2012 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Alice asked me to write a Christmas message for the blog, so "Merry Christmas"! Oh my, I forgot that this may be read in a school or a public building and that is now against the law to say something that brings Christ into the conversation. As you may have guessed, I am just trying to get your attention. I am starting to realize that I am getting old, because I can remember back, and not that long ago, when you would find Christmas celebrations in schools and city halls across this nation, and the White House had a Christmas tree, not a "Holiday tree". It seems that our government has set a direction for this country that will take God out of any thought and has sided with minorities, be they atheists, gays, or you name it, to turn some people and some churches away from the truth that God did send Christ into the world to provide the way of salvation. When I was young, our country was not the great debtor nation of the world, but we were the great lender nation because we were the greatest nation in the world. We did not hate people who had more than we had, but used their example as a guide to lift ourselves up. Today the government has promoted this class war as a fact that we should hate the rich. The truth is we so need the rich because they are the ones who create jobs for those who want to work! I can't think of one poor person who has created one job until he or she took a big chance and was able to get a loan to start a small business. With hard work it would grow and perhaps become a bigger business. The Bible says the "The fool says in his heart 'There is no God'". The way the laws of our country are going they have changed that quote to say "The fool says in his heart that there is a God'". When I was pastoring I had a saying on the wall which said, "All it takes for evil to win the world is for enough good men to do nothing". I do not want to be one of those, even though I know that not many will read this and fewer will believe what I am saying. I want you to know that I love this country, but am saddened by the direction it is going. Since my retirement I have had the joy of being in Mexico and Central America. What stands out to a Christian there is the fact that you still see the nativity scene in schools and city halls at this time of year. It was so good to see, but at the same time it hurts tp see what we have allowed by not standing up for what we believe here at home. I am afraid for our country because it may be true when our president proclaimed "The USA is no longer a Christian nation". If we, as a nation, have turned our backs on God, then He will turn away from us. The Bible tells us that Christ, being in the form of God, humbled himself and took on the form of man. That is what we celebrate and rejoice about during this holiday season. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. We are also told in the Bible that if we turn from the way that will destroy us and turn back to God, He will have mercy on us and restore us to that place with Him. When you look at Christmas you see people showing LOVE to those they know and love~ family and friends, by giving gifts and cards, and that is the spirit of Christmas. God has shown His love to us and Christians rejoice in that blessing all year long, but especially at this time. Let us, as God's people, keep Christ in Christmas and take time to thank God for his greatest gift of all and show our love in worshipping Him in everything we do. I am sorry I could not say this in a shorter message, but I felt that God wanted these things to be said. In closing, I want to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS. Let us meditate on the rich meaning of that statement. Have a wonderful New Year and let us hope that love will overshadow the hate that is being promoted so strongly today. Your friend, captain and jack of all trades on Grey Wolf. Bill Johnson

Bill Remodels our Stern~

Over the years Grey Wolf has had a grey canvas biminy cover over the back deck.  It was time to replace it again and Bill decided he would rather enclose the back!  You can see the beginning stages of this transformation, with a wooden framing in progress.  Later, the top was covered with plywood and then fiberglassed.

After painting all the wood, Bill began working on the plexiglass windows.  He made sure that the side panels were hinged so they could be raised for various reasons.  He also installed a hinged panel above the existing door to the swim step so the entire back deck could be secured.

Now that it is all finished, what an amazing addition it is! Bill moved some of the storage to the rear and extended the stainless railing so that it is a seamless addition to the roof.  He even installed heavy clear plastic doors over the side walkways and now we can sit on the back deck without a breeze or drop of rain! My magic man did it again!