Tag: lighthouse

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!

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!

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.

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.