Heart Warming On A Cold Day

It was a cold a dreary morning in North Carolina. The air was cold and wet and the sky filled with rain clouds. This is the kind of weather that make a person want to curl up in front of a fire place with a good book and wait for the sun to make an appearance.

Venchensa did not show up over night so he is still AWOL. Since we were going out this morning, Lynne asked us if we would get a couple of signs posted in town alerting them that he was on the run. 

Last night, we decided to have breakfast at Pop's Main Street Diner then visit First Baptist Church of Maysville. Breakfast was just as good as we expected. The staff recognized us from the other night. That made us feel right at home. We finished up breakfast, posted one of our "Missing Dog" signs and headed off to FBC.

WOW, the sanctuary was just about packed. That is a good sign. They average about 150 in attendance on Sunday. Today the church was starting a new kids worship program that was geared to the youngsters. After they were dismissed, the praise team stepped up and got hearts pumping. Then Pastor John came up to deliver the message titled, "Have You Been Transferred? based on Col. 1:9-14.

Col 1:9-14 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. NIV

In this passage, the Apostle Paul is speaking to the new believers at the church in Colossi. There are 5 specific things Paul prays about for the Colossians. He prays that they:

1. Grow in the knowledge of God
2. Please God in every way
3. Bear fruit in all things
4. Are strengthened by God
5. Are thankful for all God is doing.

From verse 13, Paul writes, "God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Light (kingdom of the Son he loves}". The effect of this truth is:

Believers are illegible for the inheritance of His Holy Light (rightfully called joint heirs with Christ, Rom 8:17)
Believers are rescued from the dominion of darkness (no longer under the bondage of the Satan)
Believers are transferred into the Kingdom of Christ (into an abundant life John 10:10)

In conclusion, have you been transferred? Are you in the world telling people what God has done for you? Are you producing fruit? Are you living an abundant life?

My heart was warmed by this message today. The cold and dreary morning gave way to the shining sun. What a wonderful way to spend a cold a dreary morning.

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Who Let The Dog Out

I will have to fess up at the very start. I did. Carol and I were learning how to walk the pack today. The routine started with scooping poop. This somehow lets the dogs know we are friend not foe. Of course Lynne the pack alpha is there providing instruction and guidance. With scoop in hand, I headed for the poop field. I scooped little poop and big poop. I'll stop with the description because I should. The scoop was full of doggie poop and the poop trash can was on the outside of the doggie play area. It appeared to me the doggies were preoccupied with alpha Lynne and Carol. I headed for the gate the separated me from the poop can, check around very carefully for any doggie waiting to make a quick get-a-way. All was clear, I carefully opened the gate very slowly. About the time I got one foot out of the gate, a grey furball named Venchensa made a super sprint through the gate. Alpha Lynne said this was not the first time he had done that. Venchensa was no where to be found. He was out of here. I sure feel bad about that even though Alpha Lynne said it was not my fault. So Venchensa made a choice today to leave the confines of dry and warm to be out in the open where it is wet and cold.

Today was sort of a day off for us. Carol did not have to clean the Cat Center and the rain kept me from working on outdoor projects. Since we went to Walmart to get some much needed groceries, I decided this morning to fix a real breakfast; Fried Eggs, Jimmy Dean Sausage, Grits and toast. That's the way to start any day. 

Then I took the our doggies to the dog run. The rain turned the dog run into a mud run. When we got back the dogs needed a quick rinse and towel dry before they were allowed back into the RV. I am sure glad the wind is not as big a factor as is the rain. Our awning makes it easy to get in and out without worrying about keeping the rain out. After cleaning up the doggies, we just vegged for a bit.

I met with Lynne mid afternoon to look at a couple of projects. One involves dry wall work and one involves replacing the anode rod in a water heater. The hot water in the animal clinic smells like rotten eggs. This is an indication the anode rod needs replacing. There is not a lot of clearance on top of the water heater so it may be a challenge pulling the anode rod out of it. That project will wait until next week.

Around 4 PM, the rain let up a bit so that was a good time for our lesson on walking the pack. That's when I let the dog out. The rain came back so Lynne decided the dogs would not get their walk. They have plenty of space in their dog run and play area. When Carol came back from the dog center, she told me a 2nd workkamper had arrived. Unfortunately, their site is pretty muddy from the rain this afternoon so, they are dry camping out by the gate until Sunday. Hopefully, the rain will let up a bit to allow them to get set up.

Tonight, I felt a creative spirit in my cooking effort. One of my favorite meals in Corpus Christi was Pollo Campagnola at Mama Mia's. We had chicken, sausage, potatoes and other basic items like onions, mushroom, etc. The sausage was left over grilled Brat instead of Italian Sausage. That works for me. It was not as good as Mama Mia's but it was pretty good for my first attempt.
   
Top it off with a class of Black Opal Shiraz and all I can say is Yummy. That sure was good.

After cleaning up from supper, Carol and I had a long chat with Laura and Gage via FaceTime. WiFi connection was pretty good for the conversation. At the end, Laura said she want to see Cody and Qiana. When I called them over, Laura and Gage started calling their names. I tried to get a picture of Cody looking at the computer turning his head one way then the other. He recognized their voices but could not figure out where they were.

Sunday we plan on having breakfast at Pop's Main Street Dinner. Then worship at First Baptist Church Maysville. Hope the weather clears up before the cold sets in.  Sunday is a real day off for us. I think Carol will get after a sewing project. I may just start working on our tax return - ugh.

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 1 SHF

If you think you will be getting a detailed day by day commentary on each day activities, that probably won't happen. We are working here for the next month. We are not on vacation. We do have time off during each week and we are establishing a schedule. Today was also my birthday so Happy Birthday to me. It was a busy day and we are both tired. I have often used the expression, "That's like herding cats." when describing a complex task. Today I discovered that expression has nothing to do with complexity. Herding cats is easy. There are two ways to herds cats. One is to place Carol in the middle of the pack and the other is feeding.
   

Tomorrow I will get a photo of cat feeding. The cats are fed twice daily at Trump Towers I and II. As we head to the towers, the race is on. It is quiet a sight. Here is Trump Tower II. Home to 32 cats. Tower I also houses 32 cats. The cat center houses the rest either inside or on the back porch or under the center.
    

When it is feeding time, the cats come from every direction. Some are timid, some or piggies and some are bossy. Because we are feeders, they like us. After feeding time, Carol then cleaned the cat center, top to bottom. That means scooping the community latrine, sweeping and mopping the floor and cleaning up any 'oops' the cats may have made over night. While Carol was doing that, I was introduced to the lawnmower. When we had our house, i determined that I would not be a grass cutter. So what am I doing cutting grass. Well, it is a job that needs to be done and the lawnmower is - - - well i think you get the picture.
   
This lawnmower may not be one of those super cool, zero turn mowers, but it is pretty cool. Once I got the hang of it, I thought, if a person is going to cut grass, this is the way to do it. Tomorrow I get to finish the trimming and then take a look at why the mower does not cut flat. Overlapping cuts are not cutting evenly. Other than that, I also fixed a window in the cat center that would not open.

We were introduced to the dog pack today. If you have ever watched Cesar Milan and Dog Whisperer, you will know what the dog pack is. This facility operates on the same premise the Cesar Milan operates his center in California. They rehabilitate dogs, giving them a balance that allows them to exhibit good normal dog behavior. There are over 40 dogs at the farm and you rarely hear a dog barking. That is because they have no reason to bark. They are relaxed and the pack is balanced.

We celebrated my birthday this evening with a simple meal at home. First time we cooked in the RV in a while. It was pretty cool eating diner and looking at the view from the dining room table.
   

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