“Now may the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13)
Dear Friends –
I do have such joy and peace, thanks be to the Almighty God of hope, that this New Year will be like opening a door to a sparkling breath of fresh air. We will be able to enjoy a new atmosphere free of such a dominating horrible political divide thrust at us from all sides last year. Christmas, being the season of hope
by the birth of Jesus Christ, is always the time for nonbelievers to recognize the value of faith in the reality of God. These new Christians, accepting the need for salvation the Son of God provided, will add additional purity to the environment. The holiday merriment lingers for a considerable time sufficient to bolster our spirits to refreshed and uplifted attitudes; ones that want to hold on to joy for as long as possible... ones that are overflowing with hope... thanks be to the power of The Holy Spirit.
Another bolster to energize our hope lies with a new president determined to rebuild America’s image, strength, dignity, patriotism, and moral compass to acceptable standards for all. He seems bent on undoing corruption and ignorance in all areas of life while promoting 
common-sense attitudes on social norms. Some may question the sincerity of his motivation, but his patriotism seems genuine enough to me for all of us to pray for his success... he is our only hope in the natural world right now to change the existing negative morale to one of optimism... and we need that. Christians know, however, that our first hope is always with Almighty God; Divine Providence works through these natural vessels to accomplish the supernatural benefits needed to right the world’s wrongs. His Divine Will can accomplish the impossible we should remember, but we have to ask... so ask!... faith and hope in Him never fails.
With all the overwhelming expectations for a glorious New Year, it’s not at all uncommon to make resolutions to change or delete bad habits. We put ourselves on diets, remove cuss words from our vocabulary, and make promises to change our natural habits that annoy others. Remaking ourselves in the natural will obtain greater success if we reestablish and deepen our faith and hope in God. Certainly, we can accomplish a lot of things on our own, but the success 
is so much greater, especially in difficult matters, when we employ God’s help in all we do. Let this be the year you grow closer to God; study His word, spend more time talking to Him, and learn to trust and hope in Him to assist you in ALL you do. Rely on Him, and learn to feel His love and presence in what you are trying to accomplish; when you have reached an impasse or before, call on Him and recognize Divine Intervention exists! God loves us so passionately and wants to be needed... in childlike awe, ask your Heavenly Father for even the impossible... have great hope and expectations for a blessed New Year with and through Him.
SHAME ON YOU EVILDOERS
PROBLEM-MAKERS
In the blink of an eye, a calm situation can turn into utter chaos. Suddenly you must react to this chaos to protect yourself or others as you look around to see what others are doing, hoping for someone else to take charge. Christians will say a quick “Please Help!” to God while mustering up the courage to participate in an injustice. It is difficult to just stand by and do nothing when you see another in harm, but that is exactly what we see currently happening with some bystanders. 
Remember Christ’s parable of The Good Samaritan who stopped to help a robbery victim that two other people had already passed by? Christ commended The Samaritan and told His followers, “Go and do thou in like manner.” (Luke 10:30-37) It is interesting to note that the U.S. and several other countries around the world have “Good Samaritan” laws that take their name from Christ’s parable, offering legal protection to those who give aid to another. Only Almighty God is the one who can accurately read the mind and heart of a helper to one in need; we mortals can surmise with a certain amount of surety to the motivation of another when we are made aware of the details. However, prosecutors read only the overt actions of the helper and judge the natural action as detrimental and against man’s law. This is exactly what DA Alvin Bragg did in the Daniel Penny case contrary to popular belief that Penny was a hero.
Bragg is a progressive, pompous, power-hungry prosecutor with an ego-inflating agenda... a problem-maker! I would love to stick a pin in his rotund flesh and watch him quickly deflate like the hot-air balloon that he is, a shallow, evil-principled individual... Shame On You Alvin, you have disgraced yourself. Daniel Penny, a Marine veteran, had the acuteness and assurance from his training and experience to assess that the situation 
required action, his action. People on the train were screaming in fear of the erratic behavior and deadly threats Jordan Neely was shouting at them. We later found out that Neely struggled with homelessness, drug abuse, depression, and schizophrenia; he had been arrested 42 times for larceny, jumping turnstiles, and assaults on women... Jordan Neely was the problem-maker, to say the least. Daniel Penny was the solution to the problem, but as all problems that arise quickly, so must the solution which cannot necessarily allow for the most ideal of conclusions. Neely was the problem, Penny was the solution; if there had been no problem, no solution would have been necessary, so put the blame where the true blame exists... on the problem-makers. Neely’s father, Andre Zachary, filed an excessive civil lawsuit against Penny before his trial was even concluded and I couldn’t help but think, “Where were you when your son was homeless and suffering all sorts of ills?” Your neglect of your son places blame on your shoulders Andre, and how evil of you to immediately capitalize on his death for your betterment... Shame On You Andre Zachary, another problem-maker.
Christians are so blessed to have a Heavenly Father who will guide them through the effects that problem-makers produce...aka carrying a spiritual cross in Christ’s image. Daniel Penny endured Bragg’s shenanigans for over a year being humiliated and vilified as a vigilante 
and racist, especially by the black community. Finally acquitted of all charges, especially with a tremendous outpouring of intelligent discussion, and public support, Penny was acknowledged for the hero that he was. That is what Almighty God does for those who endure evil problem-makers... He resurrects them from evil’s power to a new life of vindication. Believe in The Living God, who truly takes an active participation in worldly events, proves over and over again, that His majestic powers are able to protect and care for those who follow the image of Christ. God is the hope and solution for those who believe in Him... if you are the problem-maker you can’t fight God and win... Shame On You for even trying!
