Kirby Pines Retirement Community | The Pinecone

The Pinecone | March 2026 • 9 • Reflections By Maxie Dunnam March Vesper Services 6:30pm | Performing Arts Center Where Are You In Your Christian Life? I remember a time in my life back in the early 60s when I was confronted with this shocking conviction: I am as holy as I want to be. I was a young Methodist preacher in Mississippi. I was the organizing pastor of a congregation, which had known amazing growth and success. The fellowship of that congregation was splintered by my involvement in the civil rights movement. I didn’t think there was anything radical about my involvement, but many folks in the church could not understand my commitment and participation. I couldn’t understand their lack of understanding. The Gospel seemed clear. The pressure, stress, and tension wore me out. I was physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted and ready to throw in the towel, when I went to a weeklong retreat conference – a Christian Ashram – led by the world-famous missionary evangelist, E. Stanley Jones. I will never forget going to the altar one evening, to have Brother Stanley lay hands on and pray for me. He knew my story, and as I knelt, he asked, “Do you want to be whole? Do you want to be holy?” That was a signal sanctifying experience in my life – changing forever the direction of my ministry. Through the years since that time, I have constantly asked myself. Do you want to be holy? And I have constantly reminded myself that I am as holy as I want to be. I ask you, friends in our blessed community, are you as holy as you want to be? Better…you ask yourself, ”Am I as holy as I want to be?” Are you happywhere you are in your Christian Life? March 5: Eric Brand Lay Teacher, Advent Presbyterian Church March 12: Rev Will Joness Pastor, Germantown Presbyterian Chruch March 19: Ronnie Stephens Lay Speaker, Harvest Church March 26: Ellis Haguewood Elder, White Station Church of Christ The facultyandprincipal ofGeorgeTownHighSchool decided there was not enough harmony among the teenagers nor participation in school activities. So they planned a rewards program by starting Honor Student Week. Imagine my surprise when a pickup truck stopped at my home. A young man wearing a camouflage jacket and slamming our screen door , dropped off a small package and left. I found a sticker on the top marked “Teenager of the Week.” I took a dive into the box and rifled through mostly wrinkled paper. However, at the very bottom I found a small chain bracelet just the right size for my wrist. It made me happy to find an attachment engraved with my name printed below the words “Teenager of the Week.” Imagine how much more surprised I was when each afternoon of that week I got a follow-up package. Each package contained a gold charm to add to my bracelet. One of my teachers’ names was engraved on each charm. What a wonderful gift they gave me, one I will wear with pride! Hopefully, the charm bracelet will create more participation in school activities and increase harmony among the student body. TOPIC: Write about Anonymous Gifts using words: teenager, camouflage, birch, harmony, rifle, screen door, wrinkle, dive, pickup & sticker. Poetry & Writing Club JOIN THE CLUB February 2nd at 9:30 am in the LCR MOTIVATING TEENAGERS Story by Flo Seward Flo Seward E. Stanley Jones