Good morning. I did a blog on praying back on June 19, 2015. This was done before I moved down to Chincoteague. I was finding myself again thinking on the subject of prayers and praying. I saw on Facebook a post regarding praying. Someone asked … Continue reading Praying
Well, I think it is time for another wonderful update on what is going on with me. There really has not been that much. I was working at Family Dollar, but the stress of it cause my chest pains. I miss being there and helping the customers, and working with my great co-workers. I am now looking for a work at home position to help bridge the gap of what I get in Social Security Disability.
I am looking forward to my mom and sister coming down towards the end of the month. It will be nice to be able to show them around the island where I live. I am glad that they are coming, but also a bit sad that my dad never made it down to see where I live.
My divorce was finalized, and I am moving on with my life. I do not want people to feel sad for me, because my marriage ended. It is a fact of life, we deal with it, and move on. I am so grateful for the people that are in my life. At times I find it difficult to make friends, not because I do not want to, but because my level of trust. I talk to people, but rarely let people in to see the true me, who I am , what I think, and what I feel.
The one thing that I have learned in all of this is to watch what I say. I tend at times to just say whatever is on my mind at the time, and at times that is bad. I need to think before I speak. I find that when I get into protective mode, I tend to react and say something, instead of sitting back and thinking before I say something. I find that I do this far too often, whether it be verbally, facially (expression on my face), or text. If I have ever done that to you, please find it in your heart to forgive me. Also, if I have ever done this to you, please take a moment and reach out and let me know. I would love the opportunity to apologize for it. I am not perfect and never profess to be perfect. I find that I am an open book, if you have a question, please feel free to ask me, and I will answer it honestly and openly to you.
For those of you that know me, my favorite day recently passed. I am a huge hockey fan, and love the opening of free agency. So, I spent the day watching what player signed where. I was surprised by some trades, and yes even some signings. The one trade that I could not figure out was with Las Vegas Golden Knights. They traded Ryan Reeves to the New York Rangers. Not sure why they did this, he did not take up that much salary cap space. He is a grinder, a true physical presence in the lineup. As most of my friends know, I do tend to like the tough guys, the “enforcers”. Although, in the salary cap era, most of those types of players are not around anymore. You need to be more then just an “enforcer” to play in today’s NHL. Please feel free to voice your opinion on the topic.
I hope that you enjoyed this update. I know that this has squirrel moments in it, but that is who I am at times. Please leave a comment, or a like. I would appreciate it.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Good morning. It has been a while since I last did a blog. First and foremost to those that have been reading my blogs thank you so much for your support. For those people that I have seen in person that have encouraged me to continue doing the blogs, thank you. I really do enjoy doing the blogs, I think as I do them I learn more each time.
To the people that followed and read the Easter blog, I am sorry that I did not finish it. Life takes us in directions that are sometimes surprising, and totally unexpected. I can promise that there will be new content coming, and also I will be continuing my Bible Helicopter view series soon. I really have enjoyed doing that series. I am thinking about doing a non-religious series in order to attract more followers, and maybe one day supporters of my blogging.
As the title indicates, this is an update. I have not done an update blog in a very long time, and feel the need to do one.
As most of you know since January of this year, I have been working part time at Family Dollar on Chincoteague. I have enjoyed being there. The people that I met for the most part are really nice. During the off-season months, it is most fellow Teaguers. I have enjoyed meeting them, and talking to them. Although, I am not great with names, I do remember their faces. I met the mayor of our town. The story of how I met him is pretty funny. He came in the store and was wearing his town jacket. So, I asked him what department he worked in( at the time, I did not know he was the mayor). He comes back very quietly and unassuming says’ “I am the mayor.” One of the customers in the store started laughing, and I thought she was laughing at me. I later find out that it was the mayor, she was laughing at. Only because of the way he said. I have also enjoyed talking to our visitors to the Island. Some ask, “where is a good place to eat?”, or “where can I see the Ponies?”. For the most part the visitors are friendly, but there are some in the bunch that are not so friendly.
As my family members know, and some close friends know. I have been having some chest pains, and went to see my cardiologist. He was not sure what it could be so, he had me do a stress test and something he was not pleased with. He wanted me to have a catherization just to check things out, and see what may or may not be going on. he did give my nitroglycerin tablets just in case. Well, I believe it was May 1 that I actually had to take one. It helped and made the pain go away. I had the pre-catherization appointment on May 6th. I am thinking ok, they will do what they had to do and schedule my catherization. I was wrong, the nurse did an EKG, and found that my heart did a “flip”. Do not ask what that is, as I am still not sure to this day. I found myself, going over to TidalHealth, the hospital for a catherization that very day. Dr. Cinderalla performed the procedure( yes, I did say Cinderalla). He was a very nice person, horrible on bedside manor. He came in and told me that he did not find any blockages. I am grateful for that. He also called my sister and gave her the update. She then gave the update to the rest of the family. I am so very grateful for her and all that she has done. So, now I find myself sitting at home relaxing, which is nice. I sit out on the porch and have my coffee. We are still not sure what was causing the chest pain, but I am glad to find out that my heart is doing very good, considering my family history.
I want to thank my brother Mike, whom helped me navigate this part of my life. He was there and knew what to expect, and also knew the questions to ask. I have a follow up with the cardiologist tomorrow, and we will see what the next step is. I also have a CT scan scheduled for Wednesday down in county. Hopefully, it will come back that there is no problems. I am just curious to know what the problem was/is. I was thinking it could be the mask and moving around putting stock away, and walking. When I work I normally do about 9,000 steps a day.
The last thing that I need to update is that, I am going down to county tomorrow, and seeing the Commissioner in regards to my divorce. If everything goes as planned, my divorce will be final on or about June 1, 2021. I do not want a pity party, nor do I want anyone to feel bad. It is a fact of life and you deal with it and move on.
I am so very grateful for my family and friend whom have been with me through this entire time. Without their support, I have no idea where I would be right now. Thank you Pastor Kevin Stanley for being in my corner. You are not only my Pastor, but a good friend. I know if I really need to talk, I can count on you to be there and to listen to me. Through all of this, I have not forgotten that God has a purpose, will and plan for me, and I have to let him direct me through it.
I hope that you all have a great day, and please pass along this blog to anyone and everyone. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or contact me personally.
I was sitting here thinking this morning about renewal. Spring to me is that time of the year. We are getting rid of the cold weather. The grass is turning green, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing. Spring is also a time for … Continue reading Spring and renewal
Good morning, or whatever time of the day that you are reading this. I have decided to take a very small break from the Helicopter series, in order to talk about the Easter story. I hope that you enjoy this, and please leave a comment, … Continue reading Easter- The story
Good morning one and all. It has been a while since I last wrote. I have been busy getting acclimated to living full time on an Island. First and foremost, I am grateful that God has brought my family down here. There have been challenges and successes since we moved here. I would not change a thing that has happened.
Stacey and I have found a great church, and have met some really great people here. Let me take a moment and go back to October 1,2015. We left NJ on September 30 in the rain, and arrived down in Chincoteague in the rain, the causeway (the road leading to the island) had water on it, and the water was threatening to overrun its banks. We got to our cottage, and fell in love with it as soon as we walked in. We did not unload anything as it was raining, and slept on the floor that night. The next morning it was still raining, but we started to get things off the truck. We stopped and prayed that the rain would stop, and it did!! Father gave us a 3 hour window of no rain, and we unloaded the entire truck. After unloading the truck, we got settled into the house quickly. Stacey and I were so grateful for that small window that He gave us. Yes, we thought it was small, but for the two of us it was doable. Not knowing what the Lord had in store for us 2 months later.
That Sunday, we attended our first service at Chincoteague Church of God. We both loved the service. The worship was similar to what we had experienced at Fellowship Alliance Chapel in NJ. The sermon however, was a little different and kind of eye opening to me, not so much for Stacey. Pastor Thorne was preaching, and every once in awhile you would hear someone yell out an “Amen” or clap. I was not used to that at all. It was a really good sermon. That Monday, I met with the executive pastor, and we had a wonderful talk. We outlined how things would progress with me doing Propresenter for the Sunday service. Well, Father had a different plan than we did. I started doing the Sunday service after 3 weeks of being down here, and attending church service. I so love what I do at the church, and bringing God all the honor and glory.
Stacey started looking for a job, and we did not anticipate that it would be hard for her to find one down here. She is a hairdresser and well, everyone needs one. Father finally came through with a job for her. In November she got a job at Shore Cuts in Pocomoke City,MD. to this day, she still loves her job. For those that do not know the area, it is about a half hour away. It would not be so far, if the road to the island was not 10 miles long.
After the storm passed, and after we got settled in, Stacey and I went to the beach almost every day. The weather was still warm, and the water temperature was still nice. We found a lot of seashells and started collecting them. We saw some wild horses also. The wildlife here is nothing like it is in NJ.
Winter was not that bad down here, yes it got cold and we did have some snow, but nothing like when we lived in NJ. The major thing that is different down here is the shops close for the winter season. Christmas day, everything was closed even Wal-Mart was closed!! In NJ they would have been open, even for a little while. Well, our Christmas dinner was Chinese food!! That was the only place that was open down here.
Now, the weather is turning to spring, and everything is getting ready to open. It is pretty cool watching everyone fix up things to get ready to re-open for the season. I can not wait to see how things are down here in the Spring and Summer!!
Church wise, I am there everyday and loving it. I am slowly getting more and more things to do there. We still love it here and are extremely grateful that Father brought us here. We have met some wonderful loving people here on the Island. There are so many people that we have met, too many to mention here. I am so grateful for what I do at the church, and that it brings God all the glory and honor. We do miss our family and friends in NJ and PA!!
I almost forgot that December, brought Autumn down to live with us. We are now a complete family again, and I am so glad that she is here. Yes, there are challenges but we have no fear that Father will take care of us. I do have to thank Him for using Bill Whitcraft as an instrument to bring us here and help us grow closer to Him. We got complacent in NJ, and He wanted us to step out of our comfort zone.
I know this is long, and thank you for reading this. I will try to be more diligent to write more. As always please read and pass along to others, and of course leave a comment. Our cell phone number and emails have stayed the same, would love to hear from y’all.
May Father bless you all that are reading this!!
I was listening to KLove on the way to church yesterday, they were talking about transformation. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you leave your old life behind and your life is transformed into a new life. I am going to try to explain exactly what it means, so fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride. I will try to use some personal stories and maybe even include some of my friends’ stories as well.
What does it mean to transform? Here is the one definition that dictionary.com gave me and I think it works for what I am talking about, “to undergo a change in form, appearance, or character; become transformed.” I think it means to change your personality, and your thoughts, how you think, what you think, and your actions and reaction.
The bible speaks of this very clearly about transformation, in the New Testament, we see it in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” , or jump up 3 verses to verse 14 and continue down to 17, I will not be putting it in here, but please read it. The concept is really hard to understand, but once you wrap your head around it, it is so simple!!
Before I accepted Jesus as MY personal savior, I did what I wanted, spoke the way that I wanted to speak, and thought the thoughts that I wanted to think. Let me further explain, or try to further explain. Some people will disagree with me, but that is ok for we live in a country that is free, and we are allowed to disagree with one another. Here is a great example that I just thought of (umm, He gave me), I was at my sister’s house and the topic of reading material in the bathroom came up, my brother-in-law mentioned something about Playboy, and I said that I do not read it, and he some what gave me a hard time. Well, pornography is not right, it leads to lustful thinking. Looking at another in a lustful, wanting way is not what Jesus tells us to do, in fact He tells us the opposite, that it is sinful. Here is what Jesus has to say about it. This is from His teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:27-28: ” You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery”, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”. Before I accepted Jesus, I would so look at those type of magazines, website, and movies. I am not saying that I am perfect, I am NOT!! I want to revisit the story that I told you about regarding my rent and wondering, worrying, and being anxious about where it was coming from. Before, I accepted Jesus I would be panicking, looking for help from anyone that I could, now I simply pray about it and give it over to Him. Jesus told us again in the Sermon on the Mount, in Chapter 6:25 says: “.. do not be anxious about your life…” He will provide everything that you NEED, not what you WANT!!
Before I continue, let me stop and say one thing. Jesus did not come to abolish the laws that were set out by God to Moses, but He came to fulfill the Laws. The only major commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And, to love one another. So when I use scripture, it is to show His teachings, not His laws/commandments. We have free will, to do what we want, it is up to us as individuals if we follow His teachings or not.
Transformation, or changing one self is extremely personal, and varies from person to person. Please I beg you transformation, or changing oneself is not a one time thing, it is a life long process that does not end, until we are “home” with Him!
I was looking for a way to finish this, but my dear friend and brother in Christ did it for me, I love how God puts the right people in our lives for a reason. Please read his comment in the entirety and comment!!! Thank you Jeff German!!
Here it is: ” I have been through a couple of radical transformations in my life. The first was when I got sober, and that transformation certainly involved a dramatic change in form, behavior, outlook on life and spirituality. However, I did not need Jesus to undergo that initial transformation to stop drinking and to begin to change. Christ was not at all part of that transformation at first, and it is true that millions of people in AA have gotten sober without giving their lives to Christ. What I eventually learned was a transformation without Christ was not enough for me.
Good morning everyone. I hope that you all enjoyed your weekend. Time for another blog from me! I was reading a post on Facebook this morning from my friend Lisa Collins Contino who lives in Arizona. She is doing so amazingly well there. She started a “project” out there, feeding the homeless in Phoenix. It started out with 25 lunches and toiletries a month, now it has grown to around a 100 lunches a week, sometimes more. She clearly heard God’s call and is following it. I am NOT asking for you to help, but if you feel led to, please contact me and I will give you her information. She has some amazing friends and family that are helping her out there. I spoke with Lisa via email and here is her response:
I mentioned before that I helped the homeless in Camden as a service project for my Timothy Project from church. It is the most amazing thing to do. He truly called me to help those that need the help. Our church that my wife and I attend truly believes in helping others. The church has a benevolent center to help those in the area that truly need the help, whether it is financial, need some food, or spiritual help. The church does mission trips to help people all over the world. I am NOT trying to toot the horn of the church, but this is what we do, we hear God’s call and follow it. Just like we are expanding, “making room for you” at the church with a new 2,000 seat sanctuary. The church as a body heard God’s call to expand and that is
what we are doing.
Here is a picture is a picture of the new sanctuary going up!! I am so proud of the church and being part of it. We are growing not to grow, but to have more people come to know our true Savior, and our Heavenly Father, and to be able to help more people who are in need of help.
I have been to several Bat/Bat Mitzvahs and each one has stated that they are taking some of their gifts that they receive and donating it to a charity. Professional Athletes donate their time and money to others that are in need. Whether they admit it or not, they are following God’s call, to help those that need the help. My brother and nephew do the city to shore ride for MS every year, and the proceeds of what they raise goes to MS. They are helping others through giving to the research for this disease. I am sure there are many more people who are helping out where they can. Where am I going with this, well we are called to help one another.
In Matthew, Jesus taught to give to the needy. He clearly speaks of giving, but to do it in private, not sounding your own horn to let others know. Here is what Jesus says about giving to the needy, the verse is from the ESV translation. Matthew 6:1-4 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” In the Old Testament, it also tells that God hears the cry of the poor man, and that God helps the poor man (Proverbs 34:6). There are more instances in the Old Testament about helping the needy.
Giving to the needy is not just solely about giving money to those that need help. It is about giving of our time to those that may need our help. I was in need last fall to get the leaves raked up, I contacted the church, as we have ministry that helps with those things. Well, 3 men came out and in about an hour the yard was totally cleaned up!! I needed the help and received it, they truly heard God’s call and followed it. It could also be spending time visiting with people who can not get out.
I just saw this great quote by Denzel Washington, and think it is so appropriate for what I am talking about today. “Put God first in everything that you do… Everything I have is by the grace of God. it’s a gift….I didn’t always stick with Him, but He stuck with me.” So by helping others and giving to others whether it is time or finances, it is putting God first in what we do!!
The one piece of advice that i can give you is the following, and Thank you Stacey for sharing this on Facebook, it is a verse from the bible, Proverbs 3:6 “Listen for God’s voice in everything you do and everywhere you go, He is the one that will keep you on track”. Not sure what version this is from, but I do love it. Step out of your comfort zone and He will help you!!
I would like to thank Lisa Collins Contino for the help with this blog. I also want to thank my wife Stacey for her input and encouragement and putting up with me when I hit a brick wall when writing these blogs.
His Love endures
Joe
I was looking at the blogs that I have done, and I noticed that I have not done one on praying and prayer. When I re-committed my life to the Lord, I struggled with it. I heard other people pray these long elaborate prayers, and felt my small prayers are not heard by Him. As I continued my journey, or as some people call it “my walk” with the Lord, I realized He does hear my prayers.
So, the question begs to be asked, “What is prayer?” Let me first start with what Dictionary.com has for the definition..”a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.” I love how it mentions worship! My definition of prayer is real simple, it is a conversation with God! Prayer or praying does not have to be limited to when you are in church or synagogue!! Yes, as part of worship we sing songs, and listen to a sermon, but we also pray to the Lord.
Praying to God is not just about asking Him for things, whether it is for us or for others, but it is also a way to thank Him for what He has given to us, asking for His forgiveness when we do something that is wrong. I never understood growing up, why I had to wait until Yom Kippur to ask for forgiveness and be written in the “Book of Life”, now when I mess up, I immediately ask for forgiveness, although it is not necessary as Jesus paid the price for my sins. I am not saying that gives me a free pass to sin, but I know that I am forgiven. I am also confused as to why the Catholic church requires confession and have the priest ask Him for your forgiveness? I hope that one of my catholic friends can explain this to me. Please, I beg of you as you are reading this, do not think that I am putting down your religious beliefs or practices, as I am NOT!
I have found that my prayer life changes at times, it still is a conversation like i would have with you(the reader), my wife, step-daughter or anyone. It is something that is so intimate, because it is between me and my Heavenly Father. There are times that I ask Him for something for myself, or my family, or a friend. There are times that it is more asking Him for something for other people. There are times, more times then I care to remember that I apologize for something, but no matter what I take the time to thank Him for loving me exactly where I am in my life. There are times that I find myself demanding that He shows me what He wants me to do, or show me where He is taking me in my journey. That really does not work out well, but sometimes it does and He makes it clear to me.
There was a time a few years ago, that rent was coming due, and we did not have it. I started praying, talking to Him tell Him of my concern, well He heard me loud and clear, and we got the rent money, not sure how or where it came from, but we did and I thanked Him for answering my prayers.
I have learned through my walk, and talking to others, that no matter what He hears our prayers, whether it is the long elaborate prayers or the real short one. I am still a work in progress and will keep learning, and I will keep on talking praying to Him, and also learn to just sit back and let Him respond to the conversation!!
I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please as usual leave your comments.
In His grace and presence.
His Love never fails
Joe
randomthoughtsofjoe 