The Footprints...

One night Melody had a dream,
She dreamed she was walking along through life with God.
As scenes of her past flashed before her eyes,
She looked at the path of their footprints.
Up through the mountains they wound,
And down through the valleys,
Beside peaceful ocean vistas,
And sometimes across jagged hills.
Sometimes the footprints stopped beside still waters,
And other times they disappeared into the valley of shadows.
Sometimes they even led into icy storms and snow.
At this point she was troubled,
For she noticed that when going through
The most difficult storms of her life,
There was only one set of footprints.
"Why Lord," she asked, "when I was going through the most
Cold and difficult experiences of life,
Did you leave me to walk alone?"
Then was the Lord’s beautiful reply, "My dear Melody!
I would never leave you or forsake you. Those times when you
See only one set of footprints...
When the path was steep and treacherous,
Or the way cold and icy...It was then that I carried you!"*

As I look back over the years, the times of good and bad, the times of laughter and also of pain, I'm grateful for the Heavenly Father that I serve and am coming to know more and more intimately. We've had a lot of good times together...yet there have been some real tough times too! But even those times I am thankful for, for it seems in the toughest times is when I grew the most. And God has been there all the time...sometimes I didn't even realize it, but He was actually carrying me! ;-)

As we approach another NEW YEAR...I thank Him for the former years... but I also look ahead with JOY to the future and to what new lessons and new experiences He has in store!

Ok, well...enough being melodramatic...I guess I just got inspired by the footprints I saw in the snow...and it reminded me of the poem and of my own life experiences that God has led me through! Don't we serve an incredible God??

I'm still home in Oklahoma....and still nursing a cough that does not seem to want to go away. We've had the whole Hiner family (about 20 of Mrs. Holland's relatives) here for a reunion this Christmas which has been lots of fun. (I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't been sick the whole time...but oh well!) It's been the first time we've all been together since Grandpa and Grandma's 50th Anniversary a few years ago. And even so, we aren't all together, as Sunny didn't make it home this year! (But she went to be with Tim and his family, so we aren't begrudging her the joy!)

We've had a lot of fun visiting or singing together as we sat around the warm fire. We've played lots of Dominoes, gone to the Zoo...and cooked huge meals. We all took turns, and on our turn, we cooked a huge "Asian meal" in honor of Aunt Denel. One highlight of the whole week was hosting a small family baby shower for Joy. She and Justin are expecting their first child in February. It was good to be with all the cousins again! And I've taken lots of pictures. (I'll post a slide show next week after the last of our family heads home. As it is, part have already left, but we still have Aunt Jan and Jim and Sarah here for a few more days.)

So that's the update from Mel's pad. In the pictures below you can see some of the ice damage that they had here in our back yard with the huge Ice storm that hit in early December. Again I am reminded and thankful by the sad circumstance that, even through the Ice-storms, God still walks with us...and sometimes...He even carries us! What a awesome and loving God we serve!

Be-lated Merry Christmas, everyone!!! And Happy New Year!!

*Thanks to Mary Stevenson for the beautiful poem "Footprints," first written in 1936.

What happens when the ice and fierce winds blow!

A warm resting place...at least for Kosha and Sasha!

Footprints through difficult times

Aren't we thankful we serve a God who wears "work boots."

I love you...even when it's cold!

GYC memories and Blizzards!

Well...where do I begin? It would be a understatement to say that GYC was great! (It was far beyond that!) It would also be an inaccurate statement to say that I came home thoroughly refreshed and rejuvenated. (I came home totally exhausted and wiped out....and have spent the last 3 days recovering! In fact, Christmas eve I celebrated in the bath tub having a fever treatment!) All in all though, it was a worthwhile experience and one that I would repeat again, if given the opportunity. ;-) I'll let the slide show above tell the story via pictures...although I will share a few brief highlights.

Things I will remember about GYC 2007!

• Traveling on the train with my sister Sunny
• Helping with Registration and meeting hundreds of new faces
• Videoing "Uncle David's" faith inspiring stories at his seminar "Extreme Missions"
• Praying for our friend and GYC team leader, Alistair
• Sitting at evening sessions with my family and the Arakawa gang
• Having my family in Arkansas call to say they saw me on 3ABN during an evening session
• Catching up with old friends - Mary, Kristy, Allison, Becky, Shayna, The David Dence family, Martin and Leona, Naomi, The Mizner's, The Rusch's from Norway...and many more!
• CCBN team meeting with David Gate's and In His Image Ministries
• Attending one of Tim Resienberger's last seminars with my mom and then hearing about his testimony (which was really encouraging as it's similar to mine!)
• Watching soooo many young lives blessed, inspired and changed!
• Then the looooong drive home....through blizzard and ice and snow and praying to stay on the road! (Evidently some 300 cars went off the road or wrecked during this same afternoon/evening in Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. It was pretty wild driving for about 6 or 7 hours.)
• But we got home safely at 3am.....about 5 hours behind schedule! But at least we made it home!!

So, that's it in a nutshell! :-)

Due to all my extra curricular activities, I didn't get to listen to as many meetings or seminars as I would have hoped, but thanks to Audio Verse, we have them all recorded, and soon they'll all be available to listen to or download. So, check them out...and then you too can enjoy some of the GYC experience!

GYC Here we come...

Wooooowww!!! We have made it to GYC. After a harried day of packing, last minute Christmas shopping, Christmas parties with friends, making final GYC registration changes, and then rushing to the airport at 3am.....only to be followed by many more adventures, we are safely in Minneapolis MN. (We still barely made our flight and in the process of going through security, Sunny and I almost lost 2 of the computers we were carrying! We each had 2 laptops we were taking....our own, plus two others to help out with GYC registration. But in going through the x-ray line, I left one of mine behind....and Sunny accidentally grabbed someone else's. Both her and I, and one other poor guy were freaking out that we'd lost our computers!!! I'm like, "Oh no....someone mistakenly took mine and left theirs!" And she was like, "Oh no! I have no idea what my extra laptop looked like. Is this it?" And the other guy was like, "Someone stole my lap top!" Finally we got the confusion all figured out! Praise the Lord! ;-)

Sunny and I had some extra time to spare when we got checked in to our hotel as our first Registration meeting wasn't till later in the afternoon....so we went on an adventure, weaving our way through the sky-walk of a maze of different buildings until we found the train (called the "Transit system" here) that would take us to the "Mall of America." Sunny had never been there before so wanted to check it out. As it turned out though, we barely had 45 minutes there (imagine that at a 4 story mall with theme park besides), before we had to turn around and head back to the train station to get back in time for our meetings. Whew!!! It was crazy! We only made one fast paced loop and went in one store and we had to run. "At least..." we both reasoned, "We got to enjoy a fun train ride!" Tim's plane had been delayed, so unfortunately, he did not get to spend the day with us. We were sad about that!

Then this morning GYC registration started with a vengeance! I got to be part of the Registration team and had a blast meeting people and helping solve registration problems, but it was also a very looooong tiring day. Was checking people in, and running Credit Card's for on site registration basically from 10am until 9pm straight. Finally we decided to close registration and it will be open again tomorrow. I need to help with the CCBN booth though, so will probably spend the rest of my time doing that. Hopefully somewhere in there, I'll also get to visit some other booths, attend some meetings, and....you know maybe, enjoy GYC!! ;-)

Ahhh well....no complaints! It's all good! Just part of the fun adventure of life! Mom and Dad are here, so it's been cool to see them, as well as lots of other old friends. I'm sure I'll have much more to blog about later, but for now....I think it's been a long enough day on the computer, so I shall say "goodnight!"

PS: Important prayer request!! One of our key team leaders for GYC has been attacked by some virus or infection that paralyzed him. He just work up this morning and couldn't move his arms. He's currently in ICU as they seek to discover what happened or went wrong. Pretty scary!!! Tim spent most of today with him. Please pray that he will be healed, and the symptoms he's currently having will be resolved. He's sedated and intubated now, so doesn't even know what's going on anymore.

His Strength is Perfect...

His strength is perfect....so perfect...

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength,
But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me.
No great success to show, no glory on my own,
Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know....

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone.
He'll carry us when we can't carry on.
Raised in His power the weak become strong,
His strength is perfect....His strength is perfect!

We can only know, the power that He holds,
When we truly see how deep our weakness goes,
His strength in us begins where ours comes to an end,
He hears our humble cry and proves again.

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone.
He'll carry us when we can't carry on...
Raised in His power the weak become strong,
His strength is perfect...His strength is perfect!

The theme of my life (but especially the last few weeks) is summarized in the words of the song above. It seems like I've been taxed to my limit, stretched beyond my abilities, and working on borrowed time that I have no way to repay. Yet, I cannot complain because just when I felt I couldn't do or be anymore, God has been faithful...His strength is perfect. Truly His strength is perfect!!

The last few days of my travel nurse contract at Parkview, although hectic, went smoothly. The last evening there, just before shift change, we got five admits all at once, and two of them happened to be mine. I was going in circles trying to keep my head on straight, let alone keep up on all the details. Yet, I could tell God was beside me, giving me peace, and prompting me on my way.

All the moments of my last few days were not stressful though. One day was quite hilarious, actually. I was giving a patient instructions for changing his dressings when he went home, and had a roll of tape in my hand that I was going to give him to take home. As I stood there beside the bed, the tape slipped out of my fingers and did a graceful dive into his glass of water. Water went everywhere...and he looked at me with amazement! "I couldn't do that if I tried." We then both busted up laughing. I cleaned up the water, which had gone everywhere, and threw away the now sopping wet supplies and papers that had been on his table. After everything was clean and dry, I brought him new supplies and a new glass of ice-water which I then promptly....you guess it....flipped again and spilled all over the table. I threw my hands over my face as I squealed, "You did not just see that!!!!" He looked at me with amazement, afraid to laugh, yet about to burst. I spared him the agony of taking the lead as I burst into another fit of laughter, and tears came to my eyes. Not tears of sadness or frustration, but rather tears of "this is sooo hilarious I cannot contain myself!" (Other nurses looked in the room to make sure we were ok. I only laughed harder!) Finally after I got everything cleaned up and dry for the second time, we looked at each other again. "I'm not sure if you should bring me another glass of water," he grinned. "I'm not sure either..." I replied as I wiped the few remaining tears of laughter out of my eyes. "But you need water, and I need to learn how to not be such a klutz...and since you seem like a good subject to practice on, I am going to bring you your water." Thankfully this time the glass did not flip, and I made a quick exit out of the room before I made any more mistakes. However, I was laughing about the situation the rest of the afternoon.

Yes, I've had my tough days at Parkview (as I've had everywhere I've worked as a nurse). Yet, as my last day of this contract came to an end, I was actually kinda sad to leave and I find myself dreaming of possibly going back in the future. Not sure what God has in mind for me next...but for now, I'm thankful for a little breath of fresh air and some time to devote to other pursuits. Yes, keeping my patients alive and the doctors happy is important...but I'm ready for a change of pace and scenery. ;-)

And a change of pace and scenery is all too soon to come. I'm flying out with Sunny and Tim on Tuesday (leaving Loma Linda at 3am) to go to Minneapolis MN to help with GYC. This year I got pulled in to help with Registration, so have been working with the Registration and logistics team getting ready for the conference. After spending hours and hours working on Excel spreadsheets and making modifications and updates as people have made changes to their registration, I have a lot more respect and admiration for all those that work behind the scenes with GYC and other such organizations. Wow! It's a lot of work! On top of that, I've also been trying to help our CCBN team settle on a logo, develop a booth theme for the conference, and I've been trying to get packed to be gone for a month. After the conference, I'll be going home to Oklahoma for a couple weeks, then I'll be going home to Arkansas for a couple weeks. So...lots to do and lots to think about. I might consider feeling overwhelmed and be tempted to throw in the towel sometimes...but then once again, I am reminded, "His strength is perfect."

Hmmmm....maybe that needs to be my "new years resolution." Don't wait til you get to the end of your own strength and resources to "let Him work." Just LET HIM!!! ;-) Yeah, I still have lots of "letting" to do...but day by day and year by year, I am learning...despite all my mistakes and blunderings, despite my shaky hands or fearful heart...He's still there for me, and His love and strength does not change. He is perfect!

My weekend of Blessings...

Before too much more time gets away from me, I have to share some of the blessings from this past weekend!

Three special things happened this weekend!

• Beaver and Rebecca came to visit (longtime friends and nursing buddies!)
• We got to spend time with some special kids at a Family Group Home
• We had our Annual Advent Hope Christmas party

First off in the way of Blessings....it was soo great to have Beaver and Becca in town visiting this weekend. We got to catch up on life, share nursing stories, and talk about the exciting things that God has been doing for them as they prepare for the mission field. (They had our vespers program Friday night which was a real blessing!) One big miracle for them as they prepare to go to Mongolia is that of acquiring an airplane...a huge unexpected answer to prayer just in itself! They had stepped out in faith using all the resources they had and taking out loans to buy the plane that they felt God was leading them to buy...and within the first week of having the plane, they found out that someone had sent in a LARGE annonymous donation. (Large enough to take care of all the down payments and initial expenses!!!) Wow! Brings shivers to my spine just thinking about it! God is leading them forward...and step by step He has been opening the doors and paving the way.

Mongolia is lucky (or should I say "exceptionally blessed") to be getting them! As you will see in the slide show above....several of us even were even blessed to get to take a ride in the new airplane. I especially enjoyed getting aireal photos of the area in which we live...including our home...from the sky!! It was a beautiful day for flying...and as you can see, we even have snow on the mountains!

Thanks Beav & Becca for stopping by! We were sooo spoiled to have you all here with us for a whole weekend!!!

The second blessing, I mentioned from this weekend, was getting to go to a group home where we helped a bunch of special kids make crafts...and just enjoyed spending time with them. We finished with a special Christmas pageant...complete with live animals, angels and baby Jesus. Everyone was sooo cute in their costumes. And it was fun to see the joy on the kids faces as they acted out their parts. The only sad thing from the afternoon was that it ended sooo quickly! Above is a few fun pictures of our afternoon together. I plan to send all the pictures I took to to the children's parents, so they can enjoy them too!

The third blessing from this weekend was our annual Advent Hope Christmast party. The social team had put together a beautiful supper...and everyone brought fruit or desserts to contribute. We had worship, sang songs, and then ended with a variety of games....addressing the "physical, mental, and spiritual" areas of our livs. The whole event was socially invigorating and made me thankful for all the wonderful friends God has led me to meet here in Loma Linda CA! (I was also excited that Beaver and Rebecca could meet a few of my gang!)

Now ahead lies another busy week....not sure how I will make it through as there are many tasks to accomplish and much is weighing on my mind and shoulders. But one day at a time, His strength is perfect, and I know He will see me through! ;-)

A love song from God...

Do you ever feel all alone? Like no one really understands, and you're just tired of the daily battle of life...tired of trying. The sunshine seems to have slipped away and your walking through the night...alone. You wish you had a shoulder to cry on...or someone to hold your hand.

It had been another long hard day at the hospital for me...an endless stream of tasks that I could never seem to get ahead of...patients that could not be made happy...managers that didn't understand. If I'd actually accomplished anything worthwhile, I wasn't sure. "Where has the joy of service gone, Lord? Why do I feel like I'm all alone on a treadmill that will not stop? Can anyone understand, does anyone care?"

In a rather melancholy mood, I must admit, I headed to the gym, hoping some exercise would brighten my spirits and help me feel more refreshed. Since no one was around to go with me, I grabbed my iPod. There, while I jogged, I began to listen to some prophecy seminars by David Asscherick. "This should get me feeling more peppy!" I thought. But I soon realized that it wasn't the best choice for helping my stress level. (I might add that Mr. Asscherick is one of my favorite speakers and Bible teachers...but for those that know him...He pretty much only has two speeds...OFF (when he's sleeping) and GO (100 mph...the rest of the time!) I'd already had a long day, and although I was jogging, my mind wasn't feeling like GO...at least not at 100 miles per hour! :-/ So finally I changed my iPod to some more restful selections.

Three miles later, with sweat and maybe tears combined (not sure which), I slowed to a mellow pace to cool down. Multiple ball games were being played in the field around me, but I was oblivious, lost in my own thoughts, as I walked around the track.

Just then one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever heard began to play. Yes, I am a romantic at heart...and always have been. But this time, the song didn't make me dream of "what might someday be" but of what already is today...between God and I. There was no doubt...while I may be feeling alone...I was not alone. SOMEONE WAS THERE!!! Tears coursed down my cheeks with renewed vigor as I looked with joy to the dark starry heavens above me. The music bathed my soul and cheered my heart as I listened and thanked the Lord for His love...and I thanked Him that He was there!

I invite you to listen to the song too (Just click on link here - I Will be Here) as you read the words. Once you get the little rhapsody box up and playing the song, you can click back arrow on your browser and read my blog again, while the music plays!

Now...got it figured out?

As you listen, let the words and message sink into your heart in a new way like never before...let them speak to you as they spoke to me...not just of human love, but of a divine love...with which nothing can compare...

I WILL BE HERE

"Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the sun does not appear, I will be here...

"I will never leave thee or forsake thee..." Heb 13:5

If in the dark we loose sight of love,
Hold my hand and have no fear,
Cause I, I will be here...

"For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." Isa 41:13

I will be here....when you feel like being quiet,
When you need to speak your mind, I will listen,

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." I Pet 5:7

And I will be here, when the laughter turns to crying,
Through the winning, loosing and trying,

"And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces..." Isa 25:8

"And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." Duet 31:8

We'll be together, cause I will be here....

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isa 40:31

Tomorrow morning if you wake up,
And the future is unclear, I will be here...

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Prov 3:5,6

Sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetimes are made for years,
So I will be here.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jer 29:11

I will be here...and you can cry on my shoulder,
When the mirror tells us we're older, I will hold you...

"And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." II Cor 12:9

"Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." Ps 139:10

And I will be here to watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are too me.

"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you." Jer 31:3

I will be true to the promise I have made,
To you and to the one....who gave you to me!

"Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments." Duet 7:9

I....I will be here....

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Heb 13:8

And just as sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetimes are made for years,

"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him." Ecl 3:14

So I...I will be here...
We'll be together. And I will be here..."

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame...before him IN LOVE." Eph 1:4

"For I am the LORD, I do not change..." Mal 3:6

Wow!! Gives new meaning to the words, "I will be here," doesn't it? Praise the Lord for a God who will always...always...without fail...always BE THERE! That's the kind of love even the world's greatest romantic could never compete with... ;-)

The beauty of Character...

"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23

I said: "Let me walk in the field."
God said: "Nay, walk in the town."
I said: "There are no flowers there."
He said; "No flowers, but a crown."

I said: "But the sky is black,
There is nothing but noise and din."
But He wept as He sent me back,
"There is more," He said, "there is sin."

I said: "But the air is thick,
And the smog is veiling the sun."
He answered: "Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone."

I said: "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say."
He answered me, "Choose tonight,
If I am to miss you, or they?"

I pleaded for time to be given.
He said: "Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have followed the steps of your guide."

I cast one look at the field,
Then set my face to the busy town,
He said: "My child, do you yield?
"Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into His hand went mine,
And into my heart came He.
And I walk in a light Divine,
In the path I said I'd never be!

Author: George MacDonald with personal modifications by "yours truly."

I read this poem yesterday, and as I thought about my life and some of the paths that God has lead me in...and specifically that of coming here to smoggy busy over-populated Southern California (the place I said I never wanted to be!) I am thankful and awed at what God is seeking to do in my life, and the lives of those around me. Yes, sometimes I get discouraged and am tempted to just leave it all and walk away. "I'm really not doing that much for God here anyway, am I?" I want to cry. Yet even amid the din of noise around me, I hear His soft voice, encouraging me to keep trying...encouraging me to stay.

As my blog readers have probably noticed, I've had a lot to share on the topics of "trials" and the purpose of "pain" over the last months. And if it's not obvious, it's because God has been taking me through some very special personalized growing experiences that haven't been pleasant. Yet, as I look back over the path He's brought me, I can only thank Him...for I know He is seeking to build my character and develop my life for His glory.

While the fires have died down, the floods have subsided (literally and personally), and the bitter pain of carrying a new cross has lessened, I'm still grateful for the lesson's God has taught me through these experiences here in Southern California. And I more keenly see the benefits of the trials along the way. In fact, just yesterday, I read some more thoughts on character development that were sooooo inspirational, I just have to share them. So here you go:

"Steel is iron plus fire. Soil is rock plus heat, or glacier crushing. Linen is flax plus the bath that cleans, the comb that separates, and the flail that pounds, and the shuttle that weaves. Human character must have a plus attached to it. The world does not forget great characters. But great characters are not made of luxuries, they are made of suffering.

Someday, God is going to reveal the fact to every Christian, that the very principles they now rebel against, have been the instruments which He used in perfecting their characters and molding them into perfection, polished stones for His great building project yonder.

Suffering is a wonderful fertilizer to the roots of character. The great object of this life is character. This is the only thing we can carry with us to eternity. To gain the most of it and the best of it is the object of probation."

Did you catch that thought? "The great object of this life is character!" It matter's not what else we have done, or what else we have acquired...unless we have also acquired great character.

"Dear Lord, please help Melody to always be thankful for whatever happens to develop her character..." ;-)

Authors Cortland Myers and Austin Phelps from "Streams in the Desert" Dec 2nd & Dec 5th.

Just another day at the hospital...

"Ho hum....just another day at the hospital..." I sang to myself as I walked down the hall to the nursing unit where I would be working. "I wonder what today will be like?"

I stowed my survival gear (lunch and medical reference books) and went to get my assignment for the day. Our unit was packed, and it looked like I would be "team-leading" with a LVN. We had eight patients for starters. Wow! That’s a heavy load, even if you do have a good working partner. However, I was to be working with an LVN that had never worked on our floor before, and had only been at Parkview once before...in the ER. She’d never done team nursing...and had no clue where anything was. She didn’t even have a code to pull meds from the PIXIS. To make matters worse, I had three of the most difficult problem patient’s on the floor. (I suppose every nurse could complain and say that...but...they’ve actually told me that they give me the more difficult patients and families sometimes because they think I can handle it...or at least I’ll be nice about it!) Well, today I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for handling it...and I felt myself close to tears as the night shift began to give the wonderful glorious report of all the trauma that had taken place during the night. "Lord help!" I breathed silently. "I don’t know if I’m up to handling this today! This is just tooooo much!"

About halfway through report, our charge nurse walked in the report room and handed me a slip of paper. "I hate to do this to you Melody, but you’re gonna get the first admit. It’s a 62year old male patient coming in from the ER with Syncope and Cardiac Dysrythmias. He’s had some type of fall and head trauma as well."

That’s just what I needed at that moment, but I tried to smile and took the paper. "Lovely!" I thought. "Will the pile-up never end?" We went on with report as I coached the new LVN what to take note of or be aware of. I felt the weight of the world, or at least of my almost nine patients, heavily upon my shoulders.

After we got our notes and the night nurses had gone home to sleep (where I wished I still was), I began checking charts for new orders and to make sure our medication were correct. I explained to the LVN how team-nursing worked and what she would be responsible for.

About this time our new admission arrived on the floor. So I immediately grabbed a stack of admitting paperwork and went to his room to make my initial assessment. (An action I would soon be very thankful for!) He talked with a lisps and I wondered if he’d been drinking. He was alert, but only partially oriented. He had a laceration on his forehead and swelling under his eye. It looked like he might have been in a fight. Vital signs however, were stable, and all appeared well. I looked him over, listened to his heart and lungs, checked his pulses, checked his pupil response, and scanned for other signs of battle scars. Nothing noticeable. So I finished my paperwork and headed back to the station. Still had to call the doctor for orders for my new guy as well as check the rest of the charts of my initial eight patients. Thankfully, I was able to get a hold of the doctor quickly and jotted down his orders on a piece of scratch paper.

Lights began buzzing as one patient or another (or their impatient family members) called out for this or that. A bedpan, a clean robe, ice water, pain medicine, a newspaper, or a house cleaner to mop the floor. I scurried about trying to organize my team and the tasks at hand and had barely gotten in to see two patients who needed pain meds when my charge nurse called for me. "Melody! Something’s wrong with your new ER patient! You gotta come right now!!" I rushed to the room. He was gasping for breath and his head was back as his eyes stared off into space. His body was rigid and stiff and shaking slightly. But he didn’t seem aware of those of us crowding around. I pulled his dentures out that were threatening to block his air pipe, and we turned up the oxygen. BP was 201/93 and climbing. "Was he like this before?" the charge nurse asked. "No! I was just here. He wasn’t completely oriented, but he was alert and talking to me!" So we yelled at our secretary to call for a "Doctor’s response." Soon the ER response team and doctors were crowding around. They’d taken a CT earlier that had been negative, but obviously something was up. Had he had a seizure, was there more trauma to his head than we’d realized? What was going on? I didn’t know...but I just did my best to answer questions and to follow Doctor’s orders...and before I knew it, we were wheeling his bed down the hall to ICU. I hadn’t even had time to write out all his initial orders! The next 45 minutes I spent finishing my charting, writing transfer orders, and doing the paper work for the "Doctor’s Response." By the time I got back to my floor and to the other poor forsaken eight patients (good thing I had other nurses willing to jump in and help out!), I was really behind. I didn’t finish assessing my final patient until almost 11am.

Ho hum....just another day at the hospital...but certainly not the kind of day I’d been hoping for.

Thankfully, while I still felt like I was behind all day...things did settle down. But the exciting events weren’t over. This time however, it came from one of the Nursing administrators, a lady who has been solidly against my re-hire because of my requests to work every Sunday instead of Saturday. About an hour before end of shift, she came up to the station.

"Hey Melody! What are you doing when your contract finishes?" she asked. "Youth Conference, family holidays...the usual..." I replied. Then she pulled me aside. "We’d like you to consider coming back and doing another contract with us...or maybe even being full time regular staff." she told me. "One of our top GI surgeon’s has requested we recruit you to work with his surgery patients upstairs. What do you think, would you consider it?" I have to admit, I was totally blown off my feet. I mean, I’ve had my challenging times at Parkview, and this day was certainly one of those days...but I’ve also loved it! I’ve had some of the best patient interaction of my entire nursing career...and I love the medical staff...doctor’s and nurses...that I get to work with. I’d love to work there more, but I’d just assumed my time was over. "Well....I’d have to think about it...." I began. "I mean, I love working here, and I like working up on the 3rd floor. (Who wouldn’t? It’s all newly refurbished, patients have private rooms, and the doctors are great...well...for the most part!) "But..." I continued. "I can’t work every other weekend! I don’t mind doing some Saturday’s when it’s an emergency...but not every other one!" (And I explained.) She smiled. "You know, I didn’t realize it was such an important spiritual conviction to you. I think we might be able to work with you after all...come to my office when you have time and we’ll talk more." She smiled again and walked away. Wow! I was even more blown off my feet. Not only was she offering me a great position....but she was now possibly willing to work with me on my Sabbath issues! I had some serious praying and thinking to do...

And so ended day one of my work week...yes, just another day at the hospital, but a learning and exciting one at that. However, I guess God didn't think one day of excitement was enough for my week. ;-)

Day two dawned cold and rainy. I took the time to actually curl my hair....which I only do every few days...and then I realized it was raining! (Something that occurs so rarely here in Southern California that it almost shocks the socks off you when it happens!) "So much for curled hair!" I whined to Valerie as I prepared to leave. Back to the hospital I drove, pleading with God to let me be a "primary nurse" this day, rather than part of a team. (It’s much easier to work with five patients on your own then up to 10 with a teammate...!) Thankfully that prayer was answered...I was on my own. Still had two of the difficult group...but I felt a little more chipper and a little more up to the challenge. However, exciting events of the day were only beginning.

As it continued to rain outside, water slowly began to come through the ceiling and walls in some of the rooms. And thus ensued the mayhem of trying to find dry rooms for patients. It rains so seldom I guess, that they never take time to really fix the leaks...so leaks we had! I saw glimpses of news clips on TV where a homes were getting flooded, and mud slides were occurring. (And here I was in a hospital that was flooding...) I had to laugh as I thought about it, although it wasn’t really funny. (Whatever California gets, it seems to get in excess. First it was wind and fire, now it was wind and rain! "Is God trying to baptize us all with Water and Fire?") If only it were that simple, huh...

The day wore on. We’d get one patient to dryness and safety, only to discover that the new room had a leak too. We moved one patient down the hall to a new room and then the bathroom ceiling almost fell through...so we had to move her back to her old room. (Wont she have a fun story to tell the grand kids?!) We began to joke about playing "musical beds" versus "musical chairs." And so the day went. Our poor charge nurse was about to go nuts. I didn’t blame her. Then they tried to give me a new admission. At the last minute it turned out he wasn’t faring so well, and they sent him directly to ICU. (Guess they’d learned their lesson from the day before with me.) By the time the shift was over, we’d moved 18 patients and closed nine rooms. And I was exhausted...and almost wished I'd been part of a team! At least I was able to relieve a little pain, calm a few fears, and wipe a few damp foreheads. After all, that’s what being a nurse is all about, right?

So...maybe it was just another day at the hospital...but it was also another day of adventure...showing strangers that there’s still people that care in the world, and there’s still people to help you...even when the water begins to rise!

"Thank you Lord for another day at the hospital..."

Reflections on Thanksgiving...

Wow...Thanksgiving has already come and gone...and I'm just now getting around to posting something about it all! (You can tell, I've been pretty busy!!) But I do have a lot to be thankful for, so wanted to take a little time to share.

This year...things were a little different for me at Thanksgiving! For the first time in many years, I was not able to go home and be with my family...and that was kinda hard. However, a big group of us "homeless singles" here in Loma Linda got together to cook and celebrate, and that helped ease the homesickness. ;-) As you can see with the slide show above, we had a wonderful time.

To celebrate, we decided that we wanted to make a REAL (versus a fake, of course) home cooked meal! And as much as possible, we wanted it to be vegan as well. So all the food was made from scratch and without milk and eggs! And I must say...it was one pretty incredible meal! (All our parents would have been proud!) ;-)

The menu?

Jonathan and Val made roast, mashed potatoes, salad and "tangelo juice!" (The salad came from the community garden in Jonathan's back yard that everyone's been helping with! And the juice came from his limes and citrus! It was awesome!) Edwin and I made gravy. Dave made Pecan pies...even the crusts! (These were a real hit!) I made cookies and rolls. (Haven't been in the bread-making habit for a couple years now, so it was really fun to knead the bread for the rolls and watch it rise! And now all of us are hooked on them, so I've made them three more times since Thanksgiving!!) Rick made yams. And Season and Vanessa made pumpkin pies...not just ordinary pumpkin pies either! But the delicious vegan kind...with awesome decorations! (I could take some tips from them!)

The Activities!

After we'd stuffed ourselves royally (Jonathan said we hadn't eaten right if we didn't need to un-button the top button on our pants after lunch), we sat around the table and read verses on "Thanksgiving" from the Bible. I'd had fun collecting and drying maple leaves for the occasion, which I had written everyone's name on, as well as a Bible verse. After we read from the Bible we talked about things we were thankful for. Then we attacked dessert! After that, we cleaned up all the dirty dishes and then went for a walk up in the mountains. It was truly a special memorable day that I will never forget!

But there are some other things that I wont forget from this Thanksgiving season either!

Because of Thanksgiving, the topic of "Thankfulness" has been much on my mind. (Understandably, right?) So for the last few weeks, off and on, I’ve been researching Bible verses on the subject of "Thanksgiving." I knew it would be a blessing...and it was! Of course, I thought I knew what I should be thankful for...but the thought that prompted the whole study was, "What does God want me to be thankful for? What is important in His eyes?" We are told in Heb 13:15 that the fruit of our lips is thankfulness. But what kind of fruit is "thankfulness"?

For starters, something I found again and again was the urgent promptings... "Give thanks to the Lord for His mercy endureth forever!" In fact the phrase "His mercy endureth forever" is listed over 250 times in the Bible alone! (Check out Psalms 136!) Think of it...He’s mercy doesn’t just forgive me today...but for all eternity. Now that’s a "Mercy" that’s pretty important, wouldn’t you say?

Of course, we’re all familiar with the verse from I Thes 5:18

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Yet, sometimes I’m still tempted to ask, "Are you sure that means EVERYTHING God? Does it mean giving thanks that my mother has lived most of her life in pain as she struggled with her health? Does it mean giving thanks that one of my patients died? Does it mean giving thanks for the times of tears and pain? Does it mean giving thanks for prayers that aren't answered in the way I'd hope? Does it mean giving thanks for the fires and trials that I have to watch others endure? Does it mean giving thanks that the Devil seems to be attacking me harder than ever the more time that goes by? Are you sure, it means EVERYTHING God?" And He smiles down at me... "That’s what I said, my child!...In EVERYTHING!!!"

Well, I really already knew all this...but it’s good to be reminded! Of course, God knows how to get specific as well, so I’d like to share a list of things that God wants to make sure we REMEMBER to be thankful for! They go like this:

Things that WE SHOULD BE THANKFUL for!!!

• That we serve the God who made the Heavens! Ps 96:1-6 (Nothing is too small for Him!!)
  
• That we serve a Holy God!! I Chron 16:8-11 (We can be thankful for that because perfect Holiness can do no wrong!)
  
• That He gave us His blood! Matt 26:27-28 (It’s interesting to think about the fact that our blood leaves stains...only Christ blood makes stains (our sins) go away! Now that’s really something to be thankful for!!!)
  
• That He not only heals, but keeps us alive and has delivered our soul from the grave. Ps 30:3,4 (How often do we think about the fact that without God there is no life....spiritually or physically?! Yet, we go on with our daily lives, as self-made men and women, hardly stooping to acknowledge our mighty God and the breath He daily gives!)
  
• That He is our avenger! II Sam 22:48-50,Ps 18:47, Ps 94:1 (We don’t have to fight back when we’ve been wronged, for God is fighting for us!)
  
• That we have Deliverance from darkness, and Victory!! I Cor 15:57, Col 1:12-14 (Do we realize the depths of darkness that we have been rescued from??)
  
• That we can triumph in Christ! II Cor 2:14 (Not only victory but triumph...rejoicing, celebration!)
  
• That we have SOMETHING...even when we don’t have enough. God may multiply the loaves and fishes. Matt 15:36 (Praise Him for what He promises to do in our lives, even if we don’t see the results yet too!)
  
• That He's covenanted to be in a relationship with us forever!! Ps 105:8 (His covenant isn’t for just a few months or years...and doesn't end when "death does us part"! It’s forever!)
  
• Last, but not least, even in the MIDNIGHT of our lives, when life makes absolutely no sense, we are to give thanks to God! Ps 119:62 (As we all know, the blackest hour is just before dawn...and it appears even in that blackest hour...we are to be thankful!)

As my parents always taught me..."Rather than curse the darkness, light candles!" And I think that principle is very evident all through scripture as well! Even when it seems like life couldn’t get darker...God wants us to be thankful! All things that happen may not be good at the time, but He promises, "they all work together for good..." So praise the Lord not only for the sunshine (very important not to take for granted) but also for the midnights!! Yes, I know...that's pretty backward from the world’s way of thinking, but thankfully we serve a God that knows much more than the world.

Pretty incredible, huh?! And of course there is sooooo much more!! I wonder how much closer we would be to God if we truly thanked Him for everything (both good and bad) that He sends our way? How much closer would we be to those we love if we had a "grateful attitude" for all that they do for us...in stead of complaining about what isn't done? Obviously, an attitude of THANKSGIVING should be at all times and in all circumstances...even if, like Paul and Silas, we're locked in a prison in chains. But if we can't "be thankful" now in the little things...what makes us think we'll be able to be thankful when the really big dossers come? (Hmmmm.... something more to ponder!)

Thank the Lord, that His mercy does endure forever...because I've still got lots of thanking to do! ;-)

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." Ps 107:8

*For a few more important things to thank God for...check out my "Sharing Time" for Nov 2007.

Sweet Temptation...

"Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God!" I Cor 10:31

As the title of my last post goes, "Are you hungry?" and now I will add! "Well, pay attention to what you eat, because it DOES matter!!" Literally!!

Most of us have struggled with one aspect of our diet or another over the years...whether it was to give up meat, stop using dairy, or cut back on the chocolate and heavy suppers before bedtime. While meat or chocolate has not been a super big temptation to me, I have to admit that most other sweet stuff has been. I love coming up with new dessert concoctions and cookies, and I can make the bestest real cheesecakes in the whole world...I got the recipe from my mom! When I was a kid, I even use to sneak sugar by the cupfuls from the sugar jar and go eat it in the cornfield where no one would find me! ;-) (Maybe that's why I turned out sooo sweet! Ha ha! ;-) No seriously, that's probably why I've had such a struggle breaking the SUGAR addiction! It's actually amazing I don't have more cavities for all the sugar my poor body has been subjected to over my times of intemperance.)

Praise the Lord, God is gracious, and when we cry out to Him for help, He does give us help. And if we allow Him, He will be master of the things that try to master us!

Diet and nutrition has become a really important issue to me over the last 10 years, and while I still have my struggles from time to time, I really have been seeking with God's power to live as healthfully as possible. As a result, especially when I'm at work, I'm constantly being questioned about my food choices...my lifestyle...and eventually my faith! (Funny how those things fall into line!)

A little while back I was eating something healthy, but strange looking. My co-worker, a fellow nurse, began to question me. "What are you eating? Why would you eat that? So you don't eat meat? Why? What do you believe?"....and so the conversation went as I munched my veggie casserole and he munched his meatloaf. As it turned out, he was of another faith (works oriented) and desired a personal relationship with God, but didn't know how to have that. He opened up a lot to me about his life and struggles with God. We ended up having a Bible study conversation at the nurses station, in between taking care of our patients, all the rest of the afternoon! WOW!!! Later I gave him a Great Controversary and DVD called Final Events. He was excited and said he would check them out! (I continue to pray for him because I know if he's really interested in getting to know God better, this stuff will change his life!) And to think, all of this would not have happened if I hadn't been eating something strange and healthy...

Another time, also at work, I was eating something healthy...but a bit more attractive looking! ;-) "What is that? That looks good? How'd you make it? You mean, it's not with real cheese? No dairy? That's delicious! So have you always been a vegetarian? Have you always cooked without dairy? What kind of religious background are you? What do they believe?" and so the conversation went. It turned out that the inquisitive one had quite the distorted views about what it meant to live and eat healthy, as well as what being a Christian was all about...and we had an awesome conversation over lunch, about food, life and God. It had an impact too, because over the last couple months she has continued to talk to me, confide in me, and question me about lifestyle issues. And all because I was eating something that was healthy and attractive. (See, everything healthy doesn't HAVE to look weird!)

These are just a couple of experiences that have repeated themselves over and over again with my non-Christian friends and fellow co-workers over the last few years. Amazing how a conversation over food can take you soo quickly to deeper issues, isn't it? And no wonder it's sooo important that, like Jesus in the temptations in the wilderness, we also must first conquer in the area of "appetite" before we can truly live and be an effective witness for Him in other areas. Hmmm.....

And so the devil continues to attack us...especially in this area! "Eat this, eat that, don't worry about a little of this or more of that...it's not that big a difference...God doesn't really care...does He?"

I don't share these thoughts and experiences to boast...for I am still a struggler along the path, seeking for daily victory! But I have to smile today, as I see how God desires to work if I will cooperate and let Him.

I was in a rush for work this morning and didn't take time to pack a healthy interesting lunch. "I'll just get something from the cafe at the hospital. If nothing else, they've got the garden-burger I can eat!"

Well, work went well...not too stressful...and I was able to take my lunch break on time. Sure enough, the garden-burger was really the only edible thing on the menu...but then there was the desserts. Seldom do I buy their desserts, but every now and then I succumb to something rich. Today the temptation was cheesecake. (Yes, I confess, I still have a taste for real cheesecake!) I actually took the cheesecake out of the fridge and had it in my hands and headed toward the register, then I stopped. "Wait a second! What am I doing? This isn't healthy! I don't need this!!" I paused a second, then turned and put it back. (Praise God for strength, because the temptation was pretty strong.) Despite not having the cheesecake, the garden-burger, potato strips and my veggies turned out to be excellent.

Later in the afternoon someone came and brought cookies and sweets. As one co-worker offered me a treat and I politely refused, another co-worker spoke up..."Don't you know, Melody doesn't eat that kind of stuff? She eats really healthy! If I could just go live with her, I'd probably loose all my weight and be healthy too! Tell them what you ate for lunch Melody!" (She had no clue, she just knew I ate healthy!) And thus I suddenly had the entire nursing crew in audience as I turned red at my co-workers remarks. So I had to explain what I had eaten. (Praise the Lord, cheesecake wasn't on the menu!!!) And the question's continued about my faith and background. It turned out one lady was wanting to loose weight and go on the "Atkin's Diet" and we ended up having this really cool conversation about lifestyle and basic diet principals. Things she had never heard or thought about before. I could really tell that God was giving me the right words to stay...and the boldness to share things I might not have shared normally. I will continue to pray for my friends and fellow co-workers.

But again, all this would never have happened if I hadn't chosen to eat something healthy today!! So I encourage all my friends and family to pay attention to what you eat...because it really does matter. Both for your own health, and for the health of those watching!! ;-)

Are you Hungry??

Are you hungry? If you are, it’s a good thing! It shows you have a good appetite and your preparing for a wonderful filling. If you’re not, well...either you’ve just had dinner, you’ve been over indulging or something’s not working right.

Physical hunger is a natural part of who we are...and it is the gauge that reminds us to "keep eating" so that we will stay alive. But what about your Spiritual Hunger? Is that gauge working properly, or does it need to be taken to the doctor for an exam?

As I’ve been thinking about the meaning of "Thanksgiving" and "Food" (which enevitably go together as we prepare for the Holiday that is just around the corner), I decided to do a Bible word study on the topics of "Hunger, Being filled, and Thankfulness." And, as to be expected, what a rich treasure trove I discovered!

Often in my walk with God, while I am very fulfilled and satisfied, when I stop to think about it, I realize I’m still always HUNGRY!! Hungry for more time with Him, more time in His word, more of His truth. To be honest, I’ve not always seen that as a positive feeling. What’s wrong with me? Is it that I’m not taking enough time for Him, not spending enough time memorizing and studying, not taking enough time for prayer? While I admit that these things are constant struggles for me (after all, the devil is working overtime to make sure we don’t get any more time with God than he can possibly help), as I studied, I realized with joyfulness in a new way, that the feelings of hunger and need that I often feel are good! They show that my spiritual digestive tract is functioning properly, and that I still have room to be filled. If there’s no room, there’s no filling!

As we are told in Matthew five, "Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled." Those that have stuffed themselves with the rich delicacies of the world though, aren’t going to fare so well when it comes to God’s kingdom. In fact, God will actually send them away empty. "He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away." Luke 1:53 Can you imagine standing before God’s throne and being turned away empty? I imagine (with horror, I might add) God saying softly with tears in His eyes, "I’m sorry my child...you haven’t left room in your life for me...you are already full with the cheap treasures of the world ...there’s nothing I can give you!"

Thankfully, as long as we keep seeking and searching and hungering for Him...those words will never be spoken to us. We are encouraged to "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." Ps 34:8. "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." Ps 107:9 "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want [lack] any good thing." Ps 34:10

We don’t have to have spiritual currency [good works or a perfect life] to exchange for this living food. We couldn’t afford it even if we did have the currency! Our greatest argument in favor of receiving God’s eternal food is because we are HUNGRY and we HAVE NEED to be fed! "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Isa 55:1 God longs to fill us! He longs to pour out spiritual blessing and plenty upon us...but He can’t do it if we have no room.

As the verse goes on to lament, "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not?" You can hear Him with tears in His voice again... "My child, my child...why do you waste your time on that which will not keep you alive? Why do you waste your time on the superficial things of life that do not truly satisfy? When I own the spiritual gold on a thousand hills, and I long to make you rich with eternal treasures...why do you waste your time on things that will only make YOU fade away? Do you think I do not have enough to take care of your hunger and needs? Do you think I don’t know that of which I speak? If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Ps 50:12 My child, let go of the food of the world...while it may look good on the outside, it will only bring you sickness and disease. Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." Isa 55:1,2 Notice - God doesn’t promise that your body will be fat, He promises that your soul will be fat! Now that’s the fat I’d really like to be! ;-)

So, as I learned in a fresh way today...Hunger is a good thing...as long as it keeps drawing me to feed more and more upon the bread of life. In fact, as long as we live in this world, we are going to continue to hunger. However, I’m encouraged to learn that one day...we wont hunger anymore. Why? Because we will live with the bread of life! How incredible is that? "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Rev 7:16,17

Just think...Not a Thanksgiving only one day out of the year...but a Thanksgiving every day...for the rest of our lives! "And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence and happiness increase..." Great Controversary pg 678

I imagine I could also safely add..."So will our spiritual stomachs also increase." While we will no longer feel lack or hunger, there will always be room for more!!!

Now that's a true reason for THANKSGIVING!!!

The Fearsome Foursome of Loma Linda Dr.

Wow...another week is over! It seems like they just keep zipping by faster and faster, and I can't keep track of time. And next week is Thanksgiving?? This feels so weird, especially since I wont be flying home to be with family this year. :-( But I have a lot to be thankful for here, so I shouldn't complain.

Got my schedule for my last 6 weeks at Parkview, and believe it or not, they not only gave me every Saturday off...they also gave me every Sunday off! I'm off every weekend!! What an incredible blessing!! Although I only have 5 weeks left to work now, (Today I just finished the first out of six) I am really beginning to count down the days until I'll be done and can take a breather. I'm also really looking forward to GYC and holidays with my family back home in the country and hopefully snow! (In California, you hardly ever notice a change in seasons...it's still warm and balmy!)

Has been such a fun joyful adventure to share my home with three other wonderful housemates and friends, and I realized the other day that probably many of my friends don't know my roommates. So I thought I'd share a bit more briefly about them here.

Sunny - of course, everyone should know my sweet little oriental sister Sunny. She and I share the same family in Oklahoma, as well as lots of other things, and she was an inspiration in my becoming a nurse, moving to CA (I never would have come to Loma Linda if she hadn't already been here!!), and in growing closer in my walk with God. When I first came out here, she shared her room and space with me...now I'm grateful to have her sharing my home. She works with the Loma Linda University hospital as a Nurse and is involved in ministry and leadership in our youth group. I'm dread the day that she will move on. (But I'll be happy for her too!)

Susy - is my Indian friend and was actually my first housemate here. She is a Bible Worker as well as a Registered Nurse. She is currently doing "Hospice Nursing" and I think it fits her very well as she has such a kind caring compassionate heart. When Susy is home we don't see her a lot, for she is always up in her room reading and studying her Bible.

Valerie - the newest addition to our household, is one of my best friends from childhood days in Arkansas. It's been our dream to live and work together for awhile. Valerie is currently working in the Loma Linda ER as a Registered Nurse and is enjoying making many new friends here in the area. It's been such a blessing to have her around as we share so many similar interest and dreams!

Then there's me....and everyone knows me, so that's our fearsome foursome!!! I just love living with a house of girls! And to be with a group that sincerely love God and are seeking His will in their lives is such a daily inspiration and blessing. Also gives me a taste of what Heaven may be like as we share and live and laugh and love together! So, as I come to the end of another busy, hectic, harried and stressful week....I just want to say, "Thank you Lord for not only great friends, but for three great housemates!!" God is good!!!

Bible times Sanctuary comes to town...

This past week, the life-size model of the Mosiac Sanctuary (otherwise known as "Messiah's Mansion") came to Ventura CA, about 2 hours away from Loma Linda. Since my Mom and Dad Holland were part of the tour team, I was extra motivated to go see them, as well as taking a bunch of our friends from Advent Hope up on Sabbath. As you can see by the pictures, it was a real blessing!

It was also good to have some time with just Mom and Dad and Sunny and Tim and I. We went out to eat, talked, and had fun trying on Mom's new glasses and taking pictures. The sanctuary will be out here for another week, so I'm still promoting it to everyone. However, Mom had to fly back to OKC today, so she's gone now. I took her to the airport this morning! I would have really cried hard, except I know it will only be a month before we'll all be together again for the Holidays. Although brief, our time together was such a blessing!

Back together...are Sunny and Tim!

"Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it..." Ps 127:1

What does it mean, "Except the Lord build the house?" I mean, I know He is much more of a skilled carpenter than I, and He has the master blue-print needed to frame the structure, but surely that doesn't mean that I can't put my skill and talents to work as well, does it? I can hammer a little here and help out a little there...and I should be able to direct the final details and organize the finishing touches, shouldn't I? After all, I know what it is I want to build. I know what I want the final product to look like. He didn't give me a head for nothing!

But is that what the verse says..."Except the Lord build the house, and except you help him out with all the details...your work will be in vain!" No, it doesn't say that! It seems to be strictly a work of the Lord...and unless we allow the Lord to do that work...it will all be in vain!!

Yes, often God works in ways we cannot understand and through avenues that we cannot see, but He knows what He is doing! We must trust Him...and do so, by keeping our hands out of the mix. As one simple but powerful quote says,

"Faith is trusting God, believing that He loves us and knows what is best for our good." Ed. pg 253

And as another says:

"In the future life the mysteries that have annoyed and disappointed us will be made plain. We shall see that our seemingly unanswered prayers and disappointed hopes have been among our greatest blessings." Ministry of Healing pg 474

There's been a puzzle in my life and in the lives of some of those I love, for a couple years now. And there have been lots of questions. At times it's been difficult to trust God and the workings I do not seem to see.

This puzzle involves the area of romantic relationships...and specifically that of my sister Sunny and her courtship with Tim, which took place over almost a year before they felt that God was leading them to separate. (That was back in 2005.) As I cried out to God about my own heartbreaks I did not understand, I also cried out to Him about Tim and Sunny. "How could you allow two godly people that were sincerely seeking to honour you and follow your will, fall in love and believe that you were leading them together, only to latter believe that you were leading them to let go and step a part. What exactly are you up to God??" It just didn't make sense to me!!

Yet, even though I could not see, (and even they did not know what God had in mind for them through the experience), God did have a purpose and a plan. He had some special roads they needed to walk and some precious lessons they needed to learn. And as a result of their faith and trust, He has worked a miracle once again! Now, after two years of separation with no hope on either part that they would ever be back together, God has made it very clear that He is leading them together again!

No, the story isn't finished...God still has many details to write...but knowing that He is the one building the house...and perfecting the work in their lives, gives Sunny and Tim confidence that whatever the future holds will be wonderful! And it gives me hope and courage in my own life too! Although "my house" doesn't always seem to be coming neatly together, I realize that it's God's work to complete, not mine. And when I keep my hands out of things and give Him time, the grand picture will eventually begin to take shape as God fits the puzzle pieces perfectly together.

So, while I'm really happy about what's happening in Sunny and Tim's life, I'm also excited and encouraged about what God is doing in mine. He's teaching me to have a faith and trust like never before...and though I do not know what lies ahead (a few more years in the over-crowded populace of Southern CA...or moving to my dream hut with some far away remote jungle tribe, more years alone learning to be content as a single...or happily married to a special Mr. Wonderful I have yet to meet, having my own children...or adopting those that have no parents, working with a Television ministry that seeks to reach the four corners of the world...or working alone where no one sees...) I know that my God will only give me what is for my best! Why? Because...He is perfect...and His way is perfect...even when that way sometimes includes loss and pain...

"As for God, His way is Perfect..." Ps 18:30

*I write this TODAY in honor of Sunny and Tim as they celebrate their 1 month anniversary back together! I'm sooo thankful for both of them and for the blessing and encouragement they are in my life!

Is Hollywood Paradise in Jeopardy??

"For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: But strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matt 7:13-14

Considering the signs of the times, there's a fascinating story I have to share. I'm not the author, but it goes like this:

"A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.

As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. Fran, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play 'big brother' and develop the art of teasing. My parents were complementary instructors-- Mom taught me to love the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spell-bound for hours each evening.

If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched.

He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. My brother and I were deeply impressed by John Wayne in particular.

The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn't seem to mind-but sometimes Mom would quietly get up-- while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places-- go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.

You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house-- not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, often used four letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in his home - not even for cooking. But the stranger felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often.

He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (too much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger.

As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave.

More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family on Morningside Drive. He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parents' den today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name? We always just called him TV."

Quite a convicting story, wouldn't you say?! But is it convicting enough? The same website that I found this story at, I also found the following excerpts which I will share here verbatim.

The American Family Association reported that the top four networks aired, on average, 45.58 incidents of sex, violence and profanity each hour during prime-time viewing ...

This broke down to 8.5 incidents of violence each hour, 14.15 of sex and 22.93 of profanity. A total of 91 percent of all sex was depicted outside marriage.

Projected over a period of one year, the networks air 14,313 sex incidents, 8,333 violence incidents, and 23,556 profanity incidents during prime-time .... [This is all from a statistical base from 1995 - over 10 years ago! Imagine what it is now?!! - Mel inserts]

We are naturally desirous of spending time with the thing, animate or inanimate, we love the most. Honestly ask yourself then, do you spend more time with the God of Heaven or the TV? [And now days, that could also be the computer! - Mel inserts]

How could we, as professing Christians, waste the free hours the Lord God has graciously given us to serve Him by spending countless hours with the filth of the world coming from the television? "Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Cor. 15:33). Is there any worse company than the junk of Hollywood?" (Excerpts from an article by Dan and Cheryl Corner)

Serious questions we all should think about!! I am sooooo thankful that for a large part of my childhood my parents did not even allow a TV in our home. However, I don't say this to boast, for later on we did get a TV...and although programs were scrutinized and filtered carefully, as I grew older, I went through a period of time where movies and what I saw on TV largely affected my life and thinking. And whatever lines my parents drew....well, I took those lines much further, as is usually the case. (If parents compromise at all...children always take the compromise further...which has made me vow that I will NEVER have a TV in my own home!!!) How much time I've wasted!! (Thankfully they've realized this as well now, and TV/movies/videos are no longer a controlling influence in our home or to any of us kids!)

Anyway, if no one is up on the news, the inspiration for this post is by the news on Television - which I've conveniently been watching at work - ha ha! Hollywood script writers are on strike!!! Imagine what a different moral atmosphere our nation would have if these writers went on strike FOREVER...!!! I know the devil has a lot more on his agenda then to give up this fight, but none the less...we can always pray for destruction to the enemies kingdom, right?! And I believe the capital of that kingdom is largely located in Hollywood!! (About an hours drive away from where I currently sit blogging! How ironic huh, considering my great love for Hollywood (not) as well as for the ministry I am currently very involved in!!) ;-)

Anyway, oh my....what interesting times we live in!!! ;-) For more fascinating food for thought...check out the three eye-opening poems below!

The Devil's Vision

The devil once said to his demons below,
"Our work is progressing entirely too slow.
The holiness people stand in our way
Since they do not believe in the show or the play.
They teach that the carnival, circus and dance,
The tavern and honky-tonk with game of chance,
Drinking and smoking, these things are all wrong;
The Christians don't mess with the ungodly throng.
They are quick to condemn everything that we do
To cause unbelievers to be not a few.
They claim that these things are all of the devil;
That Christian folks live on a much higher level.
Now fellows, their theology, while perfectly true
Is blocking the work we are trying to do.
We will have to get busy and figure a plan
That will change their standards as fast as we can.
Now I have a vision of just what we can do.
Harken, I'll tell this deception to you.
Then find ye a wise, but degenerate man
Whom I can use to help work out this plan.
There's nothing so real as the things that you see;
The eyes and the mind and the heart will agree.
So what can be better than an object to view?
I say, it will work and convince quite a few.
The home is the place for this sinful device;
The people deceived will think it quite nice.
The world will possess it, most Christians can't tell
That it is all of the devil and plotted in hell!
We'll sell them with pictures of the latest news;
While they're still looking, we'll advertise booze.
At first it will shock them; they'll seem in a daze;
But soon they'll be hardened and continue to gaze.
We'll give them some gospel that isn't too strong,
And a few sacred songs to string them along.
They'll take in the ads, with the latest of fashions,
Soon watching the shows that will stir evil passions.
Murder and love-making scenes they'll behold
Until their souls will be utterly cold.
The old family altar which once held such charm
Will soon lose its place without much alarm.
Praying in secret will also be lost
As they look at the screen, not counting the cost.
Compromise preachers, who don't take their stand
Will embrace this new vision and think it is grand.
They'll help fool the people and cause them to sin
By seeking this evil and taking it in.
Influence is great and this you can see;
Just look at my fall and you'll have to agree.
It won't take too long, my demons, to tell
That the vision of Satan will populate Hell!
Divorce will increase, sex crimes will abound;
Much innocent blood will be spilled on the ground.
The home will be damned in short order I say
When this vision of mine comes in to stay.
Get busy, my cohorts, and put this thing out;
We'll see if the church can continue to shout.
The holiness people who stand in our way
Will soon hush their crying against show and play.
We'll cover the earth with this devil vision.
Then we'll camouflage it with the name television.
The people will think they are getting a treat
Till the Antichrist comes and takes over his seat.
He'll rule the world while the viewers behold
The face of the beast, to whom they were sold.
We'll win through deception, this cannot fail;
Though some holiness preachers against it will rail."
-- Author Unknown


The 23rd Channel

The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want.
It makes me lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the faith.
It destroys my soul.
It leads me in the path of sex and violence for the sponsor's sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibilities,
There will be no interruption, for the TV is with me.
Its cable and remote control, they comfort me.
It prepares a commercial for me in the presence of my worldliness.
It anoints my head with humanism and consumerism.
My coveting runneth over.
Surely, laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever.
-- Author Unknown

The Holy Bible and the TV Guide

On the table side by side:
The Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
One's well worn but cherished with pride
(Not the Bible, but the TV Guide).
One's used daily to help folk decide,
Not the Bible, it's the TV Guide.
As pages are turned, what will they see?
Oh, what does it matter, turn on the TV.
Then confusion reigns, they can't all agree
On what they will watch on the old TV.
So they open the book in which they confide
(Not the Bible, it's the TV Guide).
The Word of God is seldom read --
Maybe a verse e'er they fall into bed,
Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be
(Not from reading the Bible: from watching TV).
So then back to the table, side by side,
Are the Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
No time for prayer, no time for the Word.
The way of salvation is seldom heard.
Abiding in Christ so full and free
Is found in the Bible, not on TV.
-- Anonymous

Selected from a fascinating collection of thoughts on the damaging effects of Television! Obviously Hollywood wont be hiring me to do their Promotionals! ;-)