Loving Life Newsletter Winter/Spring 2018 Winter/Spring 2018 | Page 10

I TESTIFY
I AM WELL-WATERED AND OVERFLOWING
by Sister Audrey Thomas
DOLLARS
AND SENSE
FREEZE YOUR CREDIT NOW TO PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM BEING BURNED LATER
by Deacon Jason Good
While I was sitting one afternoon, resting after a day of
housework, I noticed a houseplant that I had watered the
day before. It was a pretty large plant that had many vines
extending from its root base. The leaves on the plant were
numerous and standing tall, which was not the case the
day before. The plants leaves were quite withered, which
caught my attention and prompted me to water the plant.
I gathered a pitcher of tap water and poured a generous
amount down onto the dirt that covered the root base.
To my surprise, the very next day as I sat my eyes were
drawn to a droplet of water hanging from one of the leaves.
It amazed me so much because that particular leaf was
far away from the pot itself and even farther away from
the root base. It was hanging almost off of the table, but
somehow that little leaf had perked up and was a vibrant
color of green. I thought, “Wow, I just watered that plant
yesterday, and today it’s overflowing with beauty and
moisture.” It had been so well-watered that the little leaf
had excess water to spare and a droplet hung from the tip
of it, just suspended like a crystal. It was a beautiful sight
to behold. Immediately, the Lord spoke John 15:5 to me
reminding me that, “I am the vine; you are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing.”
It was then that I was able to personally make the
connection between that scripture and my life. He also
explained that I had not directly watered the little leaf; it
was receiving a continuous watering from its root base. And
because the root base was well sourced, so was the little
leaf with much more to spare in the form of a water droplet
hanging from its tip. Then it hit me, God is my source of
overflow, and as long as I remain in him, he will provide for
me without me having to strain to do it for myself. That
little leaf was not begging the root base for life sustaining
watering; it was simply receiving the benefits of its root
source. It was well- watered as a result of being attached to
the vine which was attached to the root base.
I ran and grabbed my camera to capture the picture for
a pictorial reminder of how I can rest in God’s abundant
overflow because He is my Well-Watered Vine (Source) and
in Him, I am a well-watered branch overflowing with His
goodness to spare and to share.
Data breaches, phishing scams and other hacks have
become increasingly prevalent and lucrative criminal
enterprises. Almost every month, the media is reportingon
another retail establishment, financial institution or
governmental agency that has fallen prey to hackers.
In recent years, these attacks have been hitting much
closer to home as the places we tend to shop, like Target
and Home Depot, are among the hackers’ victims. Your
personal information is under attack like never before!
Earlier this year, Equifax, one of the three major credit
monitoring companies, was a victim one of the largest
hacks to date. This breach resulted in the personal
information of more than 145 million people being
compromised! To learn more about the breach and
to determine if you were impacted, please click on the
following link:
https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/am-i-impacted/.
The spike in these crimes has driven many individuals to
subscribe to credit monitoring services such as LifeLock for
protection. For monthly fees ranging from $9.99 to $29.99,
LifeLock will not only provide a host of credit and identity
monitoring services, but more importantly, assistance
with resolving the issues that arise when your identity is
stolen. LifeLock is not the only provider of these services.
I encourage you to research other companies to find a
solution that meets your individual needs.
A lesser known, but potentially more economical risk
management solution to curbing identity theft may be
to request a credit freeze on each of your three credit
reports. A credit freeze effectively seals your credit reports,
so new lines of credit cannot be opened without first
being temporarily “thawed” with your individual personal
identification number (PIN). A credit freeze will not
negatively impact your credit. As a result of the Experian
data breach, even the federal government is encouraging
individuals to freeze their credit to protect themselves.
10
As of October 1, 2017, Marylanders are now able to freeze
their credit reports one time at no cost. When there is a
legitimate need to access your credit report to apply for
a new line of credit for a mortgage, auto loan or as part
of a hiring process, your credit can be temporarily thawed
with your PIN for a nominal fee ranging from free to $10 per
credit bureau.
Some of the more publicized data breaches at Target
and Home Depot,where your debit and credit cards are
fraudulently used worldwide, are relatively easy to resolve
with a phone call to your financial institution or credit card
company. Other more malicious attacks on your identity,
like the Equifax breach, where a new credit account in your
name has been established, require a significant investment
of time,aggravation and frustration to resolve. If you have
ever been a victim, you definitely understand how much of
an inconvenience it is to restore your good name and credit.
For more information about freezing and thawing your
credit, please consult the following links:
EQUIFAX CREDIT FREEZE
EXPERIAN CREDIT FREEZE
TRANSUNION CREDIT FREEZE
11