Best Used Car Deals
A late-model used car can be one of the best values you'll find when buying a car. With relatively low mileage, modern safety and convenience features, and usually a much lower price than similar new vehicles, these used cars are in the sweet spot of auto deals.
We've scoured through the used car options and put together this list of best deals on 2004-2008 vehicles in 10 categories. Each of the vehicles featured are models recommended by Consumer Reports. In making these selections, we focused on models that show the greatest depreciation from their original retail price and their current value, then culled the list to just those vehicles that meet our stringent criteria to be recommended, including good performance in our tests, average or above safety scores, and average or better reliability. For some car types, this may mean limited diversity in the recommendations, though in all cases, we have focused on balancing the quality of the deal and that of the vehicle.
To See The Full list:
Prestige maintains a comprehensive lineup of used cars, trucks and SUVs from all manufacturers. Located at 2261 S.W. College Rd. in Ocala, FL, Prestige Auto Sales strives to maintain the best inventory.
Chris Spears
Prestige Auto Sales
Ocala Florida
"Where Friends Send Friends"
Saturday, July 31, 2010
BMW Recalls New 5-Series ........
BMW Recalls New 5-Series
BMW is recalling up to 12,400 new 5-Series sedans that have defective fuel-tank sensors.
Bloomberg reports that the fuel sensors can become wedged against the tank, causing the fuel gauge to display a higher amount of fuel than what is present.
There have been 10 reported incidents of sedans being affected by the defect in the United States.
The recall involves 6,400 cars in the United States and 5,000 to 6,000 sedans in China.
Travel Safe - Chris at Prestige Auto Sales
BMW is recalling up to 12,400 new 5-Series sedans that have defective fuel-tank sensors.
Bloomberg reports that the fuel sensors can become wedged against the tank, causing the fuel gauge to display a higher amount of fuel than what is present.
There have been 10 reported incidents of sedans being affected by the defect in the United States.
The recall involves 6,400 cars in the United States and 5,000 to 6,000 sedans in China.
Travel Safe - Chris at Prestige Auto Sales
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Scammers using Web to Rip Off Customers ....
ConsumerMan: Scammers using Web to Rip Off Customers
Surfing the Web today, we found a great article from MSNBC.com's contributor, Herb Weisbaum. It was a very interesting article. To read more about Mr. Weisbaum, click here.
Attention car shoppers! Cyber-thieves are now in the online auto business. Their bogus websites offer unbelievable deals - prices that are way below market value - on repossessed vehicles. Their slogan: "Stop searching and start saving."
These scam sites look completely legitimate, with pictures and descriptions of the cars and trucks for sale. Most have fake certification seals. The "CarFax Certified Dealer" symbol says "Buy here with confidence." It's bogus. CarFax does not certify dealers.
People who take the bait are told to wire off a sizeable deposit, as much as $5,000, for a vehicle they will never get.
Walter Dworschak of Corona, Calif., landed on one of these fake sites and found a Ford F-150 pickup truck for sale at a great price. Dworschak was instructed to wire the $2,800 deposit. He'd pay the balance when the truck arrived in five to seven days.
But the truck never came. When he called the dealership - the real dealership - Dworschak was told he'd been scammed.
"I feel like I was used," he says. "It was such a good deal and I needed a vehicle and I got taken like a fool."
A deviously clever scam If the prices seem "too good to be true," why don't people do their homework before they send off their money? They do. Dworschak checked, and the auto company named on the bad guy's site was legitimate. In fact, it had the Better Business Bureau's highest rating.
How can that be? It's pure deception. The bad guys create their phony websites using the name and address of a real auto dealer. The trick is to use the name of a real company, but a different web address, something most people would not notice or question.
"They've basically stolen the identity and good name of that reputable dealer," says Alison Southwick with the Council of Better Business Bureaus. "If you come across their website online and you decide to do some research, the bogus dealer is going to check out because the realdealer can be trusted."
The Better Business Bureau, which just issued an alert about this scam, is hearing from victims all across the country.
Mike Stahley, who lives near Lansing, Mich., is an unemployed auto worker. He decided to spend part of his 2009 tax refund to replace his old car. Stahley tells me he looked all over the Web for a deal. When he searched "repo cars," a couple of sites came up, including American Auto Sales in Memphis.
He found a car with a Blue Book value of $17,000 that was going for just $7,700. Stahley was skeptical, so he made a few calls and the dealer checked out. He e-mailed the company, said he wanted to buy the car and was told to wire a $3,000 deposit.
"I thought it was a bit odd that they don't take Visa or MasterCard, but I figured maybe they didn't want to pay the percentage to the credit card company," Stahley explains. "Since everything came back that it was a legitimate business, I wired them the money."
Within 15 minutes he got an e-mail confirmation that the money was received and they car would be shipped in a few days. But the car never came. When Stahley went back online, the website was gone.
"It was just before Father's Day when all this went down and I'm still terribly angry over the whole situation. I'm feeling financially raped and still terribly embarrassed about it. I didn't have $3,000 to throw away."
American Auto Sales, the real car dealership in Memphis whose identity was stolen, has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. The company's web address is memphisautoworld.com. The con artists chose americautosales.com for their URL.
Micah Guidry, a salesman at American Auto Sales, says the scam went on for about a week and half before they were able to get the bogus site taken down.
One person showed up at the dealership looking for his car. More than a thousand others have called. Guidry says most of them had sent sizeable deposits to the scammers.
Who's running this scam? To find out, I contacted the person who runs the blog Internet Scammers. (For security reasons, he did not want me to use his name.) He says a group of crooks in Romania are responsible for about 40 malicious websites. All have been taken down. Each was made to look like a legitimate car dealer that already had a presence on the Internet. Past URL's include: superautosales.com, reliableusedcarsinc.com and heavensentusedcars.com.
"This is pretty lucrative for them," the blogger says. "They're making a lot of money."
Let's say most of the 1,000 people who contacted American Auto Sales in Memphis paid the scammers $3,000, it means those Romanian swindlers took in several million dollars from that one bogus site in less than two weeks.
The Better Business Bureau says this gang of thieves has posed as car dealers in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico and Texas. The sites are often shut off days after they go up, only to reappear with the name of another legitimate dealer.
The warning signs Nancy Crawford, director of marketing and communications at the Better Business Bureau in Memphis, was able to get onto the bogus American Auto Sales site before it was taken off line. She wanted to see how they operated.
She found there was no way to talk to anyone by phone. When she called the number on the site, she got a recorded message that directed her back to the site. The only way to communicate was via e-mail or online chat.
Crawford asked to see a car she wanted to buy. She was told that was not possible. But the chat operator said once the deposit was received and the car was delivered Crawford would have three days to inspect it. If she didn't like it, the company would pick it up and take it back.
"Now how realistic does that sound?" Crawford asks. "How much is it going to cost a company to ship you a car and then ship it back if you don't like it?"
Crawford was told her deposit would be wired to an individual supposedly working at the dealership and not to the company. Why? The chat operator said that would allow the company to "legally avoid paying taxes." Now there's an honest dealer for you!
The Better Business Bureau says look for these red flags when shopping for a car online:
The prices are too good to be true.
The dealer only communicates through chat or e-mail, never by phone.
The dealer only accepts payment by money wire transfer. That's always a risky way to do business with an unknown company.
If you've been taken by a fraudulent auto website, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the federal government's Internet Crime Center.
Be Blessed - Be Safe - Chris at Prestige Auto Sales in Ocala!
Surfing the Web today, we found a great article from MSNBC.com's contributor, Herb Weisbaum. It was a very interesting article. To read more about Mr. Weisbaum, click here.
Attention car shoppers! Cyber-thieves are now in the online auto business. Their bogus websites offer unbelievable deals - prices that are way below market value - on repossessed vehicles. Their slogan: "Stop searching and start saving."
These scam sites look completely legitimate, with pictures and descriptions of the cars and trucks for sale. Most have fake certification seals. The "CarFax Certified Dealer" symbol says "Buy here with confidence." It's bogus. CarFax does not certify dealers.
People who take the bait are told to wire off a sizeable deposit, as much as $5,000, for a vehicle they will never get.
Walter Dworschak of Corona, Calif., landed on one of these fake sites and found a Ford F-150 pickup truck for sale at a great price. Dworschak was instructed to wire the $2,800 deposit. He'd pay the balance when the truck arrived in five to seven days.
But the truck never came. When he called the dealership - the real dealership - Dworschak was told he'd been scammed.
"I feel like I was used," he says. "It was such a good deal and I needed a vehicle and I got taken like a fool."
A deviously clever scam If the prices seem "too good to be true," why don't people do their homework before they send off their money? They do. Dworschak checked, and the auto company named on the bad guy's site was legitimate. In fact, it had the Better Business Bureau's highest rating.
How can that be? It's pure deception. The bad guys create their phony websites using the name and address of a real auto dealer. The trick is to use the name of a real company, but a different web address, something most people would not notice or question.
"They've basically stolen the identity and good name of that reputable dealer," says Alison Southwick with the Council of Better Business Bureaus. "If you come across their website online and you decide to do some research, the bogus dealer is going to check out because the realdealer can be trusted."
The Better Business Bureau, which just issued an alert about this scam, is hearing from victims all across the country.
Mike Stahley, who lives near Lansing, Mich., is an unemployed auto worker. He decided to spend part of his 2009 tax refund to replace his old car. Stahley tells me he looked all over the Web for a deal. When he searched "repo cars," a couple of sites came up, including American Auto Sales in Memphis.
He found a car with a Blue Book value of $17,000 that was going for just $7,700. Stahley was skeptical, so he made a few calls and the dealer checked out. He e-mailed the company, said he wanted to buy the car and was told to wire a $3,000 deposit.
"I thought it was a bit odd that they don't take Visa or MasterCard, but I figured maybe they didn't want to pay the percentage to the credit card company," Stahley explains. "Since everything came back that it was a legitimate business, I wired them the money."
Within 15 minutes he got an e-mail confirmation that the money was received and they car would be shipped in a few days. But the car never came. When Stahley went back online, the website was gone.
"It was just before Father's Day when all this went down and I'm still terribly angry over the whole situation. I'm feeling financially raped and still terribly embarrassed about it. I didn't have $3,000 to throw away."
American Auto Sales, the real car dealership in Memphis whose identity was stolen, has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. The company's web address is memphisautoworld.com. The con artists chose americautosales.com for their URL.
Micah Guidry, a salesman at American Auto Sales, says the scam went on for about a week and half before they were able to get the bogus site taken down.
One person showed up at the dealership looking for his car. More than a thousand others have called. Guidry says most of them had sent sizeable deposits to the scammers.
Who's running this scam? To find out, I contacted the person who runs the blog Internet Scammers. (For security reasons, he did not want me to use his name.) He says a group of crooks in Romania are responsible for about 40 malicious websites. All have been taken down. Each was made to look like a legitimate car dealer that already had a presence on the Internet. Past URL's include: superautosales.com, reliableusedcarsinc.com and heavensentusedcars.com.
"This is pretty lucrative for them," the blogger says. "They're making a lot of money."
Let's say most of the 1,000 people who contacted American Auto Sales in Memphis paid the scammers $3,000, it means those Romanian swindlers took in several million dollars from that one bogus site in less than two weeks.
The Better Business Bureau says this gang of thieves has posed as car dealers in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico and Texas. The sites are often shut off days after they go up, only to reappear with the name of another legitimate dealer.
The warning signs Nancy Crawford, director of marketing and communications at the Better Business Bureau in Memphis, was able to get onto the bogus American Auto Sales site before it was taken off line. She wanted to see how they operated.
She found there was no way to talk to anyone by phone. When she called the number on the site, she got a recorded message that directed her back to the site. The only way to communicate was via e-mail or online chat.
Crawford asked to see a car she wanted to buy. She was told that was not possible. But the chat operator said once the deposit was received and the car was delivered Crawford would have three days to inspect it. If she didn't like it, the company would pick it up and take it back.
"Now how realistic does that sound?" Crawford asks. "How much is it going to cost a company to ship you a car and then ship it back if you don't like it?"
Crawford was told her deposit would be wired to an individual supposedly working at the dealership and not to the company. Why? The chat operator said that would allow the company to "legally avoid paying taxes." Now there's an honest dealer for you!
The Better Business Bureau says look for these red flags when shopping for a car online:
The prices are too good to be true.
The dealer only communicates through chat or e-mail, never by phone.
The dealer only accepts payment by money wire transfer. That's always a risky way to do business with an unknown company.
If you've been taken by a fraudulent auto website, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the federal government's Internet Crime Center.
Be Blessed - Be Safe - Chris at Prestige Auto Sales in Ocala!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Fish Story .......
Fish Story
A redneck was stopped by a game warden in Central West Virginia recently with two ice chests full of fish. He was leavin' a cove well-known for its fishing.
The game warden asked the man, 'Do you have a license to catch those fish?' 'Naw, sir', replied the redneck. 'I ain't got none of them there licenses. You must understand, these here are my pet fish.'
'Pet fish?'
'Yeah. Every night, I take these here fish down to the lake and let 'em swim 'round for a while. Then, when I whistle, they jump right back into these here ice chests and I take 'em home.' 'That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that.'
The redneck looked at the warden for a moment and then said, 'It's the truth Mr. Government Man. I'll show ya. It really works.'
'O. K.', said the warden. 'I've got to see this!' The redneck poured the fish into the lake and stood and waited. After several minutes, the warden says, 'Well?'
'Well, what?,' says the redneck.
The warden says, 'When are you going to call them back?'
'Call who back?'
'The FISH,' replied the warden!
'What fish?,' replied the redneck. ............
Have a fun blessed day - Chris at Prestige!
A redneck was stopped by a game warden in Central West Virginia recently with two ice chests full of fish. He was leavin' a cove well-known for its fishing.
The game warden asked the man, 'Do you have a license to catch those fish?' 'Naw, sir', replied the redneck. 'I ain't got none of them there licenses. You must understand, these here are my pet fish.'
'Pet fish?'
'Yeah. Every night, I take these here fish down to the lake and let 'em swim 'round for a while. Then, when I whistle, they jump right back into these here ice chests and I take 'em home.' 'That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that.'
The redneck looked at the warden for a moment and then said, 'It's the truth Mr. Government Man. I'll show ya. It really works.'
'O. K.', said the warden. 'I've got to see this!' The redneck poured the fish into the lake and stood and waited. After several minutes, the warden says, 'Well?'
'Well, what?,' says the redneck.
The warden says, 'When are you going to call them back?'
'Call who back?'
'The FISH,' replied the warden!
'What fish?,' replied the redneck. ............
Have a fun blessed day - Chris at Prestige!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
the highway to success .......
.......... (thought for the day) ....
Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid. -- John Keats
... Success is a matter of... knowing what to do and also what not to do so you have a chance to win - Best your best - Chris!
Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, in as much as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some form of error which we shall afterwards carefully avoid. -- John Keats
... Success is a matter of... knowing what to do and also what not to do so you have a chance to win - Best your best - Chris!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
How’s Your Misery Index?
How’s Your Misery Index?
“Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good.” Psalm 90:15 NLT
The “Misery Index” was devised by an economist in the 1970’s to define the bad effects of unemployment and inflation on the economy.
A noted psychiatrist devised a stress index to determine point at which a nervous breakdown would occur.
Miseries like death of a loved one, divorce, financial problems, health problems, etc, were all given scores depending on the severity of the problem, and when the combined score went above 300, a nervous breakdown was imminent.
We all have our share of shortcomings and problems that will send our misery index over the breaking point if we are not anchored deep in the peace and security of a love relationship with God that comes through faith in, and a personal relationship with, Jesus Christ.
There is a misery index brought on by the consequences of our inherited and actual sins that can sometimes seem to soar through the roof and rob us of our health, happiness, joy and peace.
The sin of unbelief can doom us into an eternity of misery in hell. Pride, envy, jealousy, anger, and lust can pile misery upon us.
The lost live with their misery through developing a hardened heart and dull conscience. It is only when the Holy Spirit breaks through these barriers that anyone lost can receive the gift of eternal life.
A believer’s conscience is designed to make us so miserable that we will acknowledge our sin before God and receive not only forgiveness, but the power to repent and die to sin and come alive in Christ.
It’s good to know that God provides a safety valve for our misery. We can unload all our sins, sorrows, and griefs at the cross and let Jesus free us from the bondage of burdens and fill us with the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Father, help me to overcome misery and find true joy in You.
In Jesus' Name, Amen
Chris Spears
Ocala Florida
HomilyGrits.com - to see like messages!
“Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good.” Psalm 90:15 NLT
The “Misery Index” was devised by an economist in the 1970’s to define the bad effects of unemployment and inflation on the economy.
A noted psychiatrist devised a stress index to determine point at which a nervous breakdown would occur.
Miseries like death of a loved one, divorce, financial problems, health problems, etc, were all given scores depending on the severity of the problem, and when the combined score went above 300, a nervous breakdown was imminent.
We all have our share of shortcomings and problems that will send our misery index over the breaking point if we are not anchored deep in the peace and security of a love relationship with God that comes through faith in, and a personal relationship with, Jesus Christ.
There is a misery index brought on by the consequences of our inherited and actual sins that can sometimes seem to soar through the roof and rob us of our health, happiness, joy and peace.
The sin of unbelief can doom us into an eternity of misery in hell. Pride, envy, jealousy, anger, and lust can pile misery upon us.
The lost live with their misery through developing a hardened heart and dull conscience. It is only when the Holy Spirit breaks through these barriers that anyone lost can receive the gift of eternal life.
A believer’s conscience is designed to make us so miserable that we will acknowledge our sin before God and receive not only forgiveness, but the power to repent and die to sin and come alive in Christ.
It’s good to know that God provides a safety valve for our misery. We can unload all our sins, sorrows, and griefs at the cross and let Jesus free us from the bondage of burdens and fill us with the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Father, help me to overcome misery and find true joy in You.
In Jesus' Name, Amen
Chris Spears
Ocala Florida
HomilyGrits.com - to see like messages!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Fix .......
The Fix
There recently was an article in the St. Petersburg , Fl. Times. The Business Section asked readers for ideas on: "How Would You Fix the Economy?"
I think this guy nailed it!
Dear Mr. President, Please find below my suggestion for fixing America 's economy. Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.
You can call it the "Patriotic Retirement Plan":There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:
1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.
2) They MUST buy a new AMERICAN Car. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed.
3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed.
It can't get any easier than that!!
P.S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress pay their taxes...Mr. President, while you're at it, make Congress retire on Social Security and Medicare. I'll bet both programs would be fixed pronto!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Will You give this to my Daddy? .........
Will You give this to my Daddy?
As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support 'Red Fridays'. Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.
Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.
Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our servicemen and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi...' The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.
The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.
When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying, 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.
RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.
Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday - and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.
By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.
If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is.....We need your support and your prayers.
Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example.
Chris Spears
Ocala Florida
As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support 'Red Fridays'. Last week I was in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.
Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.
Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our servicemen and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi...' The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.
The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.
When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying, 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.
RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.
Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday - and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.
By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.
If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is.....We need your support and your prayers.
Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example.
Chris Spears
Ocala Florida
Are You Blessable? ..........
July 8 2010
Read Jude 1:21,23, Psalm 128
Are You Blessable?
“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. Their offerings will not be accepted.” Isaiah 66:2
You would think that we would learn from the history of the children of Israel. Time and time again God rescued, delivered, restored and blessed them, and every time they fell back into idol worship and ignoring God to their peril.
Today, we expect God to bless us in spite of our indifference and disobedience….in spite of our putting other gods before him, and willfully ignoring Him.
Thankfully, God is longsuffering, patient, and kind. He longs to bring us into that abiding relationship where He can be our friend, answer our prayers, make us fruitful, give us joy, and let us know His love and be aware of the love of others. God really does long to bless us!
We don’t have to be rocket scientists to figure out some simple keys to being blessable.
First of all, obedience brings blessings. All of the old covenants were based on this principle, and this principle holds true today.
Think of the consequences of some of the disobedience in your life and the lives of those around you. We will never know the blessings of God to their fullest if we insist on willfully disobeying God and ignoring the calls of the Holy Spirit to contrition and repentance.
We learn from Scripture that we are blessable when we are meek, when we mourn, when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, when we are persecuted for the cause of Christ, when we are merciful, when we seek to promote peace, and when we have a clean heart.
We are blessable when we endure temptation and persevere through times of testing, when we are generous, compassionate and kind. Father, by the power of Your Spirit, help me to be blessable. In Jesus' Name, Amen
Taken from www.Homilygrits.com
May they be Blessed for their efforts!
You be Blessed today - Chris Spears!
Read Jude 1:21,23, Psalm 128
Are You Blessable?
“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word. But those who choose their own ways, delighting in their sins, are cursed. Their offerings will not be accepted.” Isaiah 66:2
You would think that we would learn from the history of the children of Israel. Time and time again God rescued, delivered, restored and blessed them, and every time they fell back into idol worship and ignoring God to their peril.
Today, we expect God to bless us in spite of our indifference and disobedience….in spite of our putting other gods before him, and willfully ignoring Him.
Thankfully, God is longsuffering, patient, and kind. He longs to bring us into that abiding relationship where He can be our friend, answer our prayers, make us fruitful, give us joy, and let us know His love and be aware of the love of others. God really does long to bless us!
We don’t have to be rocket scientists to figure out some simple keys to being blessable.
First of all, obedience brings blessings. All of the old covenants were based on this principle, and this principle holds true today.
Think of the consequences of some of the disobedience in your life and the lives of those around you. We will never know the blessings of God to their fullest if we insist on willfully disobeying God and ignoring the calls of the Holy Spirit to contrition and repentance.
We learn from Scripture that we are blessable when we are meek, when we mourn, when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, when we are persecuted for the cause of Christ, when we are merciful, when we seek to promote peace, and when we have a clean heart.
We are blessable when we endure temptation and persevere through times of testing, when we are generous, compassionate and kind. Father, by the power of Your Spirit, help me to be blessable. In Jesus' Name, Amen
Taken from www.Homilygrits.com
May they be Blessed for their efforts!
You be Blessed today - Chris Spears!
Friday, July 2, 2010
A wise and frugal government .....
A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government. -- Thomas Jefferson
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