A Personal Conflict that Birth A Blessing.

Hello Bloggerville USA!! A Shot out to all my blog kids especially. It's been a minuet since I have been on here to address anything that is on my mind. I threatened to vent a few things a few weeks ago but didn't show up.

I hope all is well and 2011 has proven to be a blessed year so far. Being happy, healthy and wise. I have had trouble with all three. I've been sightly depressed, been in the hospital and handled an issue I knew was the correct way to handle it, but my pride stepped in the way and it's still hindering progress by back tracking and start over but differently than the last time.

My new year's resolution has been the same one every year. To become closer and spend quality time with my family members. I need to do better with my parents and brother. It's not working out all that well. Around April/May of last year I was offended by someone after I thought I was defussing a situation but instead was viciously attacked which was very painful for me. It had been over 10 years since I displayed such an outward appearance of being in that much pain.

After I came up for air I took inventory on some hard facts. I realized that I had been using far to much energy going through the motions of "liking" some folks that are positioned real close to my inner circle. An incident around April 2010 forced me to admit, that I didn't REALLY "like" them at all. Not even a little bit. The main thing that upset me about the conclusion was, after the truth was discovered and the light bulb came on, I felt guilty about it. Another thing about it was I had given of myself, material things, time, and a LOT of energy for absolutely no benefits in return. The kind of benefits that money can't buy. Instead I'm used, disregarded, and taken for granted, ignored (unless there is a need I can provide). When folks get that kind of busy, you are WAY to busy. I love everyone as we are commanded to. I will never raise my hand to hurt my brother or sister. I will continue to pray for them and love them in the Lord. But Like?? NO.

The blessing I've received is gaining a loving, giving inner circle of Godly women that I have grown to love overwhelmingly so. We are discrete, good listeners. and share God in all we do. I look forward to hearing from them, about their projects, families, jobs, shopping bargains and just having a chat sitting in my family room here at my home or at the ice cream parlor. God is SO faithful. He gives you what you need when you need it and I'm grateful. Although I don't have a biological daughter God gave me one far better. She's the only family member other than my husband I "selected" myself. Not a relationship that was born to me as a family member, or brought to me by marriage. I Picked this one. Not because of what she brings to me, although it is emotionally healing for me, but because I can shower love upon her and her appreciation for the little things makes my heart sing and it takes my breath away. Thank you God!

I am resigned to do what I heard a senior, seasoned and wise preacher preached in our revival we had one year in the late 80's " Dr Robert L Sanders of Fort Worth, Texas says to "Invest in those, who invest in you" I am being about doing just that.

We DO reap what we sow. The good and the bad. Some of my harvest has been disappointing. Not all was lost. Keep me in your prayers! Love yall

Hope to hear from you all soon. Love to you all!

A Southern Woman with Issues who Can't do HELL!!

It's been a while since I have blogged. I hope and pray that my Blog Family are all doing well. By what I have seen by viewing the dates of you all's last entry, it's been a while for you as well. I'm glad to be here to address you by giving my hellos and best wishes for your birthdays, graduations, and every high point of your lives. Then again, if there has been tragedies, I pray that it has proven to be a blessing in the midst thereof. I will always remember a Sunday school lesson of my youth, "God speaks through Tragedies" I couldn't understand it's truest lesson within until I experienced it for myself. I found that God is faithful to never leave us alone and that He knows how much we can bear.

The 2010 summer months have proven to be my hardest summer to bear in many years. I have reached the age of having hormonal issues which brings about vicious HOT Flashes. That coupled with our South Texas temperatures, I have been simply miserable. LITERALLY!! I cannot hardly wait for my favorite season of the year....FALL.

Here's the thing to make you REALLY feel sorry for me. On top of all of the above, our home air conditioning system has been completely down for two weeks. I'm grateful that the cost of replacement is covered by our insurance....GREAT!! But, we keep getting the run around as to why they are dragging their feet getting our new system installed. Our patience is wearing thin. You can imagine how a hormonal woman can be in this heat. Patience?? Not Much Left!!

We did use a little wisdom by purchasing a small unit for our bedroom. It is a wonderful refuge. You can only last so long in this kind of heat in the rest of the house tending to immediate needs. We have been able to sleep well. One good thing about all of this, we haven't spent this much time together in one spot in a long time.

I would hear folks say all the time during the summer, "this kind of heat reminds me of where I DON'T want to go when I die" and I would cordially agree. FOR REAL.....This summer I found out for SURE, that with this heat....I CAN'T DO HELL!!!!

Yall pray for this Southern Woman with issues, Lol!

Love you

"Where is THAT in the Bible"???

Well, its certainly been a long time since I put in my two cents worth about ANYTHING on the blog. I hope and pray everyone is doing fine and had a wonderfully blessed holiday season. We had a great time celebrating the reason for the season and the relationship of family time together.

I am somewhat excited about something. I came across a book that is entitled by the same words I would quote when trying to verify or validate any subject that may have to have some biblical reference..."Where is it found in the Bible"? Lol. I can't remember every discussion that I have had over the years and the specifics, but I do remember on several occasions falling into a debate about homosexuality, women preachers, abortion, head of houshold and woman not having dominion over a man, why did women have to cover their heads in the temple, why Priest don't marry, etc. It's funny because I found this interesting material in a Dollar General store. All 578 pages that Ken Anderson researched and compiled is filled with over 3,700 contemporary topics and what the bible says about it. From A to Z, from "abuse & academics" to "zodiac & zoology it's in this book. Right smack in the middle is "manipulate, manpower and marching". WHERE IS THAT IN THE BIBLE????

I thought it interesting, (since I am the wife of a clergyman) the topics that was listed under the subject of Elder/clergy. Which by the way had 10 times more scripture references than that of Salvation and Jesus Christ put together. To stimulate your curiousity further, I will list some of the topics below and the scripture references. Maybe one will capture your attention.

• Born of clergy stock, Exodus 2:1-2 (AB)



• Seven-day ordination, Exodus 29:35



• No marriage to divorcees, prostitutes, Leviticus 21:7



• Holiness by occupation, Leviticus 21:8



• High quaility lives for clergymen, Leviticus 21:17-23



• Speaking by divine authority, Leviticus 23:1-2, 9-10, 23-24



• Military exemption, Numbers 1:47-49



• Wishing all could be prophets, Numbers 11:29



• Stoning leaders, Numbers 14:1-11



• Responsibility for sin, Numbers 18:1 (Berk)



• Priests owned no property, Numbers 18:20



• Speaking what the Lord commands, Numbers 23:11-12



• Concerned pastor's compassionate prayer, Deuteronomy 9:25-29



• Clergy twofold responsibility, Deuteronomy 10:8-9



• Clergy decision not court of law, Deuteronomy 17:8-9



• New clergy's earnestness, Deuteronomy 18:6-7



• Detecting false prophet, Deuteronomy 18:21-22



• People without spiritual guidance, Judges 2:18-19



• Unique calling, circumstances, Judges 17:7-13



• Hired priest, Judges 18:4 (see 5-26)



• Priest who worshiped idols, Judges 18:30-31



• Evil sons as priests, I Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25



• Layman posing as prophet, I Samuel 13:8-14



• Lost influence, I Samuel 15:11



• Refusal to turn against clergy, I Samuel 22:16-17



• Unqualified for priesthood, I Kings 12:31



• Anyone could be priest, I Kings 13:33



• Prophet named troublemaker, I Kings 18:16-18



• Priest's role in government, 2 Kings 12:1-2 (GNB)



• Priest consulted prophetess, 2 Kings 22:14



• Trustworthy Priest, 2 Chronicles 35:2



• Priest in short supply, 2 Chronicles 29:34



• Mocking preacher, 2 Chronicles 36:16



• Clergy wives, Ezra 9:1-2



• Priest married to unbelievers, Ezra 10:18-44



• Clergy, manual labor, Nehemiah 3:1-2



• Priest support themselves, Nehemiah 13:10-11



• Priest's office defiled, Nehemiah 13:29



• Shepherd angry at sheep, Psalm 74:1



• People request pleasant sermons, Isaiah 30:10



• Touch no unclean thing, Isaiah 52:11



• Priest rule by their own authority, Jeremiah 5:31



• Depraved clergy, Jeremiah 8:10



• Strong preaching ridiculed, Jeremiah 17:15 (LB)



• Courage to minister under any circumstances, Ezekiel 2:6-7



• Women preachers, Ezekiel 13:17 (CEV)



• Priest two functions, Ezekiel 40:44-46



• Priest commit shameful crimes, Hosea 6:9



• Degraded clergy, Hosea 9:7



• People without shepherd, Matthew 9:36



• Successful preaching, Acts 14:21

There are more than 100 more topics listed under Elder/Clergy. I hope I did not bore you with my facination of this little book. If there is a subject that you wonder if it is listed among these, please comment. I look forward to hearing from you about my literature find.

Note: The Meaning within ( ? )

Amplified Bible (AB), Berkeley Version (BERK), Good News Bible (GNB), Living Bible (LB), Contemporary English Version (CEV).

Until next time, Be Blessed.

vlp

"Happy Birthday Kraig"

Reverend Kraig Lowell Pullam

On August 13th, 31 years ago on a Sunday night around 11:20 p.m. I was placed in a wheelchair and taken to the labor unit at Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas. I was accompanied by my husband William and my mother-in-law, Arlena. My husband had just started a brand new job with the IBM Corporation, so I sent him home to go back to sleep, so he could go in to work the next day THEN come to the hospital to be with me. This left me alone with my mother-in-law sitting quietly in a dimly lite room. I was in terrific pain. My Mother-in-law couldn't stand to watch. After about an hour, she went to sit in the waiting room. This left my baby and I all alone trying to get the job done. In the 70's you wouldn't know what gender your baby would be until after the birth of the child. Unless the doctor order a test for a particular reason or for high risk issues, you would remain in suspense, hoping and wishing for your preference. I would lay there between each contraction rubbing my belly, talking gently to my anticipated little girl. We already had two sons, and my husband (having had no sisters) desperately wanted a baby girl. All through the pregnancy, I hoped for a girl for his sake.

Off and on during my first two hours there, my nurse would come in to do a physical examination. Being that I was an employee of this same facility, I knew that this wasn't normal procedure at this stage in labor. I became alarmed and started asking pertinent questions. After the staff finally came to the conclusion they couldn't put one over on "one of their own", they decided to tell me their's and my doctor's concern. Being that my baby girl was two weeks early, she had not yet turned completely, and settled into the birth canal. They were trying to assess whether to take me to surgery to do a C section and/or halt my contractions. Before that determination, I asked to have a little more time because I didn't want to have a C section. After turning me on my right side for 45 minuets, the next exam resulted in my baby being in the right position, but it would take time, pain and a lot of pushing to settle her down far enough to be born naturally.

Three hours after that, around 6:30 a.m. My baby's father walked into the room and I was SO glad to see him. He had called his Supervisor and told him, his wife was in labor and wouldn't be in. My Mother-in-law wasn't seen again after she left the room earlier, and had returned home once William had arrived. Shortly after his arrival it was time to PUSH. My back was hurting and seems like every place else was out of joint. I got angry when my husband wasn't saying anything to help me. When he did say something, it was the WRONG thing, so I wanted him to shut up. After telling him hundreds of times that this was all his fault, and a few other kind words, it was time to wheel me into the delivery room. For some reason during that time, this particular hospital would not allow the father to join in the delivery room. So, he kissed my forehead and said he loved me, and walked down to the father's waiting area.

Before they knocked me out under general anesthesia, I was again upset when a doctor came in all dressed in OR attire and I found out that he wasn't MY doctor. It was another doctor taking the calls of my doctor while he was out of town for the weekend. It was a physician I was use to working with all the time, but for some reason didn't get along with very well. I was in smothering pain, so I didn't take much time to care about that. GIVE ME DRUGS PLEASE! NOW!!! Then on to some serious pushing....

As I was coming out of my deep sleep, I heard the sweet voice of my little baby girl, crying at the top of her voice. Then I heard voices of the doctor and attending nurse telling me to open my eyes, take deep breathes, and that I had a big, beautiful, healthy, baby........... B-O-Y !!!... What?... Again? I felt a mega second disappointment (mostly for my husband), glanced to my left where my precious baby was placed, and instantaneously fell in DEEP unspeakable

L-O-V-E !

Kraig Lowell Pullam was born Monday, August 14, 1978 at 7:40 a.m. After 10 hours of labor. Weighing 6lbs. 14oz. and 21in. in length. He was a breast feed baby for 10 months. From the begining he loved kisses from his mommy. I had a visit from an Angel regarding him at age 4 days old (another story).

I love you Kraig. I have not once regreted that you where not a girl. You have been a joy to my heart all your life. You were an easy child to raise. You have never been any trouble to us. I consider you as one of three of my greatest accomplishments in this life. Although, you have done most of the work becoming who you are today. I am grateful to God and feel privileged to have played a major part in bringing forth, nurturing, and raising one of His chosen men of God. I PRAY to God for you daily. Have a wonderful and happy birthday.

I love you very much,
With my Whole Heart!

Momma


I LOVE THIS STORY!!!!

p.s. Today is also the one year anniversary of my entrance into Blogging.

Used -vs- Loved

I came across this little story and I was holding on to it so I could post on Father's Day. I was ill on that day, and didn't feel much like doing anything but staying in bed and taking my medication. So, it is a wee bit late for the holiday but it's appropriate anytime. Something to think about.

To whom it may concern.....

Used -vs- Loved

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines in the side of the car. in anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times, not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father.....with painful eyes he asked, "Dad when will my fingers grow back?"

The man was so hurt and speechless, he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times. Devastated by his own actions.....sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches the child had written....

"I LOVE YOU DAD"

The next day that man committed suicide....Anger and love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life...

Things are to be used and people are to be loved. But the problem in today's world is that, People are used and things are loved.

Be Watchful

Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions,

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits they become character,

Watch your character it becomes your destiny.

Stay Faithful and Be Grateful.

Happy Birthday!! William/Pops/Bebop/Melvin

As a young girl and for as long as I can remember my ambition was to become a wife, a mother and a Nurse. I thank God that I have accomplished all three.

My dreams of being a wife brought about pre-conceived notions and expectations. In my little girl mind, the relationship was always going to be exclusively mine and his. We would love each other deeply and forever, have perfect children (two boys and a girl) Have fabulous vacations and picnics, build a huge home where everybody would have their own space. We would send our children to the best colleges and they each would become doctors and lawyers in addition to playing an instrument in the church. Ultimately becoming grandparents to six perfect grandchildren that we could afford to spoil all the time.

In all of my little girl dreams, I would accomplish a perfect marriage, children and grandchildren. I would become an awesome nurse. I never once intertained the thought of "growing old" I just could never visualized ii in my mind. A husband over the age of 25 was really getting old.

On to my Reality:

I did get married, I did have children, and, I became a nurse. But, We also aged. Who knew? Today I have become the wife of a Sixty year old man. Didn't ever think we would get THAT old. Use to think aging was awefully bad. I have come to know it is such a blessing to see our lives mature and live these many life's experiences together. We can truly say We're not getting older, we're getting BETTER. I love every gray hair on his head, the lines across his forehead, and when his knee acts up. It all tell the story of a man of wisdom that has provided through hard work. I am blessed to have watched the transformation as I transformed along side of him.

Today is the 60th Birthday of my Husband and Pastor, Dr. William Lanier Pullam. I have been with him for 41 of those years and seen him go from one stage in life to another. He did it with dignity and great integrity through the good and the bad. I am so proud to be his wife. I wish him many more wonderful years, to live life to it's fullest and in the will of our Father and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for your love and devotion and being my best friend and most precious gift from God. Thank you for teaching me many things along our journey togther.

I love you Melvin.

Happy Birthday !!

Anita

Sleeping on the Job??

"Sleeping
on
the
Job"






Hello My Blog Family,

Thought I would drop in and let you all hear from me. I am well and blessed. I have really been busy lately and very shackled to my new vice...."facebook" A great communication's tool and a wonderful way to renew friendships, find new ones, and learn many exciting things. I thank God for a whole new network of friends and new discovered family members.

Today was a great day. I slept in because of a wonderful and streneous Mother's Day weekend in Houston, Texas, with parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, in-laws, and the Cornerstone Baptist Church family in which my son, Rev. Kraig Lowell Pullam is Pastor. After waking up and going through my morning rituals, I finally got around to replying to 20 Mother's Day text I received the day before. I returned a phone call to my Nephew, Mark Pullam in Denton Texas, then I spoke briefly with my brother, Rev. Monty Francis, in Dallas Texas. My husband invited me to see an afternoon movie, " The Soloist" starring Jamie Foxx. I ate a small lunch, and then we were off to the 4:00 p.m. matinee.

As we conversated along the way, we came upon an elementary school that had been let out about 45 minuets earlier (3:00). A school crossing guard is required to stay on duty until, withheld elementary students are released, and the nearby middle school is released for the day (at 4:00), so that those children can also safely cross the street of a busy intersection. My husband noticed the crossing guard first, and alerted me to look to my left to see her sitting in a folding chair, under a shade tree, on the corner of the intersection, by the school. Oh my God! She was fast asleep. She wasn't looking out for any children or the traffic. My husband chuckled at the fact, that he could visualize a child tapping her on the shoulder to wake her and say...."excuse me, can you help me cross the street please?" LOL. She was sleeping on the job. A very important job, that if it is not properly done, can prove to be very fatal.

After we left the movie, we ate at one of our favorite dinner places, Cracker Barrel restaurant. We have several favorite servers that we like. Today we had our 1st choice waiter, Mr. Nathaniel Stewart, who is the son of a preacher. He always share a problem, situation, or ask a question of a spiritual nature, or about raising kids or how to invest, etc. Today, he had a story about a testimony of a Muslim who turned Christian. He told of the resentment of this Muslim's father and a plot to kill him for disgracing the family. One day the Muslim's father ridculed him and gave him an ultimatum to either return to his Muslim religion or drink a poisonous mixture from a cup. He again refused the Muslim faith, then raised the cup high and said to the Lord..."for you I drink this cup". Nathaniel continued to tell us (with other customers waiting) that after drinking the poison, he was ordered to lie down and await his death. The Muslim testified that his body rejected the poison by regurgitation and did NOT die. He was then ordered to leave his home, and as he did, a servant was ordered by the Muslim turned Christian's father, to poison his son as he walked down the path by bow and arrow. With great pain, the Muslim continues his journey. Before the slow acting poison could kill him, natives found him and nursed him back to health, and he is a Christian Missionary today.

The entire time Nathaniel was telling this story, my mind could only think about how just a couple of hours before, we saw an employee sleeping on the job. Now, here is another employee, not only doing the job in which he was hired, but sharing a story of a real testimony of encouragement, to be steadfast and unmovable on our Christian journey.

I wonder if we are just doing what HAS to be done as Christians, or are we striving to go a little over the top for Kingdom building? God forbid that ANY of us, who claim to be a child of the King, is "sleeping on the job"!! Not only will it prove to be dangerous....but fatal.

Therefore, my beloved brethren,

be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

I Corinthians 15:58

Our Server
Mr. Nathaniel Stewart

Not sleeping.
Going beyond the call of duty.

Be Blessed!!