From a sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. I hope you find my adventures amusing, thought provoking, and always pointing you to the source of love - Jesus Christ
"Eternal Father Strong To Save" is also known as "The Navy Hymn". Posting this to all United States Sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
"Fair winds and following seas"
"We have the watch"
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea!
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard And hushed their raging at Thy word, Who walked'st on the foaming deep, And calm amidst its rage didst sleep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea!
Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood Upon the chaos dark and rude, And bid its angry tumult cease, And give, for wild confusion, peace; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea!
O Trinity of love and power! Our brethren shield in danger's hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them wheresoe'er they go; Thus evermore shall rise to Thee Glad hymns of praise from land and sea."
This was taken from an original post from Facebook Notes on May 17, 2011. I pray that it blesses you.
People have said things about me Lord..........
"Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us." Romans 8:34
I've got so much on my plate Lord Jesus...............
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27
Lord Jesus seems there's a laundry list of things that we need...........
"And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:30-33
You know I've worked hard and have applied for hundred's of jobs Jesus...........
"But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” " John 5:17
and Jesus have some major prayer concerns that will take nothing short of miracles to be answered...
"The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it." Matthew 21:20-22
There is lot going on Lord Jesus ....you still love me.....right ?
"Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep. No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 35-39
I'm so thankful for my beautiful wife, awesome children, and awesome friends....may these 'answers to life's questions' encourage you as you seek the Lord Jesus daily....
This was the eulogy that I delivered at the Celebration of life service for my beloved father-in-law David Masters
I would like to thank everyone for coming today as we
celebrate the life of a man we all knew and loved David Masters.
We hope you enjoyed the food and what has been shared so
far.
Please allow me a few moments to share some thoughts about
David.
I first met David, Janice and most of Valerie’s siblings at
a birthday celebration for Jessica back on January 28, 2011. Valerie’s family
was very warm and welcoming and engaged me in great conversation. Janice told
me after the dinner that I have only begun to tap Valerie’s great heart – which
I can attest to this day has gotten even greater.
Valerie and I had a whirlwind courtship and got married 15
days (that’s not a typo) after we met on Friday February 11th, 2011.
We both had experienced hurt in our lives and God saw fit to bring incredible
joy to both of us. The family joined us for a wonderful dinner celebrating our
marriage on February 13th at Maggiano’s. after dinner was over David
came up to me and with the firmest of handshakes said “Welcome to the family !”.
I moved from Ohio in the middle of March that year. I wasn’t
long after that we had our first family gathering at our house for Easter.
David and Janice were the first to arrive and I went out to the back yard with David
to get him a beer. He came over to me and said “Val’s been hurt a lot. Please
take good care of her”. I told him that was my primary goal in life was to take
exceptional care of Valerie. And I like to believe I have spoiled her rotten
with love, romance, trips to Starbucks, key lime pie, and the occasional trips
to Jarrod’s lol.
I loved Val’s family and family gatherings but the times I
cherished the most was one on one time with David and Janice. Out on their back
porch, breakfast at the Egg And I, dinner at the Italian Kitchen, and a whole
lot more. It was during these times I got to find out what down to earth,
wonderful, warm and loving people there are. They have acted as my “parents” as
both of mine are with the Lord and I greatly valued their counsel and wisdom.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention David’s sense of
humor. I’d walk up to at a family event, shake his hand, and ask him how he was
feeling. His answer was “With my fingers”. He also gave me a good natured hard
time whenever I would wear a Pittsburgh Penguins shirt. I was met by “Your in
Tampa – you can’t wear those bums shirts” lol. And he would give a hard time to
everyone in earshot just to engage them.
This sense of humor carried out into public as well. We were
out celebrating David’s birthday at Square One in their party room. We had
finished dinner and of course it was time to open gifts. One gift in particular
was a bottle of scotch in a box that looked almost too good to open. David
opened the box it was and then – much to my astonishment – poured himself a
glass. I whispered in Valerie’s ear “We are all going to jail and will never be
allowed to come back here”. Fortunately the bill for the dinner was paid and
the wait staff didn’t come back to the room lol !
On one occasion, I greeted David and he said “Hey Willie,
how are you ?” I’ve been known by many names – William, Bill, Billy, Will but
no one ever called me Willie. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed that. It was
a special bond between us that I will always remember.
As you can see David loved his dogs. He enjoyed them and
loved on them like crazy. During a summer celebration at Vivians, I made sure I
had a beer to drink – as David always told me to get one – and sit down. We
chatted for a few minutes and then he asked me about Chi Chi. Chi Chi was a
very overweight, grumpy chihuahua who really favored Valerie and was her
shadow. Val and I joked she was the party police as every time our other dog
Diogie was playing around she barked at her. David asked me “So you get rid of
Chi Chi yet ? You know she would make good shark bait”. Valerie blurted out “Oh
daddy”. David just sat there with a big grin on his face and my laughter was
out of control. Of course he was teasing.
Valerie also shared with me some of the high jinxfrom her father while growing up. One that
stands out was Valerie and some of her siblings were riding in a boat – not in
the water but as it was being towed through an orange grove. He sure liked to
have fun !
Some of what David enjoyed:
NASCAR. Names like Dale Sr. Jr., Rusty and many more were
the topic during many conversations at the kitchen table. Both he and Janice
were big fans and enjoyed being able to
tune in and watch the races.
Budweiser – David enjoyed his Budweiser and Bud Light. One
Christmas we got David a wooden Budweiser case filled with beer. It was a “home
run” as they say !
Working With His Hands – There wasn’t anything that David
couldn’t fix, repair, or build. It was his trade and he excelled at it.
Fishing – David was an avid fisherman. Valerie had told me
this and it was evidenced by the multiple pictures I found of him with his
catches.
Being The Center Of Attention – This was one of the many
things David had in common with my father. Whenever he would arrive at a family
function and get settled in his chair you would hear the words “Daddy did you
want a beer” ? When he finished you would hear “Daddy did you want another
beer?”. Yes he loved attention and it was oh so wonderful to engage him.
Telling It Like It Is – David did not put up with and could
not stand BS – in anything. That really spoke to my heart
His Children – To David his children brought him such
incredible joy. As witnessed during the slide show and from being around the
family for over 11 years I can attest to that fact.
Janice – Both Janice and David experiencedhurt before they met each other. But after
they met they found incredible joy being with each other and got married. Their
love for each other is evident in the pictures that we saw throughout the
years. Their marriage was truly incredible and a great witness to us all.
I’ve had the unfortunate task of sharing about loved ones
including my parents on several occasions.
I wish I was anywhere but standing here today sharing about
a man I deeply respected, admired, and greatly loved.
I would like to share several passages from scripture
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
55 O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The
sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 21:1-4
21 And I
saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were
passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I
John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away.
John 14:2
2 In my Father's house are
many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you
I would like to thank my wife Valerie as I
personally witnessed her love for her father not only during our 11 years of
marriage but especially the last few weeks of his time here on earth. Her
selfless love was evident throughout that time and the last few weeks as I
witnessed her love for her mom and family come shining through. Thank you
sweetheart for all you have done to remember your father and to be their for
your mother. I’m truly proud to be your husband and to witness Christ’s love in
action.
To Janice we love and are here for you. No questions asked.
In closing I’d like to share this which I read sometime the
past year:
God does not take without giving you something in return. I
thought about this and then it hit me – we have a “permanent DVR” built into
each one of us – our memories. I replay all those great memoires in my head of
my time with my parents and that has great helped me as I still mis them
greatly. It’s a wonderful gift from God which I plan on using to remember
David.
May we always remember you
with a smile and your laughter and love. “Taten sagen mehr als Wrote”
The German phrase “Taten
sagen mehr als Wrote” translates to “Actions say more than words.”
Home Free
I'm trying hard not to
think you unkind
But Heavenly Father
If You know my heart
Surely You can read my mind
Good people underneath a sea of grief
Some get up and walk away
Some will find ultimate relief
Home free, eventually
At the ultimate healing
We will be home free
Home free, oh I've got a feeling
At the ultimate healing
We will be home free
Out in the corridors, we
pray for life
A mother for her baby
A husband for his wife
Oh, sometimes the good die young
It's sad but true
And while we pray for one more heartbeat
The real comfort is with You
You know pain has little
mercy
Suffering's no respecter of age
Of race or position
I know every prayer gets answered
But the hardest one to pray is slow to come
Oh Lord! Not mine! But your will be done
Oh, Let it be
(Home free, eventually)
Gonna' go on home
(At the ultimate healing, we will be home free)
(Home free, oh I've got a feeling)
I've Got a feeling
(At the ultimate healing, we will be home free)
Bragging rights for organizational stability with 50 plus
years of only 3 coaches,
Consecutive non-losing seasons bragging rights.
The next time you hear about Tomlins non-losing season
record please feel free to use these numbers:
Dumlin hasn't won a playoff game in 5 years. The longest
streak for the Steelers since 1970 merger.
Even longer than the dark mid 80's when the Steelers had
Malone, Campbell, Woodley, and Bubby.
Mediocre Mike lost the last 3 playoff games with Teflon's
defense giving up 36, 45, and 48 points.
The last two playoff losses at home to Jax and the Browns,
two of the worst teams of the decade.
The Clown Cliche Fired the OC after the last two playoff
losses when the offense scored 42 and 38.
Yet no one from the defensive side was fired.
3 Playoff wins in the last 11 years.
Only two plays away from ZERO playoff wins in the last
decade.
1. AB last play touchdown against Ravens on Xmas day 2016.
IF stopped at the 1, then no playoffs and they dont get two wins.
2. If Jeremy Hill isn’t stripped by Shazier when Bengal’s
were running out the clock in 2015 WC game, they lose. Plus they needed another
45 yerds in personal foul penalties called against Cinci)
That is just how close the Steelers are to ZERO wins with
the best talent of all NFL teams had in the 2011-2020 Decade.
The Patriots ranked #2 with 51 players named to Pro Bowl
in 2011-2020
New England went to 9 AFC Championships,
5 Super Bowl appearances,
3 Super Bowl Wins.
The Steelers ranked #1 in the league with 52 players named
to Pro Bowl from 2011-2020.
To show for the #1 ranking in NFL talent, the Steelers had
3 playoff wins.
1 AFC Championship blowout loss.
Playoff losses to Tebow and Bortles.
Both QBs had their greatest day ever as a pro in those
playoff games.
Both QBs were out of the league one year after those
playoff victories against the Steelers.
Playoff Losses to Cleveland and Jax. The NFL’s two worst
teams of the decade.
In 2017 NFL’s top 100 Players voting according to NFL, the
Steelers had 6 players named in the top 48.They were one and done in the playoffs after loss to Jax.
COWHER with BEN for 3 YEARS,
Cowher won 5 playoff games in 3 years with Ben.
Cowher went to 2 AFC Championships in 3 years with Ben.
None of these victories took place in Bens prime.
TOMLIN with BEN for 15 years
Tomlin has won 8 playoff games vs 5 for Cowher
Tomlin went to 3 AFC Championship's with Ben - IN 15
YEARS! vs. 2 for Cowher in 3 years
5 of those wins (came in the ROONEY Rule’s first 4 years)
from riding the coattails of Lebeau and Arians and inheriting Cowhers players
and leaders.
Lebeau and Arians told The Poet to get out of their
meeting or sit down and STFU.
Overall Cowher went to the playoffs 10 times in those15
years. Cowher DID NOT have a HOF QB in his prime.
Cowher won at least one playoff games in 8 of those 15
years.
53%,
Meaning the Steelers won at least one playoff game once
every 2 years.
Cowher won 8 Division Championships.
2 Playoff appearances as a Wildcard.
Won 1 SB as a Wildcard.
Cowher went to 21 Playoff games; 12-9 overall playoff
record.
Cowher failed to win a playoff game in 2 of the 10 years
appearing in the playoffs.
Cowher won 12 Playoff games with 5 QB’s: O’Donnell,
Tomczak, Kordell, Maddox and early years of Ben
Overall Tomlin went to the playoffs 9 times in 15 years.
Tomlin DID have a HOF QB in his prime for all of those 15 years.
Tomlin won at least one playoff games in 4 (FOUR) of those
15 years.
26%
Meaning the Steelers won at least one playoff game every 4
years.
Tomlin won 7 Division Championships.
2 Playoff appearances as a Wildcard.
Tomlin went to 16 Playoff games; 8-8 overall playoff
record.
Tomlin FAILED to win a playoff game in 5 of the 9 years
appearing in the playoffs.
Tomlin won 8 Playoff games with 1 first ballot HOF QB in
his prime.
NOTE: Tomlin was hired as Steelers HC after being a DB coach
for 5 years with Tampa (2001-2005) and then DC 1 year with Vikings in 2006.
In 2005 Vikings were #22 in pass defense.
Under Tomlin in 2006 Vikings finished #31
What Coordinator gets a HC job after finishing second to
last in the league in Pass Defense when he was a DB coach?
Editor's Note: I hope you enjoy this look back at 2011 and see God's blessing, goodness, and faithfulness. God Bless.
The year 2011 started off as Will, Victoria, Peter, and I
celebrated New Year’s Eve at my mom’s house. For New Year’s Day Will, Victoria,
and I went to the not so ‘2011 Winter Classic’. A few days latter on January
5th, we attended a game at Consol Energy Center where the Penguins thumped the
Bolts.We didn’t know
thata brutal hit from Steckel during
the Winter Classic and a heavy hit from Hedman from Tampa causeda concussion to Sidney Crosby – so 2011 was
not a one of Sid’s or the Penguins favorite years to be sure.
The Steelers were in the Super Bowl again against the
upstart Packers. And much to everyone’s surprise, the Packers won due to a
inept secondary and predictable play calling on offense. So 2011 did not start off on a high note for the
Steelers either.
But on a personal note, 2011 was a year that was ‘All About God, Valerie, and Bill’
Back on Christmas Eve 2010, I cried out to the Lord on my
living room carpet as I was facing waking up alone for the first Christmas in
my life. I wasn’t praying for a Christmas miracle – just the miracle of a
lifetime in finding that special someone.
God answered. I was led to get off eHarmony and several
other dating sites that I was on and to sign up for Christian Mingle – a site
that I was on back when I started dating. I pulled the best from each profile,
put my best pictures on, and then prayed.
It wasn’t long until
I got a number of responses, several close by and a few that were out of state. One that came up on my match
was from ‘Virtous247365’ from Tampa, FL. We had quite a few similarities but I
wasn’t sure that she would be interested in someone not only out of state but
still in search of a job. It was clear in her profile that she was looking for
‘friends first’. I put together a great short email and waited for her reply. I got a very warm response from her and we arranged a time when
we could chat using the site’s IM during the evening. That went extremely
well. One thing led to another and
Valerie gave me her number.
We spent on the average of four hours a evening on the phone
for the next couple of weeks and made arrangements for me to fly down on
January 27th. At . 7:08 PM that evening we met – Valerie was perfect in every
way for me as she told me I was perfect for her in every way.
Our Wedding Day
Then on February 11th, a little after 11 AM, Valerie Geis
became Valerie Horosz. We spent a honeymoon weekend that was truly magical and
time stood still.
In March I moved down from Ohio. We had fun taking a couple
of days to drive down from Columbus.
God had told me all along that a job and relationship would
go hand in hand. God was right! I received a phone call from a recruiter who
literally spent a hour with me on the phone. She said a small software company
in Clearwater was looking for Quality Analysts.
A few days later I had an interview (right before my birthday). I called
Valerie to tell her it went extremely well. So well that three hours later I
received an offer and I gladly accepted.
Married life has been a blessing beyond belief. My simple prayer every day is for Christ to
help me love Valerie as He loved the church and gave His life for the church.
We have had a few disagreements but we air them out quickly and not let the
enemy creep in. And of course Valerie is always right lol !
Valerie’s family is awesome. I so enjoy Jessica – she has a heart like her mother and I am blessed to call her a friend. Val's parents love for her is incredible – her mom is so precious and her dad always makes me smile
Val’s siblings are so much fun to be around at family
functions – there is a lot of love to go around. I’m so blessed that Valerie
has had time to be with Will, Victoria, Peter and mom. We are so looking
forward to getting the kids down here in 2012.
Christmas Dinner 2011 View
We enjoy doing everything together – from chores to shopping
to cooking. On weekends we enjoy going out to dinner and then seeing a good
movie. It’s a blessing to relax in the evening and watch some favorite shows
together. Valerie has really enjoyed watching and attending Penguins games. And
I have enjoyed watching some shows on the Food Network and Bravo.
We are blessed to worship at ‘The Crossing’. Pastor Greg and
the associate pastors all have a heart for God and the worship music is
incredible. We almost always seem to say that “I though last week’s message was
one of the best ever” but the current weeks message was even better than that.
My words to you who are still looking for that relationship,
job, or both :
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the
one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if
your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish,
will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good
gifts to those who ask him!
Matthew 7: 7-11 NIV
We are looking forward to 2012 together seeking God’s face
and asking his blessing, love, favor and protection over us and our families.
Wishing all my friends a safe, healthy, and blessed New
Years 2022 !
Use and practice these words more often in 2022: love, joy,
peace, encouragement, gentleness, patience, kindness.
Pray often.
Worship wherever you are.
Read God's word.
Be a friend.
Enjoy family.
Encourage, support, and love your children.
Take care of the temple that God has given you.
Tell your spouse, children, and family that you love them.
Directly as in 'I love you and thank God for you being in my life'.
Set attainable and realistic goals for yourself.
2021 Highlights.
We moved into our new house in March and can't thank God
enough for blessing us with this opportunity.
We enjoyed spending a lot of time with Ellie (and her
parents) this year and look forward to much more in 2022 !
We said goodbye to our four legged daughter Diogy in May and
miss her greatly.
We enjoyed hosting Christmas Eve brunch at our house and had
a excellent time with Val's family.
I can't thank God enough for my Valerie. Day in and day out
her love for me blows me away. God tells me the way I can thank Him is to be a
blessing to her everyday - on the good days when it's easy and especially on
the bad days when it's not so easy. Val tells me that 'we make a good team'. So
very true ! We truly compliment one another. Can't wait to celebrate our fourth
wedding anniversary!
I leave you with these scriptures for 2022. Pray they will
help you praise God, give you God's peace, and be a blessing to you !
“ ‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face
shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give
you peace.” ’ (Numbers 6:24-26 NIV)
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is
noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
(Philippians 4:8 NIV)
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love.(1st Corinthians 13:13)
This comes from a post dated December 6, 2015 and has a powerful message to share. God Bless.
Thank you all for your prayers last week ! God reminded me Saturday during worship that he took care of me in darkest hour:
During my unemployment that lasted three years, God blessed me with all my bills being paid and having food on the table.
When I lost my dad during that time he blessed me with growing closer to my mother that I ever was before.
When I was lonely he waited till the perfect time to bless me with the most beautiful woman in the world who was perfect for my Valerie.
God opened up the employment door shortly after that as well.
God has blessed me with restoring my credit and buying a new house.
I know that God is already working this week for me. Ask for your continued prayers that I can go into this week knowing that no weapon formed against me will prosper and that I will be on guard for attacks from the enemy. All I have to do is call upon the name of Jesus Christ - when I say that the enemy will flee !
Praying God's blessings all of you as well as you get ready to start this work week !
Isaiah 54:17 New International Version (NIV):no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:4 New International Version (NIV) :"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds"
