Myrtle Beach Blogs

Issues raised about Trip Advisor

Newton, Massachusetts is a long way from Myrtle Beach, S.C. Culturally it is often on a different plane altogether. Newton, MA is also the home of Trip Advisor, a corporately owned peer review site for hotels and resorts. Trip Advisor touts itself as being the world’s largest travel agency with an additional 20 travel brands. Because of its corporate location, lack of local knowledge and scope, the Myrtle Beach hospitality community has begun raising concerns about the company.

To better understand how Trip Advisor conducts business, a recent interview of Steve Kaufer, the software engineer who founded TripAdvisor in 2000, states that the company recognizes that more than 200 million visitors a month plan trips based on its recommendations. Subsequently, a run of good or bad reviews can mean make or break a hotel.

What started out as a grand idea is now creating local issues. Our team has been approached by a variety of industry leaders who are concerned with how the process has evolved and where it is heading. The central concerns center around Trip Advisor's lack of understanding in how our local industry operates coupled with the fact that it is the default authority on many website search engine models.

"Trip Advisor provides a much needed service for visiting tourists," said Lee Rawcliffe, owner of Sands Resorts, "but we find that many of our reviews have simply been removed arbitrarily.” Rawcliffe further states, “It's a corporation that is not transparent with us as to how it operates on a case- by-case basis. Furthermore, some of the reviews on our page have come from units we don't even manage. They are managed by the homeowners, who rent the units themselves, and, yet we are tagged with these and that marks against our good name."

Kaufer feels complaints from disgruntled business owners are par for the course. And, in the next few years, his goal is to massively increase the proportion of travelers who plan their trips on his Web site, which he, currently, states is 10 percent. Hotels and restaurants can adapt or die, says Kaufer, according to The Telegraph Media Group.

Grand Strand hotel owners don’t like those options nor the seemingly don’t-care attitude as it appears to the industry that Mr. Kaufer refuses to grasp the issues involved in who is renting exactly what.

How Trip Advisor Works

Guest of hotels, resorts and attractions are encouraged to write reviews of places they have stayed and visited and post these reviews on Trip Advisor. In a perfect world, these reviews are supposed to present upfront and above-board comments about the hotel or attraction giving a potential client a word-of-mouth, firsthand opinion upon which they can base their decision to book. Trip Advisor also provides photo forums, restaurant reviews, tourist information and connections to several social media sites. And, of course, it has a booking engine that allows its visitors the ability to book rooms, vacation packages and flights.

A shrewd business tactic and a preferred search result presence with Google.com, places Trip Advisor at,or near, the top of any search done for tourist areas. In other words, if someone uses Google to search for a hotel in Myrtle Beach, the results most often yield a top of page listing of Trip Advisor's website. Local hotel Web sites (even with often greater local relevancy) most often appear below Trip Advisor. To further explain, when a visitor does many Myrtle Beach-related Google searches, including the search for Myrtle Beach Hotels, Trip Advisor is the top search and is also the default search when the "I'm Feeling Lucky" tab is clicked. Consequently, many local businesses, who are concerned with the fairness of the current review process, feel that Trip Advisor’s relationship with Google creates an uneven playing field for owners who are required to constantly police a website that they neither own nor, they feel, is reviewing matters accurately.

Truth and Fairness

In a perfect world, the system would always work well and reviews would represent the business, its products and the true business owner. With the advent of new technology companies, however, the model isn't working that way in today's market. For example, when a customer writes a review based on a hotel he or she visited and the business owner complains that this was not a true guest of their resort, it is possible today that the customer may have actually stayed on property, but was not a guest of the hotel. Trip Advisor addresses that issue by allowing hotel owners to respond to the reviews. "But, that’s a little like closing the barn door after the cow has gotten out," says Elizabeth Muckensturm, Social Media Director for Ocean Dunes Resort. "Having truthful peer reviews are critical for me when I make a vacation purchase," she added. "There are simply too many loose ends in the current process that Trip Advisor's system has in place. The individual reviews often do not take into account so many considerations like whether the hotel company actually manages the units being reviewed by Trip Advisor.”

In reality, most Myrtle Beach area hotels consist of units that are individually owned by thousands of investors from all walks of life. The overall hotel concept is then managed by the hotel's property management company which rents and manages the units on behalf of each individual homeowner in the building.

With the advent of Homeaway and Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO), up to 16 percent of many area hotels’ inventory are now actually being rented by the homeowners themselves. As a result, the property manager has no control over how the homeowner rented room is rented or maintained. This equation results in mis-representation when Trip Advisor's reviews are posted against that property, thereby, causing the hotel, at large, to have unfavorable reviews based on a unit located on site, but one in which no quality control from management exists. This can mean millions of dollars, as TripAdvisor has a rating system based on reviews and typically the top 30 rated resorts get rented first by consumers, regardless of what platform or website the consumer reserves from.

"Trip Advisor is a national corporation," said Eddie Williams, owner and manager of Sands Ocean Club. "It's a great idea, but 10 percent of the rooms in our hotel are managed directly by individual homeowners. I have no control over how they operate. Trip Advisor has been largely deaf to respond to these issues when we presented it to them."

Trip Advisor has no system in place to address these local issues.

"There are more than 3,000 condos at Myrtle Beach Barefoot Resort managed by more than five rental companies, some of which are rogue and are not listed on Trip Advisor. Myrtle Beach Barefoot Resort gets tagged with all of their bad reviews and we are constantly reporting those. Why doesn't Trip Advisor list each of these companies and why do we have to police their site?” says Cindy Cox, property manager for Myrtle Beach Barefoot Resort.

Local vs. Global

Local city of Myrtle Beach records do not report a business license or a business location for Trip Advisor in Myrtle Beach. In fact, Trip Advisor does not have an office in Myrtle Beach according to Shawn Russell, who spoke on behalf of the company. With no local outreach or context, business owners feel that the company is largely unresponsive to the way the community operates.

Because of those ongoing concerns, last week a group of local investors purchased MyrtleBeachSC.com. The group is investing millions in new technology to launch a hyper-local review site this February 2014. "Liberty Ventures I am sure has great intentions," said John Cote, a principal investor in MyrtleBeachSC.com. "But like most Americans, I carry a certain distrust for large national corporations." Liberty Ventures is a national conglomerate that also owns Expedia (a booking travel site), Time Warner Cable, and AOL.

"This company is clearly in the hotel reservation business and that does create conflicts. I simply don't like that much power in the hands of one large, non-local corporation." Cote added. "Because Trip Advisor has hotel revenue systems and reservation partners, I just have concerns in that respect,” explains Cote. “As MyrtleBeach, SC will have no horse nor revenue conflicts in the fight, we can naturally avoid the temptation that comes from having your hand in both the review and revenue side of such an operation. We also intend to only operate exclusively in Myrtle Beach, with an office in Myrtle Beach, that has transparent systems allowing integrity in the review process, but also making exceptions for individually rented rooms."

In researching Liberty Ventures, we were able to retrieve reviews for its Expedia operation and found that the product was poorly reviewed online itself. A cursory look at the online company provided by Ecorporate offices produced the following reviews. To see all 200 reviews click here: http://ecorporateoffices.com/ExpediaInc-2762

Birthday Get away ruined

I booked an all exclusive trip for may 31 my 50th birthday For the ritz carlton hotel in montego bay jamica on may 14,2013 I called to checke my reservation when i was informed That my hotel was not booked but flight was in addtion my money Was not refuned intil today which is not on my card yet, I was futher told that there are no more rooms i have guest Coming that are staying at the ritz. My 50th birthday Is ruined because of a incomptent worker. Please fix this asap.

May. 15, 2013

-by patricia evans

Rude Rude and Rude

Never expect a good customer service ever from this company. I spent about $10,000 with the company on multiple trips. Every time I called Expedia, about 4 times, regarding my travel, was NEVER treated with respect or with professional attitude. Their reps are so rude, lazy, and irresponsible. Should have spent my travel money with other companies other than Expedia. I don't get paid to write this review or receive any benefits, but my own time to write this review. Take my word, or you can prove what I said by experiencing bad customer service. I am so serious about it.

May. 10, 2013

-by Used to be a fun of Expedia

Good Morining Mumbai

Life would be so much easier, if you could actually connect to Customer Support, and stay connected. Making the initial booking worked well enough - discovering that we have three seats allocated and only two flying, and only two being paid for - this will provide an interesting outcome upon check in.

-by Ian R

___________________________________________________________________________

These reviews were typical of the Expedia site which is the sister company of Trip Advisor.

An industry wide meeting is planned for September to allow the Myrtle Beach community to discuss its concerns about TripAdvisor and plan a community-wide response.

MyrtleBeachSC.com is expected to start operation at the end of February 2014.

Myrtle Beach Hotels welcome Bikers

Myrtle Beach Hotels welcomed the Harley Bicycle Rally participants this weekend to what is officially called Myrtle Beach Bike Week.

Thousands of cycle enthusiasts have arrived and along the streets of Myrtle Beach the rumble of their engines can be heard.

"This group visits annually at the tail end of May," said Britt El-Kheddiwi, Social Media Director of Myrtle-Beach.com. "Many among the visitors are accountants, doctors, lawyers, and such who ;love motorcycling and want a weekend to let their hair down. This is a fun weekend for all."

The largest part of this rally will stay only through this Sunday night, May 19th.

Myrtle Beach Group to launch Tourism News Service

Myrtle Beach, SC

A group of private investors today purchased MyrtleBeachSC.com with the intentions of launching a new visitor interactive, tourism news site.

The company explained that the emphasis of the site was to create relevant information for the more than 14 million tourists that visit the city annually. A spokesperson for the company stated that the tone of the organization would not be established along traditional media lines of left versus right, but rather, positive versus negative.

“There are times when I just feel a certain anxiety at all the negativity as I listen to and read the national media today,” said David Hucks, one of the company’s investors. “While MyrtleBeachSC.com will report tourism news in an honest, open, transparent way, there certainly are a lot of positive things to report about our city, considering that it is the No.2 family destination in America with what we believe are the East Coast’s best beaches.”

The organization is set to launch in February 2014, featuring local tourism news, as well as, customer generated reviews on Myrtle Beach related businesses, products, and services. A peer rated review system is in the works that guarantees honesty and accountability in the process.

The company plans to work with other Myrtle Beach industry companies including:

MyrtleBeachSouthCarolina.com, a highly graphical tourist information site with geo location listings of all area Myrtle Beach companies and organizations. This site launches in June.
Myrtle-Beach.com, a tourist sharing and entertainment site that launched in 2005 and has more than 500,000 current fans on Facebook.

Management from Myrtle Beach Hotels, a limited liability hotel company operating in Myrtle Beach said it welcomed MyrtleBeachSC.com to the community and looked forward to the increased integrity and accountability that they believed this hyper local, company would bring into the market with them.

It Takes A Village: Fundraising Underway for Abiding Village

Christ United Methodist Church is playing the most expensive game of beat the clock it has ever played. Three weeks from now, on Mother's Day, the church wants to hand over $10 million to the owners of Freestyle Music Park to purchase the property which is worth around $150 to $180 million. What a challange but, what a bargain!

If it is able to meet the deadline and purchase the property, the Abiding Villiage will be able to expand and offer a number of new programs and services to the youth of Horry County. And, the good thing is you can help ... it takes a village.

Abiding Village, an organization formed by members of Christ United Methodist Church, is a non-profit outreach that introduces youth to urban arts, like hip-hop dance, percussion, painting, and theater was founded in 2008.

Efforts to raise the money include asking the citizens of Horry County ( anyone else who'd be so kind) to make donations of any size to its fundraising efforts.

With a vision of growth for Abiding Village, Jessica Sagun, director said, “I just started creating this crazy kind of vision in my heart.” The vision continued to grow, and Sagun said, she often thought how perfect the land at Freestyle Music Park would be for her idea.

As told in recent published reports, when the offer to buy the land came, organizers got to work, creating three phases of development which includes the arts, business development and a Christ-centered education complex. All of the services and programs would be free to any student who wants to participate, says Sagun.

"We're pouring every bit of energy we have into it. If something happens, and for whatever reason we don't meet that goal, we're going to know we did everything God called us to do," Sagun said.

To read more about the Abiding Village, or to donate online, go to www.abidingvillage.org.

To make a donation over the phone, contact staff at the Abiding Village at (843) 236-3983.

(Portions of this article were provided by WBTW-News13)

No Carnival for Myrtle Beach

That loud sigh of disappointment comes from Myrtle Beach residents who wanted the carnival to come to town. But, instead of the carnival, the citizens of Myrtle Beach may get an ordinance that prohibits temporary amusement rides from occupying downtown Myrtle Beach. According to published reports, "In response to Strates Shows' interest in having a temporary carnival in town, the council is scheduled to have first reading of an ordinance on Tuesday that would suspend any permits from being issued in AC-3 zones, which includes the Pavilion area, for a business that would include temporary amusement rides."

The business in question is Strates Shows, a Florida company that proposed a summer-long carnival that would feature rides, games and concessions from June to September. The carnival would have sat on a four-acre portion of the former Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park grounds, next to Adrenaline Adventures Zip Line, which opened on part of the site a year ago. Strates was working with Burroughs and Chapin Co. Inc., who owns the land.

However, all plans were thwarted when Jay Strates, owner of the carnival company heard grumbles of resistance to his group coming to Myrtle Beach. "We heard from some of our contacts in the area that there was some resistance to us coming," Strates said. As a result, Strates informed Heidi Soos with the Myrtle Beach Community Appearance Board on Monday morning that the company will not file an application.

Further reported, B&C has declined to comment on Strates Shows pulling out of the application process. The company also would not comment on whether there was a plan to put something else on the Pavilion grounds this summer.

"While there have been several iterations of plans on the Pavilion property, market conditions will ultimately dictate its use," B&C spokeswoman Lei Gainer said last week in an email to The Sun News. "The 12-acre site represents a large portion of the downtown area. Burroughs & Chapin is committed to downtown and Myrtle Beach, and so the ultimate use of that land will certainly be one that the entire Myrtle Beach community will be proud of."

It was concluded at its budget retreat meeting in Pinopolis that the City Council did not want the "out-of-market" business to benefit from the work the city and downtown businesses have done to improve the area during the past few years. Council members reportedly said they were afraid that bringing carnival rides back to the area would undermine the development that's taken place in that area over the past few years including the 1.2-mile boardwalk.

"It doesn't keep in line with the progress that's happened in that part of town," Councilman Wayne Gray said to The Sun News.

Contrary to City Council's sentiments, an earlier report of the carnival's arrival was met with excitement from downtown business owners and tourists. It was hoped that amusement rides would bring the throngs of tourists back to the boulevard area as the Myrtle Beach Pavilion once did. Comments like, "it's about time," "finally something to do on the boulevard," were common when the story of the proposed carnival was posted on the social media outlet, Facebook."

According to The Sun News, Strates said he hoped to revisit the possibility of bringing his carnival to Myrtle Beach in the future. "I was kind of sad to see the resistance," he said Monday. "I think it would have benefitted those businesses right in that area. We will see, maybe in the future."

In Defense of Men

The ongoing news pouring in from all types of sources concerning yesterday's horrible Boston Massacre on innocent citizens perhaps opens a door for a moment of clarity. Please walk with me through this door for a moment and let's visit what it means to be a man coming of age in this over-informed and hyper-connected universe.

Matthew Mcconaughey stayed with
Myrtle Beach Hotels in our recent past.

As a country, I believe we are all becoming "evil fatigued". The question seems to be how do we understand it? OR, how do we rehabilitate certain cultures or individuals who are bent on shedding innocent blood? AND what are we doing as a society that might be causing such behavior.

In defense of men, however, those are not the questions a male-centric society would ask.

In my moment of clarity, I am suddenly missing the days of yesteryear when a more male-driven society was immediately interested in settling the score, rather than understanding the mad man or mad men. Rather than revenge, let's call it a "Holy Discontent" or a desire to make things right and hold all accountable. In the male- centered mind, settling matters was not an emotional choice at all, just the quickest way to make things safe and normal again.

Rather than pine over a time now long since gone, or try to recreate such a time, I am more interested in helping rekindle the essence of that male spirit into today's twenty-something men, most of whom grew up without a dad in the home. Let's face it, dads protect and make things safe.

Oh sure, the cultural obstacles are everywhere. We risk being called Neanderthals or testosterone-driven by the media at large. We also risk being called old fashioned and out of step with how things are today.

But, if we are all honest, in moments like yesterday, we want a Patrick Swayze, Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford, Humphrey Bogart or the likes to come in and put us all at ease because they do intend to put a stop to such nonsense immediately and permanently. Rather than understand the problem or the killer, they simply intend to call an end and bring a quick reckoning altogether. I believe that is what our culture is yearning to have.

John Wayne is dead, however. Tommy Lee Jones has aged. Denzel, Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, Ice Tee and the likes do make up the old and the dying.

Even Will Smith, Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon are getting a little long in the tooth.

And today's culture presents younger men as incompetent and childlike ... mere shadows of the 1940s male.

In regards to such ongoing events as yesterday, I have but one request. Let's bring men back. I do not write this on behalf of men, but rather the women who love them and want to depend upon them. This is also not a political statement. I could care less about the politics, but rather than putting our trust in superhuman movie heroes and vampires as we have perhaps there are more than a few good twenty-something men who want to walk in the steps of Bogart again. Is a take charge, reliable, straight shooting leading man too much to ask for today?

God knows our culture needs you and we want you back. We promise to treat you better than we recently have.

Carnival Might Come to Myrtle Beach's Boulevard

Cross your fingers and wish on as many falling stars as you may see … there’s a chance that rides and amusements will once again occupy what used to be the Myrtle Beach Pavilion site! The City of Myrtle Beach has been presented an application from Strates Shows in Orlando, Fla., to operate a summer-long carnival on vacant land at the former Pavilion site.

According to its Web site, based in Orlando, Florida, James E. Strates Shows provides amusement rides, games of skill, tasty foods and merchandise concessions to fairs and festivals throughout the United States. If approved by the city of Myrtle Beach, the carnival will run this summer from June 8 through Sept. 6.

The now vacant lot will once again be filled with ride-induced laughter, cotton-candied faced kids and hundreds of excitement-seeking boulevard patrons. This summer is shaping up to be like no other since the Pavilion was removed by its owner Burroughs and Chapin Co. in 2006. Commendably, the company has been negotiating with Strates to bring the carnival to Myrtle Beach.

Like a Root out of the Dry Ground

I think God would present Himself as a healthy flourishing oak in rich soil, giving rest and strength. He chose to present Himself in His Son, like a root as good as dead in dry dirt. This is how the greatest prophecy of Jesus begins. We find him in that place of frightening dryness.

Jesus started his ministry in the dry ground of the desert facing the temptations to be important, Turn stones into bread; to be spectacular, Throw yourself down from the temple; and to be powerful, I will give you these kingdoms of the earth.

If we could have been there to see it, what would we have seen? Maybe two figures alone in the desert in a fierce conversation. We would never know the outcome of his encounter would change our destiny. As we step closer we see one glistening with beauty, cruelty and power. He seems to have the upper hand because the other one is starving, unknown, and weak. This was not a promising way to begin Impact Your World Ministries. The enemy could not find a place to hook him and left when he began to worship the Father with the little strength of a root whispering in a fire.

He was born as weak as a worm fallen on our arm, as Martin Luther said. His death was the most embarrassing and excruciating. When He rose from the dead, He only showed Himself to a scruffy bunch of friends. How He restrained His glory to a few, and then later to only 500 at once, amazes me. I would have showed myself to Pilate, Herod, and the High Priest in the town square, but this Jesus starts His kingdom like a root, deep into the depths of our hearts that we ourselves did not know were there.

I wish we could talk more about how weak we feel in the ministry, especially when we are alone. Our prayers are so noisy because we think we need to help God be there. We think our calling is to be like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain, pulling the levers to make everyone think we are always in touch with the God of thunder and earthquakes. But if we get quiet enough to drop all our titles and fronts, we feel weak, naked, and vulnerable. We tell others in the quiet time that God is great and beautiful, but when we quiet down we discover underneath disturbing desires, compulsions, confusion, quiet anger and fear. We sense we have lost our soul little by little. Our wounds have lost feeling and are now scars. We are not as alive as we once were. Even when we look at the stars at night, our vision is not rich and full as in childhood. We see spots and even the darkness is scattered. Our soul seems uncomfortable in our body with all its small aches. The worse fear underneath everything is that there is the God who is not there. Others have mocked our faith as a psychological illusion but the most devastating voice in our own, saying the same. And the devil comes to tempt us, too. The fear is not that God will rebuke us or command us to give up everything, but that He is not there. That is where Jesus began and that is where He died, “Father, why have you forsaken me?”

And there in the dry ground, Jesus comes alive. I remember when I received Jesus, I wondered if His peace could penetrate the dark depths of my depression, but I was surprised to discover that there was where He began. Now, decades later, I still struggle to quiet down, deep down to Root, but there is where the glory is.

God created the world out of the eternal silence. Nothing was there. He could not have left it at that. Nothing could have been it. Life is not a mystery but it is the mystery. He spoke and it was. He is still speaking in the nothingness. He can do something with something, but He can do everything when we give Him our nothingness. So when we can go through all the ugly and frightening currents of our heart, we find mercy, grace and the face of Jesus. He is there and He is there to be the root of all we are. Only then can we be compassionate to others.

Often we see someone suffering and we want to fix his or her pain or run away because we do not want to feel how weak and useless we are. But the truth is that nothing of their pain is alien to us even though we would like to think so. Maybe we judge them for lack of faith or some secret sin because judgment keeps them at a distance, but compassion brings us into the place of their pain. There together, Jesus comes. Thus, we will be like a tree planted by the streams of water and our leaves will not wither and we will give fruit in dry times only because He is the root in the dry ground. He always starts His greatest works in people like you and me, in the dry dark place of your heart. Do not be afraid. He is the root in the dry ground.

Myrtle Beach Hotels strong for Easter

Myrtle Beach Hotels are near capacity this Easter Weekend as vacationers are flocking to area beaches.

Many guests booked within the last few days as last minute deals were offered by almost ever resort in the area.

The weather promises to be sunny in Myrtle Beach all weekend, but temperatures are only expected to be in the mid 60s.

Focus

Imagine you are walking along the quiet ocean early one morning and you see something tangled in seaweed floating in the waves. Perhaps it is a fish, a dead sea animal or bird.

As you get closer you must know what it is. You must name it. It is not enough to come home and say

you saw something dead in the waves. You almost want to wade out to see what it is but from the beach

you lean forward staring. Suddenly, it comes into focus. It is the face of a child.

If it is an animal or a dolphin, it is emotional. If it is a person, it is more than emotional. It is fear.

When I was in my early twenties I did not pay too much attention to the abortion issue because it was

just that, an issue. I certainly understood the importance of the right to choose but I did not understand

all the fuss about the unborn fetus-until it came into focus. Statistics impress but do not impact the heart.

We humans abort 75 million babies on this planet each year. In this Sargasso Sea of children, America has

more than her fair share.

One might think it is not fair to switch the imaginary from fetus to child but I think it is a matter of looking,

staring and focusing. Again, imagine three lit candles- one is very tall, the other tall and the other very short.

Which one is the adult? The adult is the shortest candle in that a good portion of his life in burned up.

The tall candle is the child and the tallest is the unborn. And it is burning to live. When the abortionist

instruments prod the child, this fetus struggles to escape. They fight to live.

Again, imagine you are walking down a dark alley late at night. You are alone and you are thinking you should

not have risked it. Then five young men are walking behind you and as you turn, you can see they arecarrying

something. Focus. They are carrying Bibles. You may despise organized religion but you know that your chances

of living just improved. So if I come now with something from the Bible, please know I am not trying to kill you.

In the ancient Far East, they would build a huge bronze statue to Moloch, a deity with the head of a bull and the body of a man.

Inside the statue they would build a fire until the extended hands were red-hot. They would then lay the babies on the hands.

The priests were human like you and me so that had to do something. They beat drums to drown out the cries. It is too painful

to hear the cries. I do not think they looked at the faces either. When Israel started to do the same, Jeremiah caught God’s heart:

“This passing your sons and daughters through the fire didn’t even occur to me.” It is the first time in the Bible God seemed shocked.

Many of the slogans: “reproductive rights” ;“the right to choose” and “Welcome to the 21st century” are loud drums. On the Internet

I search how to get an abortion here in Colombia where it is “illegal”. I found several clinics offering the “the voluntary interruption

of pregnancy.” I don’t’ like it when my wife just interrupts my conversation but how do you interrupt a life? I can resume my conversation.

The Supreme Court said the fetus was not a “legal person”. Hitler said that of the Jews and the KKK still says that of blacks.

The drums beat on. Statistically – just numbers, not faces- the most dangerous place in the world is the mother’s womb. Something

is wrong. Abortion teaches fathers to take no responsibility. Abortion teaches mothers not to love but to kill to resolve problems.

Christians are accused of caring more for the child in the womb than in the world. We could do better. The early Christians waited

under the Roman bridges to rescue the babies tossed into the rivers. Most of the foundations to care for young mothers and children

are Christian, but we must focus more on the face of the young scared mother and the face of the starving child. Maybe if we ignore

a face anywhere, in the sea, in the womb or in the street, it is easier to ignore every face, even our own.

Today the videos of the unborn are clear. The faces are detailed and colored. If somebody showed on prime time television how babies

suffer inside the womb by the various forms of abortion, the shift in public opinion would be huge. Some say it would be too barbaric-

that is too barbaric to see but fine to do. They drum on.

I am a part of this wrong. Every time I chose convenience over love, I am an abortionist. Every time I choose to keep my vision blurred,

I am an abortionist. This issue has a human face. It is not just an emotional issue. To see the face floating in the water is to sees the face of God.

Heartfelt Sentiments Extended to Windsor Green Residents

A raging brush fire that destroyed more than 100 apartment units at Windsor Green apartments has left hundreds without a home. The fire, which officials say, started around 5 p.m. on Saturday, consumed 26 buildings of the Carolina Forest apartment complex. The S.C. Forestry Commission is conducting an investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire.

Residents and property owners at Windsor Green are encouraged to call the “accountability line” at 997-6970 to check in and let rescue workers and volunteers know they are safe, says Lisa Bourcier, Horry County spokeswoman.

Efforts to support victims of the fire have come in various forms through donations to the following: The American Red Cross, www.redcross.org; and VCA Palmetto Animal Hospital, 843-903-1900. Other area businesses are collecting donations on behalf of the misplaced residents as well: Island Bar & Grill, Myrtle Beach Ink and Palmetto Academy of Learning and Success.

Ron Jon’s on Waccamaw Boulevard is slated to host a fundraiser on Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. However, needed items can be dropped off at Ron Jon’s as early as 11 a.m. Tavern in the Forest on Carolina Forest Boulevard will host a fundraiser Wednesday from 8 p.m. until midnight during its karaoke show. Everyone is urged to bring clothing, toiletries, monetary donations and other items to help the families who lost their homes. Donated items will be taken to the shelter where those without homes are being housed and money will be given to the American Red Cross.

Going Up: The Homewood

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Next summer, the hotel landscape of Myrtle Beach will change because for the first time since 2009, a new hotel will be built. The new 14-story Homewood Hotel will occupy 1805 South Ocean Boulevard come June 2014.

Developer, Sonship Hospitality, is awaiting approval from the Community Appearance Board to begin the $25 million hotel construction project which will include a bistro serving sandwiches and snacks as well as a pilates-aerobics room.

Myrtle Beach Hotels site cyber attacked

Myrtle Beach Hotels main Web site was cyber attacked earlier this week by an unknown source.

Company representatives reported that hackers had broken the back end ftp code and placed malicious malware on the site which created links sending visitors to other Web sites.

The malware was quickly caught by Jack Wilson, general manager, and deleted from the site. Unfortunately, the malware caused the Myrtle Beach Hotels site to completely drop from Google's algorithym on its key search term, Myrtle Beach Hotels.

"Myrtle Beach Hotels is the only legal company in Myrtle Beach that can call itself by such a name," said Britt El-Kheddiwi. "As such, when we lose our placement on key search engines like Yahoo, Bing or Google, our competitors can easily target customers we have using that name." Myrtle Beach Hotels is a limited liability company representing more than 18 resorts in the Myrtle Beach area.

Myrtle-Beach.com experienced a similar attack last year this time when a competing business interest submitted our name to Facebook and had our Facebook page shut down for a period of more than 60 days.

"While this may seem petty," said Wilson, "millions of dollars are at stake. I would fire any employee who did such a thing to one of our competitors causing their site to be booted from Google search algorithyms, even if it was the main search term that we have the most legal rights to be on both maps and organic searches."

Myrtle Beach Hotels has reported that the site is now bug free and the company hopes to be back in Google results soon.

Marathon runners push Myrtle Beach

So far, this weekend has Myrtle Beach Hotels filled with more guests than any weekend to date in 2013, largely due to the Myrtle Beach Marathon.

Myrtle Beach Hotels asked their guests staying this weekend, to give us a review of how we are doing. The results can be found here: Guest Ratings Marathon Weekend

Our survey provided twenty four excellent reviews on the google zagat rating sytem, making Myrtle Beach Hotels' 18 resorts the HIGHEST RATED HOTELS on Google in the Myrtle Beach area and among the top rated hotels in America.

A Letter to a Friend Getting Divorced

This is my last night without the boys coming home, so I needed to write. I need hours of uninterrupted time to unleash words like doves. Some one said thoughts get untangled when they pass through your fingers unto paper.

Hearing about your divorce proceedings hit me hard, and I just tried to shake it off, but then I found myself …well…mourning. I see people getting divorced (and many marriages healed) but when my lifetime friend tells me he is getting a divorce, it woke me up to my own quiet inner struggles. We both have been very intense in our work, and stepping into orbits beyond our imagining. When we were 12 years old drinking beer in my kitchen when my parents were out of town, we were surprised how much we were experiencing life alike. Here is what I wrote about it:

A good conversation in the last light of a gold winter sun is as good as it gets. Thoughts that make us so afraid alone at 3 in the morning are now tamed lions that sit at our feet like collies. The parts we understand about ourselves are so different but the unmapped zones of our hearts are unfolded as one large map of beautiful lands. At first the words are cautious as we build a swinging bridge of confessions in the air. Then we are both building furiously as we know we can trust the other to meet us out half way. Then we join and cross over with the heavier packs of hurt, joy, and amazement. Just two boys having a good chat in a small kitchen in wicker chairs. No one would ever think if they passed by that ships landed in new worlds, that continents were joined, and all sorts of birds, fruits and quick animals found new wonderful climates to flourish.

I think we could use another conversation like that. It changed my life. If we could, we would both see what we both have quietly suffered and where our hearts have faded. Right now I am out to recapture my heart but the business-ness of life is like overgrowth blocking the path. Kathy and I have a good marriage and she believes in me, but I would like her to run faster with me through wild ideas and feelings, and she wants me to slow down and just be with her. Between my 11th to 34^th years , my life was pretty much a hunt for my wife. Along the way I was surprised by God in the face of Christ. He really gored me deep with love. That ended the hunt for sex partners but it did not end the hunt for a life partner. Now that I am married, I think I miss the hunt. I used to go everywhere filled with possibility of meeting her, now I just go to buy milk. But I’m happy to bring the milk home to her.

Kathy believing in me is a great part of being able to do what I am doing today. It is kind of amazing. I went through some times of deep depression about my whole life. I was depressed about being trapped in a fast growing ministry and living in Colombia. I knew I would get bored living in USA, but I missed spending time with close friends and time to write. Not many people understood what was hurting me. I got through, and am still coming out, but it took some gut yelling prayer. The silence is pretty amazing after you cry out to God. It hangs all over you thick. It is like the air a second before lightening strikes. And then you begin to hear His voice. It is as clear as the sound of a ceiling fan you just noticed after hours of work in your office.

Anyway, what I am trying to say is that for you to break the covenant you made with your wife in that little chapel just yards from the Kanawha River, you must have had some pretty heavy hurt. You have been always a faithful and true person and I would guess that part of your hurting and confusion now is that you have lost a part of your trueness. I have sold little pieces along the road. I never committed adultery, but my heart has. I held unto secrets and then found the secret of telling them and being forgiven. Being a pastor tries to keep us from that, but if life is lost, all is lost.

I was thinking maybe your fear was not that your wife was incapable of forgiving you, but you are having trouble forgiving yourself. Now that is a guess. I hate psychology, but I do believe completely in the risen Lord. What would happen if you and your wife held hands and said, “Jesus, come and help us. We hurt”? It would be weird as hell, but He would show up. That is the scary part. He would really show up.

He said He came to seek and save the lost. Well, buddy, you feel kind of lost?

Our fifty-four year old hearts have a lot of unchartered depths in them. I have a hunch along with thousands of years of Bible wisdom that says you will feel more alienated from life further down the road if you move on with a younger woman. It comes down to this: are we moving toward life or toward numbness.

As your best friend, I would suggest this. Get some time alone. Don’t make any decisions. Don’t try to numb the pain, get through it. Pick up the Bible for it like a fish- finder that will put you over some schools of bright majestic fish. It will be hard because your business is barking at you like that pack of dogs on the way to school.

You probably wanted to talk with me before about all this. I don’t know if you know, but your wife wrote me an email and then we wrote back and forth a few times. Despite the pain in her words, I appreciated her being transparent with me. I just tried to open the door of hope, but she has a chain on it now. She was peeking through and man, does she love you. She is trying to paint her future without you, but she is out of paint. She used it all on you. Anyway, she told me about the young girl. I did not say anything. I did not know how to say anything.

Again, no matter what you do, I am your friend. Probably, your best friend. And again, you probably wanted to share all this with me a year ago, but you didn’t know how I, being a Christian, would respond. I am your buddy who aches with you. There will be a part in me not fully alive if we don’t capture the freedom of our friendship. It is a great gift. Just saying this makes me realize how deep and important it is.

Years ago you hit bankruptcy. You called me in Colombia to tell me you were going down to the river to kill yourself and hung up. I tried to call you back and started to yell to God for your life. The next day you told me you went down the steps where the current was fierce. As you were about to fling your life away, you noticed a little piece of paper jammed in the metal railing. The wind flicker it to catch your eye. You pulled it out and opened it to the words written in pencil, “God is real”. That was enough to turn you around and go home. This note may not be a little piece of paper flipping in the wind by the river, but I do feel life blowing in these clumsy words.

Let’s talk. It is a swinging bridge. It will hold us.

The letter did not “work”. The divorce came through and something was lost, but we are still alive on a swinging bridge.

Tax Day

I would like to a write poem today
but I have to do my taxes.
Two worlds apart-
one about crossing barriers
& the other, building them-
One about thrushes flinging their soul
into heaven and other
stamping the heart: This is it.

I’m going for the life

beating hard in the dark brown squirrel

that my dog is chasing,

his heart racing because it is so great

to be alive.

Complete Vacations Offered for Summer 2013!

You just can’t beat this: The Sands Resorts in Myrtle Beach will give you 7 nights for the price of 4 if you book your summer stay by February 13, 2013.

That’s oceanfront resort properties with a kids’ activities program, water park, pools, restaurants and the infamous Ocean Annie’s for the hottest happy hour at the beach.

And special rates apply starting in June, 2013 when two bedroom units are going for $114 a night and 3-bedroom suites for $211!

Call 800-504-7100 to make your summer reservation on go online to www.sandsresorts.com. Pssst: Ask about the 3-day LayAWay.

Summer 2013 Is Coming!

Myrtle Beach Barefoot Resort is giving you the opportunity to stay at one of North Myrtle Beach’s premier condo or villa properties for an incredibly low rate.

Here’s the deal: If you book your summer stay by December 21st, you get 7-nights for the price of 4 nights!

At Barefoot Resort you’re smack-dab in the midst of restaurants and shops at Barefoot Landing, House Of Blues, Alligator Adventure, top-notch golf and theaters.

This offer stands UNTIL DECEMBER 21, 2012 for reservations from June 1, 2013 through June 14, 2013 and August 17 through August 31, 2013.

Call a booking agent at Barefoot Resort now at 800-548-9904 or go online to www.myrtlebeachbarefootresort.com.

ELVIS HAPPENINGS COMING!

December 13, ELVIS FAN CLUB MYRTLE BEACH GRAND STRAND CHRISTMAS PARTY - FREE!! EVERYONE INVITED! VILLA TUSCANNA, 97 Hwy 17 N., North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582. Phone(843) 280-2288 ALL TRIBUTE ARTISTS are invited to entertain. (We have a lot planning to come and entertain, so this should be a GREAT evening!) Villa Tuscanna has great food so come enjoy this new place with us for a wonderful Christmas party J Gather at 6, music starts by 7PM.

January happenings are still developing – so far, we have:

January 7 - The ELVIS FAN CLUB ELVIS’ BIRTHDAY PARTY MONDAY AT THE BOATHOUSE – ALWAYS FUN AND LOTS OF ENTERTAINERS! Gather at 6 and music starts by 7PM

January 8 – ELVIS FAN CLUB INTERVIEW WITH MANY GUEST TRIBUTE ARTISTS FOR THE TV SHOW “CAROLINA AND COMPANY” with Cecil and Amanda. 12 NOON AT WPDE IN CONWAY – ALL TRIBUTE ARTISTS AND FANS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND! BE THERE BY 11:30 – TRIBUTE ARTIST MUST CONTACT US AND DRESS OUT!

January 8 – RONNIE NICHOLS performing for an ELVIS BIRTHDAY PARTY at TIDEWATER in North Myrtle Beach – more info to come!! ALWAYS A GREAT SHOW FROM RONNIE!

January 8 – ELVIS TRIBUTE ARTIST CONTEST AT DICK’S LAST RESORT IN BAREFOOT LANDING, 6:30PM – This annual event is always fun and lots of our Tribute Artists will be contestants

January 11-13 ELVIS BIRTHDAY PARTIES AT NIGHT FEVER for ELVIS BIRTHDAY WEEK – DETAILS COMING SOON!

January 23 & 24 – ULTIMATE ELVIS TRIBUTE CONTEST in COLUMBIA, SC – more info to come

More updates coming soon for these and other exciting ELVIS EVENTS

Contact Anne Collins, Pres., Elvis Fan Club Myrtle Beach Grand Strand 843-424-9124

The KING SHAZAAM Show

ELVIS Tribute and MORE - VOCAL IMITATIONS

OLDIES, Sinatra/Rat Pack, THEATRE, Beach/DoWop,

Country & VARIETY

Jeff and Anne Collins, & Friends

WEB SITE: www.KINGSHAZAAM.com

email: king@KINGSHAZAAM.com

(843) 424-9124 South Carolina

704-545-1100 North Carolina

3rd Husband, Better than first 2

During the Christmas season, living in Myrtle Beach as a single woman just wasn't my best option.

However, the things I believed early on put me in a prison that made being independent look very attractive.

Husband #1: The church. Growing up in the South, this is the husband every "good girl" was supposed to have. Very traditional with all its rules and supposed to's and not offering any form of true life in return. Trying to live up to this Husband's standards coupled with all that guilt almost killed me.

Husband #2: The World... He seemed like a lot of fun at first. Found out he had a lot of his own ideas as well and his own rules. This man never returned any love, just moments of gifts followed by long periods of indifference. I found out he was a taker too and so damaged. As I aged, he pushed me aside, left me to fend for myself after he had taken everything I had.

Best Husband Ever: By leaving me hopeless and with nothing, husband #2 gave me a great gift. In a moment of desperation, crying out for something loving and real, I woke up to reality and discovered Husband #3 had been available all along. I just never saw him. Offering grace to both my past, my failures and a true acceptance of who I was, Husband #3 is the best husband ever. See I have come that you might find LIFE and find it abundantly.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

May you find the best life ever, regardless of whatever circumstances offer, in a relationship with Jesus Christ this year.

Thanksgiving Meals Myrtle Beach

Spring House Restaurant 2600 N Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach Thanksgiving Buffet, family style with all the fixings. Starting early afternoon. They will take reservations for parties of six or more. Adults approx. $13.95 and kids approx. $6.95. Landry's Seafood 1312 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach 843-444-1010 Traditional turkey with all the trimmings including cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, cranberry sauce, salad and choice of pecan or pumpkin pie for dessert. $21.99 for adults and $10.99 for children Reservations are requested. Chestnut Hill 2005 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach 843-626-4700 Reservations accepted from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thanksgiving Day Buffet includes Southern fried turkey, a carving station, fresh local shrimp, smoked oysters, quail grilled over an open flame, fresh vegetables, sweet potato souffle, cornbread dressing, Waldorf salad and more! $29.95 plus tax and gratuity for adults, $11.95 for children ages 4 to 11 and free for children 3 and under. The Brentwood Restaurant & Wine Bistro 4269 Luck Ave., Little River 843-249-2601 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Traditional Thanksgiving dinner will be served family-style for $24.95 ages 11 and older, $7.95 for ages 4-10, and free for ages 3 and younger. The meal includes Brentwood Salad, Roast Turkey, Hickory Smoked Ham, Cornbread Stuffing, Fresh Mashed Potatoes, Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Sautéed Vegetables, Turkey Gravy, Cranberry Sauce and Apple Pie or Pumpkin Pie. A la carte entrees are also available and include options like Surf & Turf or Sole Oscar. Reservations suggested. Margaritaville 1114 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach 843-448-5455 Margaritaville will have a "Thanksgiving in Paradise" starting at 11 a.m. All-you-can-eat meal with house or Caesar salad, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin cheesecake and Granny Smith apple pie. $18.99 for adults; $10.99 for children 4-12 and free for children ages three and under. Bliss Restaurant and Lounge 4606 Hwy. 17 Business, Murrells Inlet 843-282-6737 Thanksgiving Buffet. Carving stations will offer rosemary roasted turkey, fried turkey and prime rib. Other foods include seared salmon with smoked cheddar grits and creamed spinach or grilled pork tenderloin with a fig relish. Sides, salads, bread and desserts will also be offered. Reservations are available at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Greg Norman's Australian Grille 4930 U.S. 17 S., in Barefoot Landing North Myrtle Beach, 843-361-0000 A traditional Turkey Dinner for $24.95, which includes oven-roasted, sliced turkey, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, traditional dressing, oven-roasted carrots, giblet gravy and Grande Marnier cranberry sauce. Roasted Red Snapper served with butternut squash ravioli, lobster claws, caramelized fennel and pomegranate gastrique is also available. Other traditional sides will be served a la carte for $4.95. Dessert is Buckeye pie drizzled with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. According to their website, prices are subject to change. House of Blues 4640 U.S. 17 S., in Barefoot Landing North Myrtle Beach, 843-913-3746 Live jazz will accompany the Thanksgiving Buffet 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The price is $22.95 for adults and $9.50 for children, and $1 of each meal sold will be donated to Sea Haven Youth Shelter. The buffet includes Hand Carved Turkey, Roast Beef with jus and horseradish cream sauce, Salads, Boiled Shrimp, Macaroni and Cheese, Cornbread Stuffing, Red Beans and Rice, Herb Roasted Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables, assorted Breads and Pastries, Pumpkin Pie, White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding and Pecan Pie. Cypress Room at Island Vista 6000 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach 843-449-6406 ext. 0 Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner will all of the fixings in the beautiful oceanfront Cypress Room at Island Vista Resort. The meal is $29.95 for adults and $12.95 for children ages 12 and under. The price includes an appetizer, salad, dinner and dessert. Reservations are required and will be accepted from 12-3 p.m. The Caravelle Resort, 6900 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach 843-918-7072 Reservations can be made for Thanksgiving Dinner at the Santa Maria at The Caravelle Resort. Start your meal with a variety of soups, salads and appetizers like German cucumber salad, Turkey veggie soup and pesto deviled eggs. Entree selections include slow cooked prime rib, black oak ham with mango-cherry glaze, roasted turkey, seafood lasagna and more served with a variety of delicious sides. Chef Mike will offer an assorted dessert table plus an omelet and waffle station. Dinner is $23.95 for adults; $11.95 for children and seniors and free for children under the age of three. Ruth's Chris Steak House 8761 Marina Parkway, Myrtle Beach 843-839-9500 From 1-9 p.m., Multi-course Thanksgiving meal is being served. For $34.95 ages 13 and older or $14.95 for ages 12 and younger, plus tax and tip, the deal includes a choice of Louisiana Seafood Gumbo, Caesar salad or Steak House Salad for the first course; Roasted turkey entree with homemade gravy, cornbread and cranberry relish; and choice of garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with roasted garlic, creamed spinach or sweet potato casserole. Dessert is a duo of pumpkin cheesecake and vanilla ice cream. Reservations are recommended. Gulfstream Café 1536 S. Waccamaw Dr., Garden City Beach 843-651-8808 For $19.95 ages 10 and older or $9.95 for ages 9 and younger. Holiday meal will include Turkey, Ham, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Herb Stuffing, Cranberry Relish, Glazed Baby Carrots, Praline Crusted Candied Yams, Pumpkin Pie with whipped Cream and Pecan Pie. This meal is available from noon to 8 p.m. Hard Rock Café 1322 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach 843-946-0007 ext. 2 Hard Rock Cafe at Broadway at the Beach will serve up a Thanksgiving feast from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Feast includes chef carved oven roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, string bean casserole, glazed carrots, salad, rolls and dessert served with soft drinks. The buffet is $12.95 for ages 11 and up; $7.95 for children ages 4 to 10 and free for children ages three and younger with a paying adult. Reservations are available until 4:30 p.m. Marina Inn at Grande Dunes 8121 Amalfi Place, Myrtle Beach 866-437-4113 Thanksgiving Celebration with entertainment by the Judy Duva Duo. Traditional trimmings will be served alongside turkey, sugar glazed ham, beef, pork and more. Several other delicacies like smoked salmon and pecan smoked trout, salads, desserts and kids' selections will be included on the menu. The celebration will be held from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Adults are $42 and children ages 4 to 12 are $12.95. Reservations are suggested. Longbeards Bar & Grill 5040 Carolina Forest Blvd, Myrtle Beach 843-903-2905 Thanksgiving dinner for $14.99 for adults, $10.99 for youth ages 11-3 and $4.99 for ages 10 and under. The menu includes their famous deep fried turkey with traditional trimmings. Top off your delcious (and affordable) Thanksgiving dinner with a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Reservations are accepted. Landmark Resort 1501 S. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach 800-845-0658 The oceanfront hotel will serve up turkey, honey ham and leg of lamb plus a bevy of hot and cold entrees. Desserts include pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, sugar-free apple pie and more! Dinner will be served from 1-7 p.m. and is $16.95 plus tax for adults and $7.95 for children ages four to ten. Children ages three and under eat free. Avista Resort 300 N. Ocean Blvd., North Myrtle Beach 877-674-6968 Just Off Main at Avista Resort is preparing a special Thanksgiving menu including soup, salads, a lowcountry buffet, carving station and desserts. Selections include Sweet Potato Bisque, Stuffed Flounder with Shrimp Mousse and Newburg Sauce, Smoked Collard Greens and of course all of the traditional dishes served on Thanksgiving. Reservations are required. Adult meals are $19 plus tax and gratuity; children ages 4 to 9 are $9 plus tax and gratuity and children under three eat free. Seating times are available at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sea Watch Resort 131 Sea Watch Drive, Myrtle Beach 888-534-9095 Thanksgiving dinner open to the public. Entrees include Pine Nut and Basil Crusted Salmon, Oven Roasted Turkey and more served with an assortment of sides, soups, salads and desserts. The price is $23.99 for adults and $11.99 for children ages 4 to 12. The dinner will be served from 1-5 p.m. Reservations are requested. Beach Cove Resort 4800 S. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach 843-918-9000 Beach Cove Resort will serve a Thanksgiving feast from 12-4 p.m. They'll serve the traditional roasted turkey with dressing in addition to roasted round of beef, pork roast, honey ham and wild flounder Florentine. An assortment of salads, sides appetizers and desserts will also be available. Prices are $23.95 for adults; $12 for children ages four to 12 and free for children under four. The resort is also offering a turkey feast to-go. The dinner includes soup, salads, bread, turkey, honey ham with traditional sides and pumpkin pie for dessert. The meal serves 4-6 people and is available for $88 plus tax. You must call 48 hours in advance to reserve this feast. Grande Shores Resort 201 77th Ave. N., Myrtle Beach 866-471-0282 Thanksgiving menu for $20 for adults; $10 kids ages 4 to 9 and free for kids under three. The menu includes carved roast turkey, roast top round of beef, honey glazed ham and all the fixings. Top off your meal with pecan pie, pumpkin pie or chocolate mousse pie. Seatings are available at 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. Prince Resort at The Cherry Grove Pier 3500 N. Ocean Blvd., North Myrtle Beach 888-204-3380 Huge Thanksgiving buffet with turkey with cranberry sauce, spiral ham with peach glaze, roast beef, sides like green bean casserole and mashed potatoes plus salad, fresh rolls and assorted desserts and pies. Adults who reserve a table in advance eat for $19.95 (plus tax and gratuity) or $21.95 for same day reservations. Children ages 4 to 9 eat for $9.95 and children three and under eat free. 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. seatings are available. Reservations are requested. Papa's Restaurant at Breakers Resort 2005 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach 843-626-4700 Thanksgiving Holiday Feast at Papa's Restaurant with traditional carved turkey with giblet gravy, honey baked Virginia ham and slow roasted sirloin beef au Jus. Classic side dishes like parsnips, cornbread and sausage dressing, sweet potato and green bean casseroles will accompany the carved meats. 21 Main at North Beach 719 North Beach Blvd., North Myrtle Beach 843-315-3000 Thanksgiving Dinner beginning at 2 p.m. For $26/person they will serve fresh herb roasted turkey breast with giblet gravy and cornbread sausage dressing accompanied by whipped potatoes, open fire roasted mushrooms, candied local sweet potatoes, fresh cranberry sauce, green bean casserole with crispy fried onions and house made brioche and rolls. Top off your meal with a delicious dessert trio featuring pumpkin pie with bourbon whipped cream, pecan pie with Wild Turkey spiced creme Chantilly and apple pie. Reservations are being taken from 2-7 p.m. In addition to the plated dinner the events department will offer a Thanksgiving buffet for $29/person which includes apple cider glazed Vermont turkey, roasted shells of beef, feta crusted filet of salmon over spinach orzo pasta station, cold buffet, desserts and much more. The buffet is $15 for children ages 5 to 12 and $8 for children under 5. Children under 2 eat free. Reservations will be taken from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Bistro 90 7209 Hwy. 90, Longs 843-390-5151 Thanksgiving Day they will be serving their regular menu or a special Thanksgiving Platter. The platter includes roast turkey, Virginia ham, cornbread and traditional stuffing, mashed or sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet corn, homemade gravy, cranberries and dessert selections. The platter is $21.95 for adults and $8.95 for children under age 12. Call for reservations. Beach Colony Resort 5308 N. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach 843-449-4010 Mouth-watering entrees include turkey, honey glazed ham and roasted pork loin served with a variety of tasty sides, homemade casseroles, crisp salads and breads. Top off your meal with your choice of pies and cakes. Seatings are available at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Call for reservations. The cost is $19.95 for adults and $9.95 for children. Damon's Grill Two locations: 2825 S. Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach 843-626-8000 and 801 Hwy. 17 N., North Myrtle Beach, 843-272-5107 Both Damon's Grill locations will serve their regular menu in addition to a traditional Thanksgiving meal with roasted turkey for $15.99 for adults and $5.99 for children. Dinner includes roast turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy or sweet potato casserole, green beans, garden salad, cranberry relish, fresh baked bread and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Second helpings are complementary. California Dreaming North Myrtle Beach and Surfside locations, 843-663-2050 (NMB) & 843-215-5255 (Surfside) Traditional Thanksgiving dinner from 12-8 p.m. at both locations. Dishes include oven roasted turkey Breast, sugar cured ham, sweet potato casserole, green beans, honey-butter glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, southern cornbread stuffing, homemade giblet gravy, cranberry relish, cornbread muffins, pecan or pumpkin Pie plus coffee, tea or soft Drink. The price is $18.95 for adults and $9.95 for children under 10. The regular menu will also be available. Reservations are recommended. Carolina Roadhouse 4617 N. Kings Hwy., Myrtle Beach 843-497-9911 Thanksgiving dinner served from 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. The regular menu will be served from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thanksgiving dinner includes oven roasted turkey breast, sugar cured ham, sweet potato casserole, green beans, honey-butter glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, southern cornbread stuffing, homemade giblet gravy, cranberry relish, cornbread muffins, pecan or pumpkin pie and coffee, tea or a soft drink. Adults are $18.95 and children under 10 are $9.95. Reservations are recommended. Martini's Restaurant & Piano Bar, 98 Hwy. 17 S., North Myrtle Beach, 843-249-1134 For $19.95/adult and $9.95/child Martini's will serve a Thanksgiving Day menu with oven roasted turkey breast, honey glazed ham, bake crab encrusted grouper, seafood pomodoro over linguini and slow-roasted prime rib served with jus. Entrees will be served with sage and sausage stuffing and your choice of two sides. Dessert options include apple pie, pumpkin pie, mini-chocolate molten or mini-peanut butter cream pie for $5 each. Starters will also be served for an extra charge. Reservations are recommended. Salt Water Creek 4660 Hwy. 17 Bypass, Murrells Inlet 843-357-2433 Thanksgiving Day Feast. Adults eat for $19 and children eat for $11. The menu includes slow roasted turkey breast, honey baked spiral ham, sweet potato with pecans, cranberry sauce, homemade bread, stuffing, mashed potatoes, broccoli cheese casserole, honey glazed carrots, gravy and pies. Regular menu items will also be available. Reservations are suggested. Captain George's Seafood Restaurant 1401 29th Ave. N., Myrtle Beach 843-916-2278 Traditional Thanksgiving buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The buffet will include turkey, scallops, oysters rockefeller, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, pollack, stuffing, candied yams, collard greens and much, much more. Buffet is $21.99/adult and crab legs or shrimp may each be purchased by the pound for $9.99 with the purchase of a buffet. Patricia Grand 2710 N. Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach 843-448-8453 Thanksgiving Buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Grand Central Station. Carving stations include roasted turkey, glazed pineapple ham and roast beef. Side dishes like traditional sage and oyster stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and candied yams are included in addition to a salad bar, soup, cold food and desserts. Adults are $19.95 and children ages 7-12 are $10.95. Reservations are being taken now. Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse 2920 Hollywood Dr., Myrtle Beach 843-839-0777 Thanksgiving Day Feast this year begins at noon. All dinner buffets will be $21.95/person. The steakhouse offers sizzling meats brought right over to your table served with delicious sides. The salad bar features hold and cold items like sushi rolls, artichoke bottoms, jumbo asparagus and more. Ocean Garden Buffet 901 Hwy. 17 N., Surfside Beach 843-828-0500 All-you-can-eat Thanksgiving buffet for $11.95 for adults and just $5.95 for kids. The buffet will be served from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will offer traditional Thanksgiving items plus prime rib, clams, shrimp, dumplings, BBQ ribs, baked chicken and more. Louis's at Sanford's 251 Wilbrook Blvd., Pawleys Island 843-237-5400 Thanksgiving feast will offer a variety of first course options ranging from $7-$14, entrees from $24-35 and desserts for $7. Options include roasted butternut squash and lobster salad, roasted turkey and giblet gravy served with cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry-Grand Marnier sauce and sweet potatoes with bourbon and bleu cheese or pecan crusted rainbow trout with wild rice stir fried with leek, fennel, celery and carrots. If you'd rather enjoy dinner at home Louis's will prepare a complete turkey dinner for 10 to 12 people for $99.95. The Original Benjamin's Calabash Seafood 9593 N. Kings Hwy., Myrtle Beach 843-449-0821 $21.95/person when you bring in a canned or boxed good to donate between 12-4 p.m. The buffet includes 170 items including crab legs, prime rib and a Thanksgiving feast with all the fixings. Grandma's Kitchen 610 N. Kings Hwy., Myrtle Beach 843-448-2126 Traditional Thanksgiving dinner complete with a seafood buffet. The All-you-can-eat buffet includes steaks, fried and baked turkey, a variety of seafood items, sides, desserts and more for just $16.95/person. Eat at home, Grandma's Kitchen will prepare a Thanksgiving Dinner to go for $55.95. Thoroughbred's Chophouse & Seafood Grille 9706 N. Kings Hwy., Myrtle Beach 843-497-2636 Thanksgiving Buffet for $32.95 for adults, $14.95 for ages 6 to 10 and free for ages five and under. The buffet will include traditional roast turkey, a prime rib carving station, an assortment of salads and fresh fruit, kiddie mac and cheese, Southern-style creamed corn, desserts and more. Reservations are recommended. The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Join us for a Thanksgiving Extravaganza!

Join us for our GIANT Thanksgiving Feast at The GIANT CRAB! Let us do the cooking and give thanks with the Giant Crab this year. Our GIANT Thanksgiving Buffet will feature fried and baked turkey, cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, baked ham and roast beef, fresh baked breads, full salad bar, steam bar, along with your favorite seafood, pasta station and desserts such as pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cobblers, fresh baked greek pastries and much, much more. It is only $18.99 per adult and we look forward to sharing Thanksgiving with you at The GIANT CRAB.

Summer Weather and Falling Prices

This past weekend saw temperatures in the mid 80s with hotel prices only in the high $30s. Somehow that doesn't seem fair.

Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Hotels are offering rooms with a view for as little as $38.95 per night, even on Saturdays and Sundays.

Tell us here: What would make you consider a Myrtle Beach vacation in October?

Fall Football and Summer Beach Weather

What is the deal with the SUMMER weather? Its 80 degrees today and perfect in Myrtle Beach!!!

So tell us, where would you rather be today?

ON THE BEACH?

or AT THE GAME?

Tell us below for your chance to win a $25 Walmart Gift Card.

Pray for Myrtle Beach Councilmen

Is God real? Does prayer work? Or is prayer just a polite community exercise read regularly at civic meetings to create order and tradition, offered up to some random and distant God?

Phil Render Mike Chestnut

Myrtle Beach City Councilmen and City Manager Tom Leath voted yesterday to dynamically change the way prayer is conducted at Myrtle Beach council meetings.

The city has now decided that it will no longer allow an association of Christian pastors to pray before and at city council meetings. Instead a more inclusive, prescripted rote prayer will be read before meetings are held.

As reported by the local Sun News Newspaper, "The city asked the clergy and the council members to refrain from “sectarian” prayer and avoid calling on a specific deity associated with any one specific faith."

“The problem that has occurred is we can’t manage what they say when they get up there,” Tom Ellenburg, City Attorney, said during a council workshop Tuesday morning. “This [resolution] is to be more inclusive – not exclusionary – while at the same time recognizing the need for divine guidance in our affairs.”

Councilman Wayne Gray said “God hears our prayer and will hear it just as well through this standard invocation.” The Sun News reported, City manager Tom Leath cited instances where residents sued governments who held sectarian prayers at meetings and pointed out that the courts have always sided with the residents. But more importantly than avoiding a lawsuit, Leath and other council members said the purpose of the resolution was to be inclusive.

As a citizen, whose family moved to this area in 1767, I am left to wonder what caused this sudden civic concern. How broad minded of our elected officials to suddenly be consumed by the need for inclusion to many different Gods. I also can't help but wonder what former, but recently deceased leaders, including David Brittain, George Bishop, Craig Wall, General Hackler, and, even, Bob Grissom would think about this vote.

This leaves me with the same question, Is God real? Is Jesus Christ really God's son as so many of us have believed now for centuries? Or is that simply an old fashioned "Disneyesque" idea from a time now passed?

If Christ is who he said he was, he rules today and wants to rule in every heart now. If he is really who he said he was, he will sit on a throne, judge every person, and rule for all eternity. Most Christians hold up his role as a savior. He also called himself Lord (ruler).

The 20th century was, perhaps, the zenith of the emperical age. Americans created systems that we have all placed a large amount of faith in. Those systems in government, the food supply, and finances are just now beginning to fail in modest to concerning ways. However, some are beginning to concern over the large amount of trust they have placed in such systems.

With the dawn of television shows and movies like the Twilight series, it is clear that Generation Y has a strong affinity to all things Supernatutal. Why does such a facination exist? Is it a precursor to a new, Supernatural age?

The duality of a loss of confidence in natural systems and a hope for Supernatural Heroism is a dangerous combination that does require Supernatural leadership. If God is real and his word is real, then Christ's command to receive the Holy Spirit and allow him to rule inside is also supernaturally real.

Billy Graham was recently quoted as saying, "Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone - except God."

To a select few prayer warriors, Myrtle-Beach.com is asking this request: If you believe in a Supernatural God, whose son, Jesus Christ rules and reigns, please accept our invitation here to pray for the list of city councilman below.

Wayne Gray Phil Render

Tom Leath Susan Grissom Means

Mike Chestnut Randal Wallace

Mark Kruea (City Spokesman)

Mike Lowder Tom Ellenburg (City Attorney)

We ask that you pray for every man and woman on this list. That God would use any means necessary to make them desperate in every area of their lives for him and his son, Jesus Christ. That they would have the courage to represent him and see him as an unshakeable resource in their personal lives.

Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/10/09/3105909/myrtle-beach-council-considers.html#storylink=cpy

25 Years and Blue Mountains

To celebrate our 25 years of marriage, Kathy and I bought an 2004 Cheve with a cassete player. I love it because I have hundreds of cassettes with old music. Ten years ago I went to Singapore and walked around with a Walkman. The youth never had seen a cassette player and looked at me as if I just walked out of Dickens novel. The cassettes don’t have their full sound. Much of the music has evaporated over the years but my memory replaces the gaps. What I hear with my ears and what I hear with my memory merge into a deeper sound. Scientist have proved that our mind will unconsciously fill in missing letters, breaks in lines or lost images. The lack of fidelity of the tapes creates ditches where the warm water of memory fills and soaks the music.

25 years ago, Kathy and I stepped out of the church in New Jersey and onto the mission field. We have been faithful by grace to our vow, but we know we have not been faithful to that image of a perfect couple walking out of the church. We have suffered, stressed out and sailed into calm seas together. Our bodies are not high fidelity, either. There are gaps. If our wedding picture is the song, we are the sound of an old tape. But we fill in the gaps and the music is deeper.

Sometimes the only way we really hear is by remembering. When Jesus told his disciples He was going to rise from the dead, it didn´tsink in. After He rose from the dead, they remembered His words and it was like rain sinking into parched ground. Thousands of seeds uncurled into life. Everything was now possible. Somehow what we remember and what we are living now run together and everything is clearer and deeper.

As a boy I remember thinking that the mountains in West Virginia looked like the blankets on my parent’s bed. The distance softened them with blue and plum purple. I knew that up close the mountains were rugged, broken with fallen trees, and thatched with briers, but from afar, they seemed kind. Even raging stars are sweet light years away. I used to think being close to the mountains told the hard truth about mountains, but now I think the distance reveals the mountains as they really are - benevolent.

In the moment I proposed to Kathy, we sensed we were stepping into a destiny greater than us. It was like being on a huge ship that begins to move from the dock. The ship was so big you hardly noticed the movement, but it was now sailing. We did not understand all that God was going to do; the thousands of people, the churches, the miracles, the leaders. We did not know the amazing boys we would raise. We did not see the sleepless nights, the battles, the betrayals and the skirmishes with fear. We did not see the bullrings filled, the youth on fire, and the church plants. We did not see our times of exhaustion, brokenness and loneliness. We only saw the mountains, blue and sweet. Somehow we were remembering forward. And now we are looking at the next 25 years of marriage and ministry. No signs of going back to port.

Kathy would like to celebrate in Hawaii and I would like a 7 day fishing trip. Neither are going to happen on the 16th of August. But wewill sit down with some of our leaders, tell funny stories and tell how much we love each other. Then we will head home and sleep in the mountains of Medellin that once seemed so cruel to me. Maybe I´ll punch in a cassette.

Poem to a Day Off

I thank the night for letting this morning go
The city wakes so bright and slow,
Cars crash the air as breakers down the shore
And dishes rattle in the house next door.
Praise Him for letting this morning go.

No one to call, no one to see.
A dog digs his ear into ecstasy.
The sun makes me simple and free
One day to spend on me.
The sun breaks out of the star-kissed sea.
I found a door back into me.

Praise Him for letting this morning go.

Contradictions in the Bible

On one side there are the Christians who give no thought to the contradictions in the Bible and summarize their theology in a bumper sticker, “God said it. I believe it and that settles it.” On the other side are those who find a few contradictions in the Bible and say, “Ah ha! The book contradicts itself. I’m done with it.“ But most of us are in the middle wondering how to deal with the contradictions in the Bible. For years at Yale I heard the arguments of Karl Barth and others saying not to worry-The Bible is not the word of God but contains the word of God. That’s helpful. I felt I was arguing with my wife who says ignore what I say and just understand what I mean.

So how do we deal with the God in the Old Testament who throws stones at the bad guys and the God of the New Testament who refused to hurl one at the lady caught in adultery? We teach our kids not to throw stones and we see God asking an angel to hand him another big one. Teach Joshua 10:11 to some first graders. How does Paul saying in Philippians 4:6 “Be not anxious about anything,” mesh with “I have the anxiety for the churches,” in 2 Corinthians 11:28? He tells me to rejoice always in I Thessalonians 5:16 and then to weep with those who weep in Romans 12:15. How do we handle the contradiction between free will and predestination? The Bible teaches both. The church has had some real bar fights over that. We are like a kid opening up an old watch and wondering how the little wheels can move in opposite directions but work together to move the clock’s hands in the same direction.

I am not apt to handle the scientific or historical questions but I have seen a trend. When we wait and see, the truth starts coming around. For years some scorned the prophecies of the rebirth of Israel but not after 1948. The archeological discoveries confirm again and again the veracity of Biblical historicity. Quanta psysics Several times I have wondered about seemingly contradictions, which later reveal a common root, a deeper unified truth. When the soldiers were punching and spitting on Jesus, they screamed in his ears, “Why don’t you prophecy who just hit you?” At that very moment, Peter was denying Him for the third time. While they mocked the Prophet, one of his prophecies was being fulfilled to the letter just a few hundred yards away. Often we are questioning the reality of the Word and it just quietly goes on around us, fulfilling itself. I think we should think and not jump at conclusions. Paul said in II Timothy 2:7, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” God do not want us to commit intellectual suicide. He wants us to think about the Bible and then, He will give us understanding, that which stands under everything and sees the bigger picture.

My real problem with the Bible is not where it is confusing but where it is clear and where it contradicts me. Like a ship arguing that the lighthouse is off course, each century has its critics disdaining Scriptures for being off the contemporary course. Hey, we are in the 21^st Century you know. What does time have to do with it? Imagine telling something true to a friend who responds, “No way. It’s 4 o’clock, you know”. Voltaire who railed against Christ, "Curse the wretch!" probably said, “Hey, we are in the 18^th Century, you know.” He was sure his enlightening books would destroy the Bible, and so boasted, "In 20 years Christ will be no more. My single hand shall destroy the edifice it took twelve apostles to rear." Soon after his death the house where he published his writing became the depot of the Geneva Bible Society. I don’t remember seeing a copy his Dictionnaire philosophique on anyone’s coffee table lately.

In the eddies of a great river the water seems to turn in on itself but as Wordsworth said, “The river glideth at his own sweet will.” You can sit and worry about the eddies or launch out into the deep and experience the current.

Retirement

When men retire and take off the heavy coat of alarm clocks, troubles, stress and deadlines, they still feel the weight for the first few weeks as if the coat were even heavier. They think it must phantom weight, the way an amputee still feels his leg. But as the months go by, the weight is heavier and sharper. The stress turns into fear. The pressure of a tight schedule turns into the dread of a short life. And the uneasiness of not getting things done turns into the question if we have done anything at all. Suddenly it dawns on him that the heavy coat of business was shielding him from the heavier matters of what really matters. Like Mohammad Ali once said, “ The only thing I’m worried about is living forever.”

Along the beach, the retired walk furiously trying to extend life a few years. Even when we were 55, we called ourselves as middle aged, as if we would live to a 110. When we were kids and heard about an older person dying, we thought, “O well, he was old.” But now that we are older, we think, ”Oh, nuts”. We pick up novels, hobbies, and new interest to buffer ourselves from thoughts like, “Where will I be five seconds after I die?”

It is nice to know the Bible is not a nice book. It is not about how to be nicer. It is about what really matters: life, death, birth, new birth, judgment, and ends with a wedding. We crack jokes at funerals and joke about the Bible because we cannot just stare silently at eternity. Maybe we are not afraid of death. Like Woody Allen said, we just don’t want to be there when it happens. But we will be. Hey, I don’t even want to be there for a prostrate exam but I can’t send a proxy. But when the time comes, there will be someone there. The book of Hebrews says the Jesus has come to deliver us from the life long fear of death. Also, Paul said if the resurrection of Jesus was a hoax, we are really screwed (I Corinthians 15:18-19). If it is true, imagine. I dare you to imagine. It would be like waking up as a kid again on the first day of an unending summer. It would make our last years deep with the gold light of eternity. We could sleep in forgiveness. We could say what we mean to our family and friends. We could be peaceful enough to do a few things that really matter. That old dirty coat would be ripped away and we would be draped with a clean well-fitting coat warming us on cold nights.

Retire means to withdraw. It could mean to lean forward as a hand glider sure the invisible will lift him higher.

Stock Market and Termite Droppings

When we rented an old house in Cali, Colombia, it gnawed on me that termites were tunneling through the beams in my office ceiling. I worried about that. Everyday the termite droppings on the floor bored into my peace. I wondered how would we ever kill the termites. Suddenly one day, the owner told us to get out because he had sold the house to build apartments. Six months later, I stood in front of the empty lot where the house was. I looked up to where my office was and remembered how I would worry about the termites in the beams. And now the beams don't exist and the termites are gone.

We had our retirement savings in the stock market and the little dips can gnaw at me. When I had to minister to our church plants in the mountains in Colombia, I was out oftouch with the stock markets, and I arrived home to see the big red numbers. We had lost almost 25%. It was like looking at where a house once was. It would have been agonizing to watch the market fall hour by hour, but getting the news all at once was like a splash of cold water. Shock is better than slow agony. Big changes don’t seem to worry us as much as the little ones.

In England before World War II about 15% of the population dealt with extreme depression and worry. When the war broke out, depression almost disappeared. Then at the end of the war, the depression surged back to 15%. We need to have peace to worry.

On the night of October 27, 2008, I dreamed the DOW shot up 900 points. I shared the dream with my wife, my boys and my dear friend, PastorRandy MacMillan. I didn't think too much about it the next morning, but I did notice the market was up 500 points at noon. So, during the last hour of the market, I was on the phone with Randy and rooting for the DOW to hit 900. It did. That was October 28, 2008. I didn’t make any money on the tip but I think God gave me the tip to show me that He knows how to tip anything toward us. Letting money problems gnaw us is not a money problem but a heart problem, a trust problem. He is the owner of the house. He lets us live here. He will take care of the beams.

On April of 1975, God poured warm oil inside me. It was liquid love. That is the best way I can tell you. I opened the last closed door in my heart to Jesus Christ and I cried like a girl for hours. It was a bright Sunday morning in a white adobe church. That was the last service in the building. That evening, the service was held in a tent on a hill next to the new building site of the church. After the service, the pastor and about three of us climbed up on the scaffold and tried to pull and push the roof beams together. We could not make them flush. The pastor told us to come back early before work to keep working on the beams and I heard inside me a voice that said, "I will put the beams together." The next morning, I arrived with the other men and we found the pastor already on the scaffolding and the beams perfectly flushed. We asked him how he did it and he said he didn’t. As he was standing there wondering what to do, a slight breeze shook the beams. Then below him there was a lightening like crack, almost a sonicboom. He looked up and saw the beams perfectly together. To this day, Pastor Roy says it was the most supernatural event in his life. For me, it was theOwner of the house saying, "I will build My church and the doors of hell will not prevail against it." God is restoring His church. I need to remember that when I see betrayal, division, competition and two-faced saints in the church. It gnaws on me when I see selfishness in my own heart. Lots of things gnaw on me. Lousy stocks. Lousytermites. Lousy Christians.

There is something refreshing about looking at a leveled lot, a low account, a broken church. Look up. There are beams over us that will never fall. If we are quiet enough, we can hear Him building inside us and inside others.

Safest Place on Earth - It's not Myrtle Beach

I remember reading about a couple that was worn thin by the worldwide wars and decided to investigate contemporary history to find the safest place on earth to live. Finally the found their paradise and packed their belongings to move to their archipelago of refuge. They wrote to their families that they had found security and bliss in the chain of islands off the coast of Argentina, the Falkland Islands. The year was 1981. The British invaded the islands in 1982. They had front row seats.

Upon coming to Colombia we said the safest place in the world was to be in the center of God’s will. We have had threats and close calls but not one bullet hole in 26 years in Colombia. I once analyzed how many people were killed violently per year in Colombia in 1994 and figured that if the 4 of us lived in Colombia for 25 years, the statistical chances of at least one of the 4 of us being killed was about 45%. But I believed we were safe. Nevertheless, there are more martyrs today being tortured and killed for the cause of Christ than ever. In two millennia of Christian history, about 70 million faithful have given their lives for the faith, and of these, 45.5 million -- fully 65% -- were in the last century,according to "The New Persecuted" ("I Nuovi Perseguitati"). So following Jesus is not that safe.

When we moved to Medellin in 1994, it was the murder and kidnapping capital of our hemisphere. In the first three weeks in Medellin, I saw 3 people gunned down. A month later, another young man was shot in the head a half-block from our house. I called my friend Randy, the head of the mission, and told him how scared and sick I felt. He asked me if I had read the fine print in Psalm 91, “A thousand will fall at your side, but will it not come nigh to you. ” The promise is good only when the threat is close.

Jesus told His men to get in the boat. They got into the boat, into the center of the will of God - into the center of black storm. The waves were over their heads and the wind was over their voices. So much for being nice and safe in His will. But there was stillness in the storm, so still it stilled the storm. Jesus had peace in the storm and then stood up and threw His peace over the storm. To have authority over the storm we must first have peace in thestorm. I always thought of peace as being a quiet nice sort of fellow, but here peace is like a tough guy who quiets the whole bar just by standing up. In the center of Gods will, Jesus slowly stands up inside us and the fear melts.

I really enjoy being alive. I would like to live another 100 years. One thing for sure is we are not really living until we are OK about dying. Jonathan Edwards, the great theologian of the First Great Awakening said we are like spiders on a thread hanging over a fire. What holds us back from falling into eternity is a thin gold wire, very thin. This earth is not safe. Living is dangerous. About 275,000 people die everyday. The average person lives about 24,150 days. We only will see the sun set so many times. We will only have so many conversationsthat penetrate the heart. We only have a few more times we will cry at airports.

We live in the illusion that all this will go on and on. I remember a policeman who said that dead people usually have a surprised look on their face. Death is rarely planned. They say that every West Virginian has at least one relative whoselast words were, “Hey, watch this.” In 1975, an English bricklayer Mr. Alex Mitchell, and his wife were watching their favorite TV show, The Goodies. During a scene about a new type of self-defense called `Ecky Thump', Mr. Mitchell was seized by a fit of laughter. After an hour of uncontrollable laughter, he suffered a heart attack and died. His wife wrote to The Goodies thanking them for making her husband's last moments so happy.

So there is no safe on this spinning earth. I just heard that the 8.8 earthquake in Chile just knocked the earth’s axis off a bit and now we are spinning faster, the way a twirling figure skater spins faster as she pulls in her arms. So now our limited days are now shorter by a few nana seconds. Will we age faster or just get dizzy? This earth is not a safe place. Even joy can kill us. The only safe place I know is where danger and death are not so dangerous, and that comes from a very unsafe place, the cross where Jesus died. If you got another, let me know.

Holy Mackerel

When I fish, I don’t relax. I work 3 or more rods - bottom fishing, casting lures, throwing a cast net, fishing with live bait and using a sabiki rig to catch more live bait. I run up and down the beach, looking for any sign of fish, casting, rebaiting and changing lures. And many times I have said like Peter, "Lord, I fished all night and caught nothing." I would only add, "I fished hard all night".

Kathy and I are resting in Florida to celebrate our 25 years of marriage. We went down to the beach to vacate our home while a realtor showed it to a potential buyer. For years I had been working hard trying to supplement our income to hold on to our home. On top of the ministry, I was trying to promote several businesses, running up and down Colombia. I caught nothing. So I was resigned to selling our home, but I was still fishing hard.

As Kathy sat in the beach chair, I worked 4 rods. From 5pm till 8pm, I caught nothing. I was resigned to pack up the rods and head home. Kathy came down by my side. My lines were reeled in and I was holding on to a pole with the lure dangling from the top. It was a small flag of surrender. In the salmon-colored horizon, we turned to walk toward the gear. Suddenly like a flashing spear, a Spanish mackerel jumped out of the blue sea onto the beach. It landed right at our feet inches away. In all my fishing years, I never had seen anything like it. I have seen small baitfish jump on the beach, but never a meal-sized fish. Kathy yelled, "Grab it. Grab it." I tried to grab it but the mackerel was slick and almost electric. Finally I was able to grasp it and throw it up higher on the beach. After a few seconds, the mackerel laid still-the mouth sucking water that wasn’t there. Like someone trying to learn a new language, the mouth slowly opened and closed. There was no coin in its mouth but its quiet words were some sort of currency. Kathy kept saying it was a sign and I kept saying that it was unbelievable. We both had to keep looking at it to believe it. I tossed it in the bucket, but it was hard for me to stop fishing. It always is. So, I threw in my lure a few more times, but then I noticed the fish was flapping itself down toward the water. If Ididn’t quit, I might lose the holy mackerel. It was time to rest. We headed home and I cleaned it. Kathy cooked it. We prayed and ate it. I almost had to chew the fish to believe it was real.

When Kathy and I were rookies on the mission field, we saw a sign reading, "Watch God Work." We so often try to help God work or plead for God to work, but just watch God work was different. And there on the Florida shore, we watched God throw a fish at us. Fishing has been the love language of my heart. God spoke to David with sheep. He spoke to farmers about seeds, to women about leaven and He used fish to speak to Peter. Two thousand years later, He told a fish to swim full blast toward us and jump. Of course, there could have been a shark chasing it and it was just a coincidence that we were standing in the very spot the mackerel would leap, but that is a leap of faith too big for me. It was God speaking a bright word to my heart.

Years ago when I first talked to Randy MacMillan, the founder of Mission South America, he told me the fish were jumping in the boat in Colombia. I traveled to Cali and preached. I cast the net and gave an invitation to come to Christ, but before I finished, people were coming to the altar. 25 years later, we still see the fish jumping in the boat. We see over a 100 people each weekend run to Jesus. I suspect from this day it will be even greater.

As I write this, we will keep our home on the market, but we will rest and watch. We say, "Lord, we have fished all night, but nevertheless, at your word, we will cast the net". When we have tried every lure in the box and our lines reeled in, there is a swirl. Have you ever seen a fish in an aquarium or in the ocean suddenly turn direction without any apparent reason? A thousand fish may beswimming our way.

Conversation with Coffee

I saw the light on in pastor’s office. We had only met a few times but I knew he was recovering from heart surgery. I knocked on his open door and invited myself in for coffee. For a few minutes the pastor felt out the motives of my visit, and I let him know I had no agenda but to talk. Soon we jumped to the issues of life, death and dreams, as if we had been life-time friends. A good conversation in the last light of a gold winter sun is as good as it gets. Thoughts that make us so afraid alone at three in the morning are now tamed lions who sit at our feet like collies. The parts we understand about ourselves are so different, but the unmapped zone of our hearts are unfolded as a map of beautiful lands. The coffee was picked in other lands by men we will never know, and the pastor and I live far from each other, but we knew we were closer than the cup in our hands. At first the words were cautious as we built a swinging bridge of confessions in the air. Then we were both building furiously as we knew we could trust the other to met us out half way. Then we joined and crossed over with the heavier packs of hurt, joy, and amazement. Just two men having a good chat in a small office in leather chairs. Outside it was darkening and about to snow. If anyone had passed by that night, they wouldhave never known ships were landing in new worlds, that continents were joined and all sorts of birds, fruits and quick animals found new and wonderful climates in which to flourish.

Life, Pretty Much What We Do Everyday

I want to write. Catching something on paper feels better to me than being 13 and nailing a 3-pointer with girls watching. Or it’s like pulling a marlin from the deep blue. I’ve never done either but I’m sure they are like writing. A few times after writing a crisp line, I shout "Atta boy" and then with great humility, "Thank you Jesus." But I have not written anything lately but emails and sermon notes. This week I preached 5 times in the coast of Colombia, twice in Medellin, dealt with a usher stealing from the offering, and encouraged two pastors close to quitting. So, writing seemed out of the question.

Today I realized that I have been waiting for an ideal time free of pressing demands. I have been waiting for a cabin deep in the woodswhere it is springtime, forever. That day will never come. As Anne Dillard said, our life is pretty much what we do everyday. I better start writing daily. My professor at Yale, Henri Nouwen, said the pushed himself to write everyday. He would start writing anything and usually without feeling. He would push the pen over the paper and suddenly, the lines would become alive. So today I am writing to you hopingthat these lines will be like dazed fish that when released, awake, shake and dart into the deep. Writing should be something alive in me darting into you. Writing should startle.

There is nothing startling about us getting a good deal on a 2004 Chevrolet with only 45,000 miles. Nothing shocking about how much I enjoy talking with my boys till 2 in the morning about God, vision, pastoring and girls, but it is startling howmuch we love our kids. They will head back to college in three weeks and I already value each hour like the way we carry a candle into a dark room.

Right now the boys are at church. Kathy is ministering to the pastor wives of the city. My phone is turned off. A cup of coffee is my cabin in the woods. A marlin’s beak breaks the surface. Writing these clumsy words are like crossing over an old bridge into another country, closer to home. Words do that. They bring us closer to home together. The ball is up- swish.

Faith for Coffee

After dinner in a restaurant in Guatemala the waiter poured coffee into everyone’s cup except mine. Then he left the room. I felt left out. He served coffee to my eight friends but seemed to ignore me intentionally. I wondered if I had done something to offend him. If anyone needed coffee it was me because I love coffee- I need coffee- and this waiter walks off without looking in my direction. It was hard not to take it personally. Strange how many hurts seem to re-surface in a small offence. When he returned, I asked him to fill my cup and he said, “ Señor, I thought you did not want coffee. Everyone had their coffee cup with the face-up -la boca hacia arriba -, but you had your cup with the face-down- la boca haciaabajo.”

So often we think God should be moved by our need, but it should be obvious to us by now that being needy does not move God. We try to build a case with God how much we need and deserve something, but nothing happens. We feel hurt and wonder why God is dealing out His blessings on other people but leaves us high and dry. We take unanswered prayers personally and wonder what God has against us. Jesus, however, teaches that God is not moved by need but by faith. And faith is having the cup of the heart face up.

How often we enter into a prayer time or into a worship service with the cup of our heart face down. We have no expectation that God will speak or touch us. We only have our secret arguments why God should bless us, but our hearts are turned upside down. God is pouring out His Spirit in abundance and we have our cups upturned and upset. Sometimes our cup has been upside down for so long that it is stuck to the saucer.

In the Bible, we see Jesus does not make a case study of each person. He does not scan the person to see how much he deserves or needs the miracle. He just says things like, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.” “All things are possible for those who believe.” “According your faith, be it done to you”. We could argue with Him. We could stomp off mad. We could get a petition against Him. Or we could turn the cup over. Expectation takes the top off our limited reality and brings God into the action. Expectation opens the heavens above our little life. God really wants to get involved in our mess but He wants our expectation to play a part in it.

I could have complained to my friends about the waiter. I could have quietly resented him. I could have stormed out of the restaurant, but I turned my cup over. I got my coffee. What would happen if I prayed with my heart face-up?

Death of a Dog

It’s been over 25 years and I still feel the weight of carrying my dead dog in a sack to bury her in the back yard. I pretty much grieved alone because a pastor in a rural community should not grieve deeply over a pet. Eleven years of routines are not buried easily: the sound of keys, key words, the bounce of a tennis ball, a dog food can opening- all formed a rhythm in life easy to understand. On some slow afternoons, a dog looks into a man's eyes and the pleasure of just feeling understood is enough. Of course we know dogs are dogs and no more, but I have had dreams of seeing my dog running toward me all bright, gold and alive forever. We say to a dog, “ I feel a little lonely today”, and we get the same response as if had said, “The prices of potatoes in China are falling.” But the soft ears and the eyes paying close attention, and the explosions of greetings at the door, are bridges to a man’s heart. As the Russian poet, Yevtushenko, once wrote:

You remember dog that a woman once lived here…She has gone.

You settle quickly. There will be no other women here.

My splendid dog, so good at everything:

What a pity it is you don’t drink.

Adam named the animals and loved them and suddenly felt alone. Despite the pure joy of the lovely creatures, there is that, “What a pity you don’t drink” There is that something more to understand, something more to say and to hear deeply. There is no animal that can complete the circle of speaking and hearing. Where there is a home where the dog is the center of love, it is because the hearts have closed. Adam went on hoping for that something more and saw Eve. The glory of speaking and listening and knowing and being known began to blaze in his heart. She was almost just like him and that “almost” was deep and wonderful. The slight difference was more wonderful.

And yet, as deep as relationships are between lovers, friends, fathers and sons, there is something not quite enough. There is a “what a pity” with the deepest of human relationships, like a dropped stone that never reaches the bottom of a well. Our hearts yearn for something more. As the eyes of a dog look up to his master, my eyes look up the Lord.

Over 28 years have past and maybe I loved the dog too much. "Yeller" attended most of my classes at the University of Virginia and Yale Divinity School where she received a diploma, Titulumque Canem Fidelem Admisimus. To this day, Yeller is the only dog to have a Yale diploma. She hitched out West with me, taught school with me in Arizona and New Orleans, and pastored with me in Allentown, New Jersey, where she is buried. Maybe I loved her too much, but love is like a point on the trail when you decide to go back or go on. It can awaken the heart to long to love more, or the heart can say, “That’s it. No more.” Most often we let our heart die a little but what would happen at the end or death of any relationship, we’d say, “There must be more. I will look for it.” I just celebrated 26 years of marriage with Kathy. It is a good thing I got over the dog.

We all have been hurt, burned, jilted and forgotten indifferent degrees but how we respond is where grace comes in. The heart canexpand and believe that there is someone quiet behind the stars and speaking in the scars. I personally believe Christ is coming and not far behind - my dog.

Simple Pleasures Bring Joy

Fall is a wonderful time to enjoy, explore and embrace Myrtle Beach. There’s plenty more breathing room, elbow space and wide-open roadways to take it all in. I have always favored the Grand Strand this time of year as it downshifts to a slower pace, rousing the adventurer in me to stop, pause and savor all of what makes this place special. For me, it’s the simple things that bring me joy, laughter and solitude, and I make sure to sprinkle them abundantly throughout the fall. Strolling the beach at dusk with my toy poodle. Watching the sunset paint the sky brilliant hues while I lay back on my beach blanket. Riding the carousel at the Pavilion Nostalgia Park at Broadway at the Beach. Eating warm hushpuppies with honey butter while winding down at a beachfront bar and grill. Picnicking in the park with my two daughters. What are some of your favorite simple pleasures this time of year?

Reaching New Heights

Got a fear of heights? From helicopters to high rises to bungee jumping and parasailing, Myrtle Beach can help you overcome. For years I let my fear of heights keep me ground bound.I remember not even being able to stand on a high-rise balcony and having to crawl from the elevator to my brother's hotel room because the only thing separating me from the ground below was a railing. And somehow, I let my boyfriend talk me into a helicopter ride over the beach. It was the ride of a lifetime and I was a prisoner of my fears no more. Seeing Myrtle Beach from a bird's eye view was breathtaking. What I remember most is sweeping over the turquoise ocean and seeing the schools of fish, appearing as shadows, moving through the water, and how the wet sandy beach, dotted with sunbathers, was awash in a soft blue hue as it reflected a vibrant sky above, and the skyline of hotels, standing like sentinels over the beach. I had reached new heights and saw what I had been missing. And I was in awe.

Shifting Sand

I sank deeper into my beach chair, dug my toes into the sand and rested my head against the towel I'd balled up as a makeshift pillow. It was a late August afternoon and a nap was nagging at me, but I couldn't resist watching a father and his toddler build castles in the sand. I watched the little girl repeatedly scoop up and dump sand from a yellow pail. I couldn't hear their voices, but I could tell the girl's father was explaining how the moat he was gouging out with his hands would protect the castles. Unfortunately, the surf grew closer and one aggressive wave took out the castles. In its aftermath was a smooth, glistening canvas just waiting for the rise of a bigger and better castle. And then I imagined how life mirrors the ocean's shifting sand. How fortunate we are to be able to rise again when the storms of life tear us down and, like shifting sand, presents us an opportunity to rebuild and come back strengthened, renewed and invigorated.

Come And Get It!

Grilling at the beach on Labor Day weekend is my official going-away party for the summer. What better way to say farewell to summer and herald in the cooler days of fall, than having a juicy hamburger or charred hot dog, plenty of chips and dips, sweet corn and a red solo cup full-to-the-rim with icy refreshment. And for the grand finale, a big slice of cold watermelon or an ice cream sundae. Those tastes of summer take us back to childhood, carry us through the winter and linger a lifetime.

Ice Cream and Shooting Stars

A balmy summer breeze skirting across a moonlit ocean, the gentle whisper of rustling sea oats and an after-dinner ice cream cone dripping with sweetness have a way of lifting the spirits, nurturing the soul and deepening the bond between lovers, a mother and daughter or a father and his son. With the ocean aglow with moonlight and a twinkling night sky as our spectacle, my teenage daughter and I often perch ourselves atop the railing of a beach-side deck, where we share dreams, seek solace and search the sky for shooting stars. How simply a pause on a beach-side deck at moonrise brings respite, enlightenment and consummation at the end of the day.

Blue Moon Arising!

A blue moon will grace us tomorrow and you know where I’ll be - at the beach standing in its glowing magnificence! It promises to be big, beautiful and bewitching. The blue moon appears once every three years and has earned a reputation for a stunning appearance and for packing a celestial punch. Be a Moon Baby with me, come to the beach and feel its lunar power, playing the waves like a master conductor…it’s one of life’s enchanting experiences.

Credit: Dreamstime

Dance of the Butterflies

The annual dance of the cloudless sulphur butterfly has returned. It is a delicate dance that captivates its audience from August through late September. It seems chaotic yet it is ambitious. It is one of the beach's most awe-inspiring natural phenomena that I find bittersweet as for me it signals the end of summer but the promise of a refreshing fall. As they journey southward into Florida to overwinter, these yellow butterflies can be seen darting from bloom to bloom in gardens and along the seashore, sipping sweet nectar from bushes bursting with color. I was treated to their glorious dance this weekend as I watched them hover over hibiscus, petunias, lantana and impatiens to partake in their sustenance. And I too found nourishment in their dance.

My Beach Towel, My Beach Buddy

My favorite beach towel when I was a kid was painted with seashells, a sand bucket and seagulls. When mom pulled it out of the linen closet, smelling fresh and clean, I knew a beach trip was imminent. I remember dragging it across the sand, scooping up granules, once we hit the beach. It was my beach buddy for years. It may have arrived to the beach smelling like spring flowers, but it always left scented with coconut suntan oil and salty sand. When it became frayed and threadbare over the years, mom turned it into dust rags. And I remember feeling sad. It was synonymous with summer. Did you have a favorite beach towel growing up? Maybe you have a new favorite. How is yours painted?

Beach Firsts

Myrtle Beach is a great place for firsts. First dates. A first kiss. Seeing your first sunrise. Your first real sunburn. First time parasailing. First time flying in a helicopter. First time falling for a lifeguard. Eating your first seafood buffet. First time surfing. First time eating a raw oyster. First time finding a shark’s tooth. Deciding your first visit to Myrtle Beach won’t be your last.

Beach Magic

It is said that if you see a dolphin, good luck and protection are on the way. I will never forget one autumn day as long as I live. At the end of the boardwalk at a beach access, I was greeted by swarms of dragonflies, darting to and fro, as if they were excited about something. I walked through them towards the ocean and was in awe to see schools of spot jumping up from the surf while pods of dolphins rose up and down along the shoreline, their movement perfectly synchronized with one another. I stood transfixed at nature’s majesty before me, now understanding what the dragonflies were trying to tell me: I was to witness a truly magical moment-in-time at the beach.

photo credit: aManuel Martensen via photo pin cc

Young Adults Called "Cheapest Generation"

Yesterday, the Atlantic Online named today's 20 somethings, America's cheapest generation, because they largely refuse to own a car or buy a starter home.

The article was quickly picked up by other media outlets and spread across the internet, causing quite a stir here in Myrtle Beach within our own youth culture.

In an age when our baby boomer president, in concert with our baby boomer congress, have created a national spending frenzie, with out of control debts, many comments we have heard include, "It's about time!"

These comments have come in from Gen Y readers, Gen X readers, and yes, even baby boomers.

The Atlantic states that Gen Y consumers are living in Urban Centers where they rent because they are carrying large college debts and want to be able to move quickly, if job requirements change. They have limited job opportunites and see no value in home ownership. Increasingly Gen Y consumers walk, bike or use mass transit. Technology and travel are more highly valued than traditional baby boomer identification purchases of namely homes and cars.

What's your opinion? Are today's young adults on track? Are they inviting a new cultural shift in consumerism?

The Boardwalk Rocks!

The Myrtle Beach boardwalk has been named one of the best in America by SmarterTravel.com. With its mile-long winding path marked by palmetto palms, shaded resting spots, shops, eateries and arcade games, no visit to the beach is complete without a night here. You can ride the 200-foot SkyWheel for the most awesome view of the beach ever, sit in a gondola and people-watch, pick up souvenirs or put in some time playing a classic arcade game or two. You know you’ve had the complete boardwalk experience if there’s a streak of ice cream on your face or strands of cotton candy in your hair. Are you ready to boardwalk again?

Dear Lord, Take Me Home

The front desk clerk at a Myrtle Beach hotel once told me of a guest who made a last request to be able to die looking at the ocean. He and his wife had been snowbirds, every winter, since their retirement, and before that, made Myrtle Beach the annual family vacation. The husband became very ill and his wife feared they wouldn’t make it here again. But, as sick as he was, he insisted upon coming to the beach “one last time.” He wasn’t on his final vacation long before he took a turn for the worse and doctors told the couple that he had little time left to live. His last wish was to be able to pass watching the ocean waves- one of the greatest loves of his life. The hotel agreed. A hospital bed was brought into their room and set up in front of the sliding glass doors, so he could watch and listen to the waves. He died peacefully, on his own terms, with a smile…the ocean, his bridge to eternity.

Summer's Fade

Hard to believe, but school started back today across many states in America. Where did Summer go?

As Summer 2012 memories begin to fade like a plane taking off a run way, I am somewhat sad, and, yet thankful for the time that was shared along the beach with friends that included long strolls at sunset and quiet morning walks as the sea welcomed sunrise. The sun , rising up from the ocean's floor like a beacon, proclaims its right to rule the Summer day.

From cotton candy faces to icee freeze frenzies, the innocence of summer gives way to the drum beats on hundreds of football fields and the march towards winter.

Adios, Summer 2012, you will long live inside me.

Take the Beach Home with You

Visiting Myrtle Beach for a week is the perfect vacation from work, but do you take the beach home with you?

Okay, you can’t literally take the beach home with you, but you can take beach towels, t-shirts and other souvenirs with you. When I was a kid I used to love taking seashells from the beach home with me. I didn’t ever do anything with them, but it was nice to take the beach back with me. I love to visit friends in other cities and see people wearing Myrtle Beach t-shirts or carrying Myrtle Beach bags. It’s like a taking a little piece of the beach home with you.

So what’s your favorite Myrtle Beach Souvenir?