Showing posts with label North Carolina. Show all posts

Monday, October 30, 2017

Thanks for the Memories...Charlotte Center City Partners staff

Steve Martin, CCCP Accountant 2013-2017

Thanks for the Memories
- Charlotte Center City Partners staff

On this, my next to last day, the time has now come;

I say goodbye to thee and thou, and then a good some.

Memories are good. They often stay with us quite long.

I say adieu to you and finish with my poetic song.

"In this journey of life, while walking on our way,

We often meet ones who share many days.

On the road from home, near, or distance quite far

They touch our lives - like sweet honey in a jar.

Thanks to all, for the memories we often shared;

A joy I will cherish, with those who cared.

With BBQ, and Vision, First Night and Parade;

May the good Lord be known, with this farewell bade."

Steve Martin

Oct. 30, 2017

Monday, 3:00 am

And now a few photos, chosen from among my 40,000 posted on Facebook over these years.
Yeah God!

Eleni Saunders -my Greek boss lady.
VP of Finance (and HR!)
I hope the flowers keep a long time.

My good friend Meir (Douglas) Jones.

Glad you were on staff for my last few months,

and sharing your Jewish heritage!

Thanks for the retirement clock Eleni!
(Which I will get tomorrow. I enjoyed picking it out.)

Cherie Grant. One of the best - at the front desk.

Chris Hemans - my Chicago son. You can always call me "Dad".

Eleni, Moira Quinn and Jessica Jones.
One of the few lunches we shared.

Eleni, Jovanna Mozeak and I. Jo's last day (I think. Or thereabouts.)

If only Eleni was in the photo!
She is the REAL Panther Queen!

At one time I really did have an office with a door. But that was then...
And so I wore headphones most of the time thereafter.

Sam Bethea - the Jesus Man on our office streets - Tryon, Trade....
Keep crying out the love of Jesus, Sam !
He loves us. Jesus really does!!!

I worked with all but one...
(L-R) ???, Ted Boyd, Cheryl Myers, Michael J. Smith, Moira Quinn Klein,
Robert Krumbine (aka Grandpa K), Allison Billings, Darlene Heater

Board members at December meeting 2015
Thanks ladies for the photo op! Now I am famous too!

My accountant's desk at Charlotte Center City Partners (CCCP)

Charlotte, NC September 2015 - October 2017
(Notice the headphones. It was a good corner though. Thanks, Moira.)

My original retirement letter to management - May 30, 2017

May 30, 2017

Tuesday, 8:24 am

Charlotte, NC

Greetings fellow crew members,

I have good news to share!

Effective Dec. 31, 2017, my "Retirement of Employment" here at Charlotte Center City Partners will occur. As my becoming “even more senior” happens on November 23, with 63 candles inflaming the double chocolate, extra frosting cake I will have, there are a few other things yet assigned for me to do before I am heaven bound.

What a blessing those days to come will be! Think of this - all of Charlotte and TV land will be celebrating my birthday and retirement too, as I drive another dignitary up Tryon during the Thanksgiving Day Parade (unless Grandpa K has Steve Martin as the Grand Marshall and I ride along as his mini-Grand!)

Leaving this ever-changing 501 ©4 after four years, eight months on staff (and eight months as a contractor prior to April 29, 2013) as the accountant for all three organizations Eleni and I account for, will give Megan a new neighbor at some point, while Klint will be seeing a different hair color other than silver across the cubicle from him. (Maybe he likes blonde, brunette or red better?) I am sure Eleni and her HR department will find a good replacement to fill my numbers chair.

My heart's desire has always been to be back once again in Christian ministry most hours of my day. After serving 24 years, from 1987 - 2010, with three international ministries (Derek Prince Ministries, Mahesh Chavda Ministries /All Nations Church with Bonnie Chavda) and Vision for Israel and The Joseph Storehouse (Barry & Batya Segal) in Fort Lauderdale and Charlotte, as the USA Director or the Director of Administration and Finance, I have prayed for it to happen. It has always been my passion to reach the nations with His Good News. (I like Sam, the “Jesus Shouter” on the Charlotte Center City streets! He certainly has Good News!)

When Laurie, my good wife of 40 years (Oct. 7, 2017) and I founded our ministry, Love For His People, Inc. in April of 2010, I was believing that that would be my life’s work from that point on. But for the last seven years, the good Lord took me on a side journey, which is why I am grateful to Moira, Eleni and Jovonna for allowing me to serve with you at CCCP, CCCP-Community Trust and the 7th Street Public Market. But now the time has come to complete the plans set before me.

After my 14th journey to Israel this month of May, with previous adventures to China, England, France, Germany, India, Canada, Spain and Trinidad and Tobago...I will once again be adding frequently to my frequent flyer miles’ travel log. Good thing I have a valid new 10-year passport with plenty of visa pages to again be imprinted!

Before I finish this “book”, I want to give you each a special gift. If you like to read good books, I will leave behind a copy of each of my 14 books in Eleni’s personal library of mine, sitting atop her cabinet in her office. (I would give her more but I know space is a premium in there and I don’t want her to be crowded out.) But check in and see the choices. Or you can get them all on Amazon and Kindle. (All purchased book proceeds go to Love For His People, Inc., but you could get a free copy from me.)

It has been a joy in serving my Lord Jesus Christ while I have been with all of you, and at the same time being a blessing to the good people of Israel and the nations. Maybe on the way to the airport sometime I’ll stop back in and greet you.

Until then, you still have me here for another seven months. (Note: Later changed to five months.)

Be blessed in your calling,

Steve

My contact info:

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

USA Non-profit 501(c)3
Fed. ID #27-1633858

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com

martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin, Love For His People, Now Think On This

Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople, LoveHisPeople

Blog: http://loveforhispeople.blogspot.com
WordPress: loveforhispeople.blog

YouTube: Steve Martin (loveforhispeopleinc)

Website: www.loveforhispeople.org

Steve Martin, Author and Publisher - my first 1, from 2010 to 2016

Published May 2017

Published July 2017

Published October 2017

Founded by Steve & Laurie Martin - April 2010

501(c)3 ministry

And now I am off into the wind!

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

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

USA Non-profit 501(c)3. April 2010
Fed. ID #27-1633858

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com

martinlighthouse@gmail.com

Facebook pages: Steve Martin, Love For His People, Now Think On This

Twitter: martinlighthous, LovingHisPeople, LoveHisPeople

Blog: http://loveforhispeople.blogspot.com
WordPress: loveforhispeople.blog

YouTube: Steve Martin (loveforhispeopleinc)

Website: www.loveforhispeople.org

Friday, October 27, 2017

3 more days until the end...(No - not the end of the world!)

3 more days until the end...

(No - not the end of the world!)

Oct. 27, 2017

Greetings to those who have been keeping up with my "last days until retirement" posts. And greetings also to those who are seeing these posts for the first time!

When I gave my 7-month notice to my employer, Charlotte Center City Partners, back in the spring, my intent was to finish my years of "secular" work on December 31. As I had with all my previous tours of duty when on staff with others (Chavda Ministries International - 14 years, Derek Prince Ministries - 8 years, Vision For Israel - 5 years) I believe it was right to allow proper time for the founders/top brass, and the staff, to prepare for my departure, with good time to find a replacement. As so I held to that commitment this time too with CCCP.

Even with all that time given, not one organization actually found a person to come before I actually left my position. I didn't get it, but that is the way it was. But in each case later, the new one who took over the position called me often, and I was very happy to assist. So it will be in this current location. The last five to be considered for the Accountant position which I held are still being interviewed.

But for this almost completed job, I will actually be going back as a short-term contractor to train the replacement. Being I will be "retired", I will gladly do that for them, but primarily for my boss' sake, Eleni Saunders. With only her, the VP of Finance, and I responsible for the three non-profit organizations accounting, those being CCCP, 7th Street Public Market and CCCP-Community Trust/B-Cycle), it will not be possible to do all that we did, alone. (As a side note, we got raving reviews on the just-completed annual fiscal year audit, for those who know accounting. Photo: Eleni Saunders in her office. Oct. 26, 2017)

Each of us are given opportunities to have an affect on the nations. Most often that starts in your own home, then the neighborhood, church or synagogue, city, state and beyond. As it is stated in Acts 1:8, "...and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." (NASU).

If you yourself are proven faithful through the journey, the good Lord, the living God of Israel, will open other doors for you, in order to take His love, compassion, and truth beyond - to see as many saved with the Gospel as are willing to hear, repent and believe. As one who himself has received His saving grace since I was 10 years of age, I can attest to His faithfulness to do this. All who seek Him do find Him. Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach.

And so by the grace of God I am completing my current leg of this journey, only to start the final one to the finish line. In fact, I already know what my parting gift will be. When Eleni asked if I would like a gift certificate for a restaurant, as a gift from her personally, I said, "No. I would really like a clock, keeping my tradition of getting one from each ministry I have worked with previously." And so, she had me order what I wanted, with name plate included, fully covering the cost.

This is what I will be given on October 31, 2017 at the staff brunch. Yeah God!

The race is not over, which I intentionally alluded to on the granite clock nameplate. As I wrote earlier, it is only the next leg of the race that has been prepared for me, as declared by the Lord from the beginning of time.

For each of us, and of course you too, He has our days numbered and the good plans ready to roll out. We need to hear, obey and walk them out!

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People

Charlotte, North Carolina

USA

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 as Hadassah's in Israel, whom we 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.

Shabbat Shalom to all our Jewish friends...

Shabbat Shalom to all our Jewish friends...

May the good Lord, God of Israel,

bring you ahava and shalom

in your walk with Him.

Steve & Laurie Martin

Love For His People

Charlotte, North Carolina USA

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

5 more to go...

Oct. 25, 2017

Greetings readers of this Love for His People blog!

So why are 5 more days to go, until I "retire" from my fulltime Accountant's job, so important to me? Well, because I have never retired before! Hitting #63 on the birthday calendar in November (Thanksgiving Day no less with all of America celebrating!) is certainly a good reason also.

I remember way back around 1996 or so when my Dad, Louis James Martin, retired from working over 30 years at the Viking Pump Foundry in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It was a big deal! Thirty years with one company isn't heard of much these days, with businesses and such hiring, firing, letting people go after a few months or years. One of the main reasons is so they don't have to pay the big benefits that one could rely on later in life, and especially medical coverage.

Yes, at one time, if you served long enough with a company, showing appreciation both ways, they acknowledged your loyalty and commitment to them. Not so much anymore. No wonder kids in the workforce move on from job to job after 2-3 years. No one has much understanding of commitment anymore.

Our family threw a big celebration for Dad, with co-workers and neighbors in attendance. Yes, retiring from a daily grind was a big deal.

My CCCP desk/cubicle for accounting. I like the pictures I had!

But my main focus, once walking out the heavy glass door at Charlotte Center City Partners for the last time as one on staff, that door which one has to almost get on their knees to unlock at the bottom, which I also opened every morning at 6:30 am, will be left behind.

At noon on October 31, 2017, the Lord is releasing me to give full focus to our ministry Love For His People, Inc. No more 40 hours of weekly data entry, Accounts Payable and Receivable, payroll entry and general journals. Nor the weekly 10 hours of commute up and down Interstate 77 each 6 am or return at 4 pm. Done! Ended!

Founded by my good wife Laurie and I in April 2010, to primarily bless the people of Israel and encourage others in the nations to do so, the work of Love For His People for these past 7 years has been ongoing, but there is only so much one can do in the work week when other commitments fill the time. But the release is coming!

Along the way, especially after I left my USA Director position at Vision For Israel in Charlotte in June 2010, it was a struggle to believe the Lord to cover the home bills while growing the ministry.

But as I shared on the many social media platforms He prophetically conveyed to me years ago, He has been faithful to bring us thus far.

And now we are ready for the blastoff - another prophetic word given and time to be released.

Some of you too have waited for the time to come and to be released. Let me tell you, it will come! You will see prophetic words over your life fulfilled, and the One Who called you by name is Faithful and True to make it happen, Even as He said it would!

So hang on. Things are about to get even more exciting.

Ahava and shalom,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People

P.S. Missions the Lord takes you on are for His Gospel to reach the nations with His love. I hope you will support this ministry as we do so.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter. Use the "Sign Up" button on our website, or go here: Sign Me Up!

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.

Secure, conveniently contributions can be done online now. Click here: DONATE (or use the DONATE buttons on the 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.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

NORTH CAROLINA GETS TOUGHER ON BDS - BENJAMIN GLATT JERUSALEM POST

Sloan Rachmuth. (photo credit:FACEBOOK)

NORTH CAROLINA GETS TOUGHER ON BDS

BYBENJAMIN GLATT

AUGUST 24, 2017 JERUSALEM POST

Evangelical Christian group brings expert Sloan Rachmuth on board.

On the heels of North Carolina’s anti-BDS bill, the state will be getting even tougher against the anti-Israel and antisemitic movement, with an evangelical group’s introduction of a new state director.

Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, an organization dedicated to creating dialogue between Christians and Jews to educate them about the dangers of antisemitism and the BDS movement in the US, announced recently that Sloan Rachmuth would be in charge of its North Carolina operations.

“Unfortunately, I have plenty of experience exposing the nature of the BDS movement as well as activists and financiers within the movement,” Rachmuth told The Jerusalem Post. “I have exposed anti-Israel programming within Jewish institutions, such as Conservative synagogues and major Hillel organizations. I have also exposed far-right antisemitism, such as displaying Nazi flags on our college campuses.”

Rachmuth’s name made it to the headlines in 2015 and 2016 when she and her husband, Guy, took on the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement. While raising her family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, she faced a turning point after fighting a legal battle against a private school that hired teachers who promoted hate speech against Israel and racist ideologies to teach her children.

These experiences led her to the Proclaiming Justice to the Nations organization, and in turn she took an active role fighting antisemitism and BDS and being more vocal on Israel security issues, with the goal of fostering relationships between the State of Israel and the American people.

“[Proclaiming Justice to the Nations President Laurie Cardoza-Moore] and her team helped educate me about the existence of the BDS movement in schools,” she said. “Later, the organization stood by my side as I defended my family against attacks from members of the BDS movement when my case proceeded through the judicial process.

“After two years of my anti-BDS activism here in North Carolina, I was approached by the organization about putting together a team of like-minded activists from multiple faiths to educate my community about the antisemitic nature of BDS.”

In a letter to the followers of organization, Cardoza-Moore said Rachmuth has learned a lot from her experiences in protesting the anti-Jewish movement.

“Sloan is an expert in exposing the true nature of the BDS movement and anti-Israel bias in our schools and universities,” she said. “Journalists have utilized her investigative research to teach people how to recognize the BDS movement and ways to stop its growth.”

Rachmuth, who began her position with PJTN in June, founded and is the lead instructor of the North Carolina fitness center reCharge Pilates & Barre Durham. This won’t prevent her from dedicating as much time necessary to help make her state free from antisemitism and BDS, she said.

“In my new role, I plan to work as many hours necessary to get the job done,” she said. “Some weeks it may be 60 hours, others as little as 20 hours per week. As we get more challenges from anti-Israel activists, it will likely require more attention from me, and it is attention that I am willing to give.”

When exposing the BDS movement to the media, Rachmuth said she relies on financial records, the spoken word, recordings and other hard evidence that show the high-level coordination of many of these groups.

As chapter president, she said she will help educate business leaders, educators, legislators and university administrators about the true nature of anti-Israel and BDS activists, who are extremely active in this state.

“In North Carolina, we have some of the most well-financed and highly coordinated anti-Israel groups in the country,” she said. “Sadly they are far-left groups, as well as far-right groups, that are now highlighted in the mainstream media.”

In 2016, a Nazi flag was spotted in a dorm window at the University of North Carolina, and in Durham, activists persuaded the city council to end a contract with the G4S security company, which works in prisons and checkpoints in Israel. Also, Palestinian solidarity movements have become stronger over the years in North Carolina’s post-secondary educational institutions.

The recent anti-BDS bill in the state, however, has shown that the counter-BDS protests are making a difference.

“I did not have a hand in the BDS bill, which passed recently in North Carolina. However, with PJTN, we will pass an anti-antisemitism piece of legislation that will help protect college students in the state.”sign up to our newsletter

Friday, September 8, 2017

Irma Is Being Described As A ‘Nuclear Hurricane’ That Has Left One Island ‘Practically Uninhabitable’ - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Irma Is Being Described As A ‘Nuclear Hurricane’ That Has Left One Island ‘Practically Uninhabitable’

Posted: 07 Sep 2017 Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Irma is not just another hurricane – it is a history making storm that is going to cause up to a quarter of a trillion dollars in damage once it makes landfall in the United States. In fact, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine used the term “nuclear hurricane” to describe this storm to the media. I would never use that term personally, but I am in agreement that it would be exceedingly difficult to overstate the danger that this storm represents. According to the National Hurricane Center, Irma has been a category 5 storm for more than 50 hours, and that is already one of the longest stretches on record.

Of course if you were to extrapolate the Saffir-Simpson scale, Irma would have been considered a category 6 storm when it had sustained winds of 185 miles per hour. This is a point that I made in my article entitled “Hurricane Irma: If There Was Such A Thing As A Category 6 Hurricane, This Would Be It”.

And just a day later, MSNBC published an article with a suspiciously similar headline: “If there were a category 6 hurricane, Irma would be it”.

So will the rest of the mainstream media attack MSNBC for saying the exact same thing that I did?

Of course not.

And will the mainstream media attack Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine for calling Irma “a nuclear hurricane”?…

“We have talked to people in your city who say, ‘We ain’t going,’” CBS4’s Hank Tester told Levine.
“I hate to hear that. I’ll do anything in my power to convince them this is a very serious storm. This is a nuclear hurricane. They should leave the beach, they must leave the beach,” he said.

Of course not.

I am certainly not criticizing Levine. Once again, it is not terminology that I would have used, but if it helps get more people to safety that is a good thing.

Just look at what has happened to Barbuda. According to Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne, 95 percent of the buildings on Barbuda have been damaged or destroyed…

“As it stands, Barbuda is practically uninhabitable,” Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne told Antigua/Barbuda Broadcasting Services. He added that the destruction on the island, which is home to about 1,800 people was “heart-wrenching” and most of it is now completely underwater.
“A significant number of the houses have been totally destroyed,” his chief of staff Lionel Hurst said. At least one of the eight deaths caused by Irma was confirmed on the island of Barbuda. Originally, Browne’s optimistic Facebook post claimed that Barbuda and Antigua had both stood up to Irma’s wrath. Antigua, which is home to around 80,000 people was not hit nearly as hard as Barbuda.
“It is clear that Antigua and Barbuda has stood up to a mighty test,” he wrote in the statement posted to Facebook. But he revised his opinion after taking a helicopter ride to survey the damage to Barbuda, which is just 30 miles north of Antigua. “I never contemplated any possibility that you could have such a contrast,” he said of the relative destruction. Browne also said that 95% of the buildings on Barbuda were damaged and 30% percent of the buildings on the island completely demolished when the core of the Category 5 hurricane crossed almost directly over the island early Wednesday. “Barbuda now is literally rubble,” Browne said.

And Browne put an exclamation point on things when he told Anderson Cooper the following…

“I have never seen any such destruction on a per capita basis compared to what I saw in Barbuda this afternoon,” Browne told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

Could we see similar devastation in our country?

We shall see. Right now, millions are holding their breath as they wait to see where Irma will go. According to the Washington Post there are a couple of key factors that meteorologists are watching…

The first is a ridge of high pressure over the Atlantic, dubbed the “Bermuda High.” This system, around which winds flow clockwise, acts as a guardrail to Irma, shunting it farther south and west like a pinball, and preventing it from heading out to sea. The stronger the ridge, the greater the probability that its westward movement will continue.
The second is what’s known as an upper-level shortwave trough. This is a zone of low pressure spinning away over the southern Tennessee Valley within a dip in the jet stream, that spins counterclockwise. This will eventually capture Irma into its overall circulation, but the strength and forward speed of that feature will determine Irma’s propensity to move inland.

But of course authorities can’t wait until the last minute, and coastal communities are already being evacuated. And we are not just talking about Florida. Earlier today, we learned that an evacuation order had been issued for Savannah, Georgia…

Georgia’s governor has ordered a mandatory evacuation starting on Saturday from the state’s Atlantic coast ahead of Hurricane Irma. That includes the city of Savannah, home to nearly 150,000 people.
Gov. Nathan Deal issued the evacuation Thursday for all areas east of Interstate 95, all of Chatham County and some areas west of the interstate. He also expanded a state of emergency to 30 counties.

Down in Florida, the clock is ticking for those that would still like to get out. There is extremely heavy traffic on the major highways, and many gas stations down in Florida have already completely run out of gasoline…

Several gas stations in Florida ran out of gas Thursday as Hurricane Irma approached the state.
Supplies fell as people heeded evacuation orders for some southern parts of the state. Last week, Hurricane Harvey crippled oil refineries in Texas, creating shortages even before Irma made landfall in the Caribbean.

As I have been saying all along, you don’t want to be there when this storm makes landfall.
There are going to be some people that figure that since they were able to “ride out” other hurricanes that they will be able to do the same thing with Irma.

Those that choose to do that will be making a tragic mistake, and it may cost some of them their lives.

Michael Snyder is a Republican candidate for Congress in Idaho’s First Congressional District, and you can learn how you can get involved in the campaign on his official website. His new book entitled “Living A Life That Really Matters” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

AMAZING Images of Irma's INCREDIBLE Power: There Are No Words - CBN NEWS

AMAZING Images of Irma's INCREDIBLE Power: There Are No Words

09-06-2017

CBN News

These satellite images give a glimpse of Hurricane Irma's enormity. And the video at the bottom of this article from the Category 5 storm's landfall in the Caribbean is absolutely stunning.

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