2021: LET'S MAKE IT AN AMAZING YEAR!

     Happy New Year everyone!! In just 2 days we will be ringing in a brand new year. Like many of you, I am so so happy 2020 is over! I almost wish we had a "Do over" when it comes to this past year. Wouldn't that be great? It reminds me of when I was a kid playing touch football in the street with kids who lived up the block from me. It was usually 3 on 3. One of the kids would throw a pass and another kid would make the catch along the curb. We were not sure he had 2 feet inbounds so we would all argue. Finally we would all say "Do Over" and then we would replay that down. Obviously we cannot redo 2020. There are no Deloreans available to go "back in time!" I never thought I would be working more at Home Depot than Chick Fil-A in 2020 nor did I ever think I would only do 2 ministry opportunities. 2020 had its challenges and we can all say we survived. My heart breaks for those of you who may have lost loved ones or had family members lose their jobs or businesses. 2021 is another year of opportunities. We can only take it one day at a time. I am certainly not prophetic in saying what will happen in 2021. I can only say one thing. God is in control! January 1st will turn into January 2nd and so on. Each day will have it's opportunity and we can only make it as good as we want. God has a plan for each of us. Let's remember to put our trust in Him 100%. Thank you all for reading my blog. I will continue to write and I appreciate you all so much!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!    

 

2020! THE YEAR WE WILL NEVER FORGET AND WANT TO FORGET!

     In just 9 days, this incredibly crazy year we have had will be over. All we can say is....."WOW!" Last January, I made plans and set goals for the new year. I was hoping to start a new ministry as a Child Evangelist. I set the goal of possibly traveling to churches and camps by the summer. I was also working on a program where I could bring a kids program to local libraries. I had an idea to do a show on "Bullying" using puppets, games and props. I also was hoping to keep my 3 jobs which were at Chick Fil-A, Home Depot and being a personal assistant to a handicapped college student. Well, as we all know those plans were derailed. I never got to travel as a child evangelist or go into libraries. My job as a personal assistant ended in March and never resumed. Chick Fil-A was forced to close for three weeks in March but reopened in April but with limited hours. My part time job at Home Depot became my full time job for a season and was and is a huge blessing. 

     

     In 2020, there were many new terms that were introduced. Social Distancing, Covid-19, Coronavirus and "quarantine" just to name a few. We had to wear masks in public, churches were forced to have services online and Zoom became a big thing. When I was a kid, it was a popular kids show on PBS. Nowadays it's an App that is used by businesses, families  and gatherings. We had to stay 6 feet apart and we could not hug or shake hands with anyone. Kids were home from school and were forced to do "Virtual learning." Many businesses were forced to close and many around the world lost their jobs and were unemployed. Many families had a chance to bond with each other as they had to stay home. All I can say is I'm glad its almost over. I realize we are not totally out of the woods with this lousy coronavirus and we have a ways to go. I just pray it all ends real soon and we can get back to "real life." I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of wearing a mask!

     So what did we learn this year? I know for myself I learned that the plans I make are not necessarily God's plans. I learned to trust in God and allow Him to control my life no matter what I am going thru. I learned that valuable time with loved ones is important. I also learned that God is bigger than coronavirus, bigger than decisions made by our government and He will always have the final say. So with all that said, "Here's to an amazing 2021!!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!   

 

THE T.V. COMMERCIAL I ABSOLUTELY CAN'T STAND!!

     There is a GMC truck commercial that has been on television for the past few years that I absolutely cannot stand. Every time it's on TV I always change the channel or, if I DVR'd one of my old shows or a Giants football game, I always fast forward past it. I do have to say the two actors in it did a great job acting, but the company suits at GMC did not convince me at all to buy a truck or in the case of this commercial two vehicles. 

     Here's the scenario...A wife walks over to her husband who is sitting at a table. They look as though they are wealthy. Their home looks like a mansion. She buys him a gift and says "There's one for me and one for you." I really can't tell what she gave him but he kindly tells her "I love it." He then tells her he bought something for her. They walk outside and it's a red SUV and a black truck. As he is about to tell her the red SUV is her's, she runs over to the black truck saying she loves it then she puts her arms out and says "I love it!" The husband then says "I love red." The announcer goes on explaining the cost and where to purchase these vehicles then the commercial ends. Or as I say "The torture is over!"

     Let me explain to you in no particular order why I cannot stand this commercial. Let's start from the beginning of the commercial. First, it looks as though the couple are in their early 30's. In today's economy, I don't know of very many 30 plus year old "Yuppie's" who are living in the lap of luxury. Not very many can afford one truck let alone two. It seems very unrealistic to me! I do appreciate the husband's reaction when his wife gave him a gift. What I really don't like is the end of the commercial. The husband tells his wife he got something for her. Yes, the red SUV. He says "One for me and one for you." The wife runs straight for the black truck. The only thing she says is "I love it." You can see the ungratefulness on her face as she runs for the truck. When she throws her arms out as she stands in front of the black truck, it's as if she is "staking her claim" and saying to her husband, "This is my black truck, you are getting the red SUV and don't you dare fight me on it or you will sleep on the couch." When the husband ends the commercial by saying "I like red", you can see he is a huge wimp and you can also see who clearly "wears the pants" in the family. I will never understand why the GMC people feel this commercial should remain on TV. It certainly doesn't give you any desire to buy a GMC truck or SUV. I don't know very many people who would buy TWO vehicles! What I see in this commercial is ungratefulness at it's finest. I see a spoiled wife who gets her way and a wimpy husband who can't stand up for himself. I realize it's a commercial and the actors in it are not really married to each other. They were paid good money to be in this commercial. I truly hope we are all grateful for what we have and for what we receive at Christmas. In what we call "real life" I hope we never act like the wife and the husband in this commercial. I pray we let others know we appreciate them and what they do for us!  Merry Christmas everyone!! 

        

 

THE CHRISTMAS CONNECTION

     When I Googled the name "Christmas Connection" to get a picture for this blog, a 2017 Christmas movie came up. This blog is not about the movie. I have never seen it nor do I even recognize the actors in the movie. This is about connecting the Christmas season with our Lord!

     Many years ago, someone came up with the idea that during the month of December, a lot of money could be made. Instead of just celebrating the birth of Christ, how about we cash in and make megabucks! Department stores went crazy selling merchandise and thus began what we affectionately call "The Christmas Season!" Here we are on Monday, December 7th and people around our globe are going nuts trying to buy gifts, put up decorations and put up their Christmas tree. They call it the Christmas Spirit! On December 24 & 25, churches will be packed out as long as we abide by social distancing. Isn't it sad to think that you can have hundreds of shoppers at Home Depot in the store at one time where people DO NOT social distance yet, at church we need to limit the number of people.  It makes me want to plant a church in the Garden Department at my Home Depot! That would go over big! At the same time many churches are full, December is also the month where suicides are on the rise. More suicides happen in the month of December than any other month. That makes me very sad! So what is the Christmas Connection?

     We all want happiness in our lives. On Facebook, we all post pictures of happy events or post things about accomplishments that family members have achieved . Of course we are proud and we should be! I would find it very strange if someone posted "Hey, I failed my English final in college" or "My son just got his 5th "DWI" this year." We post things that make us happy. Christmas is that time of year that makes us happy. I always feel a close connection with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when it's December. I love going to church and celebrating his birth. I have experienced that "Christmas Connection" for many years. I will admit there were some years I did not to be brutally honest. The one thing I have tried to do every year is to keep that connection every year well into the new year and beyond. I don't want to lose that fire and desire to know Jesus more. It reminds me of when you experience a weeklong mission trip in another country. You come home so pumped up and you want to tell everyone about your awesome experience yet you leave that enthusiasm in the country you were in. After a while that enthusiasm is gone. I pray for all of us that we continue to stay connected to Jesus even during this pandemic crazy December and year of 2020. I pray that into January and throughout 2021 we will have that "Christmas Connection" and that we will never lose the desire to know Jesus and get close to Him! 

     Merry Christmas everyone and stay "connected!"

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK AND REMEMBER JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!       

 

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER!!

     

     It's hard to believe it's December 2020! Christmas will be here in about 3 weeks. If you are like me, you are probably very happy 2020 is coming to a close. It seems as though many were trying to rush in the Christmas season. Working at Home Depot, I couldn't believe they were putting out Christmas merchandise towards the end of October! Once the Halloween decorations were down...BOOM...up went the Christmas lights, blow ups and lawn decorations! With this crazy Covid-19 Pandemic year we have had, it seems as though many people have been looking for something that will make them happy. We all love the Christmas lights, decorating our trees and getting presents. We love the Christmas spirit. It makes us happy! But is it the real reason for the season?

     Working at both The Home Depot and Chick Fil-A, I can see how cranky people are. This pandemic is getting under the skin of many people. All I can say is that in these past 2 months, I have seen cranky and I have seen crankier. I do feel bad for them and in looking in the eyes of these people, you know they are under a lot of stress. What they are looking for is happiness. When you look at commercials on television, the advertisers are trying to sell you items that will make you happy. New cars, new flat screen televisions, new mobile devices and the latest in clothing fashion. They want you to buy these items to give as gifts. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas gifts. We all do. I have great memories of gifts I have received as a child as well as gifts I gave to loved ones. I will never forget an AFX car racetrack my parents bought my brother and I. My father a table for it and we raced our miniature stock cars for hours. After we moved to Long Island when CB radios were popular my brother and I were given our own CB radio. It was fun talking to friends and coming up with a "Handle name." I also remember my sister buying my brother and I the video game Pong. We thought it was so cool that you could play tennis on your TV as a little dot went back and forth. Although those were great gifts, they are certainly NOT the Best Christmas Present ever. After years of use, each of those things had to be thrown away. The Best Christmas present ever for me was on December 6, 1977. That was the night my Mom invited me to a Catholic/ Charismatic Prayer meeting. It was there I discovered that God loved me so much that He sent His one and only Son to this earth to die on the cross of Calvary for my sins. He took my place on the cross and took the punishment for me so that my sins would be forgiven. On that night I discovered that the only way I could possibly get to Heaven would be to ask Jesus to forgive me of my sins and receive His free gift of eternal life. With my Mom sitting next to me, I repeated a prayer that I learned later was called the "Sinner's Prayer" and asked Jesus to come into my heart. I discovered on that night that I was set free from all my sin and that after I die I would go to Heaven. Not because of what I have done to serve Him, but because of the fact that I received his free gift of eternal life. So, with all that said, the best Christmas Present ever is Jesus. He came to us born of a virgin and on December 25th, we need to celebrate His Birthday. Happy Birthday Jesus and thank you for being the best Christmas Present ever!

     If you want to know more about how you can receive God's free gift of eternal life, I would love to talk with you and tell you what He has done for me. You can always message me on Messenger!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK EVERYONE!!