Hooked On Books: Honoring Your Mother

from Osprey Observer Christian Voice Monthly May 2023

Pastor’s Corner

By Kelly Wise Valdes

As May ushers in a hint of summer and the ending to another school year, it’s also the month that we choose as a nation to honor our mothers this year on Sunday, May 14. Some of us may have been raised by strong Christian mothers, or maybe you were raised by a struggling single mom, or perhaps you were raised by a mother-figure like a grandmother or aunt. This day could also be a struggle for many of us who are currently moms and trying to figure out how to be a better version of ourselves for the sake of our children. This day could also be difcult for those who may have recently lost our mothers. Regardless of your situation, Mother’s Day is certainly a time to reflect on motherhood, parenting and the unconditional love that God has for His children. Whether you are a first-time mom, a single mom, a struggling mom, a working mom, a homeschooling mom, trying to become a mom, or a caregiver for your elderly mom, don’t lose site that we are all fiercely loved by our Heavenly Father. In Psalm 127:3 we are told, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” Have a blessed Mother’s Day.

Te Single Mom’s Devotional: A Book of 52 Encouraging Devotions

By Carol Floch

Through 52 devotional passages, this book shares the sisterhood of single moms how they can build their family’s nest in the protective shadow of God’s presence. Single mothers, whether on their own after a divorce or a husband’s death, will discover how to ﬁnd true life in Christ and allow the strength of that inner life to be the compass.

Save for college and retirement? It’s possible.

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Lord, Have Mercy: Help and Hope for Moms on Teir Last Nerve

By Ellen Miller

While motherhood is often a hysterical ride of pure joy, it can also hold some of the most mind-numbing, heartbreaking, and sacriﬁcial moments of your life. This book speaks to moms who could use a good laugh (and sometimes a good cry) as they live through the trials and triumphs of parenting in the 21st century.

Te Christian Mama’s Guide to Baby’s First Year

By Erin MacPherson

An entertaining, practical guide for ﬁrst-time mamas. The new mom initiation ritual involves sleepless nights, an unexplained obsession with baby booties, and more questions than answers. This book ofers relatable advice for new moms to feel conﬁdent including how you can manage to be a godly mother and a good wife on less than three hours of sleep a night.

Te Better Mom: Growing in Grace Between Perfection and the Mess

By Ruth Schwenk

This faith-based book invites you to grow out of the “mess” of motherhood and into a place where you can grow as a better, happier mom. Ruth encourages you to embrace the reﬁning work of the Holy Spirit to help you and your family not just survive but thrive. The way to becoming a better mom starts not with what we are doing, but with who God is inviting us to become.

Brandon Pest Control Brings 50 Years Of Experience To A Service Call

While people may not talk about bugs as much as the weather, insects can do a lot of damage, and when it comes to dealing with undesirable critters, there are very few local exterminators who can match the 50 years of experience that Brandon Pest Control in Valrico can proudly claim.

One indicator of the company’s success is that in 1973, when Rhode Island transplants Cookie and Lloyd Turchin founded Brandon Pest Control, they provided services to about 200 customers. That service base has grown to 4,500 customers throughout the local Tampa Bay area and beyond, including two ofces in Georgia, over the following half-century.

Termites may be the number one bug enemy for most structures, but the self-described bug muggers of Brandon Pest Control take on everything from rodents to earwigs in homes and businesses.

Technicians of Brandon Pest Control are trained in the latest eradication methods and put safety at the top of their considerations when on a service call. The staf of the company is also one of the most experienced to be found among pest-control operators in the area with many longtime employees. The Turchins attribute that

CLASSIC ALBUMS LIVE IS BACK AT RP FUNDING WITH FIVE ALL-NEW ICONIC CONCERTS

By Brad Stager

stability to taking care of the people who take care of their customers.

“Our employees have been with us a long time,” Cookie and Lloyd said in a joint statement.

“We don’t like turnover. Some employees have been here for over 20 years. Our employees are reliable and dependable, from our technicians to our ofce staf Everyone is happy.”

Some of the things Brandon Pest Control does to keep customers happy include inviting customers to observe termite treatment operations, as much as safety considerations allow; using ﬂow meters to ensure proper amounts of chemicals such as Termidor are used; cleaning all areas where work was performed; and patching drill holes. Interest-free ﬁnancing is also available.

Some signs that termites have invaded your structure include seeing swarms of tiny insects; ﬁnding a lot of small, delicate wings around windows, doors and baseboards; and ﬁnding tiny holes in a wall.

To discover how Brandon Pest Control can take care of your pest problem, ask questions or request a free quote, visit its website at www.brandonpest.com or call 813-685-7711.

Are You Ready to Rock?

The RP Funding Center is excited to announce the 2023 series lineup for Classic Albums Live, as it returns with ﬁve iconic album performances. The RP Funding Center would like to thank Southern Homes for coming on board as an event sponsor for the 2023 series.

Performed “note for note, cut for cut,” the Classic Albums Live Concert Series starts of on Thursday, May 18 with a selection voted as one of Rolling Stone magazine’s ‘Greatest Albums of All Time,’ Tom Petty’s Damn the Torpedoes. Then, on Sunday, July 16, an album which has sold over 18 million copies worldwide, Supertramp’s Breakfast in America, followed by the platinum rock ’n’ roll Led Zeppelin album Physical Grafﬁti on Sunday, August 27, which combines several musical styles into one eclectic masterpiece. Next is the widely acclaimed, chart-topping 1983 album Synchronicity by the Police on Thursday, October 19, and wrapping up the series is Classic Albums Live’s Lithium Show, featuring the music of Nirvana, Stone

Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and others on Friday, December 15.

The start time for all performances is 7:30 p.m.

To see all ﬁve of these great performances performed “note for note, cut for cut,” then look no further and become a Classic Albums Live Series subscriber. For $170, you get a ticket to each concert, preferred seating, free parking and 10 percent of concessions, plus a savings of over $30 when purchasing a subscription.

The new-subscriber series passes are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale starting Friday, April 21 at 9 a.m. Service charges may apply. Series passes are available by visiting the RP Funding Center Box Ofce or calling 863-834-8111. For event information, visit www.rpfundingcenter.com. Dates and ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

The RP Funding Center is conveniently located minutes between Orlando and Tampa in Lakeland, of I-4 on Lime Street, just a short drive from anywhere in Central Florida. Regular box ofce hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For ticket information, call the center’s box ofﬁce or visit its website.

Alafia River Canoe Rentals Has Been Local Source On The Alafia For Nearly 50 Years

By Jonathan Hurst

For those looking for a fun activity for the whole family or maybe just an afternoon in nature, look no further than Alafia River Canoe Rentals, located on the banks of the Alafia River just of of Lithia Pinecrest Road. Tucked among the trees, Alafia River Canoe Rentals has served the Southeastern Hillsborough County area for close to 50 years. For a mere $25 for a full day’s rental of a canoe, it is difcult not to have a good time navigating the twists and turns of the Alafia.

When you pull up to Alaﬁa River Canoe, you are quickly greeted by owner and founder Sybil (who prefers her last name not be used), from where she operates the business beneath her house, as she has for decades. From the time you approach the stand to when you return to the docks, Sybil is the epitome of customer service. With her answering any questions you may have about the river and the area she knows like the back of her hand, you can feel conﬁdent that you will have a great day on the river when renting here. This long-standing business came to be in 1976 when Sybil’s husband went out to get a canoe to navigate the periodi-

EXPRESS OIL CHANGE & TIRE ENGINEERS IS A ONE-STOP SHOP

By Libby Hopkins

cal flood waters that would come around their house — and ultimately returned with four of them. Over the next decade or so, those four canoes grew into a fleet of canoes and kayaks, peaking close to 200 in the 1990s. While the success sparked two other canoe rentals nearby in the past, in 2023, Alafia River Canoe Rentals stands alone as the oldest canoe rental for the Alafia River.

“We just stuck it out through the ﬂoods and some tougher times, and we are still here,” Sybil said.

While it has sold of about half of those canoes in recent times, that has not led a downturn, as the company is ﬁrmly entrenched in the community it serves, and there are no plans to go anywhere anytime soon. Most popular in the springtime, as that is when the river is the most stable, it attempts to operate year-round.

If you ﬁnd yourself interested, it is recommended to call ahead of time to make sure the river is navigable. For more information, call 813-689-8645 or visit its Facebook page, Alaﬁa River Canoe Rentals. It is located at 4419 River Dr. in Valrico.

Jeremy Persinger, is the owner and operator of Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, located in Riverview. His Riverview business has been family-owned and operated since 2020. Persinger had another location that he opened in Bradenton in 2018. “I started with corporate Express Oil Change in 2015,” Persinger said. “Express Oil Change was in express expansion mode, and they had just acquired Tire Engineers, so they brought me on to help grow both businesses because they knew they were going to co-brand the businesses.”

Persinger said that many businesses call themselves a one-stop shop, but he feels his business truly is one. “A lot of places can do your oil changes very quickly, but they can’t do tires or mechanical services,” Persinger said. “So, if you need brakes or other vehicle services, they have to send you somewhere else. We are really one of the national brands that can do both.”

If you ask Persinger what he likes most about what he does at Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, he will tell you: everything. “I truly love being a part of the team, and I love interacting with our customers. We’ll even make you a cup of cofee if you ask.”

In order to deliver a consistent customer experience every time, Persinger’s advice is, “Don’t do anything you don’t already do on a daily basis.”

Persinger is also active with the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation and has been on the board since 2008, chairing two fishing events as well as the marketing committee for the foundation. Since becoming a part of the organization, they have raised over $30 million towards fighting Pediatric Cancer and have watched the survival rate go from three out of five kids to four out of five kids in that time frame. “Each clinical trial we put these kids through costs about $15K,” Persinger said. “We pay for all of it for them, and we pray for a day that there is not a need for what we do at the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.”

Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.6 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; it is closed on Sunday.

For more information about Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, visit its website at www.expressoil.com/stores/riverview/ ﬂ/0831/ or call 813-499-9606. The shop is located at 11690 Boyette Rd. in Riverview, next to Culver’s.

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