December 14th, 2016
I Peter 4:10 - “ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
This will be a quick moment. So much is going on in our Centers. Next week is our Great Christmas Outreach and we will serve thousands and provide gifts for hundreds of men, women, and children.
During our outreaches throughout the year, thousands of volunteers help serve our residents and the homeless. Last year — 9,000 men, women, and children came to our centers fo help. That is NINE THOUSAND! Over 90,000 hours of time were provided to help us in our ministry. Volunteers serve meals, provide special projects, tutor, mentor, work with our kids and so much more. But did you know that we have an army of volunteers that have not served on-site, but have organized food, hygiene, toy, clothing and other drives. Our volunteers are amazing! I am still blown away by the motorcycle group that strapped turkeys to their bikes and drove them for a huge donation this past Thanksgiving.
We could not do all that we do withouth the support, time, prayers, and talents of our volunteers. Next time you see one, take a moment to thank them and tell them how much you appreciate them. Our volunteers are the best people in the world!
All God's Best to you and your loved ones,
-rev b
November 30, 2016
Proverbs 11:25 - “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
Hey, just want to give a shout out to everyone - that's you - for making Thanksgiving day so awesome. Your hard work resulted in blessing so many people. The events leading up to our Banquet were off the chain:
Over 3,200 people were served and so much more.
“We are here with one purpose in mind and that’s to give back to our communities. I’m so proud of being a part of what Miami Rescue Mission | Broward Outreach Centers are doing for our community” said Don, one of the volunteers who brought his two sons to help serve.
You really touch so many lives. Super blessings to you and now let's get ready for Christmas!
Wanted to share some pics with you.
Save the Date - Dec. 16th - Our Annual Staff Luncheon
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
November 9th, 2016
John 15:13 — “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.”
This year we have added November 11th - Veteran's Day - as an official holiday for our ministry. In hindsight, this should have been done long ago.
Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day – a common misunderstanding, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Memorial Day (the fourth Monday in May) honors American service members who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle, while Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans – living or dead–but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.
VETERANS DAY FACTS
Presently about 30% of our residents are veterans. Take a moment to thank a veteran for their service for our country and freedom.
A special blessing to all of our veterans of our staff family, our residents, and our country.
I am praying for you — you continue to pray for me.
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
Military Veterans in the United States:
Approximately 23.2 million
Continue to pray for our veterans and our country.
October 26th, 2016
Acts 20:35 - “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said — It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Our vision is "No One is Homeless". Pretty simple - right? I'm sure you know that it takes an awful lot of resources to help the homeless and hurting of our communities. Each of us has a vital role in this ministry and in all that we do. Question - Do you really know what other departments are involved with - what they do - and why everyone is so important to having a successful ministry? This week I want to share some general information about our Centers in Broward.
Take the Quick Quiz below before continuing reading.
The Hollywood Center opened on Easter of 1997. Services for the homeless began in 1992. Meals and clothing were given to those in need from a store front in Hollywood until the building was opened.
Due to the strong success of the Hollywood Center, we were chosen by Broward County to operate the Pompano facility. We do not own the propert in Pompano as we do in Hollywood. The application period was extened due to the 9/11 attacks of 2001. The center opened in the summer of 2002.
We have a contract with the County to provide services for the homeless. This contracts require certain outcomes are achieved. At the present, the County provides 45% of the total operating budget. We raise the remaining 55% through our donors, supporters, and volunteers.
Over 80 staff members are needed. Some positions split their time between the two Centers. This does not count the residents that are doing service assignments or volunteers that help in so many needed ways.
In early 1991, a group of community leaders (from Hollywood) came to visit the programs at the Miami Centers. They were very impressed and asked us to help with the homeless and needy of Hollywood and Broward County. After much prayer and many meetings, the Mission (under the direction of Dr. Frank and Maxine Jacobs) decided to expand the ministry into Broward.
Over the next several years, we served the homeless and needy by providing meals and clothing at from a store front. That gave us some name recognition as well as time to raise funds for a building. The name Broward Outreach Center was used to be very friendly and let people know in Broward that their support was for their Center and not the Miami Rescue Mission's Miami Center. It made sense, but has caused a lot of confusion over the years. We are moving to using Caring Place more and more to include all of our ministries in all locations.
We own the building on Scott street in Hollywood. It was bought in 1995 and refurbished. Originally it was a 90 bed facility and opened in 1997. We were the first in Hollywood - and really all of Broward County - to have a comprehensive center to help the homeless get off the street and become successful in life.
Broward County began expanding its services to the homeless and was opening Homeless Assistance Centers in Fort Lauderdale and then in Pompano. The Ft. Lauderdale center opened in 2000 and the services are operated by the Broward Partnership (similar to the Chapman Partnership in Miami). The county put out an application for an agency to run the Pompano Center. We applied and were selected. Pompano is a 208 bed facility and we opened for "business" in 2002.
At the same time of the opening of the Pompano center, the Center for Women and Children began construction in Hollywood. It was opened in 2004 and now is the home of the case management, behavioral health, and education center teams. The Center also houses up to 50 women, women with children, and families.
I pray you have a better understanding of the Broward Outreach Centers. Why don't you take a moment and give a shout out to the great staff of Broward?
Next week, we will look at our Miami Centers.
I am praying for you — you continue to pray for me.
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
Broward Team Overview
October 19th, 2016
Last year on this date, I had just finished writing the below post. Just an hour later I learned that my son, Roger, had passed away. I had no idea that he had died earlier in the day. I want to thank our Mission family, board members, supporters, church family , and loved ones for the prayers, calls, cards, hugs, tears, and love we have been blessed to receive. Most importantly I praise and honor the Lord Jesus Christ for His great grace and presence. The hurt still cuts deeply and more often during the silent times of life, but our family is being healed day by day. Little did I know at the time, but last year's post was really a message from God for me and our family.
All God's Best - rev. b
From October 19, 2015
James 4:13,14 - Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” You do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
This past weekend, my daughter Joy, had something very unexpected happen to her. She was out to dinner with Marilyn and our two grandchildren - Aiden (12) and Shanti (6). It was a great dinner, and as they left the restaurant and headed back to the van, Shanti stepped on Joy's foot. Marilyn heard Joy shout with pain. Guess what? It turned out that somehow a large toothpick was impaled in Joy's toe. The toothpick was sticking out of her toe and she was moaning in pain.
This is not an earth shattering unexpected event, but it does emphasize the point that at any time something totally unexpected can happen in our life. Most people like to be in control of their lives, and therefore, are more at ease living the same kind of life every day. Unexpected and unpredictable events can wreak havoc in our lives and cause a great deal of stress. The only thing predictable about the unexpected is that it ALWAYS happens. Most of them are of minor importance, but sometimes, they are major or life shaking events of unpleasant nature, causing severe difficulties and problems.
Just when life seems to be going smoothly, something happens to throw us for a loop - an accident, chronic illness, financial setback, relationship breakup, or the death of a loved one to name a few. These are the types of events that we cannot fully prepare for. How do you cope with unexpected events? —stressed?, panic?, angry?, depressed?
There is no magic formula to help people deal with unexpected events. The following are two places to begin:
Fortunately most of us have what it takes to deal with the unexpected. It's called resilience — the ability to bounce back from adversity. And while the rebound is typically neither quick nor smooth, coping with the unexpected is the norm, not the exception.
There is One, that I believe, can help people through any unexpected event in life if we allow Him. Yes, I'm speaking about God. Not only can He directly help us, but He often will put people in our lives to help us deal with any unexpected toothpick.
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
PS - Joy was fine and needed no urgent or emergency services.
September 28th, 2016
Matthew 23:11 - “The greatest among you shall be your servant.”
Last week we touched on the Development Department and its role in our ministry. This week I'd like to highlight the Administrative Team. Administration covers all facets of managing day-to-day operations and decision making for our ministry. It includes efficient organization and management of employees and other resources to focus operations toward our goals. Effective administration promotes stability, success and growth for the company or organization. Above all, the administration team are to be servants and help everyone to serve the homeless and needy with the love of God.
It all starts with the Board of Directors. These are unpaid men and women who volunteer their time and talent to provide general oversight of the entire ministry. The Board directly oversees the President and Development Director. They also review all financial reports and records, set goals, and are involved in specialized committees from finance to housing. The Board meets throughout the year. Without our Board the Mission would not exist. They do not get involved with the day to day operations — that is left for the Administrative Team.
Specialty areas for administrative management include finance and economics, human resources, marketing, operations, information systems and accounting. Planning is vital to our success. This does not just refer to plans for the next month or so but also to one or more years down the road. The Administrative Team serves this ministry by establishing and carrying out the organizational and the departmental goals, procedures and policies.
Budgeting is an element within planning. Large ideas are an important part of any successful organization, but without the budget in place to fund these large ideas, they remain just that, ideas rather than reality. Organizing is another important part of major administration functions. Much of this has to do with assigning particular people and departments to specific tasks and ensuring that all of the many subsidiary tasks for a larger goal get accomplished.
I'm including some basic information about the administrative team that reports directly to me. But — there are many other dedicated staff that make up the administrative team. I want to send kudos to all. I believe Vel has mentioned each of them in her unsung heroes series.
As you serve in your particular area of ministry, I want to remind you that there is a lot going on behind the scenes that helps us serve the homeless and needy and see lives forever changed.
I am praying for you — you continue to pray for me.
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
Administration Primer
Next week, we highlight the Broward Outreach Centers.
September 21st, 2016
Proverbs 18:15 - “The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
Our vision is "No One is Homeless". Pretty simple - right? I'm sure you know that it takes an awful lot of resources to help the homeless and hurting of our communities. Each of us has a vital role in this ministry and in all that we do. Question - Do you really know what other departments are involved with - what they do - and why everyone is so important to having a successful ministry? In the next few weeks I want to share some general information about each department and to provide additional knowledge so that you have a better understanding of how the parts work together to make the whole. This week we will focus on the Development Department. The development department raises funds, maintains the donor database, provides thousands of volunteers, has special events, provides gift-in-kind items, interacts with the public, gets us in the news, develops faith partners, and so much more.
Below are some frequently asked questions relating to the development department. How much do you know?
Our yearly budget exceeds $22 million dollars. This includes cash donations, contracts, and all the gift-in-kind received. Gift-in-kind are items such as clothing, food, hygiene products, toys, funriture, electronics, etc. that we use throughout the year.
Believe it or not, the Mission pays over $600,000 per year for medical insurance for staff. Our property and liability insurances are over $500,000. These two items alone total more than 1.1 million dollars. Wow!
We are close to having 170 staff employed. Salaries alone total over $5.1 million dollars per year. Then there are additional benefits the Mission has to pay (part of taxes, etc). When I became President, we had 110 employees. That was in 2008. My, have we grown.
When you add the costs of all the utilities, transportation, maintenance, equipment, IT, phones, printing, fundraising costs, etc. - you can see that reaching this goal can be very stressful from year to year.
The great news is that we are a Christian organization - not just in name - but actually feel called by God to reach the homeless and needy. All of us work very hard, but our dependence for provision and protection comes from the Lord. It's been that way for 94 years.
The development team is raising needed funds, providing volunteers and gift-in-kind items, raising awareness, expanding our support in the faith community, seeking new streams of revenue, and is incorporating more digital tools to provide the funding needed for our ministry. They are not more important than any other department, but let's face it, if we don't receive funds, we would cease to exist. We would not have the caring staff to provide the services we do.
I pray you have a better understanding of the Development Department. Why don't you take a moment and thank someone in that Department today?
Next week, we will look at the Administrative Staff.
I am praying for you — you continue to pray for me.
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
Terminology and Definitions
September 7th, 2016
Philippians 4:4 - “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”
It was great to see so many staff members, CARE staff, and Health Clinic staff, members of our Board of Directors, and friends. I pray that you left with a deeper sense that "We Are Family".
The highlight of the luncheon was being able to honor Pastor George McKain for his decades of being part of this ministry. See the video below.
Of course, the food was amazing and seeing everyone having a great time reflected our theme that "We Are Family."
I pray that each of us can leave a legacy like Pastor George's when it's our time to move on. That means we do our best everyday; love and pray for our residents, staff, and donors; and lead by our example.
I am praying for you — you continue to pray for me.
All God's Best to you and your loved ones,
-rev b
August 31st, 2016
3 John 13-14 - “I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.”
Can you believe that we are fast approaching our fall season? It seems this year is zipping along even faster than even last year. Hey, how have you done on your New Year's resolutions? Can you pat yourself on the back? or do you need to revisit some? Maybe it's time for each of us to pull them out and start working on one or two before the end of the year. I know I will be doing so.
As the verse mentions above, I have much to write to you — but I'm excited to be able to see most of our family this Friday at the "We Are Family" luncheon.
Together, we have been through a lot this past year. There have been ups and there have been downs. We have laughed together, grieved together, cried together, rejoiced together, and prayed together. The greatest thing we have done together is to see hundreds of broken lives restored and on a successful path in life. I pray you understand that you are making a huge difference in people's lives. This should inspire each of us to continue to "do good" for our residents, our loved ones, and each other. We ARE Family!
I realize that not everyone will be able to come to our luncheon. It would be great if we could just shut everything down for a day and have everyone in one place, but that will never happen. Someone needs to keep the stores running. As we approach the upcoming fall season, let us communicate better, encourage each other daily, and make our family even stronger for the many challenges ahead.
I am so thankful for God's provision and protection in this ministry — and I am thankful for YOU!
I am praying for you — you continue to pray for me.
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
Now You Know
August 24th, 2016
Colossians 3:13 - “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
We’ve all heard it a thousand times,“You need to forgive and forget.” But is this truly how we feel? When someone really hurts you, do you still want to forgive that person? Forgiving seems almost unnatural, right?
What does forgiving really mean? Clearly it has little to do with human fairness, which demands an eye for an eye, or with excusing, which means brushing something aside. Life is never fair, and it is full of things that can never be excused.
When we forgive someone for a mistake or a deliberate hurt, we still recognize it as such, but instead of lashing out or biting back, we attempt to see beyond it, so as to restore our relationship with the person responsible for it. Our forgiveness may not take away our pain — it may not even be acknowledged or accepted — yet the act of offering it will keep us from being sucked into the downward spiral of resentment. It will also guard us against the temptation of taking out our anger or hurt on someone else
Unforgiveness can lead to bitterness.
It is only natural, when we are hurt, to want to revisit the source of that hurt. There is nothing wrong with that. Whenever we do this in the sense of chalking up another person’s guilt, however, our pain will soon turn into bitterness and resentment. It doesn’t matter if the cause of our pain is real or imagined: the effect is the same. Once there, it will slowly eat away at us until it spills out and corrodes everything around us.
Bitterness is more than a negative outlook on life. It is a destructive and self-destructive power. Like a dangerous mold or spore, it thrives in the dark recesses of the heart and feeds on every new thought of spite or hatred that comes our way. And like an ulcer aggravated by worry or a heart condition made worse by stress, it can be physically as well as emotionally debilitating.
Maybe there are people in your life that you have never forgiven. I'm not walking in your shoes and haven't had your experiences, but God knows everything. Seek the Lord for wisdom and start lifting the burden of unforgiveness and bitterness by forgiving those that have hurt you or disappointed you.
I am praying for you — you continue to pray for me.
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
5 Reasons to Forgive
When was the last time you truly, deeply forgave someone? It can be someone in your past or present, or it can even be yourself.
Date: Friday, Sept. 2nd
Time: 10:30 AM
Where: Miami Annex
2031 NW 1 Court
Always Something Special!
August 17th, 2016
Deuteronomy 15:7 & 11 - “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’”
This will be a very quick moment. As you know Marilyn is in Cambodia and will be returning this Saturday. Praise the Lord. You and I serve the homeless and needy every day. We offer compassion and hope to hurting people. We help them restore their life which leads to a total transformation. I'm sure that you are aware of the poverty that exists in other parts of the world. With all of our nation's troubles, our poor and needy have resources to help them. The supreme resource is people who care and want to help. There is still a problem with people experiencing hunger and lack of housing, but not to the degree in many foreign lands.
Christians, Muslims, Jews, and other religions emphasize the need to help the poor. We are honored that God has entrusted this ministry for 94 years in "opening our hands wide" to those in need. Thousands of donors and supporters in our communities have "opened their hands wide" to help us help others.
God and Poverty:
— cited from compassion.com
As we approach the extremely busy fall season, let each of us re-focus on the most important part of what we do - to '... open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’
Continue to lift Marilyn up in prayer and the team as they travel.
All God's Best to you and your loved ones,
-rev b
Date: Friday, September 2nd
Time: 10:30 AM
Where: Miami Annex - 2031 NW 1 Court
Always Something Special!
August 10th, 2016
Proverbs 22:6 - “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Do you really know how awesome this ministry is? We primarily take care of men and women, but we also serve boys and girls. We have families in our centers that we help - and that is very special - but we also reach out beyond our walls to help children in the community. Our first core value, compassion, compels us to help others. Recently our Christmas in July outreach provided 700 pairs of new sneakers to kids — and on August 5th, the Miami Summer Camp for kids - CAMP SLAM, held its end of the year program.
In the mid 90's, we saw a great need of helping inner-city kids. The need sparked a vision which became a reality in 2001 with the opening of the Community Activity Center. The purpose is to "Prevent the next generation of homelessness and to help kids become successful in life". The Activity Center has an elementary school - CARE Elementary. The Center also provides after school and out-of-school programs for children. This summer's theme was CAMP SLAM - Summer Long Arts & Music.
You are a part of all that we do — even if you are not directly involved. Why? Because WE'RE FAMILY! Without you, it would be hard to help as many people as we do. I want to thank Monifa Scott, Keith Allison, Tarika Conner, Marlo Lane, Ansell Walcott and the wonderful summer interns who really worked hard for the program. Out Loud Artistry, under the direction of Pastors Cory and Robin, really brought SLAM to life. And I cannot forget to mention the Miami Center's Director - Tony Villasuso - who did so much behind the scene.
I've also included just a few photos of Marilyn in Cambodia. She left with the church mission's group on Friday, Aug. 5th (same day and time as the SLAM Program), and 36 hours later - she finally made it to Cambodia. For two weeks, she and the team will be ministering to children. They have brought medical supplies and shoes for nearly 500 kids. They will also be sharing the gospel of Jesus with them. These kids are sleeping on the ground and searching through the dumps to find food and to earn money.
Continue to lift Marilyn up in prayer and the team. She is taking her vacation time to sow into the lives of children she probably will never see again in this lifetime. But you know what? God sees and that's the most important thing to know.
Children are super precious to the Lord and they are to us.
All God's Best to you and your loved ones,
-rev b
Click on the Pictures to see more. You can navigate the larger pictures - look for the left and right arrows.
August 3rd, 2016
Proverbs 28:27 - “Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.”
Hey everyone, I just wanted to thank all for such a tremendous, spectacular, awesome, and epic Christmas in July. Thanks to each of you, our valiant volunteers, community partners and friends:
I know it takes a lot of hard work, sweat, and sometimes tears to have our gigantic outreaches throughout the year, but they really do have a tremendous impact. Just think that in one day — 100 homeless men and women made a decision to get off the streets and maybe change their lives. I am sure God was smiling. Special thanks to our development team who raised money, enlisted volunteers, and worked so hard behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly. Our staff really shone bright before, during, and after Christmas in July. We get a small break for now, but The Great Thanksgiving Banquet is just a few months away.
All God's Best to you and your loved ones,
-rev b
Click on the Pictures to see more. You can navigate the larger pictures - look for the left and right arrows.
July 27th, 2016
Proverbs 21:20 - “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.”
What the heck does the above verse have to do with money? Well, just replace choice food and olive oil with the word - "finances". You get the picture? A few weeks (June 22) ago I wrote about money and how to start budgeting our resources. I pray some of you have looked at your finances and have made some changes — even if they were small ones.
Do you have a savings plan? Do you have some "rainy-day" funds for an emergency? What I hear from many of our staff is - "I am just barely making my bills and have nothing left over to save."
Do you know that you can give yourself a 3% pay raise? Some of our staff have done just that!
The Mission offers a matching 403(b) savings plan. This is very similar to a 401(k) plan. 401(k) plans are offered by for-profit companies, 403(b) plans are only available to employees of tax-exempt organizations. These are usually either schools, hospitals or religious groups. The names simply refer to the section of the tax code that outlines these plans.
You work hard for your money and need to be better informed about financial matters - this includes making the best financial choices that affect you daily (loans, housing, cars, etc.) AND looking to future needs.
Do you want to rely only on Social Security or will you have Financial Security in the future?
What really is a 403(b) plan?
A 403(b) plan is a U.S. tax-advantaged retirement savings plan. Employee salary deferrals (making deposits) into a 403(b) plan are made before income tax is paid and allowed to grow tax-deferred until the money is taxed as income when withdrawn from the plan. This is a very simple explanation, but you need to start with the basics.
Did I mention that the Mission will match your savings in the 403(b) plan - up to 3% of your base salary. If you took full advantage of this - you would be giving yourself a 3% salary increase.
There is a lot more about 403(b) retirement plans - where should the funds be invested, who makes that decision, can I change things around, etc.
If you would like to have some seminars on budgeting, money management, and savings strategies please email me Rev. B.
If we get 15 or more people together, we will schedule some classes. I want you to at least think about your financial future and encourage you to give yourself a 3% raise or take full advantage of our 403(b) program.
I am praying for you — you continue to pray for me.
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
Quick Facts About 403(b)
What kind of savings are we talking about? (example)
How could you put $600 a year into your retirement plan?
Remember, if you would like to have some seminars on budgeting, money management, and savings strategies please email me Rev. B.
July 20th, 2016
1 Peter 3:8-11 - “8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.”
What do you consider to be a "good life"? Is it your family relations, your possessions, or your status in life? Do you believe that you have a "good life"?
Advertisers work very hard to convince you that your life just won’t be complete without their product. Like you’re living in deprivation if you don’t own the latest, greatest, soon to be obsolete version of everything. This kind of propaganda can have a substantial influence on our subconscious if we are not clear about what really matters to us personally.
The truth is that more stuff can actually diminish the quality of our life. Interestingly, there is a growing awareness of the benefits of keeping things simple these days. Many people have figured out that a good life is often a less complicated life. The simple act of unplugging from TV commercials can completely change your perspective on this.
Some people are convinced that money is the big difference between an average life and the good life. Others feel that it’s not the money, but the things the money can buy that define a good life.
I don't know about you, but when I was growing up — you had to have the right type of clothes, the right shoes, the right hairstyle or you just weren't in the "in crowd". In fact, you might have been ridiculed or excluded from certain activities. It definitely was an ego blow - you just weren't cool.
I remember when I was in seventh grade — all I had for a winter coat was a really bad looking jacket. One day in class (after I had worn the dirty, ripped jacket a few days), the teacher pointed out to me and said something like "Don't you have something better to wear, you've been wearing that thing all week." Well, I could have dug a hole and crawled into it. To say I was embarrassed would be an understatement. Classmates ridiculed me for quite sometime. I'd wear the jacket to school and then hide it someplace before going to class.
Many decades later I can still remember the hurt feelings and the disapproving eyes of others. Things like that can really mess with your mind. I'm sure you can think of an incident in your life when you felt super embarrassed and that life was not good.
Times haven't really changed that much. Our values as a person can be erroneously equated to how we relate to our peers. It's the "I gotta have what they have or I'm just not with it" mentality. Advertising of all sorts reinforce this pattern of thinking that we must have the latest and greatest or we are not living the "good life".
Whatever your circumstances in life are right now - your life is good. Many people are complainers and are never happy with what they have. Illness and loss of life can sadden us and bring us down, but that is vastly different when we are upset because we don't have the "things" others have. If you are homeless, life really isn't that good. No place to live, constantly looking for food, and seeking safety are not good parts of life.
Take some quiet time to examine your life. Are you seeking things and trying to live up to what the world states is a "good life"? Or are you thankful for what you have and are willing to get off the "gotta have that to make me happy" merry-go-round?
I am praying for you — you continue to pray for me.
All God's Best to you and your Loved ones,
-rev b
10 Signs of a Good Life to Think About
My 
