“Heading Home” Part 8

Well, I really do not want to tell Cali that her trip to California has been delayed.  But, from her looks, I am afraid she knows sometime is not right. But, she had decided that if Grandma is packing, well, I better pack also.

Well, it is time to head back to North Carolina after over so far 2,200 miles. And I am afraid that Cali is going back with me.  Yes, it seems, Pet Airways has been bought out. So, anyway, back to North Carolina we go, Pat, Cali and Iris. The three Amigo’s.

We left North Carolina now going on four weeks ago, making stops in Florida,  Georgia, and Louisiana. When we arrive home we will have traveled over 3000 miles. And yes, I, Pastor Pat will have driven the entire time.  I do not mind driving, but whoever is traveling with me probably gets bored. Why? Because I do not talk much when I am driving. I listen to Scripture, Music, pray, and of course keep my eyes on the road. There are so many crazy drivers out there on the roads these days. If someone is traveling with me, about the only voice they hear is Samantha, the women on my GPS.  Now when the person traveling with me, does talk to me I listen, but respond only when deemed necessary.

Now, Iris did read  a lot, or work puzzles in a puzzle book, and sometimes she read some interesting and funny stories from a devotional book out loud to me, but other times we just headed on down the road. As my husband Joe says, when the company calls him and tells him he is going out of town to work, he will call me and say, “Guess what? As Willie Nelson sings, “I’m on the road again.”

We had a good time visiting with Friends and Family, and of course being honored to preach God’s Word through Sunday Services and Revivals. What a blessing to be able to share God’s Word.

I had decided to pack the car the night before we left, but again, the back of my neck and head hurt, so I took some ibuprofen and went to bed.  The next morning I told Iris to just put her bags at the front door and I would load the car.  Of course loading Cali’s portable kennel in the back seat was all the sign that Cali needed to realize that we were going somewhere, and yes, she was going along for the ride this time. 

It was so funny, when my sister Ruby called me into the living room to see what Cali was doing, and to my amazement, she was getting all her toys in a pile, and when she saw me she bought me her water bowl. Hey, I am not joking.  Call my sister Ruby and ask her, she will tell you exactly what happened. Yes, I promise it is the whole truth, with my hand in the air.

Anyway, we got the car loaded, said our goodbyes, and headed toward North Carolina. I figured that we would get in about 12:30 am if we only stopped to get gas, grab a bite to eat, potty, and stretch our legs a bit.

Wrong, Cali seemed to want to potty more this day, so I had to stop along the side of the road a couple of times. As a matter of fact, after one of the times in Alabama the only place I could stop was in the median where the Highway Patrol sits and emergency vehicles turn around. After I got back into the car and was headed back down the road, I reached up and was rubbing my neck. I felt a bump. I thought is was a sore and I scratched at it, and then pulled at what I thought was a scab, and I soon found out it was a tick. I put it in a piece of paper and handed it to Iris, and she also agreed, yes it was a tick. Well, it did not take me long to find a place to stop and go in the bathroom and check myself good all over. Then I came back out to the car, took Cali, her bed and bedding out, and checked everything twice. There were no ticks on Cali, nor in her bed, just the one I found on me.  I should have known Cali would not have a tick, because she had been treated with Frontline three times.  Maybe I should have been treated with Frontline also.

Now, back in the car we get again, and we were not even halfway home yet, but still determined to not stop and spend the night anywhere. I had my eyes on North Carolina, and I was ready to sleep in my own bed.  I was very tired. I will tell you that taking care of a puppy while trying to study, and preach is a full time job. But again, I figured God was just showing me He has a sense of humor, even though my sense of humor was kinda running short by now.

We arrived in Dunn, North Carolina, around 1:30 am, where Iris’s daughter met me to pick Iris up to keep me from having to drive all the way to Faison, North Carolina, then back to Raleigh, North Carolina. This would have added an extra 125 miles to my trip, so this was so sweet of them to help me out, and of course Janice was ready to see her mama.

When Cali and I left Dunn, I told Cali, “girl it won’t be too long now, we are almost home.” When I arrived home, I decided to put Cali in the guest bathroom with her travel kennel, yes, the one she had happily used over the pasted four weeks, and this  was not a good idea. 

Hey, I was so worn out by the time we out home, I did not take the time to put her old kennel back up. I thought, I will get Joe to get it down and put it together tomorrow.

Remember, I did not think I would be using it anymore. Cali was supposed to be in California by now.

So she thought, hummmm, I will show her, and she did.

Yes, Joe did put her original kennel back up. She was now a happy camper.

When we first got her and I put her in the bathroom she chewed a place in the dry wall. Well, I now we will have to fix the  dry wall again. Plus buy toilet paper and just throw the travel kennel away.

Now you may say, “did that upset you?” Hey, listen, after you have had to wear a colostomy bag because you let stress mess your colon up, you start to see things in a different perspective. After I had the reversal and now I do not have a colostomy bag, I never want one again. I now just take things in stride and know it either can be fixed or it will work out, if you leave it in God’s hands.

I just remember the two Bible verses below, and “keep my eyes on the goal that is set before me” as Paul said, and everything works out, even tick bites.

Yes, God can even use tick bites to get you to do His work. Just wait until tomorrow’s devotion and you will see exactly what I mean.  God never stops amazing me. Oh, and the question pending. Does Cali every make it to California?

Philippians 4: 13 and 19

¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

¹⁹ And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Below  are some pictures for you to enjoy.

We did take Iris to Poverty Point. It was actually old stomping grounds for my sister Ruby. Daddy, Mama and the gang lived there at one time.

Poverty Point A man made lake

Why Can’t I Go To Church?

Part 7

Well, Cali is not happy today. She cannot understand why she cannot go to church with us today. I tried to explain that I am preaching today at Antioch Baptist Church, and I will not be able to keep an eye on her. She tries to tell me that she will help me get the people’s attention, and I am sure she could bring a lot of excitement to the church service.  Kind of like the song about the squirrel in the church, sung Ray Stevens. Hey, maybe I should have let her go.

Anyway, as I blow dry my hair, she comes over to get her hair blow dried also.  She just loves the blow dryer. She jumps up and down and has the best time.  This is a good thing, because after I bathe her she does not fuss when I blow dry her to get her all dry and shiny.

After much talking and trying to convince her that she just cannot go this time, she decides well, “I guess I will go back to bed then.”

I  told her I do not think so, because Aunt Ruby will get us both. I reminded her that she was blessed just by her Aunt Ruby letting me bring her and letting her stay in the house. But, Aunt Ruby does not allow animals of any kind in her beds.  And also, I needed to make the bed after I got dressed.  One thing that Aunt Ruby likes is for everyone to make their beds daily, in case company would happen to come by to visit. She wants the house to look nice.

Cali still was not agreeing with me.  She did not want to move. I told her that she better get down or we both would be in trouble, mostly if she had an accident on Aunt Ruby’s guest bed. Also, Aunt Ruby did not want her beds smelling like little puppies.

I finished dressing and decided we need to take a walk before I put Cali in her kennel. Bad idea. All I can say is I am glad the package came with two pair of hosiery in it.

Oh, I also found out that Cali did not need to go out, when  I stepped in my stocking feet to check my hair for one last time.   I told you she was mad.

Time now running short, I promised Cali as I put her in her kennel that when I got back from church that we would watch the Dog Whisperer on TV. That seemed to satisfy her, and she relaxed, and off to church Ruby, Iris and myself went, knowing that it would be a long day, and I continued praying that Cali would understand.

We arrived at church for Sunday School, and I usually am never nervous, but I guess preaching in my home church some 33 years after I left, I did feel a little anxious, because I cannot even remember what the Sunday School lesson was about.

Good Friends of ours, Cleo and Sam Yeates, came to bring the special music. What a blessing they are, and so precious. They are such anointed singers. Their Ministry is called, “Still Amazed.”  They traveled all over the United States, so where you may live is not too far.  Give them a call, you will be blessed and the Lord will be glorified.

Praise God, when they started singing, I saw the preacher raise his hands. Whew, I thought, now I am a little more relaxed. Remember, I am an Ordained Pentecostal Holiness Minister, preaching in a Baptist Church today.  Well, that does not matter, because I preach in all denominations. I guess I was a little uneasy at first, because it was my home church.

I preached on Faith. I explained that we need to stand strong no matter what situation we may be in, because Jesus already knows the outcome when we put it in His hands.  I used Rizpah, from the Old Testament, and Peter casting his nets, from the New Testament. We had a good service, and God was glorified. Afterwards, we went out to Big John’s to eat, then back home to rest, and to keep my promise to Cali.

On Monday, Pastor Keith Evans called me and told me that the message touched many lives, including his, and that he had needed to hear a word of hope.  All I can say is, “To God Be The Glory.”

Again, we had a good day, even though I did seem to have a little headache that morning. I had even told Ruby that I must have slept wrong on my neck because my neck and head really hurt. But I just ignored it, and I went on about God’s business for the day.

When we returned home, I put my jeans on, took something for my headache, and put Cali in my lap, and we both rested. Well, I rested, and she watched the Dog Whisperer. When the Dog Whisperer is on TV is the only time I ever see Cali being still, unless she is asleep.  I have decided just today that we should have named her Tigger, instead of Cali, because she is constantly on the move, bouncing off the walls.

Maybe we need to be more like Cali, and stop and take the time to listen to God. Sometimes we get so busy that we let things distract us from hearing God’s voice and we get ourselves into a big mess.  Just as Cali is learning from the Dog Whisperer by being still, maybe it is time we got still at the altar or maybe beside our bed and asked God what He wants for us, and not what we want for ourselves. For God wants the best for His children and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

^{III John 2 – 4}  

²Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

 ³For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

 ⁴I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Tomorrow devotion I am sure will be about eating more catfish, and yes, just hold on, for the tick will soon show himself.

Part 6

No Way, Get That Thing Away From Me

I am out of here… That thing is worst than those big things they called cows and donkeys….. Well, Cali was not impressed by the crawfish. As a matter of fact, Iris was not too impressed herself, because this is as close as I could get her to one. As a matter of fact, she only held a crawfish just long enough for me to take her picture.

Now friends, until about 4 years ago I would have agreed with them. But Joe and I decided that we would try them out. We loved them. Now some people eat the tails and the yucky black stuff inside of the heads. Not us. We learned that you just peel the shell off, like a shrimp then eat the meat in the tail which is delicious. Here are a few extra pictures of the place we went to eat Crawfish. Enjoy!

First rule to eating crawfish is to prepare your stomach. Eat a Rolaid or two before, during and after.

In Louisiana, when they cook crawfish, they WILL BE HOT and SPICY. Have plenty to drink.  Also, do not think ordering the corn on the cob and boiled potatoes will cool the crawfish down. They are as hot and spicy as the crawfish.  The crawfish are like little lobsters, they are alive when they put them into the boiling water.  And then when you eat them, it takes a little lesson on peeling them. They are not like boiled shrimp. You have to grab them where the head joins the tail, squeeze, twist and then pull the tail away from the head, making sure all the yucky stuff goes with the head part. A lot of people suck the stuff out of the head and eat it.  NOT ME!!!  In other words, to get to the delicious part of the meat to eat, you must work hard to learn the correct way to eat them, or you will get a bunch of ugly black stuff along with the good, tender meat.

I have also learned since my first crawfish, if you take the head off, peeled the first part of the shell off and then put the meat between your teeth and squeeze the tail, they are not as hot. Why? A lot of the hot sauce is on the outside of the shell, and that get on your fingers and you get more hot sauce that way. But, yes again, remember the corn on the cob and potatoes will always be hot. The juices cook all the way through them.

Yes, I do have a message out of this story, or maybe a lesson. 2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

When God has something for you to do for Him, He not only prepares you for the task, but He expects you to prepare as well. You must study to show yourself approved, to be able to handle the job. I can tell you that not everyone who thinks they are called are ready for the responsibility. Doing Ministry for the Lord is a 24/7 job. Not just for Pastors and Evangelists, but also for the everyday Disciple.

You must pray, read your Bible, and spend alone time, just listening to the voice of God. Yes, He speaks, but we do not always listen. And when we do not prepare ourselves, that is when we so find out that we are getting head over heals into the yucky stuff.  A lot of people want the delicious tender meat, but do not want to work for it.  (They want the big churches with a lot of people following and working for them, and letting them get the praise, instead of God.) That is not how it goes.

In Ministry work, you must start at the bottom, and work up through the good, the bad, and the ugly.  You must be able to minister to someone not only by word of mouth, but by being able to say, “Friend, I know just what you are going through. But if you will hold on to God, He will pull you through this mess you are in. I promise you that there is nothing in your life that God cannot handle. See, he is the handler of the messy stuff.  The messier the mess, the more God likes it, because He knows when He brings you through it, you will be a better person. Then when you finally see daylight, oh how sweet and wonderfully delicious it will be!”

And friends, you do not experience this by sitting behind your desk everyday at the church. You have to get out in the streets, and meet the hurting, lost, and sick. I have been through the good, the bad, and the ugly myself. I know what it is like to be sick for years. I know what it is like to be lied to and talked about.  I know what it is like to think you have a good friend, but they stab you in the back.  Hey I have a T-Shirt to show for it. Several, as a matter of fact.

I have some good friends in New York. When I go to Minister for them, the one thing they say is, “Pastor Pat, you are honest and true. You tell it like it is. You do not put on a show.” I just say, give God the glory, for I have been there, done that, and again, have a T-Shirt to show for it. Friends, I have been where you maybe are today. I know how you feel. In other words, you, like Cali and Iris may think, no way. I do not want anything to do with those crawfish (this mess I am in).  Just get me out of this right now. I cannot handle it  anymore. I promise you that you can handle it. For God will never let you go through anything that He and you cannot handle together.  And when you feel you cannot walk anymore, He will pick you up and carry you for a while. Please just remember what Jesus did for you on the cross. He did not have to go through it. He could have called Heaven’s Angels down, and they would have rescued Him. But He chose to go through it, so He would be able to help you make it through your mess.

1 Corinthians 10:13

¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Friends, God loves you. He wants the best for you. But yes, sometimes mess happens. But just turn to God, and I promise you He will bring you through. There is nothing, no nothing so bad, that God cannot handle. So today, let God take you in His arms, and love you. Give Him your problems. Put them in God’s ‘to do’ box. Leave them there, and I promise you that you will come out on top. You will be able to sit down at God’s table and enjoy the delicious blessings of His mercy, grace and love.

Tomorrow devotion preaching in Louisiana and getting ready to come back to North Carolina. Hey, you will soon find out about the tick and how it lead me to be able to minister to several people. Yes, a tick.  Hey, God has just out done Himself lately.

                 Hey, What About Me?

Well, we have settled in for before the next Revival begins. I would be preaching at Antioch Baptist Church on Sunday. Pastor Keith Evans is the Pastor at Antioch. We have known each other for a long time. Pastor Keith became a Evangelist as a teenager, and I was doing lay missions meetings at the same time. I will enjoy preaching on Sunday, because Antioch is my home church. I went to Antioch from 1969 to 1977, when I moved to North Carolina and married my husband, Joe.

When I was getting ready to marry Joe and move to North Carolina, one of my jobs at Antioch was G.A. Director. Every Wednesday night, I would go around the community and pick up all the young girls who were in the G.A. Program. That is, before you were made to wear seat belts. We would have class three Wednesday nights a month, and then on the fourth Wednesday night we would go to Colonial Manner Nursing Home, where the girls adopted a lady to minister to that did not have a family.
When Joe went to move me to North Carolina, we had a special ceremony where the girls would present a program to the church, showing what they had done during the year. They would receive their crowns and certificates. I was so proud of them. I remember we all wore white long dresses, and they gave me a special bracelet and a award to remember them.

Now, the girls have grown up, and have children, and some grandchildren, of their own. Hey, I do not have any grandchildren myself, so why are they ahead of me?

Anyway, on with the story. I have already eaten catfish filets about three times since I have been here.

Louisiana catfish does not taste like North Carolina catfish. They are wonderful. There is a place in Rayville called the Feed Lot. It is open every day for lunch, and on Friday they have catfish filets and whole catfish on their buffet. They just laugh at me, because every time I go, I just get about fifteen pieces of fileted catfish on my plate, nothing else, no sides or anything, just the filets. Now the filets are only about an inch wide and about three to four inches long, fried in corn meal, salt, pepper, and special spices. Boy, they are good and they do not taste fishy.

Well, today, Cali was upset because she could not go to lunch with us. I think it was because she thought we just might go get that ice cream I promised her. She decided to get under the night stand in the bedroom and pout. As I was getting dress she just looked at me and tried her best to make me feel bad. She was succeeding. It was as she was saying, “but, look at me, I need to go eat fish, and get some ice cream now. I really need it NOW!”

Please let me go…. I promise I will be good…..
I tried my best to explain to her that they did not allow puppy doggies in the restaurant or the ice cream place. But, I promised her that I would bring her a treat back from the store. That did seem to satisfy her for a while.

You know, we sometimes complain to God just the same way. Thank God, He knows and still loves us when we are pouting. Now, I do not want you to tell me that I am the only one who pouts at God at times. But again, He knows what is best for us. If we will not try to always get our way and wait the blessing (treat) is always better. God knows all of our needs and our desires. He knows when we are hurting, and need His HELP, NOW!
In Psalm 70:5, David felt the same way. He wanted God to help him, NOW! He told God do not delay!

Psalm 70:5
5 But I am poor and needy;
Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.

Anyway, we did go eat fish, and afterwards decided to take Iris around and show her some of the sights.
We went first to a building that looks like it was nothing, but at one time, back in the early 1900’s, it was a Chapel. It was called Hunter’s Chapel. Now, my maiden name is Hunter. This Chapel was built by my great uncle, Pastor Ed Hunter.

John 15: 1 – 8
The True Vine
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

As I got out and looked at the old building it made me think. I wondered what kind of services they had here? Did they feel the touch of God? How early did they have to get up to get to church and how many miles did they come either by walking or horse and buggy? But, then I got to thinking about some of our churches now. They may have nice building and they come by cars, but how many of our churches are as dead as this old building is now. Sitting idle not doing what God wants and needs for them to do. People attending services, but God no where to be found. You know maybe some preachers and members need to do what my great uncle did as he lay in bed taking his last breathe. He called for my daddy to come to see him. When daddy arrived, he told daddy that he needed to make it right with the Lord. That he had failed the Lord in his later years. So right there on his death bed, my daddy prayed for his uncle. Uncle Ed said, “Raleigh, I know I preached many years, but did I really bear fruit for my Lord?”

So, I asked you today, are you bearing fruit for the Lord? My daddy’s uncle got things straight between him the Lord. Maybe today, you need to get down on your knees and make things straight with the Lord. Maybe you need to call for Daddy God to come and talk to you and get your life straighten out.

Before I left the old broken down building, I went over and got a piece of wood from around the window. A piece of wood to remind me to stay on track with the Lord. A piece of wood that would remind me often of the words my daddy’s uncle said, “Did I really bear fruit for my Lord?”

After, we left Hunter’s Chapel, we went on down the road to a little county store. I remember when my mama took Joe, my husband, there to get ice cream, his first words were, “is this a working facility?” Then Mama told him not to pull the car up to close because the porch could fall down on the car. Joe was more worried about the store falling down on us when we went inside. But anyway, I stopped, and Iris grabbed her camera, took some pictures, then we went in to share the fellowship and friendship over a cone of Blue Bonnet Ice Cream. Oh, I had chocolate, two scoops. Here are a couple pictures of the inside and out side of the store.

Mama Hunter eating ice cream…
This was my mama’s favorite place to go get ice cream, as you can see….

Now, we just go to remember the good times we had watching mama talking and not letting one drop of her ice cream go to waste. She loved strawberry, but, butter pecan came in a close second… I know she was looking down from Heaven the day we were there, smiling at us.
Friends, God wants us to have good times. He wants us to enjoy life. We all need to take the time to share our time with family and friends. Take a ride down a old county road. Stop and say hello to someone along the way. Do not let your life get so busy with the non-essential things, that you do not have the time to enjoy the important things. Simple things, like sharing a double scoop of chocolate ice cream with someone, while you are also sharing a double scoop of memories.

Oh, and for you that are Cali supporters, I did not forget to stop and get her a treat. I did not break my promise to her.

How sweet it is…. Counting and enjoying my treat just like grandma promised me….

Oh, sorry about the crawfish, you will have to read about them in tomorrows devotion. I will give you a little taste in the picture below, but tell you about the restaurant tomorrow.

Psalm 91

 ¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

 ² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

 ³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

 ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,  and under his wings you will find refuge;  his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

 ⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,  nor the arrow that flies by day,

 ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,  nor the plague that destroys at midday.

 ⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,  ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

 ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes  and see the punishment of the wicked.

 ⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge-

 ¹⁰ then no harm will befall you,  no disaster will come near your tent.

 ¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you  to guard you in all your ways;

 ¹² they will lift you up in their hands,   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 ¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;  you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 ¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;  I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

 ¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;  I will be with him in trouble,  I will deliver him and honor him.

 ¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him  and show him my salvation.”

Part 4

“What Was That?

What was that thing that just walked passed me? Four legs, but big… It doesn’t sound like I do….

Here we are the first morning in Louisiana and it is again time for Cali and me to go for our morning walk. Cali says, “no problem, I am use to these nice walks, and everyone that sees me just loves me.” When we got outside I will tell you she was not as secure about this walk as she thought she was.

Even though my sister Ruby lives on a big farm, I knew not to let Cali outside without her leash. I needed to walk her. Why? Well, about 100 feet in back of the house is the Beouf River, in which Cali would have taken a swim, or gone fishing. Then on one side of the house, pastures, and the other fields that go on forever.

JB and Ruby Ratcliff’s farm goes on from all directions. From pastures, to the Break or Bayou to the River.

Mama Hunter loved her petunia’s… I bet she has them all over and around her mansion in Heaven…

This picture of mama sitting outside… See, Cali could have run forever, and forever, and forever……

I remember the last time we took Sara and Katie to Louisiana, and Joe was packing the car for us to come home.  Sara and Katie decided they wanted to go cow pie stomping in the pasture. (more like rolling in the cow pies.)  Oh, my did they smell bad after they rolled around in a few cow pies before Anna and Joe got them out of the pasture. So they had to give both them a bath with the water hose. They did not like it because they are use to a warm shower in the house, not a cold water outdoor hose bath.

Boy, did we smell bad after going cow pie stomping…

Do you know what Cali would have done if I had just let her out to walk herself? I probably would still be looking for her. She runs fast, and explores everything. Hummmmm… Maybe not?

We walk out into the beautiful sunshine and the first thing Cali does is see the cows all coming towards her. Of course they are in a fenced pasture, but she does not realize that there is a fence between her and them. She sees the cows and hears the donkeys and that is all it took. She did a fast u turn right between my legs almost pulling me to the ground, trying to get back in the house. It did not take her long to decide whatever those things are, I do not want anything to do with them. Ruby, Iris and I were laughing so hard they we almost had to go inside and change clothes and take a bath ourselves.

Run Grandma Run

Look at those Monsters

Anyway, I will let you know I can move faster than I thought I could, because Cali pull me into the house. That day she walked me, I was not walking her. Forget the Dog Whisperer, and who is suppose to be the leader of the pack. Cali decided fast she was the leader of the pack and we were getting the heck out of Dodge and fast.

Cali ran right through Ruby’s open front door and right to our bedroom.  She was not going to get involved with anything that was bigger then she was at the time, and she did not care what I said it was.

Aunt Ruby, Aunt Iris and Grandma, Hide. Aliens have landed.

I got her settle down and explained Cali, those are just cows and donkeys, they will not hurt you if you stay beside me. I will protect you. She seemed to be listening to me, taking in every word, not sure if I knew what I was talking about.

Are you sure you know what you are talking about grandma????

Ok, if you say so, I will try it one more time this outside thing, but no promises. Just hang on Granny, because if one of those things come towards me, we are out of here…….

Well, I got her back out side, this time her letting me be the leader of the pack staying close behind. She watched the cows and donkeys closely, and soon figured that maybe I knew what I was talking about.

 Here are my new friends…

Okay, maybe they are okay. I will stay on this side of the yard under the protecting of grandma Pat. She will protect me….

Anyway, the morning excitement gave us a good laugh, but also taught us all a lesson that we discussed as we ate a hearty breakfast.

You know, that is how it is with God and us. Sometimes we step out of His will thinking that we can take care of ourselves, then all of a sudden, a cow (satan) comes along and tries to scare the mess out of us. He tries to stomp us in the ground. And sometimes he does succeed to the point that we are afraid to step out again and try once more something that God wants us to do, but maybe the first time we were out of God’s timing. We were on our time, and we fell.  But God’s forgives our shortcomings. He picks us up an sets us back on the right path. He shows us that if we will stay close to Him that He will protect and watch over us. For He will give His Angels guard over us, and we will be sheltered under His almighty wings.

See, this is what Cali realized. Stay close to Grandma and everything will be okay…

You should have been there. Homemade biscuits, homemade jelly, molasses, sorghum syrup, honey, whatever you have a taste for,  along with bacon, sausage, eggs, and milk gravy.  Yes, diet, out the window you go today.

And yes, I helped cook. Ruby made the gravy and I did the rest, except for the jelly and jams, in which my brother Bill and Ruby have fun putting up every year during jelly season. Bill will come over from Florida, and they get in the kitchen, talk, and they use everything in the icebox, garden, and grocery store to make jelly. I tried some of there cactus jelly, but I like the watermelon rind preserves best of all.

Oh, be praying for my brother Bill. He has been preaching God’s word and sharing the gospel for over 40 years. He is a preacher in DeFuniack Springs, Florida. He has been preaching at a once small church for less than a year. They are growing in leaps and bounds. They have already started getting ready to build a new church building. They are not wasting any time. They hope to have the building completed within a year. They need the place. And of course, Bill has always been a church planted and grower in all the churches he has pastored. I do not remember one church that the walls have not bulged beyond capacity within a short time after he became their Pastor.

Bill and I are a lot a like in many ways when it comes to church growth. We still believe you have to go out and bring them in….

I got a good laugh at Ruby one morning. She decided she wanted  some sorghum on her biscuits, and informed me of it, which surprised me because she usually does not eat a lot of sweets early in the morning. Her blood sugar will bottom out so she is careful. She has low blood sugar.

We sit down, she grab up a jug, which the word on the jug did not say syrup, it said honey. I thought, well maybe she changed her mind. Anyway she put a pile of honey all over her two buttered biscuits. Just as she started to take a bite, I said, “Ruby, I thought you were going to eat some syrup today.” She informed me that what was on her biscuit. I informed her that it was not, and guess what her first bite I could have made a bundle if I had been a betting woman, but I am not…..  LOL

What a surprise to her pallet. It is like going into a restaurant ordering sweet tea, and getting un-sweet tea by mistake.

Oh, this is just not company breakfast. This is an everyday routine, if more than one person is in the house. Ruby tells all her company, to make yourselves at home. People have a good time and always want to go back.

Again, we need to stop, and be watching over the things that God has assigned to us. We need to stay in a prayful state of mind so if we happen to pick up honey instead of syrup, be will know that we know that God will be there to give us a clean start, (pallet.)  See, we may have again thought that something we were doing was just what God wanted for us. The honey tasted good for a while, but then our pallet started tasting a bitter taste when we realized that we just messed up in our change of schedule. We took a path at the wrong time.

But, dear friends, God will straighten things out for you. In His timing, and His way, He will bless  you, and lift you back up, because it will be His time for the purpose in your life.

Get ready, for God is fixing to do a new work in you, and ME!!!!!

Remember do not work so hard trying to accomplish something that is out of God’s timing. Just take a step back, stop, take time to rest, and enjoy what God has in store for us….

Boy, I must have been tired…

Cali had an exciting first day at Aunt Ruby’s and  played so hard and chewed her bone that she went to sleep right in the middle of Aunt Ruby’s floor.

Thank you Aunt Ruby for letting me come and visit you.

Monday devotion, get ready for Crawfish Pie, Jambalaya, Filet Gumbo…. Ice Cream and Hunter’s Chapel.

Leaving Georgia Headed to Cajun Country

We got up early on the morning of the 24th of February headed for Louisiana. We were supposed to be headed to Atlanta, Georgia to put Cali on a flight to Hollywood. But again, changes. Flight canceled for this week.

Cali was upset because the flight had been canceled, so she is praying over the situation.

Cali was a little upset. She was soooo… looking forward to meeting her new Mama,

Dr. Anna Aman, DVM

Here Anna is taking care of Patty. Patty belong to the Pit Bull Boss from TV.

Cali said, if she can take care of movie star dogs, I know she will take care of me.

After we cleaned up her room, we settled down, but Cali begged to look at the computer.

Cali loves to sit in my lap when I am working on the computer. She kept watching me to see if I was going to pack my computer before she had a chance to check some new flight arrangements out. After much discussion, I decided to let Cali look at the computer to prove to her that her flight had been canceled.

Oh, man, this can’t be…

No flights to California today on Pet Airways…

Hey, Grandma, I think I have found a flight for next Thursday….

Come check it out…

So at the insistence of Cali, I looked and called my daughter Anna so she could see if we could get her on the next flight. The airlines had told her because of the problem they would refund her money and fly Cali out on the next flight, the next week free.

So, if we could manage a couple of extra days in between Ministry Events, why not. We would change a few directions in our journey and put Cali on next weeks flight.

No problem, we were this far on this journey and also it put us a little closer to my sister Ruby’s house, so I called her and said, Ruby, I have a little time I can come by your house, but I have a puppy with me. What do you think? Of course she said come on, I will take my allergy medicine and the puppy will be find, and I will be also.

So, another small detour and change. Preaching engagements (Cali really learning to enjoy going around the United States while grandma preaches and shares God’s Word. )and still trying to get Cali on a flight to California. (Oh, have you realized yet that Cali is short for California.)

Anna thought of naming her Carolina, but I am a fan of North Carolina State University Wolfpacks, so her sister Tara and myself reminded her she could not be named Carolina. No Blue Tarheels,  just Wolkpack Red.

Also, her new mama Anna was a graduate of the North Carolina State University School of  Veterinarian Medicine. And her Aunt Tara is in the Graduate Program there and also works there.

See, my leash. Wolfpack Red…

After we put Cali in the car to leave Cusseta, Georgia,  for the first time Cali just could not settle down. I almost never got on the road. I kept having to stop and let her out thinking she needed to potty, giving her water, and just playing with her.

I guess when she realized that since we were not going to the airport in Atlanta today, the GPS had been set to a different direction. She, in her heart was still hoping that the Airlines was wrong and she wanted to get on a plane to California, and not go to Louisiana.

Does this sound familiar. God wants us to change our plans at times, but we get stubborn and want our own way. We want to go in our own directions and do our own thing.

See, we need to let God lead us and go the path He wants for us. His word tells us that He wants nothing but good for us, but sometimes we bring hardships on ourselves by not listening to him. We must remember what His Word says in Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Anyway on this day the trip started a little rocky. I finally stopped again, went in a store and got Cali a special treat. She got in her kennel and started chewing away on her all natural vegetable shape bone.

Yes, I am talking to you here, as well as myself. Sometimes God will give us our way a little bit when we are being stubborn, and we think boy, this is good, I know I was right all along. But soon because we did not follow His plans the treat only lasted a little time, and then we realized we should have listen to that still small voice that leads us in the right path. For the prize at the end of God’s path would have been much better for us, and we would have enjoyed the victory much longer.

After finally getting out of Georgia, we kept trucking on down the road headed to Louisiana. I promise Iris and Cali that I would see if we could eat some crawfish while in Louisiana. Well, Cali or Iris did not seem to impressed with the idea of eating something that they thought live in a ditch. I tried to explain to them that they were farm raised Crawfish. They both just looked at me and said, “Whatever.”

I then said, “well, I promise to take you to the country store where Mama Hunter used to love to get ice cream.” They both smiled, but I did not tell them where the store was, or how I really meant a real old county time store. Not a newly remodeled, or built to look like a old store, but the real thing. I felt that Cali and Iris needed a little surprise in their life. LOL

Anyway we arrived in Rayville, Louisiana around 6:30pm and I called Ruby and told we were going to stop and pick something up to eat and what would she like. We all agreed we would run by the Sonic and get a sandwich and a Route 44 sweet tea and Dr. Pepper, take it to Ruby’s relax and enjoy.

We left the Sonic went about a mile and a half on a four lane main highway, then turned down a  very crooked country two lane road, called The Nelson Bend Road, headed towards my sister’s home.  ( You know I need to find out why it is called Nelson Bend Road.) The reason the road is so crooked it follows the Beouf River. As we were making our way towards Ruby’s house, Iris made the statement, “Hey, you meet yourself coming back on this road. ” I thought, you ain’t seen nothing yet.” Now, both Iris and Cali enjoyed going over the Mississippi Bridge. In Mississippi the land is a little mountainous, but the minute you cross the Mississippi the land is flat as far as you can see. That was a treat for them, but now they were going to find out what country really is.

One thing that Iris noticed was the Louisiana, Mississippi line in right in the middle of the river. When you are crossing the bridge which is over a mile long, and you get to the middle of the bridge, there is a sign, (according to the direction you are going, either west or east.)  that shows, Louisiana State line, as for us because we were going west.

Now who decided this is where the line would be? On the Mississippi side you have gambling casino’s up and down the Mississippi River. But there are none on the Louisiana side which is odd if you know any history of Louisiana politics

We went about seven miles then I turned on to another country road that had no lines in it, and the Cypress Trees were right up at the roads edge with moss hanging over the road. And of course the trees were in what we called the break, others call a Bayou. I explained to Cali, NO, stopping here to potty, or she might become a snack for an Alligator.

This is the Break (Bayou) that is behind Ruby’s Daughter Home.

Oh, while we were in Georgia, Hubert whom came over to Junior and Frances to visit us, had told Iris that when he was a young his parents came to Louisiana to visit. And while they were there my niece Jackie and myself took them down a long road that had big trees with moss in them. A very crooked road. Not paved at that time, just a gravel road. He also told Iris and Cali that he heard Pat say to Jackie, “Break,” but really did not play attention, because it was dark and a little scary. Then all of a sudden, Pat shammed on her breaks, blew the car horn and Jackie and her screamed to the top of their lungs. Then Jackie and Pat laughed as they watched my sister, Joyce,  and me climbing out of the floorboard of the car, needing to change clothes as soon as they got back to the house.

We always love to play that prank on the kids.

Yes, this is the same road that I now have Iris and Cali on. NO, I did not play the trick on them.

Now do not get me wrong, if you see this area, you will see how beautiful it is. So relaxing and peaceful, just do not step into the Bayou. (This is another story I will share sometimes. But I will say, that my brother James said that he went hunting out in the break one day. When he stopped and looked around there was a snake on every log, and that is when he had the faith of Peter and walked on water.)

Sometimes God may take you down a road that you may not quite be sure of, but do not worry, He knows what He is doing. Just have the faith of Peter and step out of the boat. The outcome will be wonderful. The end of the road will be well worth the wait. So, don’t stop and get out to go find your own way. You might meet and Alligator in your path. You know, that thing called satan.

Anyway, after going down this road a little over a mile, we turned down a smaller road, but at the end of that road was a huge beautiful brick home with a wonderful large yard, pecan trees, magnolia trees, pastures with lots of cows, sitting in the Bend of the banks of the Bouef River. 

Iris and Cali were so relieved. They were beginning to say, “where in the world is she taking us?”

See, we cannot always go by what we see. God knows what the end of the road will be like. And friends, it is well worth the wait. Oh, the beauty of God’s handiwork in our lives. We may go down many crooked and narrow roads, some maybe at times a little scary and even make us feel uncertain at times, but this is just a growing process for us.  But oh my, what splendor is waiting for us when we arrive at our destination. Praise God and All Glory Be To God.

Now, just wait for tomorrow night. Remember, I said pasture with cows. Now that is another story.

Cali saying hello to her Aunt Ruby…

Also, saying thank you to her for letting her stay in the house and not outside with those big funny looking things…

Part 2
The Adventures of Pastor Pat and Cali

I do hope you enjoy the next few nights of The Adventures of Pastor Pat, Cali, and Iris. You will see and hear more about Iris in the Louisiana section.

By the end of this series, you will see many miracles that God has performed, and how many people were touched, including myself,  just because I was obedient and accepted change.

Also, how He allowed certain things to happen that would affect the coming days, and people, in mighty ways.

Also, if you missed Part I of this series, scroll down to yesterday’s devotion.

Cali, first night in North Carolina, at Aunt Tara’s
2 pounds of love. As you can see in picture below, her toy and she were the same size.

Cali came to us via her Aunt Tara.  Again, I said, “how did I get involved with this situation? And little did I know that Cali and I would soon become traveling partners.

When we first brought Cali to our house, our dogs, Sara and Katie, thought, “Oh no! What is this thing?”

Sara and Katie saying, “What is this thing?” Pictures below tell the or show the conversation.

Cali’s first day at grandma’s

Sara whispering to her, “Now here is how it is, if you do not piddle on the floor, you will get Grandma to do anything for you. Now take my advice on this, okay?.”

Well, all I can say is Cali listened pretty good. And she is an excellent traveler.
We left Florida for Cusseta, Georgia, on February 23rd. Cali in tow in the back seat, in her portable kennel. Iris riding shotgun, and of course, myself driving.

Why were we going to Georgia anyway? Remember, to put Cali on a plane for California, which would leave from Atlanta, something that has not happened yet.

Again, how do you handle change in your schedule, or your plans? You listen to God and just do it. Do not stress over it, just go with the flow.
So, while passing from Florida to Atlanta we would be going right by our dear friends’ house, Junior and Frances. How did I meet these people down in Georgia?  My daddy was in civil service at Ft. Benning, and my family lived in Cusseta when I was in the 4th through 9th grades.

I would have gone to Cusseta School for the 10th grade, but our school was burned to the ground the night before the first day of desegregation was to begin. So, we were bussed to Buena Vista, Georgia, to attend school.

I also walked the aisle at Cusseta Baptist Church at the age of 10, to give my life to God to be a Missionary, to preach His word. And of course First Baptist Church in Dothan, Alabama is where I was saved at the age of 5 years old. So, traveling and ministering through my old stomping grounds was an honor for me. “God is so Good. All the time God is Good.”

Oh, I also had my very first double date there in Cusseta, one week before I turned 16. My daddy was not happy at all with the decision of Mama letting me go to the party. Only 3 houses down from our house. LOL

Anyway we dated for over a year, until my daddy retired and we moved to Louisiana. Don’t tell Joe, (I got my first kiss in Cusseta.) Hey, it does not bother Joe. We went to a class reunion there, and Joe got a picture of me giving Jim a hug, and him hugging me back. My girls said, “Mom, he was and is cute.” They showed pictures of us in school. I told them to look at their dad, I have pretty good taste. LOL

This is the reason I was excited about visiting old friends. What a time we had. Even Cali was welcome in their home. I called them ahead of time and made sure. As you can see below, they gave her a nice place to sleep the one night we were there. Now, they were, as my sister Ruby, not really pleased about it, but they helped us out in our need.

Oh, by the way, since Cali stayed in their home, well they say that they blame it on me. LOL They now have a 5 pound puppy. A Yorkie. Hummmm? Cali must have touched their sweet hearts with her sweet heart.

Cali resting after a long day of traveling to Georgia

After arriving at their home, I asked Frances if I could do some wash. She said please go ahead, make yourself at home. So, I got my dirty clothes out of the car and took them to the utility room.  Frances had told me she had some clothes in the washer and dryer, but as soon as they were removed I could wash them.

I continued to get our things out of the car, and got Cali settled and walked her. Then she ate, and was ready for a long nap.

Junior and Frances were so surprised that Cali did not bark or whine one time. She is such a good puppy.

While I was there, another friend, Judy, dropped in to visit and I forgot the wash. We began talking about the Lord, and praying for her brother, Peter, and time flew by so fast. It must have been over an hour, because the next thing I knew, Frances had already started the first load, and began to put it in the dryer. She came into the living room, and in her hand was… guess what? My necklace. Yes, the necklace was somewhere in my clothes all day long the day I lost it. I realized that it was not on my neck when we were at Iris’ granddaughter’s house in Florida around lunch time, so I went over 12 hours with the necklace in my clothes somewhere. I still do not know how nor where.

Listen, we even went out to eat that night at the Cracker Barrel, and the necklace still stayed in my clothes. That is also the night Iris’ granddaughter came back to the hotel, helped me look for my necklace, and I even called myself checking my clothes while they were still on me. That is also the night that I was down on the floor picking up millions and zillions of pieces of telephone book. And that necklace miraculously did not fall out of my clothes. And because I got so hot and sweaty looking for the necklace and cleaning up after Cali, I pulled my clothes off and put in the dirty clothes bag. I usually would wear a pair of jeans two days in a row. But not that night. I only wore those jeans once. (See, God still doing His thing.)

See how good God is to us if we are living according to His word?  He knows the desires of our heart and things that are so special to us, even small things like a necklace.

John 15:7
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you can asked what you will and it shall be!!!

See, that little word, “IF.”  If you are following this verse, you will only want what God wants for you, and your desires shall be God’s desires also.

God knew I loved that necklace, and He allowed it to hang somewhere in my clothes, and not fall off the entire day. Again, even while I was on the floor picking up pieces of the phone book that Cali and shredded.

Hey, you may have some tough times, but know that God is always there for you. I did not like having to clean the room after Cali’s assault attack on the phone book, but I did not get mad, I just told her NO! Bad! and starting cleaning the room. Afterwards, she walked up to the side of the bed, and wanted me to pick her up. I did and she told me she was sorry, by giving me a lot of sweet puppy kisses on the side of my neck. I will not let any dog kiss me on the face,  and I do not allow dogs in my bed also, but wait until about Part 4 of this series.

The tiny chain was in a hundred little knots. But between Junior, Frances and Iris, they got them all out by using a needle. The heart was not even hurt in the wash. Hey, another miracle, the small necklace did not spin out and down the drain while the washer was in spin cycle.  God doing His thing again.

We had the best time. Frances cooked the most delicious Taco Soup and homemade cornbread. I was in hog heaven. She put broccoli and cheese in her cornbread. Honey, it was so good that it would make you as we say in the south, ‘want to slap your grandma.’ LOL (not really we respect our elders. It is just a saying.”

Another friend, Hubert, and his family, came for supper, and he brought deer chili. I had already filled up on the soup, but I told Hubert I wanted to taste his chili and see if he was a good cook. I said now I only want just a little, like barely 1/4 of a bowl. I can tell you that he does not know his measurements, because I also inquired how much hot sauce was in the chili. He said he only put a teaspoon in the pot.  I reminded him I may have been born in Louisiana, but my stomach was now North Carolina.   Again, he must have been sick the day they studied measurements in school. My first bite was I thought okay, but then by the second, steam was coming out my ears. He was laughing at me, and saying, “Pat you do not need to finish it.” I tried a little more to be polite, but soon handed him the bowl and asked to look at the teaspoon he used. The chili was delicious, and if my mama was alive she would have enjoyed seeing all these friends grown up, and doing so well, and she could have eaten Hubert’s chili. She ate hot and spicy things, until just a few weeks before she took her Heavenly Journey Home, at the age of 93.

After company left, we sat around talking about old times, and of course the Lord. I prayed for Frances’ body to be healed, and we had church. Then we all went to bed. The next morning we got up, packed and headed for Louisiana.

Now remember from last nights story,  ticks, and me walking Cali when I got to Georgia, and in Georgia several times. Well, tomorrow you will learn a little more of that story. Also, look forward to Cali and the Cows, Iris and the Crawfish boil, Hunter’s Chapel, Revival, Ice Cream and much more.
Please know that change happens. It sometimes happens for a reason and a season. Do not worry, just hold on to God.
As Cali says below: How sweet it is.

Oh, I ate to much. But how sweet it is……..
Devotion Written and Posted By: Pastor Pat Aman  Book © 1996/2015, “Coffee With Pat Daily Devotionals”

The Adventures of Cali and Pastor Pat

Part 1

Today’s devotion maybe a little long, but I feel I cannot leave out ONE detail. This devotion will probably be a three part devotion over the next few days.

I want to share with you how I know that God is working through His people. Well, at least the ones whom are willing to be a vessel for Him, and the ones whom will go with the flow when PLANS HAVE CHANGED OR HAVE BEEN REARRANGED.

I promise you with my hand up in the air that this devotion is the truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.

Now, on with the story.  I just returned from a ministry trip/short vacation/supposedly deliver a dog to the airport.

Why not do all these things Mama, since you are going that way. LOL

I would be leaving North Carolina with Iris Lucas, who would be traveling with me, as I Ministered and Preached, and enjoying a short vacation. But now, I would soon learn that things have a way of changing at any moment.  I would now be taking Iris to see her granddaughter, on the way to to deliver a dog, and to preach.  You know, from North Carolina, via Florida, via Georgia, via Louisiana, back to Georgia to airport again, then home.

Well, first God has a since of humor for sure. My older daughter got my younger daughter a puppy. (I should have known that I would wind up in the middle of the whole ordeal.) As a matter of fact, since I have returned home, I have informed everyone involved, that if they are thinking of getting anyone a dog, and it will involve me, STOP and KICK themselves in the backside. LOL

Now, why she, my younger, could not have gotten a puppy in California, beats me.  So, how do you get a dog from North Carolina to California? Ha, airplane! How does the dog get on the airplane? Ha! Mama since you are going that way, would you please drop Cali (the puppy) off in Atlanta at the airport? Oh, this puppy is not flying cargo, but on a special airline that flies animals only. You know, first class, private attendent, and you can see and check on your animal from your computer. Check link out below. Oh, by the way, they fly us coach when we go to visit them. Sometimes the planes I have ridden on, I think they must have gotten a good price from the local crop duster.  LOL

Ann Hopewell and Cali in the Tractor Supply

Now, this is a special puppy. Even a couple in the Tractor Supply told Ann Hopewell and myself this puppy needed to go to Hollywood, in which I said, “give me until the 24th of February and she is out of here.”  They laughed when I told them that her human mama lives in Los Angeles, and that Cali would be flying out then to Hollywood.  Her mama only lives about 5 miles from Hollywood. The gentleman said, ” I would never in a million years have expected that answer.” Hey before this story is over, I would never in a million years  have expected so many of the following events to take place.

http://petairways.com

This is when I decided, well, let me call Iris and see if she would like to leave a few days earlier, maybe February 21st, and I would take her to Florida to see her grandchildren.  Then we would leave on February 23rd to go to Georgia and visit some friends, especially one whom had said, “Pat, if you could just come and lay hands on me and pray, I know God will heal me.” ( Friends, please pray for my friend, Frances, in Georgia. Oh, because of Cali, and now me, we may be on the road to discover what maybe causing Frances’ sickness.) Then we would leave their house in Georgia on the  morning of the 24th, to drop Cali (puppy) in Atlanta to fly to California. Then, on to Louisiana, where I would Minister God’s Word.

Here is where God’s sense of humor comes into the picture.  Even before we got to Florida, I received a call that tells me Cali’s flight has been cancelled.  When I received the call, I looked at Iris and said, “God has a sense of humor.” Yes, that was the first words out of my mouth. Praise God, I was prayed up, or I may have not felt that way.  Here I am, going to preach, and now I have a dog to take with me, so I can then return to Atlanta at a later date to put her back on a rescheduled flight.

So I called my sister, Ruby, and said, “Ruby , I can come your way now, but I will have a puppy with me, is that okay?” She agreed, no problem.  So off we go to continue our trip. Pastor Pat, Iris, and now Cali. The Three Amigos.

Grandma Pastor Pat and Cali

Oh, before I stopped using Ms. Clairol, number no gray. LOL

By now, Cali has become very close to her human grandma, and I have become pretty fond of her.  She has had the best Veterinary Care, medicines, shots, flea and tick treatment, and of course her Heart Guard.  Before this story ends, you will see that Grandma Pat should have been treated also with Frontline for ticks and fleas. And, Praise God, I did have my Heart Guarded.

We arrived in Florida, where I dropped Iris off at her grandchildren, and Cali and I headed to a hotel.

So, now my trip involves me getting up early each morning for the next few days, so Cali and I can pray as we take our morning walk, and Cali taking care of a little extra business herself in the beautiful Florida weather. (Oh, except the day it rained). Then we would go back to our room, feed Cali her breakfast, study God’s Word, get dressed, and go to spend some time with Iris and her family.  I left Cali in the hotel room, returning several times a day to let her out of her kennel to go potty. Well, sometimes I did not have to let her out. Yes, a 10 week old puppy, who weighed a total of 9 lbs at the time, suddenly became,  I truly believe, Houdini.  She would unzip her portable kennel. ( A big kennel for a 50lb dog, so she would have plenty of room.) I should have known, because this is the same puppy, that at 2 lbs, pushed her blanket and toy up to the corner of a 2 foot high 30 gallon container and would jump down to the floor. I have video to prove it.

There were times I was so glad I had just finished praying for the housekeeper, or the hotel clerk, or ministering to one of the guests, who would come up to me and ask me to pray for them, because someone had told them that there is a preacher that would be glad to pray for them. I think that few days in Gainesville, Florida, everyone decided I had the means to solve all their  problems. I would tell them I cannot do anything, but I know a God who can. The housekeeper grabbed me one morning, and started dancing. She said, “you prayed for me, and God healed me. Praise God!”

Oh, why was I glad I had just prayed with someone? Because, when I walked into the room, Houdini had managed to unzip her kennel to look up a number in the phone book. I figured that either she could not find the number she was looking for, and she got disgusted, or  pizza delivery boy would not deliver a pizza to her, so she took it out on the 6 inch thick telephone book and chewed it to pieces. Do you know how many pieces there are to pick up from a shredded 6 inch  thick telephone book?

I DO!

Who Me? I did not do it.

I do not chew things. I plead not guilty.

Oh, she is also a very good advisor on what you need to wear for the day. If she does not like what you have picked out, including shoes, she takes them to her kennel, and gets you something else that she likes better for you to wear. I am so glad I took three pair of tennis shoes with me on this trip.

While walking Cali, everyone fell in love with her. The hotel owner, housekeeper, guests, yard workers, and each and every person she came in contact with. But, while walking her I managed to lose a necklace that I had been wearing for over 28 years. Joe wears the other half. It is a heart that states best friends with the date we got married and our names engraved on it. (June 18, 1977) Oh, the necklace was found, but not where you expected. You will find out later on in this devotion. No, it was not in Cali’s kennel, maybe the only thing that did not get into her kennel on that trip.

Friends when you are friendly to others and they see God in you, they will go out of their way to help you. The hotel had all their employees, including the people blowing the leaves off the sidewalk, looking for my necklace. I told them I could have bought another one for under $50.00, but that one was just sentimental.  They were so determined to find that necklace for me.

Remember, when you show God’s Love, God will always have someone there to help you when you need help. Someone asked me if it frightened me to be alone at the hotel. I said, “no.” I know that I have a big God, and He is in control. I know that when I pray, study His word, and take the time to have an intimate relationship with Him, He will watch over me. He will protect me from anything that tries to come against me and harm me. So why should I be afraid?

Psalm 91 ¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  ² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare  and from the deadly pestilence. ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;  his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. ⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,        nor the arrow that flies by day, ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. ⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand but it will not come near youPart 2 of the story will be tomorrow’s devotion. Remember, we have not even reached the flea and tick part yet. And remember, it was not Cali that had the problem. LOL

Oh, the names have not been changed to protect the innocent.

Part 2
The Adventures of Pastor Pat and Ca

I do hope you enjoy the next few nights of The Adventures of Pastor Pat, Cali, and Iris. You will see and hear more about Iris in the Louisiana section.

By the end of this series, you will see many miracles that God has performed, and how many people were touched, including myself,  just because I was obedient and accepted change

Also, how He allowed certain things to happen that would affect the coming days, and people, in mighty ways.Also, if you missed Part I of this series, scroll down to yesterday’s devotion.

Cali, first night in North Carolina, at Aunt Tara’s
2 pounds of love. As you can see in picture below, her toy and she were the same size.

Cali came to us via her Aunt Tara.  Again, I said, “how did I get involved with this situation? And little did I know that Cali and I would soon become traveling partners.

When we first brought Cali to our house, our dogs, Sara and Katie, thought, “Oh no! What is this thing?”

Sara and Katie saying, “What is this thing?” Pictures below tell the or show the conversation.

Cali’s first day at grandma’s

Sara whispering to her, “Now here is how it is, if you do not piddle on the floor, you will get Grandma to do anything for you. Now take my advice on this, okay?.”

Well, all I can say is Cali listened pretty good. And she is an excellent traveler.
We left Florida for Cusseta, Georgia, on February 23rd. Cali in tow in the back seat, in her portable kennel. Iris riding shotgun, and of course, myself driving.

Why were we going to Georgia anyway? Remember, to put Cali on a plane for California, which would leave from Atlanta, something that has not happened yet.

Again, how do you handle change in your schedule, or your plans? You listen to God and just do it. Do not stress over it, just go with the flow.
So, while passing from Florida to Atlanta we would be going right by our dear friends’ house, Junior and Frances. How did I meet these people down in Georgia?  My daddy was in civil service at Ft. Benning, and my family lived in Cusseta when I was in the 4th through 9th grades.

I would have gone to Cusseta School for the 10th grade, but our school was burned to the ground the night before the first day of desegregation was to begin. So, we were bussed to Buena Vista, Georgia, to attend school.

I also walked the aisle at Cusseta Baptist Church at the age of 10, to give my life to God to be a Missionary, to preach His word. And of course First Baptist Church in Dothan, Alabama is where I was saved at the age of 5 years old. So, traveling and ministering through my old stomping grounds was an honor for me. “God is so Good. All the time God is Good.”

Oh, I also had my very first double date there in Cusseta, one week before I turned 16. My daddy was not happy at all with the decision of Mama letting me go to the party. Only 3 houses down from our house. LOL

Anyway we dated for over a year, until my daddy retired and we moved to Louisiana. Don’t tell Joe, (I got my first kiss in Cusseta.) Hey, it does not bother Joe. We went to a class reunion there, and Joe got a picture of me giving Jim a hug, and him hugging me back. My girls said, “Mom, he was and is cute.” They showed pictures of us in school. I told them to look at their dad, I have pretty good taste. LOL

This is the reason I was excited about visiting old friends. What a time we had. Even Cali was welcome in their home. I called them ahead of time and made sure. As you can see below, they gave her a nice place to sleep the one night we were there. Now, they were, as my sister Ruby, not really pleased about it, but they helped us out in our need.

Oh, by the way, since Cali stayed in their home, well they say that they blame it on me. LOL They now have a 5 pound puppy. A Yorkie. Hummmm? Cali must have touched their sweet hearts with her sweet heart.

Cali resting after a long day of traveling to Georgia

After arriving at their home, I asked Frances if I could do some wash. She said please go ahead, make yourself at home. So, I got my dirty clothes out of the car and took them to the utility room.  Frances had told me she had some clothes in the washer and dryer, but as soon as they were removed I could wash them.

I continued to get our things out of the car, and got Cali settled and walked her. Then she ate, and was ready for a long nap.

Junior and Frances were so surprised that Cali did not bark or whine one time. She is such a good puppy.

While I was there, another friend, Judy, dropped in to visit and I forgot the wash. We began talking about the Lord, and praying for her brother, Peter, and time flew by so fast. It must have been over an hour, because the next thing I knew, Frances had already started the first load, and began to put it in the dryer. She came into the living room, and in her hand was… guess what? My necklace. Yes, the necklace was somewhere in my clothes all day long the day I lost it. I realized that it was not on my neck when we were at Iris’ granddaughter’s house in Florida around lunch time, so I went over 12 hours with the necklace in my clothes somewhere. I still do not know how nor where.

Listen, we even went out to eat that night at the Cracker Barrel, and the necklace still stayed in my clothes. That is also the night Iris’ granddaughter came back to the hotel, helped me look for my necklace, and I even called myself checking my clothes while they were still on me. That is also the night that I was down on the floor picking up millions and zillions of pieces of telephone book. And that necklace miraculously did not fall out of my clothes. And because I got so hot and sweaty looking for the necklace and cleaning up after Cali, I pulled my clothes off and put in the dirty clothes bag. I usually would wear a pair of jeans two days in a row. But not that night. I only wore those jeans once. (See, God still doing His thing.)

See how good God is to us if we are living according to His word?  He knows the desires of our heart and things that are so special to us, even small things like a necklace.

John 15:7
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you can asked what you will and it shall be!!!

See, that little word, “IF.”  If you are following this verse, you will only want what God wants for you, and your desires shall be God’s desires also.

God knew I loved that necklace, and He allowed it to hang somewhere in my clothes, and not fall off the entire day. Again, even while I was on the floor picking up pieces of the phone book that Cali and shredded.

Hey, you may have some tough times, but know that God is always there for you. I did not like having to clean the room after Cali’s assault attack on the phone book, but I did not get mad, I just told her NO! Bad! and starting cleaning the room. Afterwards, she walked up to the side of the bed, and wanted me to pick her up. I did and she told me she was sorry, by giving me a lot of sweet puppy kisses on the side of my neck. I will not let any dog kiss me on the face,  and I do not allow dogs in my bed also, but wait until about Part 4 of this series.

The tiny chain was in a hundred little knots. But between Junior, Frances and Iris, they got them all out by using a needle. The heart was not even hurt in the wash. Hey, another miracle, the small necklace did not spin out and down the drain while the washer was in spin cycle.  God doing His thing again.

We had the best time. Frances cooked the most delicious Taco Soup and homemade cornbread. I was in hog heaven. She put broccoli and cheese in her cornbread. Honey, it was so good that it would make you as we say in the south, ‘want to slap your grandma.’ LOL (not really we respect our elders. It is just a saying.”

Another friend, Hubert, and his family, came for supper, and he brought deer chili. I had already filled up on the soup, but I told Hubert I wanted to taste his chili and see if he was a good cook. I said now I only want just a little, like barely 1/4 of a bowl. I can tell you that he does not know his measurements, because I also inquired how much hot sauce was in the chili. He said he only put a teaspoon in the pot.  I reminded him I may have been born in Louisiana, but my stomach was now North Carolina.   Again, he must have been sick the day they studied measurements in school. My first bite was I thought okay, but then by the second, steam was coming out my ears. He was laughing at me, and saying, “Pat you do not need to finish it.” I tried a little more to be polite, but soon handed him the bowl and asked to look at the teaspoon he used. The chili was delicious, and if my mama was alive she would have enjoyed seeing all these friends grown up, and doing so well, and she could have eaten Hubert’s chili. She ate hot and spicy things, until just a few weeks before she took her Heavenly Journey Home, at the age of 93.

After company left, we sat around talking about old times, and of course the Lord. I prayed for Frances’ body to be healed, and we had church. Then we all went to bed. The next morning we got up, packed and headed for Louisiana.

Now remember from last nights story,  ticks, and me walking Cali when I got to Georgia, and in Georgia several times. Well, tomorrow you will learn a little more of that story. Also, look forward to Cali and the Cows, Iris and the Crawfish boil, Hunter’s Chapel, Revival, Ice Cream and much more.
Please know that change happens. It sometimes happens for a reason and a season. Do not worry, just hold on to God.
As Cali says below: How sweet it is.

Oh, I ate to much. But how sweet it is……..
Devotion Written and Posted By: Pastor Pat Aman  Book © 1996/2015, “Coffee With Pat Daily Devotionals”