-
Americans are living in financial strain
The average monthly car payment for a new vehicle is $734 according to second-quarter 2024 Experian data — up 0.1% year after year. Used cars have an average monthly payment of $525, down 2.1%. Meanwhile, new lease payments average $586, a 2.3% decrease. The average house payment is around $2,700 per month. Average rent is…
-
Who will you make your next donation to and why?
Churches raised $135.78 billion in 2021. (GivingUSA) Churches in the U.S. received 27% of all donations in 2021. (GivingUSA) Forty-four percent of U.S. adults are digital donors. (Barna) An average congregation records a yearly income of $242,910. (Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion) Congregations in the U.S. collect around $74.5 billion each year. (Interdisciplinary Journal…
-
We must help our own
Hurricane Helene hit our Southeastern, United States like a blanket of bombs that just kept wreaking catastrophic destruction throughout its path from Florida all the way to Virginia. It’s likely to become the deadliest storm in American history by the time all the bodies are recovered. The television images are horrific. Houses, cars, bridges, and…
-
Living in Diverse America
In my neighborhood we have a variety of people. We have Democrats and Republicans, Independents, Libertarians and others. People attend different churches or don’t attend church at all. We have Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, Jews and more. On a new street over from me, I’ve noticed several families who appear to be from India, Mexico and…
-
Oprah will not be watching when you vote
Oprah Winfrey had a big gathering of celebrities to endorse and promote Kamala Harris for President. We are talking big names like Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Lopez, and Meryl Streep, to name a few. I don’t have the national recognition of Oprah Winfrey. I don’t have her wealth ($3 billion) or influence. I don’t…
-
Trump is angry? Kamala has got joy?
Did Trump seem angry last week during the debate? I thought he was intense. There’s a difference. Aren’t you a little intense? Doesn’t it bother you when you dread going to the grocery store because you need more money to buy the same things? Does it irritate you that your town is starting to look…
-
The seed we plant will bring a harvest of some kind
When it comes to life, there are no guarantees. A few people will live to be 100 and beyond. The majority of people will die much younger. We don’t know for sure. Your health can be great and still anything can happen. Your health might be bad. A friend who lived to be about 77…
-
Vice President Harris: ‘I did not ban fracking, nor will I’
Vice President Kamala Harris recently interviewed with Dana Bash on CNN. In that interview Harris made sure that Bash and the country understood that she had not banned fracking during her term as vice president, nor would she ban fracking as president. Harris made it clear that she has been in charge all along. She…
-
Enjoy Labor Day, America, and keep working
Labor Day weekend is upon us. Let’s celebrate the laborers. The willing workers of America have been the backbone to making our country the greatest nation in the world. People from all over the world have come here in search of a better life by having the opportunity and the freedom to work hard in…
-
Competition and the freedom to choose – cars, hamburgers, schools and ice cream
In 1975, I bought a four-cylinder Chevrolet Monza. In my opinion it was a terrible buy and a lousy car. There was one episode after another of maintenance issues, and the four-cylinder engine was just a piece of junk. I survived that car long enough to trade it in on a Toyota Celica. I felt…