Foggy Point Light Blog

Christmas Lights 2025

Merry Christmas! Christmas without a loved one is especially hard but the focus should not be on the absence of the loved one during this season of joy and light. It should be on The Lord Jesus and what He has done for us.

I must admit for some reason, this Christmas season has been one of a struggle for me. It is the 4th one without Jeff being here. While going through some boxes, I came across some of the lighthouses he had collected through out the years from Hallmark. When he passed from this world to the portals of Heaven in 2022, I had meant to purchase the lighthouse from Hallmark that Christmas but somehow I let the season go by before getting one. The next year and on up to this year I have made sure to get the lighthouse for each year as one of the many ways to remember and honor Jeff’s memory in a positive way that still somehow makes him a part of our lives even though he is no longer here on this Earth. This year I even found the Christmas 2022 Hallmark Lighthouse on eBay. I had decided to look to see if it was available and right before I purchased it, I asked myself “do you really want to get the 2022 year edition? That year was the hardest one of my life. I got to reflecting about why Jeff loved lighthouses so much and then I remember him singing “The Lighthouse” song by Ronnie Hinson with my dad years ago for a souvenir demo from the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. The lyrics of the song talks about the purpose of a lighthouse is to bring one to safety then relates Jesus as being the lighthouse to save mankind from “the rocks of sin.” There is a video link on a previous blog of Jeff & my dad making that demo at the Hall of Fame for any who might like to see that. I decided to go ahead & purchase the 2022 lighthouse as a symbol & reminder to my heart that while 2022 was a dark year for both TJ & myself that we can always remember that Jesus brought us through that darkness of confusion & grief. His light truly breaks through the darkness! He is still bringing us through so when struggles come we must look to the Lord Jesus and let Him be our focus and guide.

Christmas is the time to be reminded that because of the gift that Jesus gave to us by coming to this world to dwell among us as the Son of Man & the Son of God that He alone can save us from our sins. We can’t do it on our own. If we accept His gift of eternal salvation then we have the promise that our sins are forgiven and we will spend eternity with Him & the loved ones who also have accepted the gift of Salvation from the Lord. I pray that if you do not know the Lord as your personal Lord & Savior that you will ask Him into your heart. To learn more about having a relationship with the Lord, please visit http://www.peacewithgod.net

Below is a playlist of video shorts of some of the lighthouses from Jeff’s collection plus the ones I have purchased 2022-2025.

We love & miss you Jeff. You are always in our hearts!

Happy Birthday Jeff! You Are Not Forgotten.

Happy Heavenly Birthday Jeff! This is the 4th time you are celebrating this special day in Heaven while we celebrate you here on Earth. We still think about you and treasure the memories we have of you every day. We are thankful for the blessings God has so graciously given us in this life and one of those many blessings was having you for a husband and a father. We miss you as we continue down life’s journey. You are loved and You are forever remembered! Till We meet again on the shores of Heaven. With Our Love always, Julie and TJ

Jeff loved to take photographs and here are two videos of some of the photographs he took.

If Jeff was still here, he would definitely encourage you to get to know Jesus through a relationship with Him as your Savior if you haven’t done that yet. There is nothing like experiencing the comfort and assurance of the Holy Spirit in your life especially at this time of year. Jesus lives and he is waiting for you to get to know Him. For more information on a relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit http://www.peacewithgod.net.

From everyone at Foggy Point Light Publishing, Thank you for reading our books and please continue to pray for us as we find the right author to finish Project Vortex: Volume Three of the Foggy Point Light Trilogy. We pray 2025 will be the year for Project Vortex to be released. God blessings to each and every one of you.

Journal Entry from 2022: Thoughts About Jeff by Julie

“In a world of givers and takers, Jeff was both. He loved to take in what life had to offer. He pursued life with passion and a grateful heart. He was also curious and intrigued about learning how things work in life. His appetite for learning would have him taking things apart so he would have a better understanding of the design and mechanics of the items. He was also a giver, a friend to anybody who needed one. He became like a 2nd dad to a youth that had lost his dad in his teen years so much so that this youth started calling Jeff “dad”. His motto in life was to be a beacon of light that God had instilled in him. I think that is why he loved lighthouses so much. They have a purpose but also add to the landscape of where they are built. A lighthouse is a navigational tool for sailors of the sea to warn of danger and guide one to safety but they also hold an attraction to ones who stay inland as well. Jeff lived life to the fullest that he could possibly live. He was a great son, husband and father who had many interests and hobbies to keep him busy and fulfilled; one of those interests was to become a writer. One of his dreams took 10 years to come to reality. In Jeff’s own words, “10 years means 7 years thinking about the story and 3 years writing.” The final edition of Foggy Point Light was totally different than what he had originally imagined it to be and he credits God for the story as it seemed to write itself. Jeff’s original intent for Foggy Point Light was to be one book but then as the story developed, Jeff knew it was destined to be a trilogy. I miss Jeff more than words could ever express but thankfully memories of the time we did have together will continue to keep him forever in my heart.”

Another one of Jeff’s passions was to sing and he enjoyed being a member of our church choir for years. Below is a video of Jeff singing with the UHBC Choir in 2004 for a Christmas Special. It is just one of many videos that we have of Jeff singing and I thought this might be a good Christmas card from Foggy Point Light in 2024. May each and every one of you be blessed as we ponder the real reason for the season which is Christ The Lord who came down to redeem mankind with the gift of Eternal Salvation. Merry Christmas!

Remembering & Honoring Jeff’s Legacy as an Author

Jeff has been gone from this earth for a little over 2 years & 8 months. His family & friends still recall fond memories of him and miss him dearly. Shortly after Jeff’s entrance into Heaven in 2022, his classmates from high school helped contribute to having a Tribute Paver Stone installed at one of the favorite places and ministry that Jeff loved to visit and support in Charlotte, NC. The Paver Stone honors the legacy of Jeff’s first novel “Foggy Point Light” which is Volume One in the FPL Trilogy. It is located on the pathway in front of the 1927 Graham Homeplace at the Billy Graham Library. Jeff would be pleased because this was a gift of love from dear friends and family plus the paver stone program helps the BGEA in their mission to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ who Jeff accepted as his personal Lord and Savior. Below is a picture of the Tribute Paver Stone. Special thanks to Roger for taking this photo and sending it to us and the many friends of Jeff who contributed to this Paver Stone.

Honoring Jeff’s Legacy as an Author Continues with a Flight Path Brick for Volume Two in the FPL Trilogy “Ripples: Return to Foggy Point Light” Installed in May 2024 at the Newly Opened Sullenberger Aviation Museum in Charlotte, NC.

Jeff would be thrilled with this brick located on the Flight Path at SAM because he loved everything about aviation and the brick program helps the museum promote educational and fun aspects of the world of aviation. The museum was known as the Carolinas Aviation Museum which closed in 2019 and has just recently this year reopened in a new larger location at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport along with a new name honoring the pilot of “The Miracle on the Hudson” plane, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. Jeff was looking forward to the museum reopening so Julie and TJ (Jeff’s wife & son) decided it would be a fitting tribute to his memory in supporting the museum that was dear to Jeff’s heart and also to continue to honor Jeff’s Legacy as an author of his second novel “Ripples Return to Foggy Point Light” Volume Two of the FPL Trilogy.

Both Volumes of the FPL Trilogy are available in paperbacks which can be purchased through Amazon, Books A Million, Barnes & Noble. They are also available in Kindle, Nook & iBooks platforms.

Below are the links to videos on the Foggy Point Light’s YouTube Channel showcasing the above bricks at the BGL and SAM.

If Jeff was still here, he would definitely encourage you to get to know Jesus through a relationship with Him as your Savior. Then you can experience the comfort and assurance of the Holy Spirit in your life as well. Jesus lives and he is waiting for you to get to know Him. For more information on a relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit http://www.peacewithgod.net.

From everyone at Foggy Point Light Publishing, Thank you for reading our books and please continue to pray for us as we find the right author to finish Project Vortex Volume Three of the Foggy Point Light Trilogy. God blessings to each and every one of you.

“For Such a Time as This”

April 4th has arrived again and Foggy Point Light author Jeff Burns is turning 61 in Heaven today. As family and friends, we are celebrating the many loving and unique ways Jeff lived his life. Jeff was a loving husband, father, brother, friend, author, broadcaster, computer genius, comedian and storyteller. The list could go on as he was so gifted in many talents. He was definitely placed on this earth for a purpose and that was to be the person God created him to be.

“For such a time as this, I was placed on the earth. To hear the voice of God and do His will, whatever it is” Lyrics by Wayne Watson

The lyrics above are a short testimony of the type of life Jeff lived. Jeff’s Minister of Music at University Hills Baptist Church, Mike Toney, wonderfully adds to that testimony when he said, “What Jeff did, he did well to the best of his ability”. We so miss his example of how to follow in God’s will, no matter what God was calling him to do. Jeff excelled in being a practicing “Christian Lighthouse” during the time he was placed on this earth. He stayed true to God’s Word, even when he had questions. He searched and applied the teachings of the Bible. He really followed and lived God’s Word as Colossians 3:23-24 instructs, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”(NLT)

Video Clip of Jeff giving a testimony of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ at a time when that faith was put to the test of life’s circumstances shortly after his son TJ was born.

Please take time to pray today for the Foggy Point Light family and remember the blessed times that you may have had with Jeff. If you need to learn more about becoming a Christian, “now is such a time” to visit http://www.peacewithgod.net.

Happy Birthday to you Jeff and we love you & miss you so very, very much.

Table 16 at a Christmas Dinner 2023

“The menu for the luncheon was already preplaned, so they didn’t need to view a menu or place an order.” (From “Ripples:Return to Foggy Point Light” by Jeff Burns. Page 129)

FPL author, Jeff Burns, always enjoyed a wonderful meal. I have so many memories of him from when we were sharing a meal together. In fact there were numerous times he and I would “savor the flavor” of food at our homes or in a restaurant. Those words, “savor the flavor” together were Jeff’s comical justification for eating slowly when he was really enjoying a flavorful meal. He would do this many more times with his wife, son, parents and friends.

So I got to wondering how many times Jeff might have mentioned “food” or “meal” in the Foggy Point Light Trilogy. Turns out food and meal are mentioned 22 times in the series so far published. Not a unusually high number. He also didn’t mention the “savor the flavor” eating techniques in the trilogy either.

In his 2020 Christmas post on this blog, Jeff mentioned he didn’t get to attend that year’s Annual Christmas Dinner at the Billy Graham Library. (Jeff and his family did get to attend the 2021 Christmas dinner at the BGL) Like the quote above from his book “Ripples:Return to Foggy Point Light”, the dinner at the Billy Graham Library has a preset menu and no printed menus are required. It is a wonderful feast already prepared for each attendee.

It is now Christmas 2023, and Jeff is in Heaven for his second Christmas. It has been a difficult two years without Jeff physically present, but God has been so faithful and teaching those of us who loved him so much about resilience and the power of the Holy Spirit to comfort our grief in unique ways.

Earlier this Fall, TJ and Julie invited me to attend the Christmas at The Billy Graham Library dinner with them as their guest. I had heard how wonderful this event was and grateful for the opportunity to experience it. I had also seen pictures from previous years of the event and knew it was a real genuine celebration of Christ’s birth.

Finally, the December day arrived for the three of us to attend the dinner. The weather in Charlotte was clear and cold like winter should be. Before our dinner, we toured the outdoor Christmas lights and the Nativity with live animals in front of the Library main building. Then we enjoyed seeing the Christmas decorations inside the library itself. After that it was time to go to the Dining Room at the Main Office for Christmas dinner.

Here is one of the great examples where the Holy Spirit provides comfort from grief in a unique way that I mentioned earlier.

Going to the dinner, we knew what the menu was going to be as it was preplaned. But the one thing we didn’t know was who would be joining us at the round banquet style table we were assigned to sit. Similar to the story in “Ripples”, it was a meeting that God had arranged just perfectly.

At our table, which was number 16, was a delightful senior couple from the Stone Mountain area in Georgia. They were actually celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary that night. We enjoyed sharing stories from life and getting to know them around the banquet table. Christians just seem to have the gift to connect easily through conversations with the common bond of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives.

But one thing stood out at our table that could have only been arranged by God. All the banquet tables in the dining room had six seats around them as did our table. Every year the Christmas Dinners at BGL is a sold out event. Next to Julie however, was a empty seat. In God’s unique way, He allowed a empty seat to symbolically represent a place where Jeff would have been seated. All three of us left the dinner rejoicing in yet another unique way God provides comfort to those who grieve.

This Christmas if Jeff was here, he would definitely encourage you to get to know Jesus through a relationship with Him as your Savior. Then you can experience the comfort and assurance of the Holy Spirit in your life as well. Jesus lives and he is waiting for you to get to know Him. For more information on a relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit http://www.peacewithgod.net.

From everyone at Foggy Point Light Publishing, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! Thank you for reading our books and please pray in 2024 for the right author to finish Book Three of the Foggy Point Light Trilogy. God bless you in 2024!

“Lighthouses have always held a special fascination for me” Jeff Burns – Author, Foggy Point Light Trilogy

Jeff is celebrating his 60th birthday today, April 4th, with another “special fascination” he had. That was a genuine love for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who he had invited into his heart in his early years. As family and friends of Jeff, we dearly miss his smile, wit, intellect and his wonderful personality. We can only imagine the celebration he is experiencing in Heaven today. Enjoy this video clip below of Jeff and his father-in-law making a demo of the song “The Lighthouse”. The greatest gift Jeff would want for his birthday is for you to make sure you have a “special fascination” with Jesus Christ in your heart as well. Find out more here https://peacewithgod.net/

Three Words for Christmas 2022

On Christmas morning of 2020, our friend, husband, Dad and author of the Foggy Point Light series shared the paragraph below on this blog. For those of us who loved and knew Jeff, either in person or on paper, remembers how much he loved “everything” about Christmas. The front yard decorations, the most fascinating collection of lighthouses and sci-fi Christmas ornaments displayed on rotating Christmas trees, and his endless entertaining repertoire of Christmas carols, both known selections and spontaneous ones. But in this paragraph penned on Christmas day of 2020, Jeff really shares what his solid love of Christmas was really about and he gives us a three word message for Christmas of 2022.

“It’s Christmas morning. The presents are still under the tree, the smell of the Christmas ham cooking in the oven wafts in from the kitchen, and everything is peaceful. It’s at this time that we can take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Even though his birth took place over 2000 years ago, we can still take comfort in the fact that his presence can still be felt in the world even today, especially this year. “

Did you see the three words? Jeff first shares his very strong faith in the birth of his Savior Jesus Christ and affirms the comfort he received in his relationship with the Savior through the Holy Spirit. He also proclaimed that the presence can still be felt even 2000 years after the birth of Jesus. Jeff was sharing his testimony in this post.

But what about those three words… “especially this year.” The testimony could have ended at “today.” Jeff was impressed to write the three extra words because of world events in 2020. But those three words attached to Jeff’s testimony are even more important this year. As we know Jeff is in Heaven as of January 3rd, 2022. “Especially this year” is a good reminder to us who loved and knew Jeff that we take comfort in knowing without a doubt that he is with the Lord.

Those three words are also an invitation to anyone reading this blog to make sure that you have invited Jesus into your heart by asking him to forgive you of your sins and accepting him as your Lord and Savior. (Learn more at www.peacewithgod.net)

As for family and friends of Jeff who we enormously loved, he is reminding us in our grief to keep the joy in our Christmas celebration of Jesus’s birth, “especially this year”. Let us embrace Jeff’s three words!

A prayer for Christmas:

Dear God,

Help us not to lose our hold on Christ this Christmas. Teach us again to remember that the baby in the manger is the man on the cross and the man on the cross is the Lord of the empty tomb and the Lord of the empty tomb is the one who is Lord of eternity. We bring our prayer in the name of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Amen.

“From 40 Prayers for Christmas” by David Clowes

Video memory of Jeff singing “The Birthday of a King”.

“SHINING MEMORIES OF JEFF”

“I’d still like to take a look,” said Dan, “after all, I came all this way.” From “Foggy Point Light”, by Jeff Burns, page 28.

I was very blessed to have Jeff as a friend and adopted brother for 43 years. He and I experienced so many wonderful times together and we were blessed to have grown together through the tough times. I am beyond grateful for the time God allowed us to be friends and brothers to each other.

Curiosity about how things worked, operated and exploring his multitude of interests in his life, required Jeff to say the words many times that his character Dan said above in the first book of the “Foggy Point Light Trilogy”. He traveled, along with his loving family, many miles to explore his passions, including his love of lighthouses. It was through these travels and much time spent writing, that he was able to complete two of the three planned books in the trilogy. Jeff had already started writing the final book of the trilogy, “Project Vortex”.

Early in the morning of January 3rd of 2022, Jeff, being a born again Christian, heard the Homecoming Call from his savior Jesus Christ to enter Heaven’s Portals. While the suddenness of his passing from this Earth caught those of us who loved and cared about him off guard, we are grateful for the comfort of Jeff’s faith in God and know that we will be together again as promised in the Bible.

There are so many stories that need to be shared to properly honor the life that Jeff lived. The name of this particular blog post “Shining Memories of Jeff” was chosen not just because of the lighthouses Jeff loved, but also because when Jeff entered a room, he would bring brightness to the room and to those in the room. He was also gifted at making people laugh, but he could also make the complicated things, like Pascal or Cobalt computer languages brighter for those of us who just saw complicated darkness. He was such an intellectual, but had an amazing dose of common sense and humor, that he could relate to anyone. That mix of personality traits came through very well in his writing.

For almost 33 years, Jeff was married to his devoted wife Julie. He was also father of one son, TJ, who Jeff helped to create a YouTube channel called TJElevatorfan, which has over 16,000 subscribers and 19,000,000 views. Family was a priority for Jeff. Julie recently shared this sentiment about their time together, “I miss Jeff more than words could ever express but I am ever so blessed of the time we did have together. The memories that we made will last me a lifetime. Jeff will continue to be forever in my heart.” TJ also shared these heartfelt words about his father, “Dad may no longer be living on this earth but his light continues to shine through my memories of him. I will miss him until we meet again on Heaven’s shores.”

Please keep Julie and TJ Burns in your prayers.

Scott Raines, October 23, 2022

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

Video tribute of Jeff’s life prepared by his son, TJ Burns.

Christmas Morning 2020

It’s Christmas morning. The presents are still under the tree, the smell of the Christmas ham cooking in the oven wafts in from the kitchen, and everything is peaceful. It’s at this time that we can take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Even though his birth took place over 2000 years ago, we can still take comfort in the fact that his presence can still be felt in the world even today, especially this year.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this year has been different. Instead of a lot of the normal Christmas activities, holiday vacations, and dinner at the Billy Graham Library, we’ve mostly enjoyed Christmas light displays. We’ve found quite a few of them, even visiting some of the nearby towns to see how they decorate for Christmas. Mooresville, NC, about 30 minutes away featured an animated light display on the lawn beside the Town Hall. This was a spectacular display with trees, snowmen, stars, and more trees. You can take a look on the Foggy Point Light Youtube channel.

In addition to the displays that the various cities presented, many of our neighbors in the housing developments nearby decorated their homes for our enjoyment as well. There are 2 videos of these available on my son’s YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/tjelevatorfan. His Christmas playlist from this year is featured below. There are some videos where we ride through different developments and showcase how people decorated their homes this year.

Christmas really is a wonderful and joyous time of the year. My wish for you this Christmas and in the coming year is that you find peace and joy and comfort because Christ was born all those years ago.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!