I pray that this year has brought you closer to Calvary. This year has been a remarkable year for me in so many ways. I have been privileged to travel quite a bit with work and music. The world is so beautiful. I’m not sure why, at this time of my life, the Lord has chosen to show me so much.
Standing in sharp contrast to the beauty is a war for the hearts of the youth who are being spiritually, physically and emotionally ravaged in every nation that I’ve visited. But some great leaders are rising up from among them, and there is a stirring inside their hearts which gives cause for much hope.

The miracle for me is the brokenness I feel for the world. Something has shifted in me and this affliction of spirit I feel for others is a great gift. It is the gift of compassion, of concern, and a deep conviction to do whatever the Lord calls to help build his kingdom as we march onward toward our destiny. I don’t know where He will take me next but I pray that I will always say “yes.” For in that “yes” is eternity. May your New Year be filled with opportunities to live Christmas every day, where a love of the Saviour is born in your heart.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

There is a very clever shell game that is going on in the retail stores around the Broadway district. I had previously been looking for wide angle lens so when the salesman said that he had a wide angle lens for my Kodak EasyShare camera I got interested. He said it retailed for $645 and would give me a “deal” for $400. I tried it, in the dark because it was night time. I bought the lens.

Bower Macro Crystal series 0.5x high resolution pro digital lens

When I got the photos on my laptop I realized that they were pretty grainy. I did some internet research and found the same lens retailing for $69 from reputable venders.

I called up Bower USA, (46-24 28th St. Long Island City, New York 11101, USA 1-800-446-7244 sales@bowerusa.com) the distributer for the product and asked them the MSRP. They said they had no Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). Within a few minutes I realized that they knew this racket was going on in New York, Paris and other high density tourist areas, and that many other people had called them from around the world with similar complaints. Then he said something very profound. He said to me:

Buyer beware!!!

That was his response. I said that reputable manufacturer’s provide a MSRP to prevent this very problem from happening, and Bower’s refusal to have a MSRP indicates they support this practise of 400% inflated prices. After a couple of minutes of that he hung up on me.

So there you have it. I bought a $70 lens for $400. Net loss $330. For sure, I should have done my research beforehand, which was a big mistake. I’m used to retail stores that have some ethics. So don’t make the mistake I did and pay big bucks for them. Retailers in and around Time Square are less than ethical. I should have known that since I lived in NYC for 5 years. But that was 20 years ago, and I guess I forgot.

So if you want your money’s worth
don’t buy Bower camera lenses in the big city.