Insurance 101

I recently took a three week course in Property and Casualty Insurance.  It was a rough 3 weeks crammed with more information then a person could be expected to retain in such a short amount of time.  However, after the three weeks, I stayed home and studied as much as I could and scheduled my State Exam.  I passed and received my license a week later, but that was not as important as the life lesson I learned while taking this course.

One chapter of the 17 chapters in the Florida course book was on Surety.  I really had no idea what that was about or what it had to do with insurance.  The word rang familiar, but not in terms of providing society with some necessary business arrangement.  Suretyship dates back over 4,500 years, whereas insurance in the form resembling today's practice is only 300 years old.

I learned there were three parties involved in a contract of suretyship, as opposed to the two parties involved in an ordinary insurance contract.
 One party is called the "Principal" -  the one who undertakes to perform to fulfill a contract or to meet an obligation.
Another party is the "Obligee- the one who is to be guaranteed that the principal will perform.
The third party is "Surety"- the one who guarantees the performance of the principal to the obligee.

I thought of Jesus and the supreme sacrifice He made for us.  Jesus was and is our "Principal".  God the Father, our "Obligee" the one who was to be guaranteed that Jesus would perform. 
I thought of the Holy Spirit as "Surety" who guarantees the performance of the principal to the obligee.

Now , this is my interpretation.  Some may have other ways of seeing the relationships, but all roads lead back to our Creator either way!

My course book stated that depending upon the nature of the guarantee, the surety will wish to satisfy itself on :
1. The character of the principal to warrant the surety's trust - Jesus who was without sin, yet was exposed and tempted in the world as much as we are.
2. The principals financial resources, or capital ( His life)
3.The experience or capabilities of the principal to perform - Obedient Son of God.

Another "underwriting" tool is called "joint control" which is a process wherein the surety and principal exercise joint control over assets.  Here again, I saw the relationship between the Holy Spirit speaking from God the Father to God the Son, who worked in unison to complete the task of redemption for mankind (assets)

In essence I felt I understood the process of Surety by relating it to my faith.  I felt that Jesus took out what is known as a "Performance Bond" to guarantee indemnification to God for any losses resulting from Jesus's failure to complete the contract work in accord to specifications. 
God put up His Son, as ransom for us all.  The Holy Spirit guaranteed the work that Jesus could and would perform on our behalf to the Father.
Jesus did complete the work.  He announced with his last words, "It is done!"  Jesus completed the work of salvation for every soul that was or ever will be here on earth.  His work was guaranteed by the Holy Spirit to God our Father.  Without this dynamic connection kept alive and in constant communication between them, it may have not been possible.
A very real spiritual lesson was learned in a course that was about making a living and an income. 

THE CONTREVERSY

Check out @tscibelli56’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/tscibelli56/status/1037880616115687424?s=09

The Controversy - to Kneel or Not to Kneel

America! America!

God Shed His Grace On Thee

And Crown Thy Good

With
BROTHERHOOD

From Sea to Shining Sea.

Who's in the brotherhood is what I want to know.   It appears people are still losing their minds over  NFL player Colin Kaepernick, and others for taking a Knee to the National Anthem.  Somehow this amounts to hating our Flag, our country, and nothing short of treasonous for the big shot, overpaid Professional Sports Player(s).
We won't go into the big shot professions and life time benefits of being in Congress though.  We don't care how many blacks and Mexicans are cutting their lawns, cleaning their houses, or taking care of good OLD Mom and Dad (cause we don't want to be bothered with them, they're also in the way) for a below the cost of living wage.

I take issue with a young mother and wife, who lost her husband serving this country and lost her mind over the knee bending NFL players on social media.  Her opinion is that her husband died for this country and no one should be disrespecting the flag or the National Anthem by taking a knee in public while her husband gave his ALL for this country,( and I respect and honor him for that) and these overpaid Jocks do nothing worthwhile for the United States of America.  I can truly sympathize with her loss.  This knee bending has nothing to do with her husband's sacrifice, lest we forget the Military History of African Americans.

In fact, the military history of African Americans spans from the arrival of the first enslaved Africans during the colonial history of the United States to the present day.  In EVERY war fought by or within the United States, African Americans participated, including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as other minor conflicts.

Did they not serve, bleed, and die for this their country? We should not even mention the disgraceful treatment they endured during many of these battles, not by the "so called" enemy we were fighting, but by the very people they fought side by side with.

 Enough is enough!

 This- OUR country?  Define "OUR" for me please.  Is it OUR WHITE ANGLO AMERICAN country? Where , how and who, belong to this "brotherhood from sea to shining sea"??  What else do you have to do to be included, or is it a secret society ritual you missed the invitation to?

America has lost it's moral compass, or maybe it never really had one. When  we turn our heads in silence, or "let's agree to disagree" and stay somewhat sociable with each other over unsocial behavior of hatred, bigotry, and discrimination, there's something very wrong.   Quick to anger, attack, lynch someone, a neighbor, a friend, a fellow American.  Hey!  What about those Mexicans?  Rapists, murderers, and other disgusting terms, while the vast majority of wealthy Americans take advantage of their low cost labor and lawn care.  Sound familiar?

The right to Freedom of Speech in this country is at serious jeopardy.  The right to peaceful protest does not exist for blacks and other non-whites.  Bigotry and hatred are running ramped, like the Devil who prowls the earth, seeking souls to destroy, we stand and watch while our family, neighbors, coworkers and neighbors , become empty vessels longing to be filled with this passion for hatred and separation. 
No, it's NOT OKAY.  It is not okay to listen to a racist leader spew bigotry and hatred and point fingers at his fellow Americans whom HE WORKS FOR.  It is not okay for any non black to say they have no right to peacefully protest the years of mistreatment, never mind the more recent years of police violence.  It cannot be simply swept away as " that was just a few incidents! More blacks kill blacks then the other way around!"  Time to face up to the bigotry folks, or we as a nation are all going to hell in a hand basket.

"We are a country with a few million passionate white supremacists- and tens of millions of white supremacists by default- Mark Naison; political activist and History Professor at Fordham University

references: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MilitaryhistoryofAfricanAmericans

Resume's After Fifty

When everything goes wrong

This year was a rough one.  Although every New Years Eve I say "Thank God that is behind us!  Please let us have a better year!", it doesnt seem to get better; just different.

           Since Hurricane Irma hit in September of 2017, my husband and I have experienced monthly problems.  Of course they were intertwined with wonderful things, like family and grandchildren , but (and there's always a BUT), here we are in July of 2018 and it's been one thing after another or as Rosanna Danna Danna used to say, " If it's not one thing, it's another".  

When the hurricane hit, thank God it wasn't a direct one as all my family members up North were fearing.  We had just moved into a condo 2 miles off the ocean.  We did lose power and suffer damage to our property which was not covered by insurance.  I lost time from work, but we were okay!   

    In October, we received a sudden call from my nephew that my brother in law was on life support.  He begged us to come to the hospital because there were decisions to be made and he wanted his uncle there.  We rented a car as mine would not make that trip at the time.  We went to the hospital and then got a hotel room nearby.  It was very sad, and in the end it was time for his children to pull the plug.  Most of his family, including his 80 something old mother got to see him before, even though he was in an induced coma.   The funeral was delayed so we spent much longer there then we expected.  Cha-ching Cha-ching went the credit cards and cash.  The only blessing was to see so many of the family members together!

By mid November I broke my right wrist slipping on the bathroom floor.  There was a blessing there too-  I'm a lefty!   The cast stayed on for 6 long weeks and I had missed at least 2 weeks of work and used up all my sick time.  My employer had accidentally(?) 

 canceled my health insurance, even though it was being taken from my check.  I had to pay up front for medical care which went on another credit card.  I worked in Retail and also filled in at the register.  Before the month was over my Manager said she was leaving and had already notified the owners.  I was so upset.  We were a team, and now she was bailing,  moving on to greater adventures which I wished her success on, but also felt left behind.  I asked her why she didnt tell me in advance and she told me she was afraid I would apply for her job before she was ready to leave.  That stung! 

December came and went, I can't recall anything happening there too upseting.  I was still wearing my cast, and adjusting to new management.  

By January 3,  2018 my labrador of over ten years had to be euthanized.  This was devastating!   Heart broken and feeling helpless, we charged another unexpected expense and I went back to work.  

There were all kinds of problems happening there.  They had hired to twin sisters in the interim, and there seemed to be no rules anymore.  One sister told a customer not to come back if he had returns.  The other sister stomped on a customers left behind wihte jacket, and just as she was wiping her shoes on it, the customer turned the bend to retrieve it, and caught her in action.  This was surely an action that she should be fired for.  The customer made quite a scene with the new Manager, but there were no consequences.  The twins began to say, " If you are late, nothing happens.  If you leave early, nothing happens. If you dont show up, nothing happens! Whatever you do, nothing happens!"  I opened my mouth to argue the point and then realized they were right.  Apparently they gained some kind of personal immunity.  I learned to do my job the best I could and not get into personal issues.

Fast forward to June 1, 2018.  It was a Friday and I was looking forward to taking 3 days vacation time and my birthday coming up on the 7th.  I  came into work and was chased down by the manager.  He handed me a piece of paper, which I read, and looked at him in shock.  " Am I being let go?", I asked in disbelief.  He nodded his head and said there was nothing he could do.  The business had been coming to a crawl and you could count on two hands how many people walked through the door each day.  So off I went, feeling like I just got kicked in the teeth.  

I got home and filed for unemployment.  I filled out application after application with no response.  I guess if I was in my thirties it wouldn't have felt so bad.  

By July 1st we realized our air conditioner blew.  It took two weeks in Florida, to get a new AC unit and nearly three thousand dollars.  

My husband has been disabled for a long time.  My income mean't something.  Now it was gone.  Unemployment in Florida pays so little we worry every day about how we are going to keep up.  

I tell all this for one reason only;  we all are going through something.  I have always said that we should be nice to customers because you don't know what they are carrying in their hearts and lives.  Now it was my turn. 
There were other things happening but I'd rather not go into detail about them.  Things that make you say to yourself " What's the point?"  However, I realize that my only hope has ever been in God.   He has always come through for me.  He has always made me see the lesson in everything.  

If you are going through a season of pain, loss and confusion, remember this ;  God is for you, so no man can stand against you!!

It may not be in your time, but God always plans it perfectly!  I pray for all of you out there who need hope and help.  We need to pray for eachother!!  We need to ask God to bless and not curse .  With our mouths we can bring a curse or a blessing, so we must watch our words and our thoughts.  Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I ask that God pour out blessing upon blessing to each and every one of you.  We are all in this thing called life together.  

I Am Adopted and a date with predestination

The holiday season is upon us, and while it may strike chords of happiness and family togetherness, for many it is a lonely time and brings on severe depression.
What of those who have no family to enjoy?  For some, even the invitation from a neighbor or someone else's family, makes them feel like an orphan in the worst sense; rejected, unwanted, and unloved by their "natural " family if they have one, and a charity case at best.
Growing up as blessed as I was, holidays were always at home with my parents, four sisters and four brothers.  Once married, with four children of our own, it was wonderful to carry on that tradition, and to relieve our parents of the work of feeding and entertaining.
This morning I turned to my book* of daily readings *. 
It highlighted 10 key biblical promises that the reader was instructed to "Memorize, Remember, and Treasure".
Number 1 was; "I Am Adopted" with the reference to Ephesians 1:5, and this is the one I  would like to share my thoughts on for this holiday season.
I am adopted.
 It is written as a declaration and as a positive fact!
I belong. I am loved. I am included, wanted, and cared for by my family!  I am not rejected, I am chosen!! 
Ephesians 1:3-6 begins with thanksgiving and praise;
"Blessed be the God and Father (our Father) of our Lord Jesus Christ (now our brother!), who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons (and daughters) by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
Here is our family!  We were chosen, planned for, and hand-picked even before this world was created!
Predestined- certain to happen because God or another force has decided it will.
As it says in Ephesians 1:5, having predestined us to adoption, God Himself had a plan for us to be His family according to "the good pleasure of His will".  Here we are assured that we are a member of the wealthiest, wisest, most powerful and loving family that was and ever will be, and it was God's good pleasure to have us!
This is a fact, and a simultaneous invitation to accept.  This is our Father, inviting us to dine and celebrate a relationship with Him every day.
On this Thanksgiving Day, plan to "memorize, remember, and treasure" your ROYAL ADOPTION, and to give thanks in recalling all the ways that God our true Father has blessed you.  The gifts He showers upon us are not disposable, exchangeable, or returnable.
As it says in Issiah 55:11 "So will My Word be which goes out of My Mouth; it will not return to Me void (useless, without result).
And from John 1:16; "For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."
Happy Thanksgiving brothers and sisters.  We all have our earthly life with it's sorrows and it's joys.  It has taken me a very long time to type this with one hand since I broke a wrist!  But our spiritual life and family (God Himself) must take precedent over the carnal, which is not our true self.
I AM ADOPTED!
Thank You Father and Creator of ALL!  Thank you Jesus!

Theresa Scibelli
*daily readings from the book "Unshakeable" 365 day devotional by Author Christine Caine

Full moon, Red moon, Lunar Eclipse, Breathe!

This was yesterday morning, Sunday the 27 of 2015. 

 The sun was beginning its ascent before the clouds took over.  It was an overcast day, which was actually perfect for a day at the beach.  The water was really nice and it seemed like the tide was high to me, but my husband observed that it was not.  I had forgotten that it was the big day of the " full moon, harvest moon, super moon, and totaleclipse of the moon—this one has it all. ..." 

Actually I'm not even sure if it's over, lol. Anyway, I needed a day away from it all. It felt good to be somewhere that I didnt have to "do" something except breathe. Sometimes we need that reminder; to breathe. I realized a long time ago while working at another job in a galaxy far, far away, that I hold my breathe alot. I remember trying to balance the days receipts and get the safe open to deposit it all and feeling totally overwhelmed. There were a ton of things to do before you closed up the store and I was a rookie. Everything came with a threat or warning, like "Don't EVER do that or THIS will happen!" or " If you forget to do this, you can get FIRED". So, there I was sitting on the floor, trying to get the damn safe to click open. I heard one of the cashiers from behind me say, "Theresa, BREATHE".

 Wow! I hadn't realized that I was holding my breath the more frustrated I got. I never thought about the process of breathing with all the important stuff we have to do. That ah-hah moment has been a constant reminder to me that when things are not going right, I'm probably holding my breath and cutting oxygen off to my brain! So, whatever this amazing moon phenomenon will bring with it, I will breathe. Breathe in the ocean air, breathe in love and kindness. Breathe in thankfulness that I CAN breathe.
Serendipitously, I found this meme on FaceBook the same day I wrote this article.

Here's my amazing shot of the moon before I went to bed. Don't hold your breathe gazing at it's beauty!