Forgiveness

God calls us to forgive as we’ve been forgiven. It’s the only way to be free from hurt and bitterness in our heart. If we allow bitterness to remain in our lives, then unresolved anger will take over. Stress will kick in and then health problems. We need to take steps to replace anger with forgiveness. What better time of year than the upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving and my favorite time of year, Christmas. God was betrayed, falsely accused, beaten, and humiliated, and while he suffered, his last plea was: “Father, forgive them.”

We all might get angry from time to time. Knowing families, who do not speak to each other for years at a time, is just heart breaking! Pride steps in sometimes and keeps us from making that first effort to make things right. Family is everything. The part about “turning the other cheek” has always been hard for me to grasp, but maintaining a loving harmony among family members, is so important in maintaining a happy and healthy family. Anger and bitterness among adults affects the little ones as they grow. Sure, we will always have mountains and valleys. Let’s not wait until Christmas to get it right! Thanksgiving is an ideal time to reflect on all our blessings. Take a moment and reflect on how things are between family members and maybe a friend or two. It's not really that hard to say--"I'm sorry." Let's go into Christmas, giving the best gift of all. Settle all family "hang-ups" with the, I'm sorry approach. An inner feeling of happiness will fill those empty holes of sorry.  May God Bless, Jake and Carrie

Remember!
Family Is Everything.
 

We Need Vibrant Leadership

The election of 2012 is approaching fast. The problem is not, are you a Democrat, Republican or Independent. The problem is, will we as Americans make the correct decision in what's best for our great country. We have questions about the healthcare plan Congress passed in 2010. I am concerned if Congress will restore the $500 billion in Medicare benefits for seniors the Obama plan might cut, if not already. We should all be concerned about this administrations desire to give 12 million illegal aliens amnesty and a path to citizenship. After all this time of discussions of top priorities for this administration. Cutting spending, cutting taxes or paying down the national debt just doesn't seem to be their priority. What about "vibrant leadership"? All of our leaders in Washington are not "Apprentice"! They have been there for years, doing the same thing, year after year. Living the "good life" with good pay and great upcoming benefits for life. Why was it allowed to let our factories and other companies move to other countries? G E is a great example. Go shopping and check the racks of clothing in most of the stores in Dothan, AL or any retail store in America and look for "made in the USA" labels. I did just that last week in one of our largest local stores. Checking about twenty five racks, I did not find any USA made clothing. Toy counters were the same. Let's get back to the "American Way" of doing things and put America back on the map of being the greatest and most powerful and yes, continue to be the most compassionate country on earth. America, it starts with having a "vibrant leader." A person with moral values and a broad vision for the future for America. Oh Yes! Forgot one thing! Someone who respects the American Flag!