Hard to keep up

10/19/13 Saturday

            There is so much going on it is hard for me to keep up. We finally have legal evaluations regarding the title to that old store that instill enough confidence to go forward with purchasing the property. It has been ten long months working on this. Unfortunately the investors we had lined up were not all able to wait ten months so now I must once again put together an investor package to find the funds needed to put this project together.

            It was five months ago that I took over management of A-1 Office Furniture. I was asked if I would be able to work on getting the store project together and run A-1 Furniture too. I assured the person who asked that I can but it was a good question that I must honestly consider this. When I first took over the furniture store I was putting in 70 to 80 hours a week. I’ve dropped that down to about 60 hours a week or less and hope to get things running smooth enough in the future that I can work something that looks like a normal work week. I really have no desire to spend my life running that furniture business. My heart is to serve the Lord but I have to pay the bills too.

           This is why we hope to get something going with that old store. It would provide income while at the same time affording opportunity for me to tell about the Love of God. Add cabins and RV spots and we will also help provide badly needed housing for some of the many people who are coming here to find work.

            Rascal’s cancer has progressed rapidly. His quality of life is gone now so we made the decision that it is time to allow him to pass on. We have a call in to the vet and will have her help Rascal move on next week. It is hard to say the least. I am giving Rascal as much love as I can. Spending time with him during his moments of energy and sitting with him when he has a hard time moving. He gets lots of treats and morsels of food as we work to make his last hours as pleasant as possible. Once Rascal is gone there is much cleaning to do. We will have to paint walls and buy new sheets because of the blood from the tumors has stained much of the house. Then there is the smell. We love our Rascal and thus endure much that I suspect few would put up with. The tumors are full of infection so I wash Rascal daily and coat the many tumors with iodine and anti-biotic ointment. Then I cover the huge tumor on his back with a large abdominal bandage that Cherie found, using almost a whole roll of tape to secure it good enough to stay on twelve or so hours. By then the bandage is soaked through and falling apart.

            I am still managing to keep up with the prison ministry during all this. We are heading out for another four day Kairos event soon in Fort Stockton and today I drove to Lamesa to spend a day at the Smith Unit prison. Building the office furniture business is a challenge and brings a decent check along with the accolades of being successful but in my mind this pales in comparison to helping people find the Love of God. It is late and I am tired so good night folks and God Bless.

Comfort can be dangerous and lead to lazy

10/6/13 Sunday

    

        Rascal is having a better day today. Yesterday I had to carry him to the front room because he was too weak to walk. The smell emanating from the tumors has been getting hard to handle so we decided to keep him in the front room at night. This way we hope to get a better nights rest. What you see on the wall in this picture is blood from the biggest tumor. It is hard to watch your loved pet die for sure but we know people who have watched husbands, children, and others they love endure great hardship as disease took them away. The hard part for us is we will have to make the decision when Rascal no longer has a quality of life left to say goodbye and let him go on to his next life. I personally believe that we will see our pets in heaven. I’m sure some theologian will argue that point but I really don’t care.

            Heard a teaching that was disturbing. Seemed to suggest Christians don’t need to take responsibility and are not expected or required to do much regarding their faith. The idea was that God controls everything so we don’t have to worry about anything. There is a complacency in the church that is sad to watch, an ideal that says all we have to do is show up for church and say nice things and that is all God expects or requires. How far from the truth this is. What you really believe is demonstrated by what you do. Faith without works is dead, just a lot of empty words designed to impress someone without requiring any effort or sacrifice. It’s a comfortable Christianity, one that appeals to many, meantime I know of many who are being persecuted and killed because they will not deny their faith, even when threatened with death.

            It’s late and I am tired so goodnight folks. The furniture store is doing well but has much room for improvement. We are proceeding on buying that old store on the interstate now that we have gotten expert opinions on the title. So I will once again put the word out for investors. Been nine months since this property became available. Will be nice to get it done.