A New York City man convicted of raping his former stepdaughter in an attack she disclosed years later in a college application essay has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. The 63-year-old man was sentenced Monday in Brooklyn. We make choices all day long. Some choices have immediate consequences while other choices have long-term consequences. Per the story above, a man made a terrible choice many years ago that negatively impacted his step-daughter for life (the worst co

Pro-Life Miss USA Contestant Was Conceived in Brutal Rape, Glad She Wasn’t Aborted Wow…talk about choices and consequences. This is a beautiful story about how God has a plan for each life created on earth…how a brutalized young lady chose to have and raise her daughter instead of snuffing out the life of the fetus. Valerie Gatto, Miss Pennsylvania USA 2014, has revealed that her mother was raped at knife-point when she was 19 years old. Valerie says that the perpetrator plan

I am amazed at how so many people 50 years old and younger (typically identified as the Post-Modern generations) seem to be disengaged with world events and apathetic about what is going on in the U.S. This includes folks who identify themselves as Christians or as being religious. It is as though the ‘under 50s’ have simply checked out of society due to selfish, narcissistic tendencies or because they feel disenfranchised with the establishment and authorities. Wake up Post-

…unless you have the cash in hand and the discipline to pay the balance due (not the minimum payment) each month (Prov 22:7). If you can accomplish this without fail, then only one credit card should be on hand for situations when cash and debit cards aren’t accepted or feasible (i.e. car rental, hotel reservations). Debt is never good, but in this world today most people will need to secure a mortgage on a house or pay for a catastrophic unexpected medical condition. This sa

Are you living paycheck to paycheck based on poor income producing choices? For many of us the job situation we are in is a result of choices made in the near and distant past. This scenario combined with poor spending choices can often result in a double whammy!! Are you living a life beyond your means just to feel good about yourself or to impress your friends or business associates? Are you playing the victim and saying you deserve whatever it is you want with no regard to

All the news about social injustice and societal inequality are tiring. It is my belief that God has a plan for each of us and has equipped us accordingly, but we have to enact His will. We all have a part to play in the trajectory of our lives. Sure some of us are born into difficult situations (by God’s will or the choices of others) but we must choose to rise above the situation. We must drop the blame game and accept responsibility for our choices, therefore getting on a

Most people don’t get out of bed in the morning and declare “today I will neglect my health…” or “from today onward I will only make decisions that increase my bank account and neglect my family”. Yet we all have revelation moments where we stop and realize ‘how did we get here?’ Almost no one gets married with divorce in mind, yet, in 2025, for every ten weddings there were four to five divorces in this country. As humans we must realize that the small, subtle, seemingly m

Words are strange. For some they are all that matters, yet for others they hold no value anymore. Some would say that “someones word is their bond” but is that ever true. It is an interesting question to ponder though. Jesus says this in Matthew 12:34: “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” How then do we interpret someone who speaks with best intentions, yet whose actions fail to follow through? I am not suggesting that Jesus missed the point, but in my life,

Wow is it difficult to be patient and allow your kids to make life impacting choices. All we can do is pray, pray, pray for them to make wise choices and not to get ahead of God’s will (1 Thes 5:16-18). This might be best demonstrated via a life story involving one of my sons. He grew up in a fairly conservative community with Christian values and was taught the value of earning a dollar. He did well in high school, was involved in extracurricular activities, AND worked part-

Like it or not, as parents we are the most significant role model in our children’s lives. Your little boy or girl is watching your every move and listening to your every word twenty-four-seven from the time they are born. They are simply seeking your love and approval even when they are disobeying you. Our positive and negative behavior around our kids is under constant surveillance. Remember, children learn what they see and experience. I can vividly remember times when my

If you think raising teenagers and 2 year olds is a challenge just wait until the kids become adults. During the formative years, parents have a responsibility for overseeing their child’s choices and actually have an influence on those choice. Parents even administer some of the consequences for good and bad choices. (Prov 22:6; Eph 6:4) But once the kids are ‘ out on their own’ as adults it can get really tough. You may have raised them up with a solid foundation, but adul

May 1980 – A God focused ceremony followed by a terrific reception…now what? The real journey was just beginning! I married my college sweetheart and the girl of my dreams. Little did I know how really special that girl was and how her faith in God was going to change me and impact our family. Some people say this type of loving, dedicated, long-term relationship is just a fairy tale. In today’s society of widespread broken marriages and dysfunctional families, it is so hard

Have you been in a job situation where you just don’t feel called anymore and/or are miserable due to unfair management practices and/or have a desire to move closer to family? Hopefully you lifted the situation up to The Lord like David (2 Sam 22:1-3; Ps 3:7) and sought discernment for next steps. I realize this can be a real challenge especially when you have a family to support, but you must be diligent in seeking guidance from the Lord. Check out this story about a young

Have you ever been on a business trip with a group of peers/customers when someone says “Let’s go to the strip (gentleman’s) club.” or “Let’s see if the new girl/guy in the office wants to party a little bit?” I have and am sad to say I succumbed to this type of pressure 30 years ago before accepting Jesus as the Lord of my life. Mind you I believed in God, but I wasn’t committed to God’s ways and word. (Gal. 5:16-28). Three things occurred to me the last time I was in a ‘

We have all seen it before; a person who seems to have it all or be on track to have it all is suddenly exposed for illegal or immoral actions. Pride and greed just got the best of him/her motivating the person to choose to succumb to these desires instead leading a moral, upright life. Oh the consequences: trust broken, relationships marred, job/business loss, reputation tarnished, and financial setbacks (Hebrews 4:13). We have also seen the successful, highly ethical busine

I worked with and around sales folks for 40+ years. The best sales person I ever knew is L. A. Brown from Kentucky. He had been working the same territory for 25 years and was consistently ranked as one of the top three performers in the country. ‘Brownie’ was a follower of Christ who was bold in his faith. He was a member of the Gideon Society. The aroma of Jesus was all around him every day (2 Cor 2:15). He was an absolute gentleman and was highly respected – most of his cu

Been there done that…more than once but after the initial shock and disappointment I had to pull it together because no matter what, I knew God had something better for me in His plan. In all cases, God provided for our needs in ways that were beyond what I could have dreamed. (Jer 29:11-13). I found the hardest part of being laid off was feeling unvalued and unwanted. These feelings grew as the days dragged on with ‘no interest’ responses for all the job apps I was submittin