Showing posts with label faithfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faithfulness. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Milestones - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Milestones

Now Think On This
Steve Martin

“Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar.” (Genesis 31:45, NASU) 


We all have milestones in our lives. Those special days that come and we note them in special ways. We commemorate what has happened, who has done a tremendous thing, or an accomplishment has come about that we want to remember. These have touched our hearts with joy, and we want to remember the good that we have experienced. And sometimes they were a time of sadness, that our minds will recall years later, lest we ever forget.

On many occasions the good Lord of Israel spoke to His children, instructing them to set up stones, build an altar in fact, on a specific spot. This location would be marked, for themselves, their children, and the grands that followed behind. They would have a place to come back to, in order to remember that which had been done, most often miraculously, on their behalf.

This would be a place where a life moment, a unique notch on the timeline of their lives, etched in stone, and left behind to always note the crossing they had just come through. He wanted them to leave a memorial, a marker on that exact location, so they could look back upon it years later, and again rejoice in His faithfulness in getting them to that point.

(Photo: My hand in the creek bed where David most likely collected stones and killed his enemy, Goliath. Israel May 2008).

After seeking, searching, going after the reward set before us, and then having reached that point, we too must place a stone for memory’s sake. We must note that an achievement has taken place. We will want to recall later exactly what the Lord did in our life then - enabling us to get through it all, to finish that portion of the race, and then enabled to receive the hard-earned reward awaiting each of us who have pressed on to the finish line.

Through it all, by never giving up, never quitting, defeating those days of discouragement that come to all, all the time determined to do what it takes to get through that hour, that month, those years. And when it is accomplished, we set down the milestone right there. Later on, we will be able to look back and say, “Yes, the Lord brought me through that. He was there, all the times, holding my hand, carrying me often, encouraging me along the path. I got to finish line in the race He had set before me.”

Today, look back and think of the milestones you have laid down, knowingly or knowingly, and give thanks to the Lord Jesus for what He has done in your life.

Remember those times when you thought you just couldn’t get through another day, and yet you did. He brought you through.

Remember what you said, when you stood before that mountain, and spoke out loud, “I just can’t cross this one!” And then you found yourself on the other side, carried on the wings of the angels He sent specifically to you, to get you there on the other side.

Recall the people He sent your way, who gave an encouraging word at just the time you really needed one; who wrote a heart-touching note or simply sent a text, that helped you do it one more time, when before you had told yourself you couldn’t do it one more time. But now you did. You made it, and now you can leave that stone of remembrance.

“I am trusting You My God. I am trusting You my God,” sings Jason Upton in my earphones right now. Yes, the ultimate act of worship – trusting the One Who enables, Who gets us through, Who instructs us to leave a milestone, helping to recall what He has done. He knows there will be times when we will need to look back at that time, that place, and say once again, “Yes, He is my Savoir. He brought me through it again.”

“For Adonai is good, his grace continues forever, and his faithfulness lasts through all generations.” (Psalm 100:5, Complete Jewish Bible)

Trust in the Lord. Call on His name. Trust and believe in Him today, tomorrow, until the very end. And then lay down that milestone and say with all your heart, “We did it, Lord. You brought me through. You helped me finish this race.”

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. I mark this day as the one when I retire from my accounting job, the last leg of this race, completing 52 years of serving in organizations, companies, and Christian ministries. I have finished this race, and am now ready to start the new one set before me! Yeah God!!! 

The following letter is from my good friend at work, Meir Jones. Thank you, Meir, for your very encouraging word! Ahava my friend!

                    Cheshvan 11, 5778
Steve –                                       
May this new journey you’re taking, lead you to amazing heights of Shalom!

From the first day, I walked into this new role of work and met you, I knew we would be great friends; one might say kindred spirits.

It’s not often, one meets a kind soul that encourages and befriends within the business world. You, my friend, did both!

May the laughter we shared, continue to fill the days and hours, while you do His work.

Keep smiling and know all is well.
                                       Shalom, Meir


Meir Jones, Steve Martin - Charlotte Center City Partners Oct. 26, 2017


Gift from my Greek lady boss, Eleni Saunders - Charlotte Center City Partner
Oct. 31, 2017  Charlotte, North Carolina USA


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If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families in Israel whom we consistently help monthly through our humanitarian work. Your tax-deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.
  
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(or use the DONATE buttons on the blog.)

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
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P.O. Box 414   
Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.) 

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Now Think On This - in the Year of our Lord 10.31.17 - #326 – “Milestones”

Tuesday, 5:00 am  My retirement day!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

2 more to go!

2 more to go!

Oct. 29, 2017
3 pm Sunday afternoon
Charlotte, North Carolina
USA

Greetings to all ye who have been following this countdown to my retirement, with these daily entries. The upcoming last two days are finally here!

On Tuesday, October 31, I am leaving the final "marketplace" employment for me, as it is known in some circles, while others may refer to it simply as secular employment. Overall it has been an interesting grand total of 52 years in workplaces.

As I walk along this memory lane, let me put those places in chronological order - for my sake and that of my family, especially! I hope you will join me for a few moments now, as I have recorded the people, places, and positions that have come and gone.

My first job? Delivering the daily newspaper Waterloo Courier, back in my hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa. That mid-size town is located north of Cedar Rapids, west of Dubuque, south of the Minnesota state line, and northeast of the state capital Des Moines. I was in 6th grade, probably about 11 years old back then. The state of Iowa had a lot of pig lots, six-foot-high seed corn fields, and committed Iowans, either to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes or the Iowa State Cyclones. (Notice who I placed first!) As for me, I worked hard to increase my route delivery count from 15 to 63, and won a Sony cassette player one year for my grand efforts.

In 8th grade, after turning the legal age of 13, I got hired and joined the other high school boys at Rollinger's, a chicken and burger joint. Famous for the orange shake, as owner Russ Rollinger said it was, I liked working there. Russ and his father Lou claimed they had the original creative concept for the Big Mac burger sandwich, which he had called the "High Boy." On this job I got a whopping $1.10 an hour by the time I left two years later. I made sure I had a big wallet to carry all that cold hard cash around! (Photo: Russ Rollinger. Died Sept. 2013)

By the late summer/early fall of my senior year in 1972 at Columbus High School, I left football in the middle of the season to get hired on at Eagles, part of the Lucky Grocery chain organization. But the 3rd shift proved too much, and after a few years it was time for a day job. I settled in at Sartori Hospital in Cedar Falls - scrubbing floors, collecting garbage, and being befriended by the UNI (University of Northern Iowa) star football running back. It was his day job also. And I only got reprimanded two times for putting Chic Tracs (cartoon booklets with the Gospel message) on the hospital staff's lunchroom table.

A move to LaSalle-Peru, Illinois in 1974, after the high school graduation and a somewhat complete year at UNI, put me in the English Muffin Restaurant working alongside my older brother-in-law David Johnson and sister Mary Smith. Then it was the management at Kerr-McGee Treated Lumber Yard in Mendota, working together with church friends Kevin Grafton and Kelly Haas, also of LaSalle.

In 1980 several church/community families of Victory Church, which we all were members of, moved to East Lansing, Michigan. Noelle Clark, co-owner of the Canon office machine dealer companyHasselbring-Clark, along with her husband Ellis, hired this "cult member", as previously some thought it was, due to my involvement with Shiloh Fellowship, for their Office Manager position.

In the seven years to the "exact day" I worked there (Aug. 23, 1980-Aug. 22, 1987), I believe I had either hired directly, or was responsible for getting hired, at least eight more "cult members" - because my recommendations of these Christian workers proved to be accurate. (Photo: Hasselbring-Clark Company 1985)

It was then into the ministry of the Christian non-profits I went. This was my life-long dream, and heart of my life, as I approached the age of 33. Almost like Jesus did, except a few years later.

Beginning in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this part of the journey began with three years as the Financial Supervisor at Derek Prince Ministries, followed by four years at Mahesh Chavda Ministries, both in the south Florida city. I served with MCM as the Administrator. In July of 1994 the ministry relocated here to Charlotte, North Carolina, where we also established All Nations Church. I held that position for both the ministry and the church as Administrator until the end of 2000, when I went back to Derek Prince Ministries. They had also relocated to Charlotte between 1993-1994, and so from 2001-2005, for another five years, I once again served as the Director of Administration and Finance.

Sounds like a resume, right? The Lord had been faithful in all those years, keeping us close to His heart and my family through it all. I bless my good wife Laurie and children Josh, Ben, Hannah and Christen for walking this adventure together.

When the International Director of Derek Prince Ministries, David Selby, was approached by Barry Segal, co-founder of Vision For Israel and the Joseph Storehouse, in late 2004 to head up VFI's USA office as the Director, the six-month transition from one to the other took place. (Photo top: Vision For Israel staff, 2010. Bottom: Derek Prince Ministries 2004)

By July 1, 2005, I was then full time with Barry and Batya Segal, the ministry co-founders, and was responsible for moving the USA office from Savannah, Georgia here to Charlotte. This 700 church city on the NC/SC border was certainly continuing to be a landing hub for ministries!

In the spring of 2010 the Lord Yeshua (Jesus) gave me the desire of my heart once again - to begin our own ministry. Having served within the vineyards of several others for the previous 24 years, He had planned and purposed for me to start Love For His People. And thus I left VFI on June 30, 2010 to give my full attention to this work - supporting Israel and the Jews, while also sending humanitarian aid, along with biblical teaching using social media, to the nations. Others have now come alongside us over these seven years, joining in this work.

But as with most, those newborn and early years, and then walking on two feet, took awhile. The home mortgage, car payments, and daily life had to be provided. The $70,000 a year salary I had been earning dropped to $11,000 for that first year.

The income from the new ministry didn't quite do it, so it was back to work for me in the office realm with other companies and ministries. Seasonal and part-time jobs with Samaritan's Purse (Franklin Graham), Covenant Keepers (Rex and Carolyn Johnson), and the Charlotte Rescue Mission (Chris Moore) followed.

Finally, I was hired on at Charlotte Center City Partner in May of 2013, as the Accountant. First as a contractor for eight months, and then as a full-time staff member for these final four and a half years. The office is located right there in thriving uptown Charlotte.

And so here I am! Retirement occurs just in time for my 63rd birthday on Thanksgiving Day! And I am so thankful Lord!

I hope I didn't bore you with all this long employment history. But if you made it this far in reading, then you did good, and I appreciate your sticking it through with me.

We each have a history to share and should have a testimony with it, in order to declare the Lord Jesus' great work in our life. Your life hopefully shows His faithfulness too and acts as an encouragement to those who watch and maybe even follow after, that which we have lived. I hope you have those who have or will do that, in your walk with the Lord.

So now I will be able to give my full attention to the work of Love For His People, Inc. With at least 10 or more good years to walk out, Lord willing, I already highly suspect the Lord has an expansion coming, extending these tent pegs of the ministry, in His playbook. For that, I am most excited!

Be encouraged as you continue on in your walk with our Lord. Do well in blessing others as you also seek the Lord, knowing, and daily reassured, that the plans He has for you are well and good.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People
Charlotte, North Carolina
USA

If you missed day 3, click here: 3 more days until the end
If you missed day 4, click here: 4 days to go...
There is also Day 5. Click here: 5 more to go... 
and Day 6. Click here:  6 more days...


From the Editor (Steve Martin, Love For His People Founder):

If these messages have ministered to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families and co-workers such as Hadassah's in Israel, Moses Julius in Pakistan and Pastor Abel in Nigeria, whom we each consistently help monthly through our work. Your tax-deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Secure, conveniently contributions can be done online now through our website using the DONATE buttons on either side column of our blog.

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
Love For His People, Inc. 
P.O. Box 414   
Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
 

Please share this with your friends on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and LinkedIn.  We appreciate your help.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

A Nugget for Living Life by Steve Martin - "Joy"


A Nugget for Living Life
Steve Martin


"The world seeks happiness.
The Lord gives joy.
Which do you want for eternity?”


“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”
Galatians 5:22-23


Love For His People, Inc.
P.O. Box 414
Pineville, NC 28134


loveforhispeople@gmail.com

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

"Worried about September? Prophetic Encouragement for Fall 2015" - Cindy Jacobs


"Worried about September? Prophetic Encouragement for Fall 2015"
Cindy Jacobs, Red Oak, TX
The Elijah List

With several months of the year of the whirlwind still ahead, how do we need to position ourselves and respond? First of all, we are to obey the admonition from Scripture to not give into fear. The enemy wants to stir up panic and distress, but we have to stand firm, trusting God's faithfulness.

I want to share with you what I am hearing prophetically at this moment. On a global level, God is changing the landscape of financial power. Some nations are going to find that their "cash cows" – the commodities that have propped up their ideologies – are diminishing or being taken away. This will even begin to affect the terrorist organization, ISIS.

Is there going to be a total collapse such as we saw in 2008? If there is, I do not have a word about that. In past economic shakings, I have known in advance that a severe crisis would take place. For instance, in January of 2008, the Lord spoke the word to me, "There will be no more business as usual." 

It could be that this time around the Lord has simply chosen to speak to other prophets and not me, and that is His prerogative.

That being said, because many voices – both prophetic and secular economic analysts – have indicated the possibility of extreme economic turbulence this fall, we are committed to praying through this season. In April of this year, we took prayer teams to Wall Street to intercede for God to give us a course correction rather than a complete economic meltdown. There have already been some positive answers to those prayers, so we will continue to intercede.

God is Setting the Stage for Revival and Harvest

As we move into the September/October months of the Jewish New Year and the appearance of the fourth blood moon, what do I know that I have heard?

Historic changes will take place in the coming days that will be a prophetic catalyst for a great awakening. God is setting the stage for revival and harvest. (Photo via Wikipedia)

I also have a strong admonition that we are in a time of hearts being tested – whether we will rely on our own strength and capabilities, rather than God's.

Should we store up food? One should always be crisis-prepared, but hoarding out of fear is never from the Lord. Isn't He still the God who sees when the sparrow falls to the ground and takes care of the lilies of the field?

In truth, no matter what comes, we are called to be overcomers. There have been many dire prophecies, but they all are conditional upon a lack of repentant hearts. At the moment, there are a number of prayer projects and fasts being called by various ministries, and our Reformation Prayer Network stands with them as well.

God will be the same great God in the coming days as He is right now at this very moment. He is not about to forsake His children, no matter what transpires. He is vitally interested in our personhood, families, and futures.

God is setting the stage to make some serious history, and I, for one, am not afraid of the future because He is my future – eternally!

Cindy Jacobs
Generals International


Email: generals@generals.org
Website: generals.org

Cindy Jacobs is a respected prophet who travels the world, ministering not only to crowds of people but to heads of nations. Her first calling is and always will be prophetic intercession. Each year she travels, and she has spoken on nearly every inhabited continent to tens of thousands. Yet, in her heart is the memory that Jesus left the ninety-and-nine to go to the one. Generals International is an international Church movement, reforming the nations of the world back to a Biblical worldview. They are achieving societal transformation through intercession and the prophetic.

Cindy has authored seven books, loves to travel and speak, but one of her favorite past-times is spending time with her husband Mike and their children Daniel and Mary Madison, along with her five adorable grandchildren.

To subscribe to The Elijah List go to: http://elijahlist.com/subscribe

Monday, April 27, 2015

Do You Ignore or Acknowledge God’s Protection?



Do you run to God for shelter, if even you don't agree with His wisdom?
Do you run to God for shelter, if even you don't agree with His wisdom? (Flickr)

Spirit Led Woman's Power Up Logo
I was going to a birthday party. Like any great Pappy, I stopped on the way to the party to get my grandson, Elijah, a present for his first birthday.
He was at the age where he mimicked sounds. If you asked him, "What does a doggie say?" His reply was "Arf." How did he get to be so cute?
As I walked into the little toy area of a drug store, I spotted the perfect toy. A drug store doesn't have a really big toy section I found out. But here it was: a cute, fuzzy, battery-operated puppy. A long cord was attached to the toy, with a small box on the other end. It had two buttons on it, to make the doggie bark and walk. Now this was a cool toy! It was well worth the $5.99 price tag. 
A little while later, when Elijah opened it, he was so excited. Because he is a little genius, he learned how to push the correct buttons very quickly. He pushed one to make the puppy bark and one to make it walk. It was by far his favorite gift and he dragged it with him everywhere.
However, as I watched him play with the toy, I became concerned about the cord that attached the doggie to the little control box. Several times Elijah got tangled up in the cord. My immediate fear was that he could be harmed if the cord wrapped around his neck. I dug the box out of the trash and read the outside. It said, "Recommended for 3+ years of age." Now I had a dilemma. 
How could I take the toy away from the birthday boy? Simple. I waited until he took a nap, and I confiscated the dangerous toy. Protecting my grandson took precedence over his happiness with the toy. And the amazing thing is, he doesn't even know I protected him. He may never know. He, in fact, never missed the toy. But regardless of how he would react, his protection from harm and trouble was paramount in my mind.
In Psalm 32, David declares to the Lord: "You are my hiding place; You will preserve me from trouble; You will surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah" (v.7). Then in Psalm 61:7 he writes, "May he sit enthroned before God forever; oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him."
Dozens of times in the Psalms alone, David acknowledges God's protection. Make no mistake about it. The Lord God is our protector. He goes before us to make the crooked places straight. He is our rock, our fortress and our deliverer. His shield surrounds us. "The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble." (Ps. 9:9, emphasis added). 
Please do not miss this: It is His love and faithfulness that protect us. Our happiness is not as important as our protection. His hand of protection is over us, even when we don't realize it.
For instance, we may have had a flat tire, and that may have protected us from danger ahead. Or perhaps we missed an appointment, but that protected us from a bad situation. Even a broken relationship that we simply did not understand may have been a means of protecting us from what was to come. If we walk in the Light of His Word, our way is protected. We are covered in perfect love and covenant faithfulness.
This week as you walk the path of your Christ journey, acknowledge His protection. Thank Him for it, even if it is not readily visible. Trust that your times are in His hands. Continue steadfastly, praying and believing. If you sense trouble coming, run into His shadow. Find refuge in Him as your stronghold.
The storms will blow. That is inevitable. Trials and temptations abound. Satan came to kill, steal and destroy. Remember this: Your protection is more important to your Heavenly Father than your happiness. Be strong and of good courage. The Lord your God is with you—everywhere you go. And you are protected; I promise.
Prayer Power for the Week of April 27
This week thank God every day that He is your hiding place and a refuge in times of trouble. Thank Him for His continual protection over you and your loved ones, and that He is with you everywhere you go. Remember the persecuted church around the world, and continue to pray for Israel's protection. Thank Him for His mercy on our nation and cry out for repentance and revival to spread across the land. Pray for unity among believers and for a release of concerted prayer for our national, state and local leaders, for a harvest of souls, and a return to honoring God as a nation and as individuals (Ps. 32:7; Ps. 9:9; 2 Chr. 7:14).
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Thursday, April 16, 2015

Still Waiting - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Still Waiting
- Now Think On This
by Steve Martin


“And so, having patiently waited, he (Abraham) obtained the promise.” Heb. 6:15 NASU


So how many years did Abraham wait for the promise? His promised son? 5, 10, 15 years or more? It was 25 years after the Lord had promised to Abraham that a son, whom he named Isaac, was born to Abraham and his wife Sarah.

“Now the Lord said to Abram,

"Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father's house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
 And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Gen. 12:1-5 NASU

So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.”  Gen. 12:1-5 NASU

Later in Gen. 21:5 it tells us that “Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

Are you still waiting for a promise to be fulfilled that the Lord had given to you? I know I am.

Sometimes I get tired of waiting. If I had my way, surely those things I heard many years ago would have come to pass by now. I wouldn’t have taken any detours; I would have stayed on the narrow path; I would have known exactly what I was to do when I was to do it. But I didn’t have my way (or maybe I did and that is why I am still waiting!)

Or maybe the Lord knew all my steps I was to take, and in spite of all that, He still is working out His plan, on my behalf, and that I will receive those promises. So that is what I will continue to believe.

Waiting on the Lord is a sign of faith. If you don’t have faith, you don’t wait. You jump right in to what seems right, without seeking the Lord for His direction, and you then reap what you have sown. But to wait, day in and day out, year after year, requires a faith that His faithfulness will be proven in the end. No matter what the circumstances look like now, you have a confidence that the Lord’s word is true, and thus so it will be.

Whether the wait is for something to happen in a relationship, a financial situation to come about, or there is a desire to get married and raise a family…we each have dreams, hopes and promises that we wait to come. It is in those times of days, months and years of waiting that our maturity and confidence should be growing. After all, an oak tree doesn’t grow up overnight. Neither does a city get built in a day.

As I head out to the car each morning for the daily trek up the interstate to the accounting job, by faith I thank the Lord that the time for this current assignment will come to an end, and the desires in my heart, which I believe He put there years ago in my youth, are yet to come about. Doing the best job I can, while on this job, says to the Lord, “I will be faithful here as You yourself will prove of Your faithfulness when that time comes.”

Waiting can be tough. Often we are tempted to give up, to quit, to say I can’t keep up with this much longer. But as we take time to spend with the Lord each day, to receive His encouragement, our hearts and spirits will be strengthened. Grace will be available to wait the wait, and in the meantime to be faithful where we are.

I am still waiting. I will continue to wait. For He is the One I ultimately wait on, and time and time again He has proven Himself faithful.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People. Inc.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.


If these messages minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

Click here for safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love For His People. If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank account (where available). 

Contribution checks can be sent to: 
Love For His People, Inc.  P.O. Box414   Pineville, NC 28134

Todah rabah! (Hebrew – Thank you very much.)
Please share Now Think On This with your friends.

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com  
martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin and  Love For His People  
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Full website: Love For His People

Now Think On This #170 “Still Waiting” by Steve Martin 
Date: In the year of our Lord 2015 (04.16.15) Thursday at 1:00 pm in Charlotte, NC

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This