Author Archives: RJ Hamster

I was born on 6 August 1956 in San Francisco, California to Janet and (the late) Richard Hovis. I grew up in Santa Monica, California where I attended elementary, junior high school, and high school (graduating in 1974), in addition to involvement in sports and recreation (Little League +, the Boy’s Club ++). Further, it was in elementary school – St. Augustine’s By-the -Sea Parish School that I found, and made the choice to truly journey with God. I attended Arizona State University from 1974 to 1977 – seeking to become an architect, however, I was not accepted, and, as such, I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree. Upon graduation from Arizona State University, I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied City and Regional Planning at the Master’s level. I successfully completed one (1) year in a two (2) year program – I did not complete the Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning – due to personal reasons. I returned to Santa Monica where I started (October 1979) my career as graphic designer with Exxon Company, USA. I spent five years with Exxon Company, USA. While working with Exxon Company, USA I was accepted into architectural school – Sci-Arc in Southern California, however, I did not attend preferring to stay with Exxon.. In 1982 I married Laura Flosi and in April 1983 we had our one and only child – Lauren Alain Hovis – a gift from God. We moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1984 from Los Angeles, where I went to work as a graphic designer with Kitchell CEM (from 1985 -1987). From 1987 – 1995 I was an independent contractor, and a registered representative in mortgage finance, financial management, graphic design, and drafting. Further, I attended the University of Phoenix and successfully obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982. I was also a member of the Scottsdale Jaycees, where I became very involved in community events and projects. In 1994, I accepted a cartography position with the Defense Mapping Agency in Reston, Virginia. As such, I relocated from Phoenix to Reston. In 1998, I was accepted and worked as a Visual Information Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2002, I worked as a Support Officer until my retirement (due to a need for shoulder surgery) in September 2018. Away from my Federal Government service, I have been involved in various organizations and activities in Northern Virginia. In November of 2011, I married Rebecca Ouellette in Santa Monica, California. I reside in San Tan Valley, AZ with my two hamster - Jess and Timothy, our fish, our lizard - RJ Lizard., and our cats - Pearl and Grey. As to hobbies, I enjoy playing sports, attending sporting events, mentoring individuals from financial management to hamsters, building models, photography, travel, multimedia design, managing partner for RJ Hamster, and jazz – smooth jazz to a samba or a bossa nova. Love and God Bless, Peter – aka RJ Hamster Jo hi

The Lord Rescues

The Lord Rescues

Do you ever wake up and feel overwhelmed by everything going on in the world? It doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes watching the news to realize just how broken our world is.

The world has always been a chaotic place. King Hezekiah spoke the words in today’s scripture after hearing dire news of an attack planned on Jerusalem by one of the most powerful armies of his day. His prayer expressed the burden he felt for his country and for his people. But, more importantly, he expressed hope and trust that God would save them. In the midst of destructive threats on the people of Israel and on Hezekiah’s life, this king knew that the Lord was the only One who could save them.

The same is true today. No matter how burdened and hopeless you feel, the same God who rescued Hezekiah is your God. He is always there, always ready to listen and to be a source of hope. Lean into Him today, knowing that He has already rescued us from the darkness of this world. Declare His rescuing power to the people in need of hope around you!

The Power of Confession

The Power of Confession

By Giovanna Bovero

After accepting Christ as my savior, I convinced myself that if I let people see my brokenness, they wouldn’t want to be around me. Scripture repeatedly shows us the opposite, and a woman from my bible study boldly sharing her story of struggling with sins, leading to an outpouring of confession, is a model example of how grace shown in a community of Christ’s followers can actually lead to revival.

There is healing power in confessing our sins to other believers, and we’re called to stand with our brothers and sisters in the fight, carrying each other’s burdens.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2

As we pursue confession to experience healing, we can walk away with a few practical steps:
1. Confess your sins to God and allow mercy to flood in.
2. Kneel before Him in repentance.
3. Seek community with believers and confess your sins to them.

Confession isn’t an action item to check off on our long to-do list for the day; it’s a catalyst for transformation, and an open door for God to step through that leads to healing.

A Faithful and Just God

A Faithful and Just God

One of the central aspects of the gospel message is that every human has fallen short of God’s moral standard. We’ve all sinned, or missed the mark of living rightly. We’ve all messed up, made mistakes, and acted in a way that goes against God’s design for our lives.

Sin separates us from being in a right relationship with God. But while we were separated from God, Jesus made a way for us to return back to Him through His death and resurrection. Now, we can be in a relationship with God again!

But even though we’ve been forgiven for our sins, it doesn’t always feel that way. We can still carry around the guilt and shame from our sinful actions—even though we’ve been forgiven by Christ.

That’s why 1 John 1:9 is a great reminder: when we confess our sins to God, He is faithful to forgive us. Our forgiveness is not based on our own faithfulness— it’s based on God’s faithfulness. Since we know God is faithful and cannot lie, we can trust that He will forgive us and purify us from everything that keeps us from Him.

This means that we don’t need to live under the weight of our own guilt. We have truly been freed in Christ. Forgiveness should empower us to continue to live righteous and faithful lives with God, and model forgiveness to others who need it!

Take a moment and thank God for forgiving your sins through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Thank Him that you are now a child of God, free from the guilt of the past. Ask Him to strengthen you as you walk in that truth.