Category: Uncategorized

In Times of Uncertainty

Dear Readers and Clients, I am sharing this devotional to bring encouragement and strength for the situation we’re in. It is Faith and Bible based. If that would offend you I ask that you would not read it. However if you are open to another point of view, especially now, I would be most honored if you read it.

Thank you 

Vida4U ( Vida4U.com)In times of uncertainty…
With the Corona Virus ( COVID19) “looming” in every news broadcast, life right now feels uncertain and threatening. This time however is not unique, we have had periods as such. During the Cold War where Russia seemed as a looming threat I remember going to bed as a child wondering if the next day we would be bombed, or if there would even be a next day. Then there was Y2K, the computers where going to crash, then we had the Anthrax scare in 2001 and in 2002 we feared the spread of the West Nile Virus followed by SARS in 2003 and then seemingly we had peace until in 2005 when the Bird Flu broke out, then E.Coli in 2006 and then stocks crashed in 2008 and in 2009 the Swine Flu and on it goes with almost each year having an event and one we all remember is 9-11. Now we have the Corona Virus.

These events were major events, people got hurt, people lost their jobs and people died, so the point and the question, especially knowing how our human nature wants things safe and predictable is how should we live in these uncertain times? And the ironicalness of this is as a nation we have printed on our money “In God We Trust.” We should always be living like that, keeping a “light touch,” on everything; even our pass teaches that. Yet in reality we white knuckle everything. 

 We are like trees rooted deep into the soil of what we perceive will not change. So given the uncertainty of this life, and I’ll repeat the question, how should we live? In the Biblical book of Ezekiel Israel had gone into exile because of their idol worship ( an idol is anything that we put before God. It can be finances, people, passions, a job etc.). While they were in exile they asked God the same question, and God’s answer was one of repentance and seeking Him, putting Him first in their daily lives and decisions.
Ezekiel 33:10-11pp“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we die away because of them how can we continue to live?” ’ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, I have no joy in the sufferings of the unrepentant but that they turn from his/her way and seek Me. Turn, turn from your self seeking ways and follow me! For why should your future be in peril O house of Israel?’ Remember God’s concept of future is not limited to 80 or 90 years. 

The message of repentance is never well received.
Ezekiel 33:30-31Hearing and Not Doing“As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you…, and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’ So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.

So the very first step of dealing with the Corona Virus or any uncertainty is first, are you right with God? Is He the priority in your life, or is He second, third, or fourth to other pursuits? If so, this would need to change. It can never be God and something else, that never works. It’s all God, or not God at all; He’ll never be second. Here’s how to make Him first.
John 3:16-17For God so loved the world ( you and me) that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes (trusts) in Him should not be lost but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to CONDEMN the world, but that the world through Him might be SAVED.The Cross, which some people find offensive, I find comfort and security in. When anyone sacrifices their very life for you that is someone you can trust; completely. 

Jesus lead by example and taught a whole new way to live. It’s found in Matthew 5. It’s titled the Be Attitudes, or the Attitudes To Be. When one entrust their life into God’s  care He will not handle our life as we would. We seek residency here, He seeks our residency with Him while we live out our lives here. Can you see the conflict in that? We are like barnacles, once we latch on to our earthly identity and security it’s hard for us to let go. In fact we don’t unless something major happens, like what we are experiencing now. We need something to occur that forces us to reevaluate our goals and decisions. Through hard times we learn that nothing here is permanent. Anything founded here can and does change. When times are good we tend to put God in the back seat, or maybe we even leave Him hitchhiking? Not good. A sense of permanence or true security can only be found in knowing The Lord. Read this next verse, a promise that Jesus makes. 

John 14:26-27But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name (Jesus) He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives ( gives and takes back) do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We can have peace despite all the uncertainties, why? Because our Eternal Foundation does not change, for its not based here. It’s not reliant on man but on God and His promises. However our goals must become God’s goals, otherwise peace will be hard to find. Remember our life here is passing, maybe eighty to ninety years give or take.  However what is that compared to Eternity, but a dot on a continuum that goes on forever. He seeks that are residency to be with Him. That our ambitions, goals and desires line up with His. By spending time in prayer and the scriptures ( The Bible) we start becoming more heavenly minded and we start to change. Things here become less important to us. 

These changes can be painful, but afterwards they yield to a greater understanding of God and a greater freedom from the fears and insecurities that plague us. We gain the ability to have peace in the midst of the chaos. Just think, to not be controlled by fear or insecurity, or by anger or lust (etc.) To “manage” these feelings rather than being managed by them is such a relief ! No longer puppets on the string of human emotions, but sons and daughters of a Grace so rich that despite what happens here we can never be separated from Him or His love.

Romans 8:18From Suffering to GloryFor I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:38-39For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Aside from the freedom that the hope of Eternal Life brings us, being in relationship with the Lord gives peace and promise. There are many promises in the scriptures that bring strength, comfort, protection, and assurance, especially for such a time as this. 
Philippians 4:6-7 ( for times of anxiety) Be anxious (or worried) for nothing, but in everything by prayer with request and WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  ( out of your hands and into His).”

Becoming His son or daughter is the starting point. And just like any relationship, the more time we spend with someone the better we get to know them. It is no different with the Lord. It’s hard to trust a stranger, but a good friend can be trusted. The more we spend time with Him through prayer and Bible study we will find that our anxieties will lessen and our faith will grow. As we mature in our faith, it will become easier to trust Him. ****

Part III Controlling negative emotions.
There is a way we deal with anxiety, fear, insecurity, lust etc., we have “armor” that is made up of God’s promises. In Ephesians 6 we have a word picture of the armor of the Christian. I am only sharing two verses of the Christian armor the rest continues in verses 13 and on (I would encourage you to read it).

Ephesians 6:10-12 “ Our Battle “
The Whole Armor of GodFinally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of evil in the heavenly places…..”

If this is the first time you have read this verse, it’s a little scary. Wrestling with the Devil is not my idea of fun. However, since the beginning of time man has had conflict with the Devil. In the Garden of Eden, the master of lies and deception appears as a serpent challenging God’s Word saying “did God say?” And he does the same thing today. In every faucet of life that the Bible addresses Satan says, “ Did God say?” 

Genesis 3:1-5iThe Temptation and Fall of ManNow the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The “serpent’s”  job has always been to slander and discredit God making Him out to be a liar, but let’s see who the real liar is. 
Genesis 3:8-10And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Here are words Adam never used before till now; hid, afraid, and naked. Where as prior to this Adam and Eve looked forward to God’s visits, being naked never bothered them, and fear, what fear? How tragic is that? 

Genesis 2:25( prior to sin) And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Now with their eyes “opened” shame, fear, blame, distance from God and insecurity come and Adan even blames God and Eve for his sin…

Genesis 3:11-12And God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.
From God being his best friend to God becoming adversarial. So much for this “new freedom,” and it’s always like this and what died was two fold. The intimacy shared between God and man died and was replaced by fear and insecurity and that division extended unto eternal life where now God had to provide a means to redeem man – The Cross. The whole message of Easter is about Redemption, because God so loved that He gave… However from this one act of disobedience sin entered into man and God’s Holy Spirit which clothed man in His Glory left, therefore they truly were naked. They saw themselves in such shame compared to the glory of God that prior clothed them that they hid themselves. Physically though they lived and the devil fully knew what death would occur but he lied ( what a surprise?)  Jesus rightly called him the father of lies in John…

John 8:44You are of your father the devil ( speaking to the Pharisees ) and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of it.

The greatest freedom a person could ever have is being in a love relationship with God. There is no greater freedom on planet earth. Not a legalistic relationship based on obeying a set of rules but a relationship were we allow Him the freedom to change us. It’s from love that God has asks us to follow Him. As long as we are trying to earn God’s favor by obeying a set of rules we are on a religious platform. Once we understand that it is impossible to earn His favor, that we already have it because of what Christ did on the Cross, then we become free to really grow in Christ. We become recipients of what Christ did when we believe and receive the gift of salvation. Understanding that His Grace is impossible to earn, that no one is perfect enough to earn it from a Holy God is liberating. Accepting this truth becomes the bridge to our freedom were we can start learning to walk in the Spirit of Grace and not in the letter of the law which is legalism, or a life that follows all the rules but void of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Years ago that use to be me.

In ending I leave you with some instruction .
Philippians 4:6-8 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These ThingsFinally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

God be with you and thank you for reading. Any comments or questions  send to Arthur@Vida4U.com. I solely am responsible for the content of this article. If you are on our email list for Vida4U this is a repeat of what has been sent out as the Easter Message. For those of you that would like a monthly devotional as such sent please request it by sending an email to the above address. Go to Vida4U.com to find more articles. Sent from my iPad

The Hard Heart

Video Introduction (New!)

Matthew 27:49-54The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly ( to terrify) saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Matthew 27:62-64
Pilate Sets a GuardOn the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”Matthew 27:65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.”
 Setting a guard to prevent something Divine from happening is about as foolish as me standing in front of a train and trying to stop it. I’d lose my life, and they lost theirs. The blindness and the arrogance of the Pharisees to maintain their position after all that had happened is staggering. Such pride and hardness of heart. With good reason Jesus called the Pharisees children of the devil, and so they were. 
John 8:44You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Satan is a created being, he stood in the presence of God witnessing His might and power and yet instead of being inspired to worship Him he wanted to be worshipped. How can any one be so blind and arrogant? Yet the Pharisees witnessed Jesus healing, teaching, even raising the dead and ultimately raising Himself from the grave and yet they still called Him a deceiver and then went as far as to tell the soldiers that guarded the tomb to lie. To say that the disciples came and stole Jesus body. Even the soldiers guarding Jesus at the Cross after witnessing all that had happened believed that Jesus was the Son of God. Yet these blind guides, impostors, serpents and vipers as Jesus called them, hands of Satan, filled their cup full with damnation and brought others with them. 
This was the reason Jesus called them the offspring of Satan. The same root of pride and hatred that abides in Satan towards God and the things of God abided in them. And Satan has his followers today. We can see them at work working against all that is righteous, wholesome and good. Always and forever in contradiction to truth, purity and justice and absolutely against God’s Word. As it was then, so it is now. As mentioned in the last Vida4U, they have no genuine love for their fellow man, though they pretend as they do. They love only themselves and aggressively seek  to pursue their own agenda. They will do anything and everything to advance their cause forward. Ultimately, and according to scripture, they are pressing towards a one world government ruled by “the man of sin” the son man of perdition, the anti( against) Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-6Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day (the return of Christ) will not come unless the falling away first shall happen, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as god. 
Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining ( The Holy Spirit) that he may be revealed in his own time.
The word perdition means doomed to destruction, and as he is doomed to destruction so are all that follow him. “The falling away,” is in reference to the large number of people he will deceive, even the elect will be challenged. 
Matthew 24:23-24“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
One of the key last time events has to be the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. Something that has been much discussed over the years. I expect the leader that causes that to happen to be this man of perdition or one of his very close assistants acting on his behalf, or it could be President Trump. God could use him to fulfill this part of prophecy? We will see. However there are other signs. The terminology “one world” or “a new world order” or “citizen of the world” or a “global citizen” are all new phrases that we are being conditioned to hear as opposed to being an American, or a Canadian etc. The one world concept are phases that have been long used by satan’s henchmen and they are terms also used in the church in reference to end times prophecy.  However not until recently have these terms been used by the mainstream news outlets. Now these phases are heard with more frequency. 
We are also hearing about “tracking” in context with people having COVID19. The head of the U.N said even going into people’s home who were suspect of having COVID19. It feels as though are rights are being trampled over.  No one questions COVID’S potential to spread, however “generally speaking” it is not much worse than influenza. However, unlike influenza we have not built “herd immunity” to COVID19 because of its newness, so it particularly hurts people that already have respiratory problems. However is the “fear” of it being used as a spring board to change society? The way we interact with each other, what we do for entertainment, education, even the distance we are suppose to maintain from each other. It causes us to distrust each other, it’s the perfect mind game. So many things are influx because of COVID19.
What is behind the scenes, is it being used to introduce “parts” of the new world order? I’ll let you decide, my goal with this Vida is to have us see these signs, wake up in other words; and start seeking the Lord. We need to focus on our relationship with the Him,  because if this is part of prophecy then it is going to happen whether we want it to or not. As said, the more important question is are you ready, which of the 5 virgins are you going to be? 
Matthew 25:1-10
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
Will you be ready, looking for our bridegroom? 
Another topic aside from “tracking,” and we are hearing more about it, is digital currency. What is the reason for this, could  COVID live on currency? If so, be prepared for talk of replacing our currency with digital? The ability to buy and sell, and even the ability to work with digital currency could be reduced to a chip on our forehead or on the top of our hand. The Bible calls this the “mark of the beast.” The technology for this I believe is here, however implementing it is still a future event. For one, we haven’t  been “conditioned” enough to accept this new way of commerce. This “mark” will be required by all citizens to be able to function in the new world order. If America fails because of all the stimulus money, in other words the boat can only hold so much weight (debt) before it sinks, then it would be a perfect time to restructure into a one world order with digital currency. 
And the vaccine, “being responsible citizens of the world” ( another catch phrase we are being conditioned too) we must all take it, but what if you are not comfortable in receiving it, or for your children, will we be penalized? 
To the student of the Bible these new terms, the changes being made, plus the people in government that rule without conscious or care or fear of God are all part and parcel with the last days spoken by Jesus in Matthew.
Matthew 24:3-8
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age(Mark 13:3–13; Luke 21:7–19)Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of the birth pangs.”
Revelation 13:16-18He ( the Antichrist) causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Clearly and existing today, and it has always been, are two kingdoms rivaling for power and control of the soul of man. To not see this simply means that we have been too busy in our own world to note and see the subtle changes that are occurring around us. Deception will be paramount and only making our relationship to the Lord a priority will keep pus from not being blinded to these changes. How does one surrender his or her rights, you don’t unless you are convinced that it is for your own good. To take my rights by force would create chaos, however to convince me that it is for my good because of an imminent danger I gladly surrender and obey. There is a saying used by these haters of righteousness, “eyes wide shut.” Meaning that all that is done is done out in the open, but we don’t call it into question because of the context ( the deception) it’s set in. Our eyes are open but we have no understanding of the significance of these events – our conscious is shut. Conditioning and more conditioning in incremental steps is the method. One big step forward and then subtle little ones that don’t seem so bad and so it goes. 
911 got us to go to war, the longest war in our history. War world II was approximately 6 years and World War I was 4 years. With all our advanced weapons why was this war so long lasting through half of President Bushes term, all of President Obama’s term until President Trump drew it down. Our casualties were great, was it necessary to fight for so long, was it political?  Is it possible that it was used to cripple our fighting ability, to make us weaker? It is a terrible thought but unfortunately it’s a fair question given the scope and the duration of the other wars. 
Now let me give you some history about me before you think I’ve lost it. I went to a church, a very good church as I was growing up. However every time something occurred with Israel it was the “coming of The Lord“ – every time. So for me to be writing about end time events is so far out of my character. Vida4U was and is an intentional devotional based on living with Christ here and now. Right now in my situation, how does my relationship to Christ impact my life, my stresses, my challenges etc. That has been the focus of Vida. However when we have a “pandemic” that causes changes as in shutting down nations, it’s time to pay attention to prophecy and send out an alert. 
Personal Statement 
I am first and foremost a child of The King, and so are you. I am a student of His Word the Bible, hence each Vida has multiple Biblical verses. I do not follow any man’s teaching, but I am open to hearing and learning. I mostly rely on study and the Holy Spirit to teach me, and you should do the same. So this is my perspective as I view and hear of current events, and for me things are just not adding up. In Placer County in the months of February and March more people died in a car accident than died of this disease, yet we don’t shut down driving. My personal feeling is COVID is real but our reaction to it is over the top, why? What is the motive or what is to be gained or how much of our rights will be lost at the end of this? Did the mouse trap just get bigger?
As much as I dislike writing like this, this still should not be doomsday stuff for believers. If you love Jesus this is good news, our homecoming is just that much closer. However for those of us riding the fence, and again this is the reason for this particular Vida, it’s time to make a decision to follow Christ a 110% percent. Ezekiel the prophet was called to warn Israel of future events, to the degree that this Vida helps us with our walk with God I don’t mind being labeled a little “out there.” 
Father God, For those of us seeking you this is a time to seek you even more, and for those of us having put the things of the world ahead of You, it is time to repent and re- prioritize You as our first love. Things don’t bring joy, security or peace, only a “live” relationship with You does that. Let us count the cost and move forward in Your Grace, Truth and in Faith. Amen

Arthur Navarrette
Vida4U.com is the website where all past Vida’s are archived. In addition to the weekly devotionals, the yearly inspirational writings featured in December’s House2Home Magazine are archived under “Faith Talk.”  Please use this site for your benefit and refer your friends to it as well. If they would like the weekly series emailed to them, they can send their requests to Arthur@Vida4U.com.

July – The Importance of Vision

Welcome to our July edition. I trust that the summer has gone well for all. The backyard that we are featuring for this month is somewhat unique. We have “destroyed” many patios, yards and walls, but have only destroyed built in pool waterfalls a few times. This was one of those times. Tear- ing out a waterfall that a pool com- pany has installed is no easy task. We had to drain the pool and build scaffolding within the pool so we could work at the height of the waterfall. We also needed to build a wood retaining wall to keep the boulders from rolling into the pool once loosened, which would have been a disaster. Once loosened with a jack hammer, we needed a shelf strong enough so the boul- ders could be rolled over to the pool deck and from there could be taken away with our tractor. It was quite a process and that was just part of it.

We also removed a large expanse of patio as well as the unwanted plants. During this phase of the job, my nerves were on high alert, and I noticed a few more gray hairs. I was ever so grateful for liabil- ity and workers compensation insurance just in case there was an accident. I started to breathe again once we got through this phase. The rest was still challenging but the other phases did not have the liability concern like this phase. When looking at the before picture, you can see that the boulders were not small. They had size to them. This is probably the only job where the tear out phase was thirty to thirty five percent of the landscape cost. Normally this phase never exceeds eight to fifteen percent at the most.

At this point you may be asking why we were doing this. This is the same question I asked when I first met them. Rob and Jen- na were great clients and are now great friends. We landscaped their front yard, installing a paver patio and block wall as well, to create an overall curb appeal that was both colorful and invit- ing. With all the detail work of both yards, I jokingly said that by the time this job was over, we would become family and spend Thanksgiving together, which was coming soon. The motive for all this work was for a new look. Coming from the bay area, the traditional look did not work for them. Jenna often said she wanted something much more contemporary and trendier with clean lines. I asked them why they didn’t just buy a house with the yard they wanted? They had shopped for three years and could not find the right combination, so when this house came up for sale, they bought it and just expected to redo the yard. So that gives you some background.

There were many phases to the back landscape. In the front we did all the work in-house, but in the back we used all my con- tacts. My pool contractor was needed to re-plaster and retile the pool including adding new entrance steps. My patio cover referral had to install a patio cover which was more up to date and included fans and lights. At the time they had the enclosed greenhouse look. The last referral was my concrete friend. They were looking for a finish that was more contemporary than the very dated aggregate look. It took effort and communication to coordinate everyone’s workload with where we were in the job. That was my job – making sure that we would not be in each other’s way. So, between us all it was about a two-and-a-half- month project, which was not bad for all that had to be done. We started in early September and completed it just in time for Thanksgiving. As you can tell we left all the trees.

• 

• 

Jenna was super helpful; in that she was willing to chase sam- ples down for me. We would discuss the tile or stone veneer for the waterfall, and I would tell her where to go. She would come back with samples, and she would find her own. We would also discuss the pros and cons between, stucco, cultured stone and stone veneer for the wall, and then she would go to my vendors and get samples. Once the samples were here, we would again discuss the best fit for the yard while considering the final “feel” we were going for. During this time, her willingness to help was much appreciated. She remarked that after it was all over, she would now need to get another job because the yard remodel had been her job. Aside from landscape, we also installed an outdoor kitchen. A referral helped with setting up the compo- nents to the kitchen, and we did all the finish work.

There’s so much more to say, but I want to limit my words so that the before and mid pictures can be large enough for you to appreciate the changes that were made. We will continue next month with more detail.

Gardeners – you should now be harvesting from the garden. In the early morning, and periodically, spray the leaves clean from

BEFORE

dust to keep the spidermites off the vegetables that attract them. Squash and cucumber tend to be a few of those. You should also fertilize half dose every month and remember to control your water. Over watering only makes the vegetables grow, but not flower. They need a good soaking and then a drying out period to encourage the bloom. One or two days dry out period is helpful and of course it’s dependent upon the weather. Until next time – Good Gardening

August – Problem Solving 1

Welcome to our Summer Issue. Thank you for all the calls over our July edition. This article will be a continuation of that. All yards and landscapes are unique. The yard configuration is unique, the clients have different needs, the direction of the sun varies, and a little. variance with sunlight can make a big difference in plant selection. All these variables make for a unique outcome. However, all landscapes should have one thing in common; they should be colorful, creative and inviting. The difference in outcomes has to do with the size and shape of the yard as well as the end goal. For Rob and Jenna, who enjoy enter- taining, they needed space to walk around, yet Jenna knew that the landscape played a critical role in making the backyard inviting.

It was a balancing act between the plants and hardscape, and the changes were numerous. Changes included a new patio, a wall with wall planters, a sheer descent waterfall (see picture), a color bed planter, an outdoor kitchen with a paver patio, a new patio cover and of course new landscape. I compare this landscape to a Porsche – small, but very detailed, as opposed to our last landscape we showed which was spacious allowing us to create a stone tread walkway, an outdoor sitting area, a wall that pushed back the slope and pavers to increase driveway space. Even with all of this, we still had plenty of room for a nice lawn and landscape. In this article I would like to spend some time reviewing the challenges. If you have not read July’s article, I would encourage you to do so. If you no longer have the article, it can be viewed on my website under publications.

The initial challenge was removing the waterfall. As discussed in the first edition, jack hammering boulders of this size is no easy task. We also had to be careful that we did not lose control of them, or they would roll off our platform and crack the plaster. Thankful- ly, this most stressful aspect of the job went off without a hitch. This whole tear out phase included not only the waterfall, but breaking up the aggregate patio, which was itself work. Fortunately, we have a small tractor that we can attach a jack hammer to and crack the concrete which saves the men’s backs. Once the concrete is cracked, we load the pieces into the bucket of the tractor and haul them out, taking them to a concrete recycling yard. This is great because nothing goes to the landfill. This is also true of our green waste, it comes back to us in the form of soil (I never talk about this, but we practice green habits when we have the vendors that provide the service). The next task was met with mixed emotions. Rob and Jenna had a spa (see before photo) and its positioning was right in the way of traffic.

Since space was at a premium, the spa had to go. After draining it, we cracked it and back filled it with road base. It felt weird destroying a perfectly good spa. It was now time to have the pool contractor come in. The pool needed updating because the tile was old and worn, the steps were inadequate, and the plaster needed updated with pebble sheen. The tile and pebble sheen portion were executed without any issue however, the steps were not. The contractor, who was a sub of my referral, sent out his men without any instructions, and since I see our jobs on every other day basis, I scheduled myself to be there when the steps would be done. When I arrived, the steps were almost complete, but completely wrong. The pool has a sundeck where you can put a lounge chair with an umbrella and be in the pool, and they had formed the steps coming off this. As soon as I saw that, I had them destroy the steps before the mortar set up. Fortunately, the mortar was still fresh, so it was not hard to do. I had them re- build the steps coming down along the side of the sundeck and I told my foreman to watch over the referrals making sure they were completing the tasks according to how I explained it to him. The rest of the parts that the referrals played went well.

• 

• 

It is always interesting to hear from the client their experience of working with us. Jenna made several insightful comments. She said that she never felt “unsafe.” On the contrary, she felt complete- ly safe with us, and even when other referrals came in, she felt as if she was being guarded by us. That was a great compliment. An- other comment that Jenna made was since this was the first change ever made to the original landscaping, she really appreciated our phase approach. It gave her time to process each change and then see the next phase in light of what had been completed. To me, the phase approach makes sense. One change builds upon another. However, not all landscapers take this approach. Since 98% percent of our work is completed with my employees, we can do this. Other landscape companies use subs routinely, and they each start the part of the job that pertains to them, so in essence you could have a kitchen project, a wall and paver project, drainage, sprinklers and plants all going on at the same time, and then hope that when it all comes together, it is what you wanted. By working this way there is time to digest, plan, talk and make changes which inevitably occur. As the owner of Executive Care, I want this process of creating a new outdoor environment to be enjoyable. I know it can be stress- ful, and landscapes are not cheap, so as much as we can we want to take the stress out of it, and make the experience pleasurable. Jenna’s full comments of our work can be read on Yelp. They are great comments, but I also have some negative ones as well. However, these people were never my clients. They wanted me to see them, but I was either unable to fit my schedule into theirs, or I did not feel comfortable working with them, which is something that is at my discretion.

Gardeners, we are midpoint with our gardens, insects tend to start coming in at this time. Be vigilant to look for them and use organic sprays or pick off loopers such as tomato worms by hand. Until next time—Good Gardening.

September – Problem Solving 2

Bienvenidos! Welcome to our September article, the second article in dealing with problems unique to corner homes. Roy and Tangie are repeat clients of ours and their home is in Fair Oaks. Roy and Tangie love their home and its location in general, however, being a corner home has some inherent challenges. Not only do they share the same concern as last month’s clients, but they see every car’s headlights as they turn down their street. They are also on the path of children going to and from school. Kids, being kids, will cut across the front yard rather than use the sidewalk.

Aside from these “corner lot” problems, the original landscape was old and in need of a face lift. The combination of these needs made it a good time to redo the front yard (our before picture shows the lawn already removed). Our client’s landscape before was largely the traditional landscape, being mostly lawn. There is a corner island (see before picture) that several years ago had an Olive tree, which has since died. The other trees in the front yard, especially the one in the lawn had matured and now was shading out the lawn. Not only is too much shade detrimental to the lawn, but the roots of the tree competing for water stress- es it out. Although Roy liked lawn, the tree provided shade so he conceded that less lawn might be the wiser decision, and both Roy and Tangie were okay with using synthetic turf. The goal was to reduce the maintenance by keeping the mowing just to the back. Tangie was excited because with less space being allo- cated to the “lawn”, she would get to enjoy more plants and flow- ers along with the butterflies and hummingbirds they attract. Their son is young, and this would be a good way to support his interest in nature.

Processing their concerns and wants, as well as considering the sun patterns throughout the day, the design that worked best for them was to have a shade landscape by the front door, and a sun landscape out front. We would design the mounds, boulders and plants around the synthetic turf and for added protection, we would put our largest boulders at the corner, just in case. The transition point between sun and shade was a twelve-foot area between the tree and the dry stream bed that had similar hours of sun and shade. So, the challenge of this yard, aside from the other design concerns, was the plant selections. There was going to be plants from each light zone, and at the meeting point I would need to use plants that pre- ferred shade but could also take late afternoon sun (not easy). Also, in this same area I needed plants that preferred sun but could take extended hours of shade. The goal was to interweave these plants among the other plants of their preferred light zone. I wanted there to be a natural “soft” transition between the two extremes. A similar scenario to this is the tidal zone we have along our rocky shores.

• 

• 

Now that you understand the challenges from a landscaper’s eye, let’s discuss the solutions. Many men seem to like lawn, so deciding to go with artificial turf can be a quantum leap, both in thought and at times cost. The thought was tough for Gary (last month’s client) because he was more of a naturalist. Roy, however, was more concerned about the look, he didn’t want it to look fake. Both men were okay with the cost, which was nice. Good quality artificial turf can be pricey, and the cost has as much to do with its design. If the artificial turf can be put down as it comes, or if it needs to be patched, the cost will be affected. Synthetic turf, as explained last month comes in fifteen-foot widths. The width here at the widest point was 22 feet, and the length was twenty-five. A somewhat kidney shape is what best fit the yard, which meant we had to order extra synthetic turf and patch it to get our total width. One downside to synthetic turf is waste because of its limited size availability. Unfortunately, we get unusable pieces. We obviously want to minimize this, however anything other than a rectangular shape no wider than fifteen feet will have waste, it’s unavoidable. For blocking the headlights of incoming vehicles, we created higher than normal mounds around the synthetic turf. We coupled this with larger boulders, and fortunately the home sat low making bushes that matured three to four feet sufficient to accomplish the goal of blocking the headlights.

The kids can still try to cut through this landscape, however there is no longer a clear path to follow. It is my theory that be- tween the added mounds, boulders, plants and a dry stream bed that it is not worth the effort. We’ll see if my theory proves true. The stream bed was optional, but as we saw the design forming, we all agreed that the extra “busy” it gave to the landscape was nice. It became the divide between full sun and partial sun. Dry stream beds are not for every client, and there is a point where too many features become too much, however this depends on the client’s preference and what plants are selected. Fortunate- ly, shade plants with their different shades of green and wider leaves are calming, and these were planted close to the house and the really colorful and creative part, which for some could be interpreted as busy, was out front. It turned out to be a nice combination of plants and design that I was really happy with.

More importantly, Roy and Tangie were pleased. They let me know that many neighbors came by to compliment them on their yard. If I may toot our horn (the men and I), we get those compliments on every job, which is a great feeling. Next month I will be featuring both homes, August and September issues. I will be doing an article on the importance of night lighting- both from a safety concern as well as from an aesthetic point of view. Lastly, gardeners it is time to remove our summer vegeta- bles and prep the soil by tilling in a heavy dose of organic fertilizer. Water it well, and let it sit for a couple weeks before starting with fall and winter crops. Until next time — Good Gardening.

October – Let’s Talk Lights

Welcome to our October issue. I cannot tell you what a difference night lighting makes to the completion of a landscape. It takes it from super cool to excelente! (excellent in English) It adds a whole different mood, a certain romance, and gives one a relatable feeling. I have had night lights forever in my yard and when I step outside into the evening, I still get the same feeling I got 15 years ago. When night lights are done correct- ly, they are beautiful, and if you are into entertaining, night lights are a must. They can be costly if the budget is tight, but you can buy them inex- pensively. So, let’s talk lights.

There are three basic types of materials that light fixtures are made from and in general there are two types of lights, spotlights and path lights. There is plastic, which obviously is the least expensive and the first to burn out. Their overall appearance is really lacking, but they do produce light. You will need to use more to get the same effect as other lights, and you will want to upgrade in three to five years. There are also aluminum lights. They look much nicer than plastic. However, the color is powder coated to the aluminum, and after about three years they fade, which makes them look old. Aluminum lighting hardware is far superior to the plastic light hardware. The only downside is they are only about $20 to $30 dollars less expensive than the top of the line lighting. In my opinion, brass lighting is the top of the line. The Brass looks high end and it is affordable ($92 – $ 115 depending upon the fixture). These are the ones we prefer to use.

There are other lights made from titanium and they are used more for a modern look. Titanium lighting is pricey, ranging between $150- $200 per light. If the look of dark brass is not a concern then there are fixtures that have a modern look to them, so there is a potential for savings. The brass lighting will patina as all natural metal does in the sun. The cost for spotlights in particular is determined by the distance that the light needs to travel. If twenty feet is the distance, then most average spotlights fit that.

However, if we need to light up a large tree, such as a Redwood tree or mature Oak then a larger size spotlight will be needed. It will cost slightly less than $150. To me lighting is worth the investment because it brings such a huge change to the yard, and the upside is it doesn’t have to be done at the time of the landscape installation. We can always prewire and install the lights later.

Once we decide on the type of lights we are going to use, we then have to decide what we want to light up. Spotlights are often called “up lights” due to the fact that they light upward. Aside from trees, they can be used to light up block walls by “splashing or di- recting” the light sideways so it travels across the face of the wall. This method saves money. We can also use wall lights which I really like, but you will need to use more to get the same effect. Anoth- er similar lighting fashion is lighting up a stream bed by shooting the light up through it. We must be careful to not direct the light into people’s eyes that may be walking by or into the neigh- bor’s home. Path lights are the opposite of spotlights.

Path lights do what the name implies, they light up the path. The path can be the sidewalk leading to the front door, or a flagstone pathway lead- ing into the landscape or around the house. I sometimes use them around boulders in the landscape or alongside a dry stream bed. It’s a very nice look. It takes about three to four path lights to light up a stream bed compared to one spotlight, but I prefer this look be- cause the light is more controlled. It gives you the freedom to create little scenes with the light as opposed to taking a shotgun approach with a spotlight and lighting up everything. Doing some form of lighting for the stream bed is way better than doing nothing at all. Remember with lighting, darkness is your friend. You have to have the darkness for the contrast so what you are lighting pops.

So, once we have decided what to light and what type to use, the next step is the set up. The setup is harder to explain and a video clip would do a better job of explaining so you could see step by step. I will however give you some tips. Spend money on wire nuts, and do not buy cheap ones. The greatest failure point for lights is the wire nuts. Moisture gets into the wire nut and shorts out the light. That is why I do not like the plastic lights. Their connection points are not moisture proof. When one light bulb goes out do not wait too long to replace it. We are now using LED, as op- posed to old school halogen, and the LED bulb does not require a lot of watts. So as light bulbs burn out, the wattage increases in the line and a heating up effect of the other bulbs begins to occur. Before long they all start burning out because of overload. Also, most jobs can be completed with 12-2-gauge wire. The days of using 10-2 are mostly gone unless you are going quite a distance. With LED lighting, the “daisy chain” method or one light after another as opposed to the “T” method that we used to use with halogen is acceptable. A transformer of 150 watts now is also acceptable as opposed to the 300 watts we used to buy. Most come with a photocell built in, which you will want. The lights go on by themselves as evening comes, and you only need to program when they turn off. The whole field has changed with the advent of LED lighting. Finally, always chose a warm white LED bulb as opposed to cool, it works better in the landscape colors.

Next month will be our final article on landscape and if there is a topic you would like me to cover, just let me know. My email is arthur@executivecareinc.com. In December I write the hardest article for me because it is somewhat personal and deals with us as people. I have been very blessed to meet so many of you this year. We are doing three landscape jobs at any given time and the aver- age time is 2 to 3 weeks per job, so I have the privilege to talk and get to know quite a number of clients.

Gardeners – you should have or be close to planting your winter garden. The winter garden is my favorite. We plant spinach, lettuce, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and even carrots. Carrots are usually planted early spring. These are what we can grow in the cooler months. Add a cold frame and they turn out even that much better. Until Next Time—Good Gardening.

November – Creation’s Beauty & Balance

Design Theme

Welcome to February’s edition. How quickly time contin- ues to move us forward. I wish it would just slow down and allow us to appreciate what is happening around us. That is something that time will not do; it is something we must do. A conscious awareness that the people, the good and bad events of life, will not always be – because life changes. That’s how I view my clients, my job and landscaping. We have one shot to really make something beautiful for our clients. Typically, we will not be back unless we do another aspect of the yard or come back for bi-yearly maintenance.

The featured landscape was a front yard and backyard job. For this article, we will discuss the backyard. I am going to limit my words so the pictures tell the story, however, there needs to be some guidance. The first image is pre-landscape, the second is during (down to the dirt), the third is completion, and the fourth is current, six years after completion. Hopefully, you can follow it. Each angle has the pool in it to help orient you to where you are in the yard. My favorite one is the third picture which allows a panoramic view from the flagstone patio to the house, although it lacks growth and detail. The fourth picture brings that in, showing a split dry riverbed and mature plants.

The whole design theme was to create something very different and fresh. The prior landscape was just a normal, boring landscape, but we do not do normal or boring. My only regret is the current red leaf Japanese Maple is not the one we planted; ours was replaced. Look at the third picture and note that our Japanese Maple is full, branches down low. Then in the fourth picture you can barely see it, it’s a skinny bean pole Maple. You cannot do that for something that is supposed to be the showpiece of your landscape. We provided the perfect backdrop for the maple to develop in, and now thisbean pole? Disappointing.

Finally, the hardscape. You know a property is dated when you see exposed aggregate for the hardscape. In the second picture, you see orange marker paint – I used that to re-design the hardscape for my concrete friend who’s viewed. We picked a stamp pattern and color not often used. I have not seen this pattern but would like to use it when the job requires demo-ing out existing con- crete. My reason for showing you this job is, as with other jobs, that beauty and usability can both be created, and it’s important. The backyard is where we entertain, enjoy our family, and relax. It is important to find a landscaper that shares and adds value to your vision, even if you must wait. Paying a little more for this assurance is well worth it. Sales and deals and lowest bids only mean shortcuts for an investment that will cost you more in the long run if not done correctly, and it will more than pay for itself over the years with enjoyment and use if correctly done. So, as we start the season please keep this advice in mind.

Until next time – Good Gardening.

2019

December – My Journey

My Journey

Christmas is the only time I switch my writing focus from landscaping to more of a personal note. The silent struggle of who we are and what we do to gain significance is not spoken of in our culture. If we talk about it, we talk to a counselor, a pastor or a close friend. Developing a positive identity (not an ego) is something we all wrestle with. Maturity helps with this as well as the experiences we go through, however problems in life can com- pound this journey. We all have our own journey, and in sharing mine my hope is that I can help you with yours. 

I appreciate that faith is a personal journey and mine is no exception. I am going to be very honest about my life and how through faith I found my identity and significance. 

My journey started with tragedy at the age of eight. It is from this tragedy that I mark my life. I felt like a forest that had been ravaged by fire, taking lives and destroying property. However, as in nature, it eventually rains and in time new life emerges. That’s my life in a nutshell. I come from a family of 3 boys. One day we were playing around an abandoned home which, unbeknownst to us, had a well. I stepped on the lid of the well, which was unsecured, and the lid gave way under my weight. Fortunately, I caught myself. My two brothers were with me. Rick was seven and Bobby was five. Before I continued the climb, I warned Rick not to step on the lid and I told Bobby to go home because it was too dangerous for him. Bobby didn’t go home. 

That night at dinner time, we always ate as a family, but Bobby wasn’t there. It never occurred to my 8-year-old mind until then that Bobby had followed us, stepped on the lid, and fallen in. The firemen came to drain the well and confirmed to my parents that my brother had drowned. By then it had been 3 hours, and my little brother was in heaven. The hours that followed were so horrendous that I could not even process it. We were all in absolute shock. I had never heard my parents nor my grandparents (we were living with them) cry as they did. I can’t recall what Rick and I did, probably just went to our bedroom and eventually fell asleep. The only thing that I can recall is my mom blaming me for Bobby’s death. It took a while for the gravity of that accusation to hit me and when it did, I didn’t know how to deal with it. As I got older, I understood that her statement was said in absolute grief, but because of that statement I feel as though I have attended hundreds of funerals, and the sense of death has never really left me. Through school and sports, I could block it out, until something triggered it. We would drive by a cemetery, or I would see a hearse or an ambulance, and the heavy guilt would come rushing in. I could not control It. It literally stopped me, and I needed to be alone. My mom would take us to “see Bobby” at his grave, which strangely helped. After the crying, we would always pray and thank God that Bobby was with Him. My mom prayed because dad never came, at least not with us. In my mind the same thought would reoccur, “if only I had checked to see if he obeyed me, none of this pain would have happened.” Heaven was my only consolation that Bobby was not dead, that he was waiting for us and having a great time while waiting. Had it not been for that truth, I’m not sure how I would have dealt with the guilt. It became my anchor of hope. 

As I matured, I excelled in school, won many awards for scholastic achievements, even became Student Body President of my High School. I was voted “Teachers Choice” three out of four years and “Most Likely to Succeed” for all four years. Yet with all this, the guilt that I lived with made any joy short lived. The guilt was like a can- cer that ate away at all the good things that came my way because of my achievements. Much of my early adult life was like this and becoming a dad of two girls was bittersweet. The thought of some- thing similar happening to them made me hypervigilant; always looking for the “camouflaged wells” that they could fall into. I be- came a Christian as a teenager, so by the time we had the girls I had some knowledge of the scriptures. I heard the teaching of forgive- ness many times but could never get free of the guilt. I knew I was born again. I knew God had forgiven me and that He did not hold me responsible for Bobby’s death, but I could not forgive myself. I didn’t know how. I sensed His presence with me, which was a huge comfort, but this incident was so deep inside of me I wasn’t sure if even God could reach it. Lisa and I got married young and were too young to have the responsibility of being parents. Our insecurities got the better of us, so we argued a lot. In the back of my mind, I questioned whether I could do this. Could I raise these two girls, be a husband, and work my way up the ladder all the while dealing with bosses that acted like ex-drill sergeants? The guilt inside me made everything so much more difficult. There was no rest, and no escape, everywhere I turned there was tension, stress, and problems demanding my attention. The promise of God’s peace eluded me. This went on for several very long years. On one of the more difficult days I recalled an experience I had at church camp. I remember going off into the woods with just me and my Bible. As I read, God’s presence met me. I recalled the joy and the sense of wholeness, as in coming home to a place where I belonged. I decided to return to the reading of the scriptures, and He met me again. My time with God became my only retreat where I found peace, strength, encouragement, and a hope for a better future. I stayed steadfast to this time Him, even reading in freezing temperatures as I ate my lunch outside. For that half hour, my Bible, my blanket and His presence were all I focused on. It was like He stopped His day just to be with me. Weekends, I spent an hour, getting up before the family. It was the one joy that I could count on. I began to change as His presence grew within me. 

I began to excel again, yet there were a few times the girls had near death experiences that set me back. Jessica (my youngest) almost drowned and I lost it, scolding 8-year-old Amber for not watching her better. Lisa had to come and settle me down, and later I needed to ask Amber for forgiveness. As I continued in His Word -the Bible, I continued to get stronger and could better deal with work stress and life in general. I left the corporate world and started my own landscape maintenance company. I would call on apartment complexes large and small. It seemed that every one of them had a female manager. I needed to give them a bid and then after getting the con- tract, I reported to them. Flirtation became expected, so I learned how to navigate without being insulting. I was friendly but kept the conversation professional. I felt like Joseph, and these women were like Potiphar’s wife (a story in the Bible). Aside from that, the stress of running a business was overwhelming. Yet even that was slowly being conquered by knowing and believing God’s promises. Regard- less of the chaos of the day, my lunch time was when I got recharged and took a break from the daily fight. Our marriage got better as Lisa realized that running a business was a team effort, I needed her help. Finally, as I got closer to 40 yrs. of age, I became strong enough to face the two biggest monsters in my life – fear of not getting jobs (at this point we were mostly a landscape company) and the inability to forgive myself. I told the Lord that I was fed up with doubting Him and allowing fear to control me, that I was going to put my trust Him period. Proverbs 3:4-5 became my stake in the ground, and the armor I wore when fear came calling. Ephesians 2:4&5 became my ticket to forgiveness. I was able to go back in my mind remembering that confused, fear-filled little boy and I forgave him. He did nothing wrong; he was just being an adventuresome little boy with no con- cept of danger, especially death. Death had never been part of his world, so he had no reference to it. 

Ephesians 2:4&5 “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places. I believed it, and for the first time I felt whole. The heavy bur- den that I had carried for so many years was gone. I could breathe. It was an incredible feeling. God finally went deep enough inside me that His Grace reached the hidden fears of insecurity and unforgivable shame. I came home that day feeling like Superman. I was bullet proof. The internal battles were now finally conquered. From now on the battles were going to be coming from the outside, and I was ready for them… People will say “Oh I know that God loves me,” but their life does not show His love. They are easily offended, lack grace and kindness, especially in the rough spots of life. Anybody can be nice when life is going their way. However, in the hard times, how are we? Are we hard to get along with, do we blame others for our problems, do we have a temper; or do we demonstrate joy and peace and give grace to others when they fall short? Also, God’s love doesn’t prevent hard times from coming; not at all. However, His love gives us the hope, confidence and strength to go through the hard times (Psalm 23). Stress, pain, and heartache are sure to come, but He’s there. Much like crutches help us when we break a leg. A broken heart still hurts, but because of His love, there is healing. How would we ever know the love of God if our struggles didn’t force us to Him? Left to our own, we would indulge ourselves. That is just the reality of who we are. Struggles prove that indulgences are not the answer, and getting what we want does not prevent hardship, or really make us truly happy. True life is much deeper than that. We need a God that can forgive, heal, grant wisdom and give us comfort, especially in difficult times. It’s the hardships that cause us to discover Him. They are necessary to tear our hearts away from this materialistic and superficial world and discover God’s world. There’s a great saying that goes, “a great relationship is made up of two great forgivers.” This is true on a human level, but it is true on a heavenly level as well. I can forgive because I have been forgiven. Because of the clean slate that has been offered to me, by the only One that has an absolute right to condemn me, who am I to not forgive others? My hope for us all is that we take our pain, fears, Insecurities to the God who Is big enough to deal with them. He is your biggest Fan, your closest Friend and gives the best hugs ever!