Several years ago, I considered buying a laundromat. Anyone who knows me will tell you I have a real focus in regard to laundry. I like to call it a penchant, most others call it OCD or simply use the term crazy. Semantics . . . At any rate, I thought a coffee bar with a few favorite flavors and additives, some good reading material, and that would be the perfect setting for a singles ministry. Let's face it, you get to know who someone really is by their laundry and the way they do it.
Before my last marriage, I directly asked my intended how he felt about laundry. He looked at me oddly and said he didn't really care. I immediately responded with, "Well, I'm crazy when it comes to laundry, so you don't ever have to help . . ." You'd think most guys would have jumped and clung to that airtight alibi, but not this guy. Three months after the wedding, and I was already drowning in doubt and regret, I came home from working on his real estate venture, not thrilled with that albatros that had been hung on my neck, only to find a load of wrinkled clothes thrown on the bed.
When I realized his shift was over, I went ahead and called him, sort of as a courtesy warning that he'd crossed a line . . . All he claimed to remember was I was in a bad mood for some reason . . . it never changed. He insisted upon being involved in the laundry, but not actually doing it completely or even just agreeing to do his own. No, it HAD to be a shared project. I grimace as I type. Owning a laundromat is clearly not part of the plan for me. But a laundromat would be a great place for outreach, on a busy night.
There is an idea or vision that I know isn't really for me, but won't really go away either. This is a vision of feeding people in town through both a business and ministry. I'm preparing for those who come for refuge and there may be a connection. While I'm working on the country project, here's the town project. I thought sometime back of having a fried chicken dinner restaurant on Sundays only. We'd serve the standard family style meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and white gravy, with choice of two vegetables, whatever is in season, biscuits with homemade jelly of course, and fruit cobbler, also according to the season. Water, coffee, and iced tea would be the beverages . . . milk for kids if they wanted it. It gets better, though. In this same building through the week, I'd offer a working man lunch of soup and sandwiches and cookies, not with a lot of choices, but a different choice every day, same beverage offer, and serve the whole works for just a couple of dollars. If someone was a little short, we wouldn't send them away hungry. It would only be open about 3 hours a day, and since it is a restaurant, the left overs could be donated . . . I was thinking the Sunday chicken dinners could support the working man lunch special.
Then . . . it still gets better.
The building would be used for a Sabbath gathering on Friday evening, with dinner or at least an oneg. The business itself would be closed for Shabbat. I realize I have an assignment already, so this is not actually for me to do, but if this was in my area, I could certainly help a couple days a week, and perhaps even some financial provision on the start up. I used to think I was supposed to just sit on this vision and when someone else mentioned it, to offer confirmation, but when I saw the bakery closed next to the laundromat, I felt led to speak up and invite anyone who may be feeling led in something like this to contact me.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Living the Life . . .
This time of year, I am reminded, so often of how truly wealthy I am. I'm not bragging here, but rather testifying of gratitude. I would very much like to share this wealth . . . I do have clocks, but the sun and the critters remind me of the schedule. I don't have to fight rush hour traffic and I don't have to have a stylish wardrobe, although I do have a style of my own!
I've shared before of some of the plans I put together long before this actually came to fruition, but it doesn't have to be long term distant goals for everyone. I knew I had to be debt free when this was established and it had to be developed without incurring debt. None of us can share what we don't have, so I would not be in a position to invite others to join, if the bank was part owner of the place. I also made a conscious decision regarding my housing. I chose manufactured for several reasons. First, as it worked out, I moved it from one acreage to another. Second, though, it's much easier on the tax bill for the long term. My home is about 1560 sq. ft. which is about a thousand more square feet than I actually want to clean. It has four bedrooms and two full bathrooms. That is plenty of room to share while others are building or looking or whatever; when the time comes.
I realize there is no earthly security, so when the powers that be bring the NWO, what will be, will be. In the meantime, however; I am thankful to be able to offer some of the "alternatives" that I enjoy. The social alternatives are actually how humanity has lived for centuries since creation, until the last one. I see the prices in the grocery store and my heart sinks for young families. I read about the cost of medicine for the elderly and my heart is literally burdened. Moses walked up a mountain at the age of 120 knowing he was heading to meet his Maker. How sad it is, that our society has come to the place, that health is gone and death is feared.
There are some serious instructions in Scripture regarding our health and our wealth. I'd certainly rather follow my Creator's orders than the doctor's. When I think of the price Messiah paid for my healing, I can't in good conscience ignore the Instructions and take a pill. Abba has never misled me in investments, either, nor has He needed a bailout. As I come into the house with a basket of bounty from the garden, or a pail of fresh milk from the milking parlor, not to mention grass fed beef in the freezer; the same thought frequently crosses my mind. I could not find an earthly job that would pay well enough to live like this!
I've shared before of some of the plans I put together long before this actually came to fruition, but it doesn't have to be long term distant goals for everyone. I knew I had to be debt free when this was established and it had to be developed without incurring debt. None of us can share what we don't have, so I would not be in a position to invite others to join, if the bank was part owner of the place. I also made a conscious decision regarding my housing. I chose manufactured for several reasons. First, as it worked out, I moved it from one acreage to another. Second, though, it's much easier on the tax bill for the long term. My home is about 1560 sq. ft. which is about a thousand more square feet than I actually want to clean. It has four bedrooms and two full bathrooms. That is plenty of room to share while others are building or looking or whatever; when the time comes.
I realize there is no earthly security, so when the powers that be bring the NWO, what will be, will be. In the meantime, however; I am thankful to be able to offer some of the "alternatives" that I enjoy. The social alternatives are actually how humanity has lived for centuries since creation, until the last one. I see the prices in the grocery store and my heart sinks for young families. I read about the cost of medicine for the elderly and my heart is literally burdened. Moses walked up a mountain at the age of 120 knowing he was heading to meet his Maker. How sad it is, that our society has come to the place, that health is gone and death is feared.
There are some serious instructions in Scripture regarding our health and our wealth. I'd certainly rather follow my Creator's orders than the doctor's. When I think of the price Messiah paid for my healing, I can't in good conscience ignore the Instructions and take a pill. Abba has never misled me in investments, either, nor has He needed a bailout. As I come into the house with a basket of bounty from the garden, or a pail of fresh milk from the milking parlor, not to mention grass fed beef in the freezer; the same thought frequently crosses my mind. I could not find an earthly job that would pay well enough to live like this!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Prayer as an Investment
I don't know why the thought never occurred to me before, but praying is investing in the Kingdom, here on earth. It's investing time, energy and effort if we listen and obey. This is specifically about praying for others, and I'm not at all suggesting that we pray for others in accordance with our desired results . . . but simply and honestly from the heart.
When I pray, I give thanks and praise first, but when it gets to my "list," I frequently begin with the specific statement that I am not going to tell Abba His business. I state clearly, "I'm not asking for a specific outcome according to my will or even their will, but Thy Will be done." When it comes to matters of salvation, healing, and deliverance; He has already stated He is not willing that any should perish, He is our Healer and Deliverer. So I ask in those cases, if there is something I should say or do, or they should stop doing . . . Sometimes there is, and I speak what I'm told or offer what He says. Often times what we see as the problem is just a symptom of the real problem. In other cases, it's a matter of them just knowing someone is praying for them. Prayer is such a small investment with such big dividends. I'm not trying to make Adonai sound like a bank or stock market . . .
In praying recently, I've inadvertently discovered something I'd like to share. I receive many prayer requests, and although these are some specific incidents, many of the requests address general issues for most of us. A couple of months ago, I published in the Goshen Gazette, a seven week plan for losing weight. To be completely honest, at that time, I wasn't really on it strictly, as I was doing a Daniel fast and a couple of other things at the time, but it had been requested so I published it. I did pray for the ones who had asked for it, and I lost a few pounds myself. Recently, the requests have gone around again regarding, not so much weight loss, but simply healthier diets. Since praying for those folks, I've lost another 5 pounds. Of course, I'm grazing on garden produce, but I know it has to do with praying for others. Since my foot injury, I haven't been doing my usual amount of walking. Losing weight on less exercise is obviously supernatural! My request on the behalf of others, is coming back and blessing me. I have more examples.
I pray for folks about jobs and business. Many people are embracing their entrepreneurial spirit and choosing to use the talents our Heavenly Father gave them. I have noticed a pattern in my own business. When I pray for another, my business is blessed. Again, I'm not suggesting the self-serving teaching that went around 15 years ago about G-d serving up 100 fold on demand. I'm simply noticing and giving glory to our Heavenly Father who answers prayer abundantly more than we can ask or imagine . . . and to proclaim that prayer is an investment that His Will be done on earth as it is in heaven . . .
There was a situation, in which someone had a financial need. I don't respond to many of those, but in this case, YHWH spoke specifically . . . I obeyed. I already had the funds when I made the donation, but within minutes, an order came in that exceeded what I had just sent. We cannot outgive G-d! Most of us were taught that praying "Thy kingdom come" was asking for the return of Messiah, and I'm sure there is some truth to that, but it was Messiah who first said those words, so . . . I've been asking "Thy kingdom come" in me and in the lives of those for whom I pray, now . . . please.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
When I pray, I give thanks and praise first, but when it gets to my "list," I frequently begin with the specific statement that I am not going to tell Abba His business. I state clearly, "I'm not asking for a specific outcome according to my will or even their will, but Thy Will be done." When it comes to matters of salvation, healing, and deliverance; He has already stated He is not willing that any should perish, He is our Healer and Deliverer. So I ask in those cases, if there is something I should say or do, or they should stop doing . . . Sometimes there is, and I speak what I'm told or offer what He says. Often times what we see as the problem is just a symptom of the real problem. In other cases, it's a matter of them just knowing someone is praying for them. Prayer is such a small investment with such big dividends. I'm not trying to make Adonai sound like a bank or stock market . . .
In praying recently, I've inadvertently discovered something I'd like to share. I receive many prayer requests, and although these are some specific incidents, many of the requests address general issues for most of us. A couple of months ago, I published in the Goshen Gazette, a seven week plan for losing weight. To be completely honest, at that time, I wasn't really on it strictly, as I was doing a Daniel fast and a couple of other things at the time, but it had been requested so I published it. I did pray for the ones who had asked for it, and I lost a few pounds myself. Recently, the requests have gone around again regarding, not so much weight loss, but simply healthier diets. Since praying for those folks, I've lost another 5 pounds. Of course, I'm grazing on garden produce, but I know it has to do with praying for others. Since my foot injury, I haven't been doing my usual amount of walking. Losing weight on less exercise is obviously supernatural! My request on the behalf of others, is coming back and blessing me. I have more examples.
I pray for folks about jobs and business. Many people are embracing their entrepreneurial spirit and choosing to use the talents our Heavenly Father gave them. I have noticed a pattern in my own business. When I pray for another, my business is blessed. Again, I'm not suggesting the self-serving teaching that went around 15 years ago about G-d serving up 100 fold on demand. I'm simply noticing and giving glory to our Heavenly Father who answers prayer abundantly more than we can ask or imagine . . . and to proclaim that prayer is an investment that His Will be done on earth as it is in heaven . . .
There was a situation, in which someone had a financial need. I don't respond to many of those, but in this case, YHWH spoke specifically . . . I obeyed. I already had the funds when I made the donation, but within minutes, an order came in that exceeded what I had just sent. We cannot outgive G-d! Most of us were taught that praying "Thy kingdom come" was asking for the return of Messiah, and I'm sure there is some truth to that, but it was Messiah who first said those words, so . . . I've been asking "Thy kingdom come" in me and in the lives of those for whom I pray, now . . . please.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Monday, July 7, 2014
A Talk With My Grandson
I come from a very materialistic family. My great grandparents didn't seem materialistic or at least their lifestyles didn't reflect that. Both of my Grandpas appeared to see money as a tool. One Grandpa, whom I recently wrote about was a very giving person, and money was a means to obtain the gifts he wanted to share. He was also pretty savvy on the marketing promotions, so he did all right. My grandma, his wife, on the other hand was always focused on making money. It's rather sad that she spent so much of her life missing events and interactions because of work. As the eldest grandchild, most of my memories of Grandma involve her arriving late to whatever the family event was, and leaving early to go to work. Now that she's in a nursing home, she's not working, but she doesn't really remember who any of her grandchildren are.
My paternal grandparents were more of a team, and they enjoyed what their money could buy. They saved and made wise purchases, but they also enjoyed nice automobiles and vacations. That grandpa taught me how many CDs you could keep in one bank, before you needed to open up an account in a new bank . . . Money wasn't the "be all and end all," but they were comfortable. My parents, however; set a very different monetary standard than their parents, one the grandchildren all admire. My lifestyle is difficult for my parents to accept, so they are relieved that my kids and grandkids have not followed my value system.
Here's how I see it. I get to go to bed at night, knowing and hearing the Voice of the Creator of the universe. I don't have to set an alarm, because there are roosters who know the precise moment before daybreak! I am afforded a leisurely cup of coffee through devotion time and enjoy no pressure to apply make-up, no office dress code, and not fighting traffic on my way to work. I work from home on the computer, and being out in the boonies, the one down side is expensive and limited internet access, but my definition of expensive and other's may be completely different. My most materialistic child doesn't bat an eye at spending thousands of dollars a month with nothing to show for it, but chides me about my internet expense. Now, back to varying realities.
I was a bit taken aback as my grandson described life in a smaller town now. When I asked him if he lived in a house or an apartment, he said, "We live in a house, a rather nice house." My response was, Oh, your Dad bought a house? "No, we're renting. That way we can live in a nicer house than buying . . ." I'm giving all this information because the truth of the matter is; I know I have things I would never be able to afford if I had a regular job with a financial focus.
When my grandson mentioned how much he enjoy feta cheese and how expensive it was, I took the opportunity to reel the boy in. I asked him if he knew how feta cheese was made. He didn't, so I was able to share with him, the fact that feta cheese was made with sheep or goat's milk. He then informed me that I could be making feta cheese and selling it. I told him, I did make cheese, he'd had it and loved it. His eyes got big as he remembered eating my home made cheese. His comment was something to the effect of how he hadn't realized G-ma's cheese could make so much money. My comment was a bit earthier.
We talked that day about how much money people have to make to pay for things G-d really just wants to give them. We discussed the dollar value for everything I enjoy because this is my work. As he figured, he just couldn't cross over that line in his mind to the other perspective. I pray he sees it. As I hear the price of grass fed beef, non-GMO vegetables, organic produce, free range chickens, and eggs from free range hens, raw goat's milk, specialty cheeses, not to mention being spared the cost of gasoline and stress in daily traffic and the amazing perk of non-fluoridated underground spring water, I've realized I couldn't find mainstream employment that would afford me, the lifestyle I enjoy!
I'm not anti-money, but I am against the love of money.
My paternal grandparents were more of a team, and they enjoyed what their money could buy. They saved and made wise purchases, but they also enjoyed nice automobiles and vacations. That grandpa taught me how many CDs you could keep in one bank, before you needed to open up an account in a new bank . . . Money wasn't the "be all and end all," but they were comfortable. My parents, however; set a very different monetary standard than their parents, one the grandchildren all admire. My lifestyle is difficult for my parents to accept, so they are relieved that my kids and grandkids have not followed my value system.
Here's how I see it. I get to go to bed at night, knowing and hearing the Voice of the Creator of the universe. I don't have to set an alarm, because there are roosters who know the precise moment before daybreak! I am afforded a leisurely cup of coffee through devotion time and enjoy no pressure to apply make-up, no office dress code, and not fighting traffic on my way to work. I work from home on the computer, and being out in the boonies, the one down side is expensive and limited internet access, but my definition of expensive and other's may be completely different. My most materialistic child doesn't bat an eye at spending thousands of dollars a month with nothing to show for it, but chides me about my internet expense. Now, back to varying realities.
I was a bit taken aback as my grandson described life in a smaller town now. When I asked him if he lived in a house or an apartment, he said, "We live in a house, a rather nice house." My response was, Oh, your Dad bought a house? "No, we're renting. That way we can live in a nicer house than buying . . ." I'm giving all this information because the truth of the matter is; I know I have things I would never be able to afford if I had a regular job with a financial focus.
When my grandson mentioned how much he enjoy feta cheese and how expensive it was, I took the opportunity to reel the boy in. I asked him if he knew how feta cheese was made. He didn't, so I was able to share with him, the fact that feta cheese was made with sheep or goat's milk. He then informed me that I could be making feta cheese and selling it. I told him, I did make cheese, he'd had it and loved it. His eyes got big as he remembered eating my home made cheese. His comment was something to the effect of how he hadn't realized G-ma's cheese could make so much money. My comment was a bit earthier.
We talked that day about how much money people have to make to pay for things G-d really just wants to give them. We discussed the dollar value for everything I enjoy because this is my work. As he figured, he just couldn't cross over that line in his mind to the other perspective. I pray he sees it. As I hear the price of grass fed beef, non-GMO vegetables, organic produce, free range chickens, and eggs from free range hens, raw goat's milk, specialty cheeses, not to mention being spared the cost of gasoline and stress in daily traffic and the amazing perk of non-fluoridated underground spring water, I've realized I couldn't find mainstream employment that would afford me, the lifestyle I enjoy!
I'm not anti-money, but I am against the love of money.
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