I received this from a old friend back in Nassau. Thank you Betty

May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Hope in God comes from more than a belief that He exists. The Bible calls hope in God “an anchor for the soul”. It is something deep that secures you through the storms of life with confident expectation in His strength.

1. H – Hope for Help
God invites you to come to Him and boldly ask for help. The need is different for all of us. God waits to help, if only you ask.

2. O – Hope to Overcome
Friends of ours tell a story of their marriage, brought to a crisis by alcohol abuse. When they finally invited God into their circumstances, by His strength, they overcame great obstacles. Today they have an intact family that gives God a place in their home. God gives hope and help to overcome. Rather than living life as a victim, God can help you overcome the obstacles you face.

3. P – Hope for Power
Sometimes in life we find ourselves facing things that feel too big to handle. It might be a relationship struggle, a job task, finances, grief over a loss. Seeing our weakness as the very entry point of God’s strength gives access to His power!

4. E – Hope for Eternity
When we put our faith and hope in God, it not only gives us help, strength and power today, it also gives us hope for life after death. It is a confident expectation of the ultimate “tomorrow’.

The God of Hope is only one prayer away.

Dear God, I have gone my own way and have put my hope in so many things that have disappointed me. Forgive me and come into my life today. Show me how to live in confident expectation of how You can impact my life, my character and my circumstances. I place my hope in You right now and ask You to make Yourself known to me where I walk. I thank you. Amen.

Thought: Do you need hope for tomorrow? Please let us know and we can have someone  contact you and pray with you.

by Gail Rodgers

Okay folks, what are you doing to bring the New Year in?

Well I might recommend going to Calvary for a great time of worship and just hanging out with a bunch of sinners. The real thing is, it is a safe place and there will be food to buy and coffee and all kinds of time to enjoy others company. 

The reason I say all this is. Most of us when we lived in the world we always had a place to go for New Years Eve. As I look back it started out to be a lot of fun, but as the night winds down, most of the time waking up the next morning  and say I didn't see the ball drop at N.Y Time Square. The reason is I was to drunk or even passed out. To remember. 

So please if you want to have some people around you and enjoy praising our Lord and being able to drive home with out worrying about being pulled over for drunk driving. Please check it out. I will be working that night to. So maybe this is the year you real having some fun on New Years? 

http://www.calvaryftl.org/event/529753-2014-12-31-new-years-eve-concert/

HAPPY NEW YEARS TO YOU ALL.

I know it is over, but still enjoy.

These guys will help you understand what Christmas is all about. Enjoy.

That be right, traveling.

This is one of the orange factories that is right down the road from Bonita' s home. Not sure if you ever smelled orange pound cake? Well when you drive by these places that is the smell you get. It really is a wonderful smell.

Now that is a air boat. I just saw that and thought wow. 

Going by this place, they have a Nativity seen out in front of their park. I wish I could have seen it light up

When driving over on Christmas day, no traffic at all. But going home there was. Not bad as I got closer to home. 

Now that is a 5th wheeler. She sure is pretty. 

There are still a lot of people that don't have Sun Pass. Which is okay, BUT.

Getting close to home, well I don't have any food, so guess where I stopped? 

This is made up where I use to live. Rochester N/Y> Really is farther west. I think is is called Sodas. It really is some good tasting cheese. 

Now these are pretty good looking pictures.

Maybe I need to start using a real camera? Greg took these with his phone. Galaxy. Plus it has a flash. 

These are Mark,Bonita, Jon and his wife Deb. Family cousins.  

Friday was a day to see what is left over.

These two pictures above are of Wall Mart. They have plenty of stuff left over. I looked and really only saw one item. You know the packs that they make up for Christmas. After shave and other stuff packed together? Well I got one with British Stirling. 

Lowes, had even less. On the 23rd I was walking around with a friend in Coral Springs and saw all the Christmas stuff was on sale already.

This Brenda and Bonita (cuz) This is what she does for a living. Cutting and shaping and even coloring ladies hair. She was telling me that this has been her life since the 80's.

Bonita, Mark and Deb. These folks are all family to me. Cousins. 

Greg and Jon, (Deb's hubby)

Mark,Bon,Greg,Jon and Deb. 

It really was nice of them to come over and send the day with us. As we sat around, we just hung out and enjoyed out little talks. As I think of Christmas, I love being around the family. 

Hey if I have not told you yet. This is what holidays are all about. 

I will be driving back in about 3 hours. I need to get back home to relax there. It is church night and the back to work tomorrow. 

It was such a good ride yesterday morning.

This was my how the traffic was going north. It was great. No problems at all. Beautiful sky lines and clear roads. 

This is Bonita ( my cuz) and a neighbor, I think Brenda? She was on hunt. You know go to each house and get a clue? Her grandma is the one that set it up. At the end she will get a gift. Oh it is her birthday today. So this is some what special. 

Okay most of you out there will look at this and say what is it? Well when I was a kid, my grandma always had this in your home. I have not seen this in many years. So I thought I could share a little in site of my pass. 

Christmas dinner, Greg and Bonita. These two my my cousins. They live up in Winter Haven, Fl. They are about 3 1/2 hours ride away. So it really is good to be able to spend time with family on days like this,  

This was our desert. You might think this is from the store? Well you are correct. 

I just love seeing signs and notes about our Lord Jesus Christ. That is was this season is all about. 

Just praise Him. Enjoy today. 

Received a Christmas story. Thank you again Walter.

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six-year-old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant."

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title.

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row-center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love."

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl =A in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down -- totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W."

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W." Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities.

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear:

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E"

And, I believe, He still is.
Amazed in His presence...
Humbled by His love.

May each of you have a Merry Christmas and a blessed

New Year as you reflect on His Amazing Love for us.

Hope you all have a wonderfulChristwaslove holiday season.

Two Choices This is a story not a joke. Please read the whole thing. I believe you will love the ending?

What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?
At a fund raising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its
Dedicated staff, he offered a question:
'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.
Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.
Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'
Then he told the following story:
Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning..'
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the
Plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over.
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!
Run to first!'
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.
By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team
'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:
We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.
The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.
We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'
So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward
May your day, be a Shay Day.
MAY GOD BLESS EVERYONE WHO
DECIDES TO PASS THIS ON IN MEMORY OF SHAY.............

Okay looking for a condo?

Now these four pictures are of a condo that someone else brought. Now they are remodeling them. The only reason I took these pictures were, my new place could look like this in a couple of years. The reason I say this is, the places I am looking at are a little rougher looking. Okay some are in pretty bad shape. I was just looking inside the places. Didn't have any one to let me in. So the picture below are all window shot. Oh the reason I could get into this one above. They were doing work in it and I asked. 

This is one is selling for$37,300. But a couple of good things are, the back yard goes to the pool.

This one is selling for $26,000. But the back yard is Atlantic Blvd. This one I am still thinking about. Needs some work. One bedroom doesn't have a floor plus needs some wall work too.

 But the good side is the back yard is pretty too.

So buying a condo is some what fun, but then it comes down to, If you buy, do you have money set aside for repairs? How about the truck breaks down? How about I get sick? I loose my job?  

There are many HOW ABOUTS. 

I had a nice talk with one of my old friends yesterday, He is the one asking me these questions. 

Then last night I was with another friend and she was asking

 WHAT IF. WHY PAY TO SOME ONE ELSE PLACE? IT WILL TAKE AD LEAST ANOTHER MONTH BEFORE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE IN? 

Have more saving for the What ifs.

Folks I really would like to find my own place. But as I sit here writing this all out on  my computer. Thinking, I have a bed, a desk a tv plus the air works, plus have inter net?

 Boy what I need is His Okay. 

Prayerfully He will show me.

Okay just a small note, I have called two realtors and no one has called me back. Now maybe today they will. Please if you think of me, say a prayer or two. 

Hey remember what the reason for the season is? JESUS CHRIST.

Okay just showing you how our banking system works.

I have been looking at condo on line. Now I have seen a couple I thought might be a good investment. Hey I need a place to live and maybe by doing this, I can even rent out one of the bedrooms. So it is a win win. Okay I went on line to see what the banks say about what I can afford. 

Now remember I have been a missionary over in the Bahamas for the last 9 years. Okay I just started working at Calvary in Oct. 

Okay now they are saying I can buy a house at $175,557.00 

The real funny thing about  all this is I am looking at $35,000. condos. Maybe even less. So maybe I should buy 5 of them and still have money in the bank? I am sorry but they are crazy. 

This poor guy was traveling down the wrong road.

He got under our fence and started walking toward the office at 62 90. The little fellow would have had a hard time finding his way home. So I picked him up and push him back under the fence. That is where there is a canal behind the that building. I just miss this part at ALC. touching and just enjoying the animals company. 

How can people not believe there is a God? He draws the sky line each day and it is made for us to enjoy and watch. 

Folks Christmas is only three days away. Enjoy today. 

Okay the Saturday before Christmas.

These two pictures are of a booklet that Calvary handed out a couple of weeks ago. My room mate brought and hung it on the freg. It is call the (Advent) The booklet is called The King has come. 12 day devotional. Okay now the reason why I put this in here. I read this and thought about the shepherds. Now they were visited by Angels. Now these guys were not the small little ones flying around with harps. These are the angels that our Lord made to protect us from the evil ones. Plus they are huge. They were the ones that pass the message on to the shepherds. Now the shepherds were not aloud to even go into the temple. But their lambs were the ones that were being sold to sacrifice for their sins. Just think they went and saw the real Lamb. That came into this world for us to be sacrifice for our sins. That is mind blowing. 

I guess you can figure I went for another bike ride. Folks once to start out, it is such a wonderful feeling to have the wind blow through your hair, I know I don't any. But you can enjoy the ride by stopping and just looking at all that is around you. Then get going again. Plus when I get home I feel like I can relax better and just feel better too. 

Okay folks Christmas is this coming Thursday. Now what are you doing to draw closer to Him? Please remember what the reason is for the season, is,Jesus Christ. Not the gifts and cards and all that stuff. It is about Him coming as a baby. Then dying  on a cross. Then rising again. 

You have 3 1/2 days to go. ENJOY THEM.  

Well at Calvary, they had a Snow Day.

It is the last day of school at Calvary. Their Christmas break started at noon. So during the morning hour there was some good old fating food being given away. You know Dunkin Donuts and other brands of breakfast. It really was a joyful time. Just walking by and seeing these students faces. 

Then during the night time. I had a chance to walk around with a friend and just enjoy the a carnival atmosphere. This was down in Margate Blvd. That right they closed the road down to bring in all kinds of fun things to do. It was mosly for the children. But as we walked around I really enjoyed what was going on there. Just watching the little ones having some fun.

This is in the middle of their ROUND ABOUT. that right they have a round about. These are things that are in the Bahamas every where. You don't see them around the big cities. But I have seen them in Pompano and now here. They really are useful. It keeps the traffic flowing. 

These dolls really caught my eye. By looking at them you say why. Their eyes are very noticeable. Just kind of cute too. 

This one table we stopped at had some neat things on it. The woman that over saw it, really was friendly and willing to answer any questions about her stuff there. She made most of everything there. I saw this Hot Wheels car. It is a 1953 (?)  Hornet. Just thinking about it brought back many memories. My dad use to sell them back in those days. It was only $3. to buy it. I thought why not? But then I thought about how I use to collect things and thinking in the back of my mine. Yes this would be nice to have. Then walking down a little farther I saw more stuff. Thinking why not start collecting again? Not. 

The people preforming here were from a church called Abundant Life. That right we have one of these here too. I know one of our broad members that in part of ALC. He is one of the pastor there,in Nassau, Bahamas. These folks really did a nice job on some beautiful Christmas songs 

Then as we were walking out to the parking lot. I saw this family up there and thinking what a nice picture of the family with santa. I know there is no such thing as santa. But it really bring back memories. 

I really hope and pray that everyone has a chance to just walk around and see the beautiful Christmas lights and things.Or you can drive pretty much any where around and see them too. The reason is it only comes once a year. 

Plus as you look around and see different things. Please remember what this really is about? 

Jesus Christ and His birth. ENJOY