Hello Warriors!

Melissa here!!

I know it has been a while. We have had a busy life of hockey, archery, and the holidays. Then we all got sick. But of course, not all at once. Nope one at a time. So for the last month at least one person out of the five of us in our house has been sick. So, we are sorry for the long break, but we are back at it.

The last few years I have picked a word for that year. This word is what I strive for in all aspects of my life for the year. Some people put great thought into it, and some go with their gut instinct from the get go. The last two years I have gone with my gut instinct to pick my word.

In 2020, my word was Relentless. Fitting right!! 2020 was hell for a lot of people and really hard to get through. The same way for me but I wanted to be relentless for myself. Put the time in on myself. I worked on my mental health a lot and that part continued into 2021.

The word I chose for 2021 was Accomplished. What a great word to go for right!! I know a lot of people who really struggled through 2021, but I was not one of them for the most part. My struggle was different than others. It was a big year of growth for me in several areas of my life. 2021 brought on great healing mentally and emotionally in ways I could have never imagined. It all was truly amazing, and I can see the growth I have had coming into the new year with a difficult January. Lawrence and I accomplished a lot with RWL and are making big plans for the future. I started a YouTube channel for my craft blog and have put up several videos. Plus became a consultant for Lemongrass Spa and hit the bonus sales marks for my first 3 months. Those are all big accomplishments, and I am satisfied with how I pushed myself to reach my word for last year.

The biggest accomplishment though has been in my walk with God. He has showed up for me in ways I never thought possible. Bringing people in my life to help me grow closer to him. Learning what it’s like to have the relationship with him that I want. Truly seeing what is meant by blind, unwavering faith. Knowing that God is really walking with me in my day-to-day activities. God purged me of all the grief, self doute, worthlessness, and anger that I have felt for so long. He did not let me stay stagnant. For the first time in my life, I could feel my faith growing stronger and it made me want more!!

Well, that brings us to 2022!! It is currently February 4th and I have just recently decided on my word for this year. I had a hard time deciding on one. So, I turned to a few different websites to find one. Drum Roll Please!!!!! ACCEPT. My word this year is Accept. Accept that I cannot control things. Accept that things are going to happen and move forward even if I am terrified for them to happen. It is the perfect word for me because I have a son graduating from high school in just a few short months and I am really struggling with it all.

I know I am a control freak. My husband and kids call me Kim Jung-Un. You could say that it is in my personality. Combine that with the fear of losing those around me, sometimes the anxiety of it all is crippling. That is the whole point in concentrating on a word though, for the year. One that can really help me focus on an area that really needs some work.

I have seen the growth I have had the last two years and that makes me excited for the growth in a different area of my life this year.

Do you pick a word to work on each year? If so, what is it? Try to keep a journal of the progress you are making with your word through the year so you can see the work you have put in. Happy WORD hunting!!!

Melissa McGuire

Relentless

Relentless Warriors Legacy

Hey there Warriors, Watch Dog here.

I’m excited to be writing this post. This has been a tough one for me to write. I haven’t been the greatest head space the last few weeks. The issue is, I didn’t know I was projecting onto my family. There have been a lot of changes in the Watch Dog/Relentless household. I have been very frustrated with my job for quite a while, and I have been bringing that frustration home with me. A few weeks ago I was offered a new job, which brought on more stress. I have worked in 13 different fire departments over the past 22 years. So changing jobs isn’t really a big deal to me but this job is different. There has been a fear of the unknown as this is the first time I have worked in a career field outside the fire department. I believe that if you aren’t moving forward you are moving backwards. For the past few years I realized that I had no room to advance in the FD unless I moved again. I have felt like I was sinking in sand for the past few years.

Have you ever felt like you were sinking in the sand? Like you just can get anywhere or that you can not change you mind set. Its like your sinking in wet sand and you can not figure out how to dig out of it. Well that is how I have felt over the last few years with my job. I do not want to be sinking in the sand though, I want to have faith and walk on water. I want to be successful and happy. If you are walking on water then you are at the top of your game!! Isn’t that where we all want to be?

I believe that God has led me to this new job. I was sinking in sand the last few years and now with this new job, I am advancing in a new career with plenty of upward mobility. In other words it feels like I am walking on water. This is a career I know very little about and I didn’t know what to expect. Just like Peter did in the Bible, I stepped out of the boat (accepted the job) but fear of the unknown is where I started to sink (emotionally). I had a lot of fear and doubt about being able to do the job. My new boss is a man of God and has ensured me that he has confidence in me. Since starting the new job, I feel a lot less stress, more relaxed and there is less anxiety in me. I work more hours but I am more present when I’m home, and family time is better.

I said all that to make this point. I believe that firefighting is what I was meant to do. I did for 22 years, I got to live my dream. Following God, and having the courage to take a new path in life, I feel better about my future and the future of my family. This is similar to how I felt when I received help with PTSD. I was nervous about the treatment not working and being let down again like I had been several times over. Keeping the faith and having the strength to keep moving forward and not giving up can change your life for the better. PTSD ruled my life for many years, but by not giving up, and having a great support system in my life, I am able to live my life well. With PTSD controlling my life for years, I was sinking in sand, but I started walking on water when I found a way to take control back.

Please, if you feel lost, you are in dark place, in a storm, remember that every storm eventually runs out of rain. Every bad season will change. If you feel like you are alone and no one cares about you, try to remember that God loves you and He will never leave you. He will place people in your life just when you need them. All you gotta do is trust Him, and DO NOT EVER GIVE UP, keep moving forward. Don’t accept what the devil wants you to believe. Seek help and don’t stop, even if what you try doesn’t work at first. There is something out there that will work, you have to work to find it.

Keep fighting the good fight. Don’t ever give up. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Don’t let pride keep you from asking for help.

Watch Dog

;IGY6

NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE!

If this touched you or you think someone you know could benefit or be encouraged, please share. Please like and comment too.

God Bless!

Hello Warriors, Watch Dog here.

I think sometimes it is hard to be grateful. It should be easy to be grateful, but it isn’t always that easy. There is so much negativity in the world today, that sometimes the negative blocks out what we should be grateful for. If you think you have nothing to be grateful for, you are wrong. You live in America, you have a roof over your head, you have food to put in your stomach. If you have breath in your lungs, you have a reason to be grateful.

There are times I feel like I am a failure in life! I feel like I am a failure as a son, as a husband, as a daddy, as a firefighter and just as a human being! That is the devil working on me. These are the times that I have to remember the love God has for me. That is something to be grateful for, for sure. One thing I am very grateful for is my wife! Relentless has stood my side when even I said she should leave me. I am so grateful for her love for me. There is no doubt that she is a gift from God to me. I am trying to learn how to show this appreciation.

It is important to remember, that no matter how dark things get, how bad things seem, that just a little faith even the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains. You are never alone, God is always on your side, you just have to trust in Him! It isn’t always easy. At times it is down right hard and seemingly impossible, but it isn’t! God starts when impossible starts. You can’t be angry or upset or sad the same time you are being grateful. Always find something to be grateful for. If you ever wonder if your purpose on earth is done, if you are still breathing, it isn’t! God can still use you, no matter what you have done. I joke a lot when I say, “Everyone is good at something, I am a great bad example.” I have not always lived a righteous life. I still struggle with this, but I am trying to be better today than I was yesterday. I am grateful that God will forgive and has forgiven me for all my faults. I am grateful that Jesus died on the cross for me even though I don’t deserve it.

NO FIGHTS ALONE!

Always be grateful and thankful!

Watch Dog.

;IGY6

Hello warriors, Watch Dog here,

Have any of you ever just felt, lost? I know I have, and here recently it been a rough go for my-self and Relentless also. We feel like life has gotten in the way for both of us. Everything from work, school, kids, sports, health, friends, vehicles and it seems like everything else that life can think of to through at us has gotten in our way. We have both been physically and mentally exhausted.

Today I was ready to give up and tell my boss off and just walk away from my job. (When I get tired, I tend to have a very short fuse) However I was able to keep my wits about me. Instead of reacting the way every fiber in my body wanted to, I was able to take a step back and take a breath. I asked God to help me stay calm, and just control myself. I went and did some work, stayed away from the boss for a bit and calmed down. Am I still upset, yes, do I still want to blow up, yes. However I am trying to keep in mind that it might not be my boss’s fault, he might be under some stress as well.

I realized that I haven’t been spending time in the good book, I haven’t been spending much time in prayer either. Which is crazy because God has recently opened a door for me that I couldn’t have imagined opening even just a year ago. I was able to step back today a realize I have been lost this past week, ALLOWING life to get in the way. Right now I am sitting here writing this BLOG because I am making myself make time for this. This cause is my passion, this is something God has given me, He has given me the honor to use my life experiences to help others. My choice right now is to stop the world, even just for a little while, and do this, because God has given it me, and I find joy it.

Will tomorrow be stressful, probably, but if I remember to look to God, I can get through it. I said all that to say this, When you feel lost, look to God. Ask God to “Quiet your world around you, and to open you up, to hear what He wants!” Look to God for comfort. Don’t be surprised if you do this and you receive a call from or run into an old friend that will put you in a good mood. It’s not a coincidence. It might be how God chooses to help you. God is good all the time, and He will help you when you need it, it just might not be how you expect.

God will guide you when you are lost, if you let Him. He will guide you, always if you will listen. When the world gets in the way, and before you know it, you are lost, don’t be afraid. Take a step back, take breath, quiet your world and listen to God!

Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? Luke 14:34

In other words, life is good and working hard is good, but if work and life gets in the way and you feel lost (Lose your savour) God can re-season you.

For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost. Luke 19:10

When you are lost, in your own head, or overwhelmed by life or the world, the Son came to seek and find you!

Watch Dog.

;IGY6

NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE

Hey Warriors its Melissa here,

I hope you are all doing well! Lawrence and I have had two great weeks of RWL meetings with some great men and women. Things here are great.

In today’s post I want to talk a bit about a piece of a book that had a really big impact on me. Yes I know Lawrence wrote on a book last week. We have both been doing a lot of reading lately.

I just finished reading this book called The Shack. It is a fictional story about God showing up as what we need him to be so that we are the most receptive to him. I am not going to go into great detail about the book but I will tell you it is an amazing read and it has made me see God in a completely different light and has really changed my perception of him and how he works.

What I do want to talk about today though is something that really made me think. In the book, the characters talk about making God a priority in our lives. That is how I always thought God wanted it. He wanted us to make Him our top priority. After reading the book, I have a different opinion of that now. Later I will tell you what this means for your marriage and family.

During the conversation in the book the main character Mack is talking to God about how God should be the priority in our lives. God’s reply to Mack was not what I expected. He told Mack that He wants to be more than a priority. If we put God on a list and put Him as #1, that’s all fine and great but then God asked what that would look like.

God does not want to just be on a list of things to check off everyday. That would mean we would spend our time with Him and then forget about Him the rest of the day. He is not something we just check off like any other task we are trying to accomplish. God wants more than that and He deserves more than that.

The other thing is that if He is made a priority on a list, then how much time does that require? How much is to much or not enough? God does not want to be looked at in that way. He does not want to be a stress or a burden.

So what does God really want? In the book, God told Mack He wants to be the center of everything in our day, not just a priority. He wants us to bring Him into everything we do, not just an hour or two every day. Spending time with Him is not supposed to be stressful, but peaceful. Time spent with Him is to build our relationship with Him, not put strain on it because we are trying to meet our own expectations of what we think needs to be done.

That thought right there blew my mind and dropped all the pressure I was putting on myself as I was trying to meet these huge expectations I was putting on myself. This whole idea took all the stress out of me trying to have the relationship I want with God. It is one less thing to make me feel like a failure. Who doesn’t need that in their life?

God wants to be with us 24/7 with no expectations. He is asking that we bring Him into every aspect of our day. That is something I can completely do. I pray off and on all day long for several different things. I keep Him with me know matter what I am doing.

What does that mean for my marriage? He can be the center of that too. I am taking Him everywhere so that means He is a big part of my marriage. Same with my kids. It has opened me up to talking to my kids about praying through things. Helping them understand how to make God the center of their life too. Families are stronger when God is at the center of it. Teaching my kids to be able to have a relationship with God that is not stressful is really important.

This also means that God wants to be at the center of our PTSD and depression. How AMAZING is that!! He does not want us walking through those horrible things along. That means we are NEVER alone even if we feel like we are. For me, that is a very comforting thought. It means that I can always lean on and rely on Him even when my depression and grief are at their worst.

I highly recommend the book “The Shack”. It was a life changing read for me and one of those books that I will read over and over. I never want to forget to put God at the center of my life and make Him a part of everything I do. It is amazing how much stress I was able to drop after taking all the pressure and expectations off of myself trying to force a relationship and time with God. I hope this helps you in your walk with God too.

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Proverbs 3:6 NLT ⁶ Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Melissa McGuire (Relentless)

Hello to the Warriors out there, Watch Dog here.

I have started reading a book called “Spiritual DIRECTION” by Henri Nouwen. While reading the other night I read a passage that has really stuck with me. I would like to share this passage with everyone because it hit me right between the eyes. This short paragraph says what I have wanted to be able to say to people for years. (I just didn’t know the words) This is the paragraph “To those with serious struggles and burning questions, I want to reach out with compassion and say: “You seek answers to what can not be fully known. I don’t know either, but I will help you search. I offer no solutions, no final answers. I am as weak and limited as you are. But we are not alone. Where there is charity and love, God is there. Together, we form community. Together we continue the spiritual search.”

“To those with serious struggles and burning questions” These people are anyone who lives with PTSD or someone who cares for someone with PTSD. These numbers are unknown because so many people live with PTSD in silence. They refuse to ask for help, or they are scared to ask for help, or they don’t realize they need help yet.

“I want to reach out with compassion and say: You seek answers to what can not be fully known.” These issues can not be fully known because PTSD affects everyone differently. No person on Earth can fully know what you are going through.

“I don’t know either, but I will help you search.” Even though I have lived with PTSD myself now for 18 years, I do not know exactly what you are going through. I have some ideas because I have walked through those same dark paths, but not in your shoes.

“But I will help you search.” I got your six! I am willing to lace up my boots, jump down in that dark hole, and do battle with you. I will walk by your side until we find some light. We will fight your demons together.

“I offer no solution, no final answers.” I do not have the cure all pill, I can not fix what is going on in your head. I can promise to help you and support you while you are working to figure it out. It is a very long and hard battle, but with battle buddies or wing men the battle is a little easier.

“I am as weak and limited as you are.” I have been beat down, and lost my-self. I can not win my battles or defeat my demons on my own either. I depend on a team to help me too.

“But we are not alone.” You are not alone in this fight. There are people who are willing to help, who want to help.

“Where there is charity and love, God is there.” People who help others is charity and they do the charity freely because it comes from a place of love. This is all guided by the love of God. If God is with you, who can be against you?

“Together, we form community.” If a person is alone they are much easier to defeat, but when there is a community, we are so much stronger together. A single thread can break with ease, but a three fold cord does not easily break. If a person is alone and stumbles and falls who is there to lend a hand? If someone in the community falls there are brothers and sisters there to help them back up.

“Together we continue the spiritual search.” Together we can stay strong and continue to seek a way out of the darkness and back into the light.

This was a very heart touching paragraph for me. I truly hope you all gained some strength and or some insight from it. God bless you all.

Remember God loves you and we love you.

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Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Watch Dog.