Devotional

Unconditional Love

Jesus gave us the command to love one another unconditionally in John 13:34. We know that He also modeled that by the way He lived, interacted, reacted, and even died. I have pondered that if I spent 3+ years with Jesus could I have become a super disciple myself? I would have had intimate experience into how he lived, almost 24x7, way beyond what we read in the four gospel accounts. Ever wish you had such a daily model of love?

God reminded me this morning that He still teaches us every day how to love if we are attentive to those around us. The other day our beloved Chief of Staff, Karbon (pictured above), went home to heaven after almost 16 years living with us. God reminded me Karbon was a living lesson in love which He gave us for all those wonderful years. If you have a dog, you will know they demonstrate unconditional love. They are always loving, attentive and so forgiving, way beyond what most humans are capable of. Yet, they are exactly the type of love model we should follow. 

Don't get me wrong, what Jesus demonstrated on earth was infinitely more love than a dog could show in terms of loving unconditionally. But if I can just start loving my neighbor unconditionally like Karbon did, I would be a step closer to obeying the command Jesus issued. Remember it was a command, not a suggestion. So while Jesus is our ultimate guide to living a life of unconditional love, ask yourself who around you models such love that you can learn from? 

Remember, God is the definition of love as we learn in 1 John 4:8: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

We cannot attain perfection in loving, but as Christ followers we must strive to model it. Learn from Jesus' life and ministry, other Godly mentors, and even a four legged buddy, like Karbon.

Financial Update

The Billion-Dollar Business Beneath Our Feet

Oil, gold, and copper are traditionally the talking points in natural resources, while those we walk on every day, such as crushed stone, sand, and gravel, rarely make the list. However, these ordinary materials, collectively known as construction aggregates, form the foundation of nearly everything America builds.

Construction sand, gravel

In the United States alone, construction aggregate production was valued at an estimated $39.4 billion in 2025, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (Gravel alone accounted for roughly 870 million metric tons, valued at $12.6 billion, while crushed stone contributed another $26.8 billion, making it America's largest nonfuel mineral commodity by production value.) 

Globally, the broader construction aggregates market is estimated at roughly $556 billion in 2026. 

About 42% of construction sand and gravel is used in Portland cement concrete; another 20% goes toward road bases and coverings; and the remainder is consumed by asphalt, construction fill, railroad ballast, drainage, and numerous other applications.

One reason the aggregates business is attractive is due to geography. Rocks are heavy but relatively inexpensive, making long-distance transportation costly. A typical truck carries only around 20–25 tons of aggregates. As transportation distance increases, freight can quickly (and increasingly) become a significant portion of the delivered cost. This makes quarries located near growing metropolitan areas even more valuable.

New quarries require suitable geological reserves, land, zoning, environmental approvals, and permits. Vulcan Materials, America's largest aggregates producer, reports having 425 active aggregates facilities and approximately 16.6 billion tons of reserves. The company says increasingly restrictive zoning and permitting have made developing new quarries more difficult, potentially increasing the strategic value of existing permitted reserves.

Demand also comes from several parts of the economy. Roads, bridges, airports, housing developments, factories, utilities, and water infrastructure all consume aggregates. Martin Marietta, another major producer, shipped 198.5 million tons in 2025, with infrastructure volumes rising 5% and nonresidential volumes increasing 6%. Perhaps more interesting for investors, its average aggregates selling price increased 6.9% from the previous year.

Investors seeking direct exposure can research Vulcan Materials (VMC) and Martin Marietta Materials (MLM), while CRH (CRH) offers broader exposure across aggregates and other building materials. More diversified approaches include the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) and Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLB).

The aggregates industry offers a valuable investing lesson: competitive advantages don't always come from sophisticated technology. Sometimes they come from owning an irreplaceable physical asset in exactly the right location.

America cannot build without aggregates. And as roads are repaired, cities expand, factories rise, and infrastructure is modernized, some businesses benefiting from that investment may quite literally be sitting on mountains of opportunity.

Tech Update

Terafab - From Another Planet?

I recently learned from this video of Elon Musk's Terafab manufacturing site in development in Texas, that made me wonder again if he may be an alien. Ok, that’s a topic for another article :-). But the mass size and ambition of what will be the world's largest manufacturing facility under a single roof by far should leave everyone in awe.

Let’s start with the planned size of 100 million square feet. That’s not a typo. Consider that the AT&T Stadium in Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys that seats 80,000 fans, is 3 million square feet. Terafab will be 33 times the footprint of AT&T Stadium!

Next, consider the cost for the project which is a joint development by Tesla, SpaceX and Intel. The initial phase is planned to be open in 2028 and has a capital expenditure estimated around $17 billion. The full multi-phase projected cost is estimated to be $119 billion, which is about the GDP of countries like Kenya, Oman and Bulgaria.

So what is a Terafab?

Terafab will be the world’s first fully consolidated semiconductor manufacturing facility. Today, semiconductors are designed, fabricated, tested and packaged in multiple global locations which requires complex logistics and incurs high costs. With Terafab, everything from circuit design and photomask generation, wafer fabrication (sub-5nm/2nm-class), memory production, multi-chip module packaging and testing will all be in the same facility.

The goal of Terafab is to produce chips delivering a total of 1 terawatt of compute power per year. To put that into perspective, it’s equivalent to the entire power consumed by the US power grid annually today.

These AI optimized chips will be used in Tesla’s autonomous vehicles, Optimus humanoid robots, and SpaceX’s orbital AI data centers, among other things. Tesla plans to ramp up robot production to 10 million per year and SpaceX is planning 100,000+ satellites, all of which require a lot of compute power.

It's kind of funny to think that once completed the world's largest terrestrial man-made facility will be visible from space. It reveals the interdependence of Tesla and SpaceX, and of course their common denominator founder, who perhaps hails from both :-).

Health Nuggets

New mRNA Flu Vaccine - Safe and Effective Or Dangerous?

It’s that time of year again and HHS will be releasing their latest mRNA Flu Vaccine called mFLUSIVA by Moderna. Before we run to the drug stores or doctor’s offices, let’s dig into some of the information being made available for us to make an informed decision, before consulting your doctor.

Dr. Jane Ruby, from Florida, revealed that Moderna admits this mRNA shot gets into cells with no known shut off mechanism. Professor Sucharit Bhakdi explains how dangerous this science of mRNA production can be. This new gene technology will be pushed onto the adults 65+, which FDA’s own file on the shot shows that 3 in 4 adults had a reaction. These shots will be causing major blood clots; will not be good for pregnant and nursing moms.   Learn more and watch the video here.

Another great informational video is from Dr. Campbell, from the UK. This doctor got injured by the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine in 2021 and has since made it his mission to prevent others from getting injured. The statistics are speaking for themselves.  For example, the new vaccine only having a 0.8% absolute risk reduction benefit. Learn more and watch the video here.

On April 27, 2020, Dr. Fauci said he would save the world with this new technology. Find a way to read his journals which reveal many lies and deceptions. In December 2025, Helmut Sterz, Pfizer’s former Chief Toxicologist, proved how toxic substances were unlawfully sold to us as a solution for COVID-19.  Get his book titled “The Vaccine Mafia”. These toxins are now causing cancer. 

There are so many deaths and injuries caused by this new mRNA gene technology, which was never intended to be used on humans. Please do your own research, aside from listening to your doctor. 

Get informed! Stay informed! Be safe!

Note: Health Nuggets are opinions and not medical advice.

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