"Don't complain about being unable to afford high-quality local food when your grocery cart is full of beer, cigarettes, and People magazine." - (Anonymous).

Hello and welcome. I am back from my short trip to Louisiana and it's always, yes, always, good to be back home again. I did not need John Denver's song to make me aware of this truth. If you don't get that reference, look it up. It is Friday, December 12, 2025, and, I hope today's edition finds you and yours doing well. Our President is touring right now to address the economy and all that his administration has done and is doing to deal with the cost of living. I voted for President Trump. I support many of the things he is doing. When it comes to the affordability issue, I agree with one of his critics who said something along these lines, "No amount of talking is going to convince someone they are better off when they are not seeing it or feeling it." I couldn't agree more. You can search for and find the official Consumer Price Index Summary online and while the increases have moderated compared to the previous administration, the bottom line is this: They are still increasing each month. I am glad he and his team have chosen to zero in on this issue as a top priority. Yes. I do remember he promised that prices would go down day one of his administration. Having just completed our journey to Louisiana and back, I can tell you the price we paid for gasoline meant those particular sellers had not gotten the memo yet about how it should be $2 or less. I do get the message of how bad it was before. Most people do not have to be convinced of that. However, the consumer is the one buying stuff. Duh! And, they will know they are better off when they experience it as they make purchases. I am willing to give the administration time to make progress in this area and I expect they will. I remain hopeful. No matter where you go, people vote based on the amount paid for the amount in the grocery cart. You know. "No thank you, I don't need the cart. I spent $185 but I can carry these two bags out in my hands."  

Well, enough of that because it is somewhat of a downer. For those of us who are Christ followers, we trust Him to take care of us. There is always the dynamic tension between needs and wants. Yes, even for believers. I was in a small group discussion one time when the leader asked if anyone had a specific prayer request for something they were dealing with in their life. In a very surprising move, an older lady, a proven believer, stood up and said she wanted prayer because she had become addicted to buying stuff online. She went on to say it had pretty much nearly cleaned them out financially. Don't get the idea that we who are believers can't get ourselves into a mess of trouble. I should know. Yep. The Bible tells us clearly that believers can fall into behaviors unsuited for their identity as children of God. Take the shepherd boy David for instance. He grew up and was proclaimed by God to be a man after is His own heart. Yet, he fell into sin that ended up in premeditated murder and while he was fully forgiven and restored back to right relationship with God, the horrific impact on him and his family continued long after his failure. Never tell anyone it could never happen to you. At the same time, God will never leave us nor forsake us and we can trust Him and His promises. (Deuteronomy 31:8 and Hebrews 13:5-6) He is always there for us and He desires us to have fellowship with Him. I say often and I say it again today, I am so thankful that He is willing to forgive and restore. Without the truth as given to us in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.", where would I be? Amen? Amen!