Life Comes in Waves

A very good friend of mine spends a lot of time in Seaside, Florida.  We had several friends that kept telling us we need to spend time in Seaside.  A few years ago we took the family down for a vacation. We rented a house not too far from Seaside and spent a week going to the beach and just hanging out.  It was a great time.  The beach in that area has to be the best beach in the continental United States.  The sand looks like sugar and the water is an amazing light turquoise.  But, more than the beach, the feel of that community and the laid-back energy is like no other place I have ever been.

There are lots of short-term rental homes in that area (e.g., Airbnb, VRBO).  In 2020, Misty and I started looking for a house in that area that we could use as a vacation home and investment property.  Misty has always advocated that we need more real-estate in our retirement portfolio.  

A few weeks ago, we found the perfect place in Santa Rosa Beach (less than 1 mile from Seaside).  It is big enough to hold the entire family (and then some), is 1 block from the beach, has a great pool and is anticipated to be a rental machine.  We closed on the house on March 3rd.  

We named the house Waves.  

Specs on the house:

• 8 bedrooms (6 master suites and 2 bunk rooms)
• 8 ½ bathrooms
• 1 block from the beach
• Sleeps 30 people in beds (without sleeper sofas) 
• Heated pool and hot tub
• 3rd floor game room with arcade games
• Golf cart and 8 bikes

Helms Family Europe Trip

 From December 9th to December 16th the Helms family took an amazing trip to Europe.  We were originally going to Dublin, Paris and London.  But, Covid made that a little more complex.  So, we ended up just doing Dublin and London.  While we had SO MANY Covid tests - it was still an amazing time.  

Dallas Duplex

 In November 2021, we purchased a duplex in Dallas - 4828 & 4830 Worth St, Dallas, TX 75246.  We are in the process of remodeling it right now.  

 

Humans are Immortal

 

Triniti has been going through the college admissions process.  She is applying to 14 colleges!  It's a painful process of checking boxes, providing information and writing a countless number of essays.   One of her essays was particularly interesting.  USC asked the following question - "If you were on a stage with 1,000,000 people watching, what would you talk about?”  I thought Triniti's answer was a great one.  She said:

I would say, “Humans are immortal.”  Then I would explain:

“Your body will die but your essence (or soul) will never die, but will leave this earth and spend eternity in another place. I would tell them the story of a man named Jesus.  A man that is either God (as he said he was) or was a complete lunatic.

The Bible teaches us that when you die, you are going to one of two places - heaven or hell.  All men have rebelled against God, resulting in sin.  The price for our sin is death on this earth and an eternity in hell. No matter how ‘little’ the sin (e.g., a white lie) or how terrible (e.g., murder), it is the same death sentence. The only way out of this death sentence in hell, is through Jesus Christ. To quote C.S. Lewis, ‘The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.’  Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth as a baby, lived a perfect life, died on the cross to forgive all of our past, present, and future sins and came back to life three days later. His tomb was empty and there were hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw him, alive, after his death.

The way to heaven is simple; believe Jesus is God and give Him control of your life. That is it. That is how you change your death sentence to an eternity in heaven.”

The entire gospel message in a few lines.