Blog – Speaking the Truth in Love

Please join me and take this moment to salute all the Centerpoint employees; especially, my brother, Mr. ALLEN (BIG AL) CASEY, for all their outstanding work during Hurricane Harvey!!

Big AL and other courageous Centerpoint employees worked tirelessly, around the clock, during Hurricane Harvey, to restore power to Texas residents…

Please see the excerpt from Centerpoint below (dated August 29, 2017) …

“Centerpoint restored power to more than 580,000 customers and over 200,000 customers in the last 24 hours. At noon, more than 95 percent of our customers have power, but rest assured we will continue working around the clock until all our customers’ power has been restored.”

Big AL, we love you dearly and we are so grateful for all you do… congratulations for over 30 years of service with Centerpoint!!

May God bless you, your wife Josalind, and your entire family and may He continue to keep you safe!!

Price gouging is illegal, and the Office of the Attorney General has authority to prosecute any business that engages in price gouging after a disaster has been declared by the governor. The attorney general has issued stern warnings about price gouging to businesses in times of disaster, but you should still be on your guard.

§17.46(b) of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act provides that it is a false, misleading or deceptive act or practice to take advantage of a disaster declared by the Governor under Chapter 418, Government Code, by:

1 Selling or leasing fuel, food, medicine or another necessity at an exorbitant or excessive price; or

2 Demanding an exorbitant or excessive price in connection with the sale or lease of fuel, food, medicine or another necessity.

Sustained high gasoline prices have prompted price gouging complaints. A number of factors contribute to the current high cost of gasoline. The cost of crude oil is the primary one. The price at the pump also includes how much it costs to deliver the oil the refineries, the refining cost, distribution cost, taxes, and the retail station’s operating cost.

When storms like Hurricane Katrina and Rita damage the Gulf Coast’s refining capacity, prices can rise even higher.

In most cases the current price at the pump is not due to price gouging. However we are prepared to act quickly if gas prices in a Governor declared disaster area spike beyond what the normal market forces set.

If you feel that you are being unfairly charged for goods or services such as drinking water, food, batteries, generators gasoline or towing, raise the issue of price gouging with the provider. Speak to them respectfully but be frank. If you are unable to resolve the matter, file a complaint with our office.

*Taken from: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/price-gouging

Fast facts:

Studies have shown that a chronically homeless individual can cost taxpayers more than $40,000 each year, cycling in and out of: jail, hospital emergency rooms, prisons, detox programs, etc.

The same studies show that housing a chronically homeless individual costs approximately $20,000 each year for housing subsidy and supportive services.

When you donate to The Welcome Home Fund, every dollar goes directly to benefit the client (no administrative costs are charged aside from standard credit card fees).

The Welcome Home Fund provides housing needs that a homeless individual won’t have such as: furniture, household basics (think coffee pots, dishes, shower curtains, etc.), and one-time leasing and utility fees and deposits.

http://meaningfulchange.org/

Meaningful Change Video

I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me.

O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.

O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
‭‭-Psalms‬ ‭30:1-5‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)

“And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
-‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:21‬ (‭KJV‬‬)

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
‭‭-1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:13‬ ‭(KJV‬‬)

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
‭‭-Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭(KJV‬‬)

An encounter with Jesus always has the power to bring healing. When love is present, healing is present. It won’t always look miraculous, but it will always make a difference.

Jesus is not a genie in a bottle or a vending machine that exists to give you what you think you want. He is your loving Savior whose plans for your life are much better than your own. The healing that love brings might not always look like you think it should, but in the scope of eternity, it will prove to be exactly what you need for your good and God’s glory.