E.G. Stanhope, Author at E.G. (LIZ) Stanhope

“OPEN SEASON” THAT TIME WHEN SENIOR CITIZENS BECOME FAIR GAME

I honestly thought most of the people, who in 2023, are over the age of 75 believed the old adage: “There’s no free lunch”.

I am gob-smacked at the statistics! A high percentage of Senior Citizens have given up their (never to be returned) original MEDICARE COVERAGE PARTS A AND B.

These are benefits, which they earned, through the Government, for private medical insurance.

Not All On Your Side

JOE, WILLIAM AND DYN-O-MITE along with other F- list celebrities may promise you free lunch insurance. You can be pretty sure you will NOT run into them at the same lunch counter. There are many things in your budget you can give up to pay for solid medical coverage. Please understand the difference between Medical Coverage and Medical insurance.

Your Advantage or Their Advantage

Many have been led down the “Can you help me find my puppy” path to harm. If you, friends, are among that crowd, you are about to experience serious wallet pain in the next few years. The people who sold you the Medicare Advantage plan, neglected to tell you the plans have nothing to do with MEDICARE or the Government.

The plans are owned and operated by all the major Insurance Companies. Those companies pay very high commissions to their sales force to sell you a :” TO OUR ADVANTAGE” plan. They have full control over what they will pay, what you will pay, and what care they will allow you to have. To get that care you will jump through many hoops, and fill out many papers. Then you will be told that the Doctors you want to see are not in the network. Plus, many practitioners do not take Medicare Advantage plan patients.

Here is a man whom I found, after hours of research. He has been in the business of helping seniors to be sure they have the best policies for their needs. Check out SENIORSAVINGSNETWORK.ORG — CHRISTOPHER WESTFALL SR. Go on to YOUTUBE and search for the Senior Savings network. You will find information from Chris that is factual, clear, and in “real people” words you will understand.

ALSO CHECK OUT: ALL ABOUT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE.COM

MEDICARE WILL NEVER PHONE YOU ON THEIR OWN…..NEVER….

“BIG BROTHER” IS OFF THE BENCH, AND IN FULL PLAY IN OUR LIVES

Opinions, Written On the Wind

I have had a gas credit card for 24+ years with the same company. I pay it off every month, and the customer service has been fantastic, until they were bought out, or taken over. I suspect there are deep layers of true ownership of the company now.

I have always had a plastic card to stick in the pump. I fill my tank, and collect my receipt. I received my bill yesterday and in the envelope was a slip of paper inviting me to, in 3 easy steps, install an app. My card will be no good as of December 31, 2023 and from then on I will be using my phone to fill at the pump.

They are offering 10 cent a gallon discounts if you register your own credit or debit card on the app. Or you can have a 20 cent a gallon discount if you register your bank account on the app. (Of course all this discounting can change at a moment’s notice whenever the company decides). The extra incentive to hurry “lemming like” to grab the app. Your next three fill ups will give you 30 cents a gallon discount. Gone is the discount if you pay cash.

So, you no longer can give your card to someone to “go fill the tank”, they have to take your phone with them. I am disabled so now I have to go with to the pump, or be without my only form of emergency communication. Elderly people who have very simple cell phones will not be able to install an app. If they did have a smart phone they would have difficulty using the app.

After 24 years of ease and convenience, I will now have to accompany the person to the pump and activate the pump. Or drive around to the building and pay cash. This is one way to drive customers into the station to purchase the overpriced merchandise. But the Americans Disabilities Act people might want to see if they can build a ramp app. to help this situation.

There was one positive 5-star rating which blew me away. This customer was thrilled that he no longer had to pull out his wallet, put the card in pull it out, push buttons, and then push more buttons to get a receipt. All that WORK, was gone with the advent of the APP. For those who wonder where the work ethic went to die, and why “no one wants a real job anymore.” Look at the frogs in the slowly heating pot. These types of frogs do not seem to notice they just tied their checking account to cyberspace with a company they know nothing about.

A trip to the website to look at the customer reviews was the big eye-opener. The overwhelming majority of customers gave scathing reports on the attempted use of the APP. One man lives in a Western state, and a charge appeared on his bill from a station in a coastal state to which he has never been. He is in a long process of trying to get his money back. The reviews convinced me, I will sadly be leaving the Company I had come to trust and appreciate for their hometown service and excellent products.

I refuse to spend one second of my life cleaning up after a system that appears to be at the starting gate with two broken legs. I will pay cash, until the powers that be force us to go digital, by then with divine intervention I will be off the planet.

YOU CAN NOT PAY FOR OR EARN YOUR WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE WITH GOD

Chapter and Verse

I realize humans like to “pay their own way” then we can feel as though we have control over whether we stay or retreat from a situation. But, true children of God understand that grace, a life in Christ, and eternity with God are gifts from God and cannot be earned or purchased.

It is all Yours from Him

We will not receive them by sending money to false or misleading ministries headed up by self-appointed preachers or teachers. They live lavish lifestyles, own private jets, limos, and require a large personal staff to meet their personal needs, on our money. All the while feeding you false information and guilting you into giving more. They are opportunists who step between us and our potential relationship with the Trinity and convince us we need a middleman to receive God’s blessings.

We do not need to send in “seed money” for prosperity. Everything we will ever need or need to do will come directly from God when we accept the gift of salvation and believe that Christ is the son of God. God will then install in us His desires for our hearts, and begin to grow us into willing servants. We will then be fit to accomplish the purposes of God’s plan for our lives.

Our eternal life is secured, our brief time in this world will have meaning, and we can live in this world free of anxiety, fear, panic, and anger because we are God’s and God never fails His own. That is what is meant by Freedom in Christ. Remember, God’s love is very conditional, and he is clear about that in his Book of Instruction, the Bible. God is seeking whom he will bless; do not miss your call because you stubbornly cling to your sins and self-importance.

Look at your life honestly, how is it working for you so far. Nothing we do apart from God will last or matter.

YOU MAY WANT TO GIVE THE FOLLOWING TEACHERS AND PREACHERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO FEED TRUTH INTO YOUR LIFE: They preach and teach the Bible, they do not adapt the word to fit the culture

1. Ligonier.org Sinclair Ferguson, R.C.Sproul, Q and A sessions are very good.

2. Lee Strobal YouTube, Making a case for Christ — Lee is a man who set out to prove Christ was NOT the Son of God, and could not get by the evidence. He is now a devout Christ Follower.

Defense Among the Thorns

Chapter and Verse

I HAVE SEVERAL PAULINE-LIKE THORNS

And before I became a Christ Follower I railed against them.

Today from a branch higher on the tree of life I see the strength and resolve the thorns provided me that made it possible to finally come to Christ.

Now, I hold fast to my faith and peace through the experiences in my life. Since turning my life over to Christ, and asking for direction on how to be a useful clay pot, I have peace, joy, and purpose in a chaotic world

Christ Followers are to be in this world but not of this world, that can only be accomplished in Christ. Finally, total safety is found in Christ, knowing that the world can only attempt to do me harm, it can only kill me once. I am secure and safe in my life in Christ, and my eternal life is sealed, no fear can overtake me.

Where’s the lesson?

. Learn to say to the trials and the thorns: what is the lesson in this, what is the message. God please guide me through this to where you need me to be. Holy Spirit is always with true Christ Followers.

ONE MORNING OVER MY RITUAL COFFEE

Chapter and Verse

One morning over my ritual coffee, pondering how fast life had gone by. I realized that I missed the dreams my young heart held as I planned for my future. I can still feel the excitement of everything out in front of me. At what point did they disappear?

The things dreams are made of —

In my script, I was going to go to art school, settle in the mountains of the West. I would have a log home and a studio from which I would create works of art, and write. The path was so direct. It did not include lifelong games of shin-kicking, whack-a-mole, pain, and struggle.

Reflections on different directions

If I had become a Christ Follower at an early age I would have had backup to endure it all with faith, and the sure knowledge of God’s promises. We do not have to fear. Once we turn it all over, confess our sins of separation. We will experience the greatest freedom and peace we can ever know. Your dreams do not disappear; they become God’s dreams for you. They may not be exactly what you envisioned or in your time frame. But they will come in His timing.

The right direction for me —

To me, the most amazing part of coming home to Christ is that I desire to follow the word of God. I turn away from worldly things. Do not dismiss Christ without reasonable investigation. You will have eternal life; the question is how you will experience that life. There are only two choices. If you choose to follow Christ, you will live without fear, knowing you will live with God forever. You will know you did your best to live the plan he had for you. Youthful dreams do not disappear they mature into God’s greater plan.

THE DOCTORS I NEED ARE 2000 MILES AWAY

Written On the Wind

It is 3 am and I am in my leather recliner watching YouTube videos on Fibromyalgia. The question arises in my brain, “Why are the most dedicated and patient-oriented Drs on YouTube and located at least 2000 miles from me?”

Recently, I spent 4 days trying to recover from what I believe is a” fibroflareup”. All of the ‘fibro’ issues can be spelled out as “PAIN” to the point of destroyed concentration. But, I will not give in.

So I packed my neck in ice and spent the day watching videos about fibromyalgia, and lipedema. I discovered an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Meredith Warner, TheWellTheory.com who gave a very informational one-hour talk on fibromyalgia, small nerve neuropathy, and a touch on lipedema. The information was clear and in language which patients can understand. Good tips on foods, meds, and treatments to avoid and those to use. You may want to check her out, I found her advice to be very helpful, and have put two of her suggestions on my grocery list for tomorrow.

Your experience with pain and lipedema will be different than mine. My condition has changed over time. Some changes have come because of my research and experience. Resources such as many on YouTube were not available at the beginning. I am very grateful for the video resource. One thing I am certain about…I’m going to fight every day!