Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me.” – Psalm 51:2-3

Did you know one of the things that can paralyze us emotionally is guilt? What about you? Do you constantly feel guilt? If so, I have to tell you – you need to be free from it. Guilt saps you physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

1. When it comes to guilt, the best way to avoid it is simply to do what you know is right. But when you don’t (and we all make mistakes), you first need to confess your sin to God with a genuine desire to get things right. I promise that when you pursue the forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ, with an attitude of seeking to get things right, it will free you of guilt. He wipes the slate clean.
2. Seek forgiveness from those you have wronged. Make restitution.
3. Forgive yourself. For most of us, this is the biggest struggle of all, but you should recognize that when God has forgiven you, you can forgive yourself. He wants you to forgive yourself.
4. Don’t confuse forgiveness with the removal of consequences. God forgives immediately, but we all have to deal with the consequences of our sin.

The good news is that you can be free of guilt when you seek to get things right – God’s way.

If work or play out in the sun, here is your reminder to apply sunscreen daily now to protect yourself from future skin issues.

“The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword.” – Hebrews 4:12

Every single new vehicle has one. It’s found in the glove compartment of your new car. It’s an owner’s manual and if you thumb through it, you’ll see everything you need to know about how to care for your vehicle, how to read all the signs on the dashboard, what warning signals mean, and how to use your entertainment or info system. It’s all right there in the owner’s manual.

But here’s what is amazing about these owner’s manuals: hardly anyone ever reads them. In fact, I bet some of you reading this haven’t looked at the owner’s manual one time!

Well, human lives are a lot more complex than any automobile. And God, who is our Designer, has given us an owner’s manual. It’s called the Bible, the Word of God. Yet, for most people, this owner’s manual is also never read. Inside this manual is our make and design, and all we need to know to live our life to the fullest.

Here’s what is really sad. This wonderful owner’s manual, this written Word of God, has the power to transform lives. It points us to the One who transforms. His name is Jesus, the ultimate Word of God. We are directly dependent on this Word to have the perfect picture of Jesus. In other words, we don’t worship our owner’s manual. We worship our Maker and Creator, God in Christ!

“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.” Matthew 25:29

How can we be good managers of our financial resources? It begins with a budget. Every good budget has certain biblical principles to keep in mind.

1. Give to God first. Scripture is very clear that we are to give God a tithe, or 10% of our income. In Scripture it’s referred to as the “storehouse” (Malachi 3:8-10) or where you worship and are spiritually fed – your local church. We’re to do this first before anything else. This acknowledges that all we have comes from Him and that we trust Him to meet our needs. It’s a way of saying – God, all of this is yours (Proverbs 3: 9-10).
2. Save & Invest. Any financial planner will tell you that at least 10% of your income should go into savings and investments. Scripture provides the analogy of ants to emphasize the importance of this principle. Ants work hard during the summer months to prepare for the winter. When it comes to saving and investments, we are to be wise planners (Proverbs 6:6-11).
3. Pay Taxes. No one has ever been excited about paying taxes, but Scripture is very clear that we are to pay the taxes we owe. After all, those funds not only pay the salaries of our civil servants, but they also fund and maintain our roads, water, schools, courts, and even our police and military protection. (Romans 13: 6-7).
4. Plan for Fixed Expenses. These are regular costs such as your mortgage, car payment, monthly groceries and any debt payments. These payments must be paid or there are penalties – they are fixed.
5. Manage Discretionary Expenses. This category covers all the fun things like entertainment, vacation, shopping and hobbies. These things are nice, but not necessities.

The bottom line is that all of us are called to be good managers of the specific resources that God has entrusted to us – each according to our own ability. While there should be no comparison in the kingdom of God, we should make the most of the ability and opportunity that God has given. So how are you doing as a manager of God’s financial resources? One day, we all must give an account for how we managed “His” resources.  What will God say to you?

 

NAME	POSITION	BIRTHDTE	LOCATION
JOHN MONTESANO	SERVICE TECH	1-Oct	NORTH
PHILLIP DAILEY	ACCESSORY TECH	1-Oct	SOUTH
JOHN GRAVEL	SERVICE TECH	1-Oct	NORTH
JEFFREY COOPER	SERVICE TECH	3-Oct	SOUTH
RONNIE JARVIS JR	PARTS COUNTER	4-Oct	NORTH
TIMOTHY LOCKE	KIA SALES	5-Oct	SOUTH
NICOLE CLEMENT	PORTER/DRIVER	5-Oct	SOUTH
CALLAY BARRON III	BDC AGENT	6-Oct	NORTH
CHRIS JARVIS	DETAIL WASH	7-Oct	NORTH
JOHN TORRES-MORALES	LUBE TECH	8-Oct	SOUTH
JECSSIE ARMAN SANTIAGO	SERVICE TECH	8-Oct	SOUTH
HOLLI FRANCIONI	BDC	9-Oct	SOUTH
CARL RIOLO	DETAIL WASH	10-Oct	SOUTH
JOSHUA JACKSON	SHIPPING/RECEIV	12-Oct	NORTH
REUBEN FARRIOR	SERVICE TECH	13-Oct	SOUTH
KIRSTIN HALL	BDC	13-Oct	NORTH
ASHLEY SPRING	CASHIER	15-Oct	SOUTH
JEAN LEON	DETAIL WASH	15-Oct	NORTH
ERIK JONES	KIA SALES	18-Oct	SOUTH
SHELBY PHILLIPS	RECEPTIONIST	19-Oct	SOUTH
JAMES LIFE	FINANCE CLOSER	19-Oct	SOUTH
JEFFEREY GROVES	PARTS COUNTER	20-Oct	SOUTH
JEFFERY ROBERTS	LOT PORTER	21-Oct	NORTH
JENESIS MARIANI	BDC SERVICE	22-Oct	NORTH
KAREN YOCHELSON	HONDA SALES	25-Oct	NORTH
WILLIE WRIGHT	CHEVY SALES	27-Oct	SOUTH
DEBORAH TALLEY	PT CASHIER/RECP	27-Oct	SOUTH
JOHN RIOS	FINANCE DIRECTR	28-Oct	NORTH
ADAM ARELLANO	BDC	29-Oct	SOUTH
TESS MORALES	SALES ASSISTANT	30-Oct	NORTH
BILLY RUSSELL	DLR TRADE DRIVE	31-Oct	NORTH

NAME	EMP DATE	POSITION	LOCATION
CARL RIOLO	9/5/2017	DETAIL WASH	SOUTH
ASHLEY BENEFIELD	9/6/2017	BDC	SOUTH
CARLEE BILLINGTON	9/18/2017	GREETER	NORTH
KAYLA HARTMAN	9/18/2017	BDC	NORTH
GINO BENGHAZI	9/21/2017	SALES MANAGER	NORTH
CHRIS ROBINSON	9/25/2017	SALES MANAGER	NORTH

NAME	EMP DATE	POSITION	LOCATION	YRS OF SERV
LEO F CHICOINE	10/17/1988	PARTS COUNTER	SOUTH	29 YEARS
JENNIFER M DENNIS	10/14/2009	TRAINING ADMIN	SOUTH	8 YEARS
CHRISTOPHER R MONTRY	10/28/2009	TECH	NORTH	8 YEARS
DARREL L MONTGOMERY	10/26/2010	GMC SALES	NORTH	7 YEARS
ERIC KOFLER	10/22/2010	SALES MANAGER	SOUTH	7 YEARS
PETER E WICHER	10/2/2010	CHEVY SALES	SOUTH	7 YEARS
JAMICHAEL A THOMAS	10/10/2011	FINANCE CLOSER	NORTH	6 YEARS
WANDA RIVERA	10/27/2011	GMC SALES	NORTH	6 YEARS
MARGARET A WHEELER	10/1/2012	LOT PORTER	NORTH	5 YEARS
ASHLEY N SPRING	10/1/2012	CASHIER	SOUTH	5 YEARS
RICHARD PATTON	10/14/2013	OFFICE RUNNER	SOUTH	4 YEARS
DAVID HAMPTON JR	10/28/2013	VAN DRIVER	NORTH	4 YEARS
SELINA L GREEN	10/6/2014	TITLE CLERK	SOUTH	3 YEARS
JOHN P DARQUEA	10/14/2014	DETAIL WASH	SOUTH	3 YEARS
TESS MORALES	10/30/2015	SALES ASSISTANT	NORTH	2 YEARS
JORDAN ENSSLIN	10/17/2016	TECH APPRENTICE	SOUTH	1 YEAR
GUY J GOULET	10/10/2016	GREETER	SOUTH	1 YEAR
DAWN C TAYLOR	10/3/2016	VEH EXCH COORD	SOUTH	1 YEAR
JAMES J LIFE	10/10/2016	FINANCE CLOSER	SOUTH	1 YEAR
ANGELA M MCCLOUD	10/14/2016	DETAIL TECH	NORTH	1 YEAR
ASHLEY N CRAIG	10/10/2016	SERVICE ADVISOR	SOUTH	1 YEAR
MICHAEL B SAWYER	10/17/2016	DETAIL WASH	SOUTH	1 YEAR
JOSEPH M GUZMAN	10/24/2016	DETAIL WASH	NORTH	1 YEAR
RICHARD E GALINAT	10/27/2016	BS PAINTER	SOUTH	1 YEAR
BOB W VAN KAMPEN	10/27/2016	SERVICE TECH	NORTH	1 YEAR

The winners of the Biggest Looser contest are:

Amy             8.42%   4th Place  cash prize $121.60

Shelby         11.32%   3rd Place  cash prize $182.40

Adam          14.95%   2nd Place  cash prize $304.00

Stephen      18.95%   Winner!!! Congratulations Stephen!!!  cash prize $100 and Beach Weekend 

 

 

“So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

A mirror reflects. If pointed at the sun, a mirror’s reflection is too brilliant to look at directly. If pointed at darkness, however, the same mirror reflects only darkness. The power is in where the mirror is positioned. Sometimes the results are brilliant and powerful and other times not. In the same way, God’s Word calls us ‘image bearers of God.’ When pointed at Him, we can reflect some of God’s glory and brilliance. The question is, what are you reflecting?

God’s Word says that mankind was created in God’s image. This means that every man, woman and child; every race, nationality and ethnicity – everyone has the potential to reflect the character and nature of God. But we’ve all messed up. With each harsh word or act of violence towards one another, we dishonor the image of God in that person.

Take your morning coffee for example. When you’re in a hurry and frustrated at a long line or slow service, you’re saying: I am more valuable than you. When you cut someone off in traffic, you’re saying: My time is more valuable than your time.

What if we viewed each person who crossed our path as an image bearer of God?  Would that change how we interact? What if looking in the mirror we saw ourselvesas created in God’s image? How would that change our own perception?

To be made in the image of God means that we belong to God. So who do you see when you look at one another; when you look at yourself? It’s time for some self-reflection – because we’re all mirroring something or someone. Who are you reflecting?