With Your Family in Mind

The annual Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® will take place Saturday, September 21, at Bridgeport Park (23520 Bridgeport Lane in Santa Clarita). Close to 800 residents from throughout the Santa Clarita Valley will participate in this inaugural event to raise awareness and funds to fight the disease. 

I must admit that I cringe when I see a fellow Realtor boasting about a home sold in five days over asking.
That is Real Estate Jargon for “I listed your property too low”.  Sellers, do not fall for that game!  Of course you do not want your property to appear “aged” over three months, but five days!  Really? 

Grandparents (and Senior Citizens) Day has been a yearly tradition every first Sunday of September in the Philippines since 1987. This day was adopted from the Americans who started this tradition in 1973 when President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation.
The Filipinos celebrate this day in a rather simple and conservative manner.

Personally, I hate red light cameras.  I get that the reason some are strategically placed at certain corners might be because of a number of accidents/some of them possibly fatal.  In Santa Clarita, while I have no personal knowledge, I sincerely doubt that is the case.  The cameras generate substantial revenue and they are placed in way too many locations.  

Have you ever thought of becoming a foster parent or wanted to adopt a child in need of permanency?  Koinonia Family Services is now serving the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys, and is looking for families who want to provide safe, caring, and nurturing homes for children who are in need of short-term or long-term placement. 

Are you looking for a career change or want more from you current job?  Did you just celebrate your high school graduation but don’t know what the next chapter holds?  A career change can be a difficult process and can often take an extended amount of time to accomplish unless you have a plan.

If you’ve been out of the market for whatever reason: foreclosure, short sale, even bankruptcy, now may be the time to re-enter the market.
Even with all the news of higher rates, purchasing a home is still the best investment you can make toward your future.

When an individual or couple find themselves in financial trouble with debts they cannot afford to pay, bankruptcy is often considered as an option to remove the debt and give the debtor a fresh start.  When deciding whether to file bankruptcy there are several issues to consider, including which type of bankruptcy is available.

Divorced parents may find themselves in a unique situation when their children go back to school.  When parents are no longer together, important information about children is not as easily conveyed.  As a result, there may be gaps in a parent’s knowledge as to what is going on in a child’s life and how he or she is doing.

Since the striking of DOMA, the USCIS has been reopening closed same sex marriage cases and actually approving some of them under the same criteria as different sex marriages. A divided Supreme Court, in a five-to-four decision, overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, which denied federal benefits to gay married couples. The states still may sanction or prohibit the unions. 

Children’s Bureau is delighted to announce openings for individuals and couples who wish to become foster or adoptive parents.  You are warmly welcomed to participate in one of our monthly information meetings; next scheduled for Saturday, September 28 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Westfield Valencia Town Center, Community Room, 24201 W. Valencia Boulevard in Valencia.

READ WITH ME! is a program that began in the fall of 2008. The SCV Education Foundation matches volunteers with public schools who then assign them to teachers.  These wonderful literacy friends work with students one on one or in small groups to assist with improving reading skills such as word accuracy, fluency, and reading comprehension.
This program has proven to be beneficial to the students, volunteers and teachers. The benefits received were beyond any expectations that we had when we started. Not only have the students shown improvement by working with our volunteers, the volunteers receive so much in return, as one volunteer, so aptly stated, “I can promise that you will feel the glow of a job well done when you receive such delightful notes and many hugs from the children.

Higher Vision Church has been serving the Santa Clarita valley since 2004. In that time we have seen thousands of lives changed, marriages restored and children finding purpose in this very modern world.  With compelling messages, celebrated holiday performances and a truly amazing music program, Higher Vision has been allowed the honor of being accepted by this wonderful community.

The George Zimmerman trial will be talked about for many years and will certainly be one of those stories for the history books. I have been asked by a number of people what I think about the Zimmerman verdict, and after much deliberation, my answer is that I really don’t know what to think. I agree with the scholars who opine that if the jury followed the law as given to them by the Judge (which they are required to do), there was not sufficient evidence presented by the prosecution to find him guilty of manslaughter or the murder charge.

If you’re involved in a custody dispute, the Court may want to hear from a custody evaluator for the purpose of determining the children(s) best interest. So what is the “Best Interest” test, and how does it affect a parent’s right to custody of children? (See Family Code, Section 3011).
The judge looks at the relationship between the child and each parent, as well as the custody arrangement previously worked out by the parents, and whether or not it worked. Important is the ability of each parent to encourage a strong relationship with the other parent.

Most families take a completely “backwards” approach when searching for money for college.  Typically, families start picking schools late into the student’s junior or even senior year.  Many students pick a grouping of “safety,” “middle of the range,” and “reach” schools.  Next, students start researching their list.  Following this, families start planning trips to visit these schools.  All of this research and traveling costs lots of time and money. 

When considering Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a debtor must evaluate all his assets (house, car, bank accounts, etc.) to determine the value of what he owns and make sure that he will be able to protect (exempt) his assets if he files bankruptcy.
After the housing market declined in 2008, many debtors did not have equity in their home and many still don’t.  Such debtors do not have to worry about the Chapter 7 Trustee trying to liquidate the property because the Trustee will only pursue property with equity that is not exempt.

I have discovered over many years in my ministry that a lot of believers do not know certain fundamental truths about our Heavenly Father that are expressed in the Word of God. The Bible itself states, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” My primary purpose as a Pastor is to impart knowledge (information) regarding what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.