with you.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you
do, and He will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

"Proverbs 3:5-6 promises that when you trust and seek the Lord that He will show you which path to take. However, many times you may feel inadequate to walk the path that God has set before you for one key reason: Your insecurities have greater influence in your life that God does.

When you fall back on 'your own understanding' you will miss what God has planned for your life. Your insecurities will remind you of your past when God wants to tell you of your future. Your insecurities will shout, 'You can't' when God whispers, 'You can'. The only way to break free from this misconception of yourself is to let go of 'your own understanding'.

Whose understanding will you listen to today...your own or the Lord's? Look at your life today through a new perspective - God's! God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

Begin to see what God sees and trust that He has equipped you for the path that He has set before you, this path is to your God potential"!

Thank you Matt - I needed that! That message was powerful and meaningful.

A Genealogy Day

It has been a great day for doing things that did not take me outside. It has been cloudy and drizzling most of the day. So, I decided to work on genealogy.

Before I began my research, I walked outside and I saw a snake lying on the pinestraw next to my porch. I really do not have a great phobia of snakes as long as they crawl away from me and not toward me. I went inside to get my camera but it was gone when I went back out. About 30 minutes later, I saw the cutest little turtle in almost the same place. Wow! This must be wildlife day. Now, back to my genealogy research and a great discovery I made.

All of us dabblers in genealogy know it is fun to get a lead and try to find the proof. I found a lead that my great great grandfather is listed in the Haywood County NC voter's book which is dated 13 August 1835. The problem is finding where the book or at least a microfilm of the book's pages resides. I called the county court house and they did not know whether they had it or not. I called the Haywood County Library and they put me in contact with a man who is a volunteer in the Carolina Room in the library. He was a home at the time and did not know if the book was on one of their microfilms. He did, however, locate a marriage record for my great great grandfather on his database. He was extremely generous with his time and offered to research the marriage record and send me a copy if it can still be found. I will have to contact the State Archives about the records in the Voter Book because so many county records were sent to the State Archives so they can be preserved. Hopefully, the book still exists.

Also, I received The Baptist Courier in the mail today. There was a huge ad on the last page that advertised How to Get on Fire for God. You will never be Lukewarm again. The name of the conference is Transformed. I was really excited and found it is being held close to where I live so I will be able to attend. I registered for the four hour conference because there is nothing better than getting on fire for God and to be transformed to help me reach my God potential.

I believe I had a wonderful, blessed day and I hope you did too.

The Hair Salon

I went to the hair salon today and got my hair shampooed and cut. I know this is not a "world changing" event but I will have to give it some merit. The salon had a separate shampoo room and I went in and sat at one of the shampoo bowls. The shampoo lady turned off the harsh overhead lights and accent lights reflected around the room and magically, this soft "spa music" began. I leaned my head back into the basin and the shampoo lady put this great smelling shampoo on my head and began to massage my scalp. I could just feel all of the stress and tense muscles disappear. Now, this would have been a great place to take a nap!!! However, the scalp massage was soon over and I got my hair cut and paid the bill. I wish washing my own hair could be that relaxing.