BIRTHDAY SUNDAY
Hello one and all. You might ask why the blog is entitled "Birthday Sunday". Could it be that today is my birthday? You would be right. I turned 56 years old today. I was born Sunday December 14, 1952 in the Franklin Hospital, Claremore, Oklahoma. In the winter of 52 snow covered the ground when my mom went into labor in the early morning hours. The hospital wouldn't even let my dad stay in the lobby. It was too cold to sit in the car, so he went home and to sleep. He had been working in the night when it came time to take mom to the hospital. Since my parents didn't have a telephone, they left mom's cousin Lavetta's number with the hospital. I came a little after 4:00 a.m. Cousin Lavetta's husband Fred went to my parents duplex on Tenth and Cherokee streets and had to knock on the door and yell at my dad three times before he would wake up. I don't know where my brother was. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona in March of 1951. We are 21 months apart. My family moved from Willcox, Arizona in September of 1952 to Claremore, Oklahoma, where both my parents families then lived. My mother was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma and grew up in Inola. In 1948 her family moved to Arizona. My dad's parents lived there and my grandpa Johnston was the pastor of the church. My parents were married July 21, 1949 in Willcox, Arizona.
On Sabbath we had a great service at church. Our former pastor Tim Hinds and family were here from Owosso, Michigan. He is now serving as the youth pastor at Spring Vale Academy, the church high school. This is his second year in Michigan. We sure miss him and his family. He is a relative of mine on the Hinds side of my mother's (dad's) family. Our Great-Grandpa Hinds was a minister beginning 1924 in Inola, Oklahoma, where I live now. He served as the pastor of the group in Inola until July of 1948, when he passed away of a heart attack in Denver, Colorado, while him and his wife were visiting their two youngest daughters. His body was sent back to Inola and buried in the Sweeten Cemetery. Tim was at our church in Claremore to conduct a baptismal service of my daughter (a cousin), his niece, and his sister. The three girls are in their youth, my daughter being the oldest. He gave a very good sermon on pure of heart.
It was the second Sabbath of the month, with pot luck lunch after the Worship Service. In the afternoon we started a 5 part video series on the history of the Sabbath. Part one was great. It starts with how creation came about and then into when the Sabbath began. Which of course was at the end of the creation week. Each month on the second Sabbath the next video in the series will be shown at 2:00 p.m. At the Church of God (7th Day), 512 East Tenth Street, Claremore, Oklahoma. Anyone is welcome to come and view this series. The next showing will be on Sabbath January 10, 2009. Our speaker will be Brother Jason Overman from Jasper, Arkansas.
I have been doing a study on if we should take part in the Feast Days of the Old Testament today. The Church of God (7th Day) teaches that the feast days were for the Israelites after they came out of Egypt from being in bondage. The Israelites were to observe them until they reached the Promise Land. The sacrificial laws ended when Christ came and became our living sacrifice on the cross. This done away with all sacrifices. The belief of the church is that if you take part in the feast days today, it would be saying Christ birth, dying on the cross and resurrection from the dead were of no effect. Or means if you keep the feast days today, you are sacrificing Christ on the cross all over again year after year. There are many who feel we should still keep the feast days. After doing this study, I am of the same opinion I have always been that they were for the Israelites and not for us today. "Study to show thyself approved. . . . Rightly dividing the word of truth."
Now on to something else. I said I planned to start putting up some of the James Family History. I still haven't had any luck with our connection to the outlaws, Frank and Jesse. Someday perhaps I will. I believe my husband's fourth great Grandpa James was a brother to Frank and Jesse's dad Robert James. His name probably being William Henry James. I just cannot find Great-great Grandpa Melton's name in the descendents. I feel the reason for this is he probably changed his name and went into seclusion. Stories among family members are that he posed as Jesse James and committed robberies and murders. There are stories also of Frank and Jesse coming and eating with them at their homes around Gore, Oklahoma. Some cousins still alive today, tell these stories. My husband's grandpa told him they were cousins and that his dad Bill or grandpa Melton had played with the boys in the Cookson Hills of Oklahoma. Great-great Grandpa James never discussed where he came from, who his parents or siblings were. That's one reason why the family thinks he was probably hiding out. Below I will start with Great-great Grandpa Melton James and list him and his family and a few descendants. Each week I plan to add more until I get to the end of what I have. I also have some of Frank and Jesse's ancestors, beginning with the first James from Wales, John James the Immigrant.
2 (1) John Wesley James (male) b:Jan 14, 1872 d:Sept 26, 1952
2 (2) Victoria Ann James (female) b:Jun 8, 1873 d:Feb 24, 1943
2 (3) "Dora" Udora (Udoria) James (female) b:abt.1874 d:unknown
2 (4) Cordia James (female) b:abt.1875 d:unknown
2 (5) "Bill" William Melton James (male) b:Apr 23, 1876 d:Jan 28, 1953, Coweta, Okla.
2 (6) Thomas Elivie Grant James (male) b:Jun 4, 1881 d:Jul 19, 1944
2 (7) Harve Louis James (male) b:Sept 21, 1883 d:unknown
2 (8) Ollie Melvin James (male) b:Aug 27, 1893 d:May 3, 1959
2nd Wife of Melton: Callie Ridgeway (female) b:1903 d:unknown m:Dec 26, 1921 in Gore, Okla. He was 55 and she was 18.
On next weeks blog I plan to add Generation 2. If anyone reading this has any questions, please feel free to email me any time: oklibrarianc@yahoo.com. Until next time, God Bless.
Starlight*
On Sabbath we had a great service at church. Our former pastor Tim Hinds and family were here from Owosso, Michigan. He is now serving as the youth pastor at Spring Vale Academy, the church high school. This is his second year in Michigan. We sure miss him and his family. He is a relative of mine on the Hinds side of my mother's (dad's) family. Our Great-Grandpa Hinds was a minister beginning 1924 in Inola, Oklahoma, where I live now. He served as the pastor of the group in Inola until July of 1948, when he passed away of a heart attack in Denver, Colorado, while him and his wife were visiting their two youngest daughters. His body was sent back to Inola and buried in the Sweeten Cemetery. Tim was at our church in Claremore to conduct a baptismal service of my daughter (a cousin), his niece, and his sister. The three girls are in their youth, my daughter being the oldest. He gave a very good sermon on pure of heart.
It was the second Sabbath of the month, with pot luck lunch after the Worship Service. In the afternoon we started a 5 part video series on the history of the Sabbath. Part one was great. It starts with how creation came about and then into when the Sabbath began. Which of course was at the end of the creation week. Each month on the second Sabbath the next video in the series will be shown at 2:00 p.m. At the Church of God (7th Day), 512 East Tenth Street, Claremore, Oklahoma. Anyone is welcome to come and view this series. The next showing will be on Sabbath January 10, 2009. Our speaker will be Brother Jason Overman from Jasper, Arkansas.
I have been doing a study on if we should take part in the Feast Days of the Old Testament today. The Church of God (7th Day) teaches that the feast days were for the Israelites after they came out of Egypt from being in bondage. The Israelites were to observe them until they reached the Promise Land. The sacrificial laws ended when Christ came and became our living sacrifice on the cross. This done away with all sacrifices. The belief of the church is that if you take part in the feast days today, it would be saying Christ birth, dying on the cross and resurrection from the dead were of no effect. Or means if you keep the feast days today, you are sacrificing Christ on the cross all over again year after year. There are many who feel we should still keep the feast days. After doing this study, I am of the same opinion I have always been that they were for the Israelites and not for us today. "Study to show thyself approved. . . . Rightly dividing the word of truth."
Now on to something else. I said I planned to start putting up some of the James Family History. I still haven't had any luck with our connection to the outlaws, Frank and Jesse. Someday perhaps I will. I believe my husband's fourth great Grandpa James was a brother to Frank and Jesse's dad Robert James. His name probably being William Henry James. I just cannot find Great-great Grandpa Melton's name in the descendents. I feel the reason for this is he probably changed his name and went into seclusion. Stories among family members are that he posed as Jesse James and committed robberies and murders. There are stories also of Frank and Jesse coming and eating with them at their homes around Gore, Oklahoma. Some cousins still alive today, tell these stories. My husband's grandpa told him they were cousins and that his dad Bill or grandpa Melton had played with the boys in the Cookson Hills of Oklahoma. Great-great Grandpa James never discussed where he came from, who his parents or siblings were. That's one reason why the family thinks he was probably hiding out. Below I will start with Great-great Grandpa Melton James and list him and his family and a few descendants. Each week I plan to add more until I get to the end of what I have. I also have some of Frank and Jesse's ancestors, beginning with the first James from Wales, John James the Immigrant.
GENERATION 1
1 Harvey Melton James b:Dec 25, 1851 in Kentucky d:Mar 7, 1931 in Gore, Okla. m:abt.1871 Roxianna Malinda Crouch b:Feb 17, 1850 in Kentucy born to John J. Crouch b:1825 in Kentucky, and Cinthia Ann Draffin b:1826 in Kentucky, d:Mar 19, 1910 Gore, Okla. They had 8 children:2 (1) John Wesley James (male) b:Jan 14, 1872 d:Sept 26, 1952
2 (2) Victoria Ann James (female) b:Jun 8, 1873 d:Feb 24, 1943
2 (3) "Dora" Udora (Udoria) James (female) b:abt.1874 d:unknown
2 (4) Cordia James (female) b:abt.1875 d:unknown
2 (5) "Bill" William Melton James (male) b:Apr 23, 1876 d:Jan 28, 1953, Coweta, Okla.
2 (6) Thomas Elivie Grant James (male) b:Jun 4, 1881 d:Jul 19, 1944
2 (7) Harve Louis James (male) b:Sept 21, 1883 d:unknown
2 (8) Ollie Melvin James (male) b:Aug 27, 1893 d:May 3, 1959
2nd Wife of Melton: Callie Ridgeway (female) b:1903 d:unknown m:Dec 26, 1921 in Gore, Okla. He was 55 and she was 18.
On next weeks blog I plan to add Generation 2. If anyone reading this has any questions, please feel free to email me any time: oklibrarianc@yahoo.com. Until next time, God Bless.
Starlight*
Comments
I recently had a debate in my blog about the weekly Sabbath with someone who is from a traditional church, probably a Sunday keeping church. He tried to convince me that the Ten Commandments and the weekly Sabbath were only until the death of Christ, and have since been abolished. He basically said that Jesus came to fulfill the law, and that the law was to exist only until Jesus fulfilled it, and was abolished after the death of Jesus Christ. I think I successfully refuted that argument, but one point I could have made and either I didn't or I didn't give it enough emphasis, is that there is no clear scripture or combination of scriptures that indicates that the weekly Sabbath is abolished. In other words, when God commands something, it stays in effect until God changes or removes the command. With other things, such as animal sacrifices, circumcision, etc. God makes it clear that the original command is changed or abolished for the Church. But there is nothing in the New Testament that says that the weekly Sabbath is abolished.
I mention this because you recently did a study on the annual holy days in the Old Testament, and you may have found something in the New Testament that shows the command to rest and gather for services on those days has been abolished. I haven't found anything like that, but it is possible that I missed them. If you have any good scriptural references that show that the annual days have been abolished, that can help me in my studies. If you want you can post them or send them to me if you like, or enter a comment in my blog.