In addition to this series of services, the Covenant family invites you to join them for prayer and fasting for our community to discover and grow in the Grace of God. The “Your Life Matters” message is 1) Know what you’re worth. Knowing that you are not valued by what you have or how you feel, but by what someone would give for you. God is not watching for you to fail so he can zap you. Rather, he loves you and gave his only son, Jesus to die in your stead. 2) Know what you want. Before you rule out the message of Jesus, make sure you know what the Bible actually says about his desire and plan for your life. Find out what the message truly is so you can know for certain what you want. Do you want what God offers or do you expect to do fine without him? 3) Be where you’re wanted. You may know what it’s like to be loved, but no one can purely love you unconditionally apart from the spirit of God who loves you that way. God doesn’t only invite us to come to him for new life, but he invites us to “abide” in him. Learn the joy of a relationship with your creator that transforms every relationship you have. 4) Slow down and fast. It’s easy to toss up a short and quick prayer to God like a drive thru window and he still is gracious to hear, but the challenges of this life demand and God’s spirit desires that our communion with him through prayer not be like fast food. Fasting serves as a reminder to pray and an expression of trust in God for all your needs. 5) Make a difference. Since God has no flaws for us to overlook in order to love him, he calls us to love each other unconditionally. Believers are always called to connect with other believers to be the body of Christ. Serving God sooner or later always involves selfless service to others with ministry and message. Focus on others and God will focus on your needs. Know the fulfillment of making a positive impact on someone’s eternity by helping them come to Christ. Covenant is so pleased to serve God and Nolensville by helping people come to Christ, connect with believers and go to the world.

At Kroger, where I used to work, we were supposed to address our customers something like this: “So, I understand you are looking for iceberg lettuce, would you like some bean sprouts to go with that?” Or, “our bananas are an excellent price today. Would you like pine nuts to make a salad?”

(Pine nuts and bananas, hmm good.)

In a clothing store it might be: “I see you are looking for shirts; would you like a couple of suits to go with that. They are on sale two suits for the price of one!”

The truth is, good up-selling really works—but it is also very much a matter of extra labor to do.

In the grocery store, we needed to stock our shelves and keep them looking full and abundant. Nothing looks worse in a store than having it look even slightly empty. A store that looks regularly under stocked gives the impression that it is doing bad business and may shortly close. No, you always want to look prosperous and well supplied with goods.

Two opposing problems immediately present themselves to the average employee. Before up-selling became mandatory his task was merely to be a help to customers and keep the shelves stocked and clean. But, if he is to fulfill his duties now, he must do that and also cleverly spend his time pointing out other buys a customer may need to make.

Really, the dilemma is not to be dismissed, because now you are supposed to have checkout clerks willing and ready to sell you that extra credit card you’ve always needed but didn’t know you needed until you got to checkout line.

(Here we have to contemplate the irony of being told on the news that America is in debt because it is addicted to credit, and the way out of the situation is to say no to debt; yet business can’t prosper unless we citizens are encouraged to say yes to debt and take on more credit cards. So, governments are supposed to cut back on spending while the average person is supposed to spend more and more that he may, somehow, pull America out of debt. Go figure.)

The clerk up-selling at the cash register presents another dilemma. You are suppose to think long and hard before signing up for yet another credit card, but everything at the register is supposed to be rush, rush, rush. You are supposed to have the credit card you already possess out and ready to swipe—even while you are making a decision about another credit card.

This can hardly be a happy moment for either the customer or the clerk, who must do this or he will be reprimanded by a supervisor.

Warning buying citizen: the pressure is on!

Only recently I was getting prescriptions filled when I was startled to hear the clerk at the drug store drive-thru window offer a personalized brand new credit card to someone who was in that drive-thru because it was the fastest way to pick up his prescription.

Think about it! You’re in the drive-thru and want to be on your way in a hurry, and there are several cars ahead of you. Things seem to be taking longer than normal. Then when you get to the window, you know why. The store is trying to sell you a credit card WHILE YOU ARE IN THE FAST LANE OF SERVICE.

To paraphrase the great Will Rogers: we will drive our way to the poor house yet.

Stephen Hines moans and groans about personal economic matters from the safety of Nolensville, Tennessee.

• Individual bonds: When you buy an individual bond, you will receive predictable interest payments. And when your bond matures, you’ll get the original principal back, unless the issuer defaults, which is not common in cases of “investment grade” bonds. However, the value of your bond, the price you could get for it if you sold it on the open market before it matured will fluctuate over time, primarily in response to interest rates. (When market rates go up, the value of your bond drops and vice versa.) In general, you’ll pay at least $5,000 for an individual bond, though that amount may vary. Consequently, while this approach gives you more control, it can be more time consuming and require a larger investment in order to   build a diverse fixed-income portfolio.   

• Bond funds: By investing in a bond-based mutual fund, which may own dozens of different types of bonds, you can efficiently increase your diversification, which is important, because diversification can help reduce credit risk (although it can’t guarantee a profit or protect against a loss). A bond fund does not pay you a fixed rate of return; instead, you receive dividends, which will fluctuate based on the underlying bonds’ interest rates and capital appreciation. In addition, bond funds don’t have a maturity date when principal is repaid.  Keep in mind that when you purchase bond funds, you could be subject to capital gains taxes in two different ways: if you sell your fund shares for a profit or if the fund manager sells an underlying bond for more than it’s worth. This increased capital gains liability is one reason that many people put bond funds in a tax-deferred vehicle, such as an IRA or a 401(k).

• Bond UITs:  A unit investment trust (UIT),   like a mutual fund, contains a variety of bonds, so you get the benefit of diversification. Unlike a mutual fund, however, a UIT is not actively managed and does not change its holdings. And since no manager is involved in making changes or trades, a UIT has low management fees. A UIT is typically established for 20 to 30 years, but, as an individual investor, you can sell your shares whenever you want, for whatever the market will bear. Although UITs can be some of the most cost-efficient, low-risk options in the fixed-income arena, they are not without risk. Specifically, since a UIT’s bonds provide fixed interest rates, there’s always the possibility that the bonds will lose purchasing power to inflation over time.

When choosing how to own bonds, you’ll need to evaluate many factors and we’ve only looked at some of them. You may want to consult with a financial advisor to determine which methods of bond ownership are appropriate for your needs. By doing your homework, and getting the help you need, you can maximize the advantages of adding bonds to your investment mix.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

A: If your son has no difficulty making friends and enjoys being active, then the first thing to do is play Sherlock Holmes to see if you can discover any clues that might explain this mystery. Start your sleuthing by talking to the PE teacher. Maybe something happened in class recently that might have caused your son embarrassment. If that conversation doesn’t help clear up the mystery, then call other mothers and ask if they’ve heard any comments about PE from their kids. Have their children said anything about your son and his refusal to participate? If there’s a way you can observe the class without your son knowing, I’d consider doing that as well. Hopefully, you’ll discover the problem and be able to do something to help solve it. He may have misinterpreted something that happened in class one day, for example, and doesn’t have the language skills to put it into words.

If you come up empty-handed, however, then the explanation may be that there is no explanation. As also happens with adults, children sometimes get into funky moods for no “good” reason. Like dark clouds passing in front of the sun, these moods hang around for a while then leave as quickly as they showed up. Most people have experienced spontaneous lows like this at times and not been able to make sense of and explain the feeling. You wake up one morning and just don’t feel like going to work, for example, but can’t identify any specific incident that might have caused you to feel that way. Regardless, you get up and go, but you feel “under the weather” for several days.

Occasional, short-lived moods of that sort are normal. After all, life has its ups and downs, and our internal lives have rhythms too. “Blue funks” of that sort become problematic only when they increase in frequency and or duration and begin to interfere with a person’s ability to carry out day-to-day responsibilities. Something along these lines may be what’s going on with your son. If so, that would explain why he is having difficulty putting his feelings into words.

If you reach the conclusion that there’s nothing problematic about PE, then it’s important that your son participate. I think the application of some gentle but irresistible pressure will be enough to persuade him to do so. Tell him that not wanting to participate in PE means he must not be getting enough sleep. In that event, he can’t play outside after school and has to go to bed early every evening until the next PE class. The teacher, meanwhile, should not make a big deal of his pouting. She should simply assign him to chair off to the side of the activity and not pay any attention to him.

I have a feeling that this is just one of those stumbling blocks that occasionally crop up in the course of raising a child (or, for the child, are just part of growing up) and that everyone is going to move past it fairly quickly.

On a relaxing Saturday evening, I walked in to the Cigar Bar and met the owners, Rhonda Tallent (Honda with an R) and her husband Carroll Davis (with two r’s and two l’s.) These two inventive people are “pro Nolensville” and by showing their interest, Cigar Bar is headed for a Grand Opening on January 26th from 4 to 7pm. There will be prizes for those who visit, including a personal Humidor. Additionally, there will be a Super Bowl party with soft drinks, coffee, and hot tea. Watch for the date of this event. Specialty craft Beer (Smithwick, Schlafly, and 40 others) is available for purchase to take home, as well as “Growlers”, which is a 64oz jug of the two drafts on tap this month. You may purchase packs of beer, but unfortunately drinking the beer on premise is not available. Hopefully by the time you read this and/or by the grand opening, permission will be allowed. The owners are waiting for ordinance approval from the Beer Board. In the meantime you can brown bag your own choice of beverage (wine or liquor). There is a very small corking fee for anything you bring in with a cork. They can also provide you with a one-time set up fee for glasses, ice to keep your beverages cold and napkins.

Rhonda’s background is very interesting. Working for Bell South for thirty years, she retired in 2007 and purchased an existing Vet clinic where she hired two licensed Veterinarians and four technicians. After 4 years of running the clinic she decided to invest in a new venture, and Cigar Bar was born. When you walk in the store, you get the feeling you’re in the living room of Rhett Butler (“Gone With The Wind”) The décor is very 20’s. A waterfall is purring softly in the background. A gas fireplace is lit up making the room warm and comfortable. There are tables and chairs throughout the store and bars along the walls, with one being the main focus. For your convenience, WiFi is available at no charge. There are also sofas and chairs to get cozy in while you smoke any number of top grade cigars, found neatly organized in the Humidor room, which Carroll designed out of the finest Cedar. While there are no authentic Cuban cigars, you have a large variety of smoking choices. Only cigar smoking is allowed inside, as the filtering system does not accommodate cigarette smoke.

So here’s the deal. You grab one of your cigar buddies (women included) and come on in to meet these fine folks who have another venture in the works with a projected opening date in April. It’s a retail animal store called “Animal House” and is being built, as we speak, right behind Dollar General. Dog grooming will be available, as will good food for your animal without corn and other “by” products. You can also purchase leashes, collars, and other items you generally have to travel to Smyrna or Cool Springs for. They are even incorporating a “DIY Dog Wash” that will allow you to bathe your own pet and save precious dollars. Yes, this husband and wife team believe and support the slogan “It’s right here in Nolensville,” proving another merchant is bringing our town not only convenience but a stronger economy.

If I don’t see you before, I’ll see you at the grand opening on January 26th. Store is located behind Sonic and behind China Garden on the breezeway at 7240 Nolensville Road, Suite 203. For more information feel free to call (615) 776-1700, or better yet, stop in. Store is open Monday-Thurs. 11A-9P, Fri-Sat. 10A-10P and Sunday 12N-6P. If there’s a sports event, the hours are extended.

Jamie, a Nashville Christian School graduate, earned a Finance Degree from Tennessee Technological University. She also acquired her teaching license from Middle Tennessee State University. She has taught secondary education, started and ran her own business, co-created, planned and ran the Nolensville Women’s Show and most currently, stays at home with her 3 children.

Holly, a Harpeth High School graduate, earned a Marketing Degree from Tennessee Technological University. She worked for Hardison, Englert, Rader & Co., P.C., a CPA firm, for 10 years before staying home with her 2 children. She currently does Sales Advertising for The Nolensville Dispatch and is the Treasurer for the PTO of her son’s school.

Leslie, a White County High School graduate, earned an Education Degree from Trevecca Nazarene University. She has taught at the elementary level while coaching basketball at the secondary level. She currently stays at home with her 2 children while also running her own clothing, monogramming and appliqué business.

Bring your little monkeys to open play & schedule your next birthday party at The Monkey’s Treehouse. Be sure to like them on Facebook for all the latest news & updates on events. Get more information at www.themonkeystreehouse.com.

With the heart health theme given by our UT Agent, Patsy Watson, we are asked to wear red to the meeting. Patsy is also requesting members to bring a healthy non-perishable food item to our meeting. Some examples of the food items are: low or no salt canned veggies, low or no sugar items, whole wheat pasta, whole grain rice and flour.

Also participating in the meeting will be people from the organizations we voted to make contributions to at the January meeting. These organizations are Grace Works, Meals on Wheels and the Nolensville Library.

It should be an informative meeting so plan to attend. Visitors are always welcome. If you have any questions, please call President Barbara Riddle at 776-2869.

Un- like me, if you have ever had a Chihuahua then you know that they are not hard to love at all. These dogs are naturally small, rather than being bred down from a larger breed. There are two types of Chihuahuas; the long haired and the short haired Chihuahua; Mr. T. is a short haired.

The Chihuahua is between 3 and 7 pounds when full grown and stands between six to eight inches. The AKC standards of a Chihuahua require that it not exceed 6 pounds. This breed has a well-rounded, apple like shaped head with a muzzle that is tiny in contrast to the head. The muzzle is also slightly pointed, and either will have a level or a scissors bite. There are times when puppies have a soft spot or a “molera” on the top of the skull. The bone usually closes as the dog turns into an adult. The trademark ears of a Chihuahua should be held erect most of the time, but may flare to the sides at a 45 degree angle when relaxed or calm.

Their eyes are full and round, and very expressive. It has been said that you can tell a lot about a Chihuahua just by looking into their eyes, which are set well apart and very luminous either in a black or ruby color. There are some Chihuahua’s that have light eyes in the case of a blond or white colored coat. The nose of a Chihuahua is usually blond or self-colored when there is a blond or light colored Chihuahua; otherwise they have a black nose which is short and pointed.

The body of the Chihuahua can be described as stout, robust, compact or even short with well sprung ribs. It is longer than it is tall, because of the off-square shaped of the dog. In males, it is most likely that they will have shorter bodies as compared to the females. The neck is slightly arched, sloping into lean shoulders and then continuing down into a level topline. The front legs of the Chihuahua should be straight, short, and square shaped with the back legs considerably more muscular and thin. The feet are very tiny and even considered to be dainty. The tail is a sickle shaped tail which is curled over the back or to the side just barely touching the back of the dog.

The colors of the Chihuahua vary depending on whether it is short haired or long haired. The short haired variety is the most common. The colors include sand or blonde, fawn colored, chestnut, silver, steel blue, black and tan, or parti-color just to name the most common colors. There are some Chihuahuas in other more rare colors as well.

Chihuahua’s can sometimes be described as “teacup,” “pocket sized,” “tiny toy,” or “miniature” when in fact these terms are quite misleading. They are not bred to be a certain size; they are just born a certain size. They are naturally small dogs and no matter what size you have, they are all considered to be the standard size of the dog.

The Chihuahua has quite a good temperament. They make excellent companion dogs, and are very courageous, lively, proud, and most of all, enterprising. Many people enjoy their Chihuahua’s for a lot of different reasons. While they are extremely affectionate they are also incredibly smart and may even be affectionately known as manipulative. There are just a lot of overall good qualities of a Chihuahua, but there are some qualities that may not be right for you.

Chihuahua’s both demand and give affection to anyone who they trust. They are bold in the way that they will move quickly to see what is going on, but will swiftly move to avoid any actual action. They can also be very strong willed, intensely loyal and will become very attached to their owner if treated correctly. In fact, it may turn to jealousy in certain instances. Mr. T. is for sure very un-sure of strangers, if he doesn’t know ya, well it may take a while for him to trust you…. I pity the fool who gets to close to him when he is in my arms.

– St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

I would like to introduce you to Marlo Thomas, television Star and CEO of her fight to continue research on children’s forms of cancer. Her father, Danny Thomas, built St. Jude Children’s Research hospital in Memphis, with the vision that one day cancer would be a disease of the past and that he and his partners (architects, lawyers, CPA’s and design engineers) would give everything they had to make that dream come true. Cancer is still a major illness, but because of the continued growth of this research entity, life of a high percentage of children have been extended. Leukemia, for example, used to be fatal for both children and adults. Those statistics have changed for the better. While Cancer is a major factor for St. Jude, they also treat other catastrophic and life-threatening illnesses.

Danny Thomas created St. Jude, and invested a lot of his own money into this venture, however, once built he and his other partners have depended on contributions to continue the research. I have been a donor since 1995. I send in my contribution (5.00 a month) and receive a picture of one of the children that are, or have been treated at this facility. Along with the picture I get a record of what I have donated, plus the story behind the picture. This month it’s Kiley’s story. At 9 months old she was a patient at St. Jude. Both of her eyes had cancerous tumors in them and one had to be removed. She will never be able to see out of that eye, but her spirit is what keeps her going. Kiley has had 11 rounds of chemotherapy. It was her Mother who noticed a white reflection in both eyes and her Pediatrician that confirmed the tumors were cancer and recommended she be taken to St. Jude for treatment.

Possibly you’re wondering why St. Jude is so special when we have Children’s hospital here in Nashville with so many lives being saved there. The difference is that St. Jude is a cancer research hospital. That’s their focus and every case is studied with not only skilled doctors, but research is following each case, digging deeper for answers. Also, this hospital provides a place for parents to stay while their child is in the hospital, no matter how long it takes. To sum it all up, if the patient’s insurance doesn’t cover the costs, St. Jude waives any extra finances. They never turn away a family who is unable to pay for services and that begins with the first appointment. There are children waiting to be helped, but held back because of lack of funds. Don’t let that happen because of you or someone you know. Contact St. Jude today for help. www.StJude.org or write to them at St. Jude, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101.