OUR COUNTRY AND THE STIMULAS PACKAGE

As a Minister in a small church and in a Great Country, I am quite concerned of the economic trend our nation is in. My family came to this country in 1971 because it is the greatest nation on earth with a lot of opportunities for all. I remember coming into New York City and was totally amazed at the tall buildings and the beautiful city before me. To a lot of people around the world, whether they admit it or not, the United States of America is the modern day land that is flowing with Milk and Honey.

Today the nation is in shambles. I am still trying to recover from paying $4.00 a gallon for gas that now I think $2.00 a gallon is a bargain.... funny how perceptions change. Now there is a Stimulas Package out there that is worth TRILLIONS of dollars that the United States don't have, but we will print it and borrow it and let the future generations worry about them. Something is wrong here. I don't care whether this is led by Democrats or Republicans, the fact is that our nations is going down the drain. The more money we print, the less our dollars will be worth. How much longer before we start trading our Dollars for the Mexican Pesos?

I am not an expert at the economy and I hope I am wrong. I do not agree with our President, but I support him because he is my President. I pray that the leaders in this country will seek our God and seek out God's will for this country. Our greatest Stimulas Plan should only come from God above.

MY CHURCH

My church that I minister at is a small church but a very special church. It is located in the heart of Hatfield/McCoy country. The Fifth Avenue Church of Christ has a lot of special people that I have learned to love over the last year and I pray that the Lord will lead me to stay here in this ministry for a very long time. The church is located in Williamson, West Virginia while the Parsonage is located in South Williamson, Kentucky which is only a mile away. The area is more isolated than I am used to, but not that bad at all. There is a College nearby in which my wife Barbara will be taking Nursing Courses starting next Fall. She just passed her entrance exam for Nursing and I am proud of her. The people in the area are nice and friendly and the crime rate is low. The Linkous House, which is a Bed & Breakfast is right next door to the church and I highly recommend it. Our church sings Contemporary Music with a mix of some Traditional Hymns. In the picture above, you see daughter Rachel in front of the Church Sign. She painted the picture in the sign.... I am so proud of her!!! Please come and visit us whenever you can!!!

FRIENDS

Friends to me are extremely important, and as many of my friends know, I cherish my friendships with them deeply. I also try very hard to get in touch with friends of the past and surprise them with an email or a phone call. Currently I am still looking for some friends from High School with no luck, but I am sure I will find them someday.

My College friends are very important. I went to three Colleges. I went to Nyack College in Nyack, New York. Then I went on to Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Falls, Georgia. Finally I transferred to Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee. Through my travels, I made a lot of friends that I will always draw near to my heart. Hopefully they feel the same with me.

I had a friend in High School that I use to be very close to. We did a lot of things together and we went through a lot together. A few years ago I found him, even though he changed his name, and I was very happy. He talked to me a few times, but then he said, "The times we had was so long ago.... another lifetime." After that, he cut off all correspondence. I don't know why. I don't think I offended him. Yet, he felt that his past is the past. That hurt.

Yes friends are special, yet friends can hurt us. I know I have hurt some of my friends in the past. If you are someone special in my life and are reading this, I just want to affirm my friendship with you. Please keep in touch!!!

HOMESCHOOLING

My wife Barbara and I decided many years ago to Home school our children. This is a decision that I will never regret and I am extremely happy for the results. Recently, my son Joshua got his ACT scores back and he scored a 20, which is pretty good. Joshua has Autism but he is a High Functioning Autistic boy that has always impressed me. He is very brilliant in Math and is a Human Calculator. He can multiply and 3 or 4 digit number with another 3 or 4 digit number in his head. For his language, he choose to take up Japanese. We used the Rosetta Stone program for Japanese and he did extremely good. My daughter Rachel and my son Aaron are also excelling in school and both are very talented. When I compare my children's knowledge of things that they should know in school with those other kids around us, it just strengthens my beliefs in Homeschooling. Yeah, socially they don't have as many friends, but I feel that this is not such a bad idea, especially with the Drug Problems of Society. I see other kids act terribly towards their parents, and have words come out of their mouths that is very Rated R for my taste. Barbara and I hope to instill to our children the importance of having God first in their lives. I pray that we are successful.