Today was a nice day as the majority of my family, Joyce, Julie and Chad, and Mike celebrated my birthday with me (it's really the 10th, but it was more convenient for all today). My daughter, Pamela, who lives in NJ sent her greetings from afar. I miss having her here. And to all who have sent me e-mails and FaceBooks, my sincere thanks for remembering.
Unfortunately later, I had to join my colleagues in the fire service to attend the departmental services for a deceased firefighter in a neighboring community. May God grant His gracious and comforting hand upon that grieving family and fire department.
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11/9/2008 08:03:58 pm
Gary,
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Fran Hines
11/27/2008 05:47:40 am
I met Gary in Pass Christian Miss. right after Katrina.The area was desemated beyond belief.We stumbled upon a food tent run by a bunch of teenagers and we were greeted by Gary Evans.We had a meal and moved on.Several months later at Rutgers collge in NJ low and behold there sat Gary in the very same class I was in.I was moved to see my friend again,it was truly unbelievable.{my wife says it was a sign}.Gary and I met up again when He came to Belmar NJ to help Me with my CERT classes.Many lives have been touched by this special man including mine.It is a pleasure and honor to know Gary Evans Francis E Hines Director of EMS Belmar NJ
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Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” – Lamentations 3:22-24 So…I’m sitting and watching Elevation Church’s Praise Party on New Year’s Eve with my family awaiting the midnight arrival of 2017 …well past my bedtime, I might add. Pastor Steven Furtick is speaking and encouraging the listeners about the possibilities for momentum in the New Year that can begin at midnight. And then I got to thinking about the nexus of the old and the new that occurs in a nanosecond at this point in time we call “midnight”. It represents to each of us either the end of the previous day or the beginning of the next depending on our perspective. That chosen perspective can have either of two processes – backward or forward – regret or reset. Regret. We all have certain regrets that are attached to some actions or reactions that we have had the day, or year, before…the “coulda, woulda, shoulda’s”. I know I do. To be overly focused on them can lead to a backwards process: Mourn. To be sure, we are sorry for the things that we have said that were better left unsaid, or done that were better left not done or…you get the drift. That is appropriate…to a point. But we must take care not to become Mired. We need to be careful that we don't become stuck in our regrets that we can’t look or move forward with some degree of positivity. To do so causes us to become Morose. We can become bad-tempered, moody, ill-humored, melancholy, brooding, miserable, depressed, dejected, unhappy, down, grumpy, irritable, crabby, cranky, grouchy…get the picture? Now enter that midnight nanosecond nexus point…The Lord’s great compassions… are new every morning! Yep…that’s right! At that very midnight miracle moment! For us who choose to follow after Jesus as our soul’s Savior and life’s Leader, it’s a clean slate and a new supply of God’s goodness and grace that ushers in a new forward process if we choose to adopt it. Reset. We can now move forward with great anticipation of the things that God can do in our lives if we let Him and follow Him in that forward process: Memorize. King David (who by the way experienced real regret and reset in his life) wrote in speaking to God: I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. The best way for us to do this is to take the Bible and read it, write it, and recite it. Mobilize. We need to gear up physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually to live our lives in ways that are pleasing to God. Let us practice faith, maintain a positive attitude, eat properly, get rest, exercise, have supportive relationships, and solve problems. Maximize. The Apostle Paul said it all, Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. We need to take time to connect with God and others through worship experiences, Bible reading, and prayer to help us reset! Archives
August 2020
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