I have witnessed something personally in this world 3 times in the past year. Each of these concern secular problems. When we encounter what they are doing, it can cause us to sin, so we must try to head this off at the beginning of a project.
💥 Summer 2023 We hired two men to do a small remodel job for my bedroom closet.
They were excellent, capable workers, but there was one problem. They would not communicate when we sent them email. They would not answer their phone or return our call when we tried to reach them.
This can cause us to sin ... becoming annoyed, fretful, angry.
We were planning to give them a medium size job of finishing the basement area of the house after they finished the closet. But we cancelled work plans with them and told them the reason we were cancelling. (for they would not return our phone calls).
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(At one point, I was reminded of two men who came to work at my house in Clovis, in 1990's. They started the job but every few minutes they had to go to mail box to smoke. When they came back into house they just sat in front of fireplace staring into the fireplace. It was July. I came to believe they were smoking some kind of dope.)
We decided at that point in time not to work with a person unless we could communicate with him concerning the project. And he must communicate with us in a timely way.
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💥 November 6, 2023 We were changing cars and went by the sound store to discuss the addition we wanted in the new car.
The shop manager told us it would be the end of November before he could schedule the work and that was fine with us.
When he did not communicate with us by mid-December, we went to the store to speak with him.
(He seemed peculiar and rather quickly terminated the conversation. This was a big job, $10,000.)
He said he would get back with us, "Probably after Christmas", he said.
When we had not heard from him by the end of the year, I was ready to find someone else to install the sound equipment. Then after the first of January, he contacted Pam Padgett and gave her 2 dates in January they would be able to do the work. So we continued with them.
(The business manager could have caused me to sin by failing to keep me informed ... devils can get involved by bringing to my mind that I haven't heard from the man with whom I am planning to do the work.)
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💥 Current project Adding power plant to home theater and sound equipment.
The man who is in charge of this does not answer my emails in a timely way. (Or sometimes he doesn't answer question at all.) After waiting a week for him to present a proposal, without hearing anything at all from him, one morning I awoke thinking of contacting Tara Labs which is another sound company. (Often God deals with me this way, by bringing the project to mind with specific direction for me to do.) I contacted Tara Labs immediately. They put me in touch with their Denver agent. He was very good in communicating with me and helping me to see a way to go. He discounts his merchandise by 40%. He also put me in touch with a high level manufacturer who is discontinuing the making of HDMI interconnects and is selling stock at huge reduction in price. I ordered several cables and so did Pam.
I still had heard nothing from Ben who was to send me a recommendation on upgrade items.
I told Ben, by email, that I had ordered several items from the famous cable manufacture.
Then Ben sent me an email saying he was "disappointed" that I was doing this, adding someone else to the project.
Then I became terribly concerned over the way I had "treated" Ben by buying cables from the manufacturer at a very big discount. (I didn't know if I had sinned but I pleaded with God and also apologized to Ben. He replied for me not to worry and told me he understood.)
But I greatly troubled myself and I suspect devils instigated thoughts that I sinned against Ben. God got me through this but I went through far more grief than should have happened.
I believe a big issue was Ben did not send me a proposal in a timely way! (failure to communicate with me) We ended up by stopping all projects proposed by Ben. I feel now we have adequately compensated Ben for his work and have dealt fairly with Ben and that is very important to me.
A few weeks ago, I was reminded of Jesus saying:
Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
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Things to watch for when entering secular projects:
- Can you easily communicate with the business? Will they return emails and phone calls in a timely way.
- Hidden costs.
- Time for project completion.
Matthew 11:30 God says: For MY yoke is easy, and MY burden is light.
Don't hesitate to stop a project if it becomes a burden to you and if you feel you are dealing in a fair, honest way with the party concerned. Never take advantage of the other person.
I do feel I was strongly led to stop this current project and to go another direction.
As Christians we will deal fairly, but we must not allow ourselves to think that they deal as we, as Christians deal.
(Wise as serpents ... but harmless as doves.)
2 Timothy 3
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
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CHURCH GATHERING
IN COLORADO SPRINGS:
July 22-26, 2024
We are going to try to conduct these meetings as Paul said to do when we gather as the church:
I Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm (prayer), hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
I Corinthians 14:31 For ye may all prophesy (share) one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
And in the Bible, Jesus says to us:
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in MY name, there am I in the midst of them.
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