There is no joy in "non"-sailboat land. Sigh, now I'm going to have to develop another fantasy.

Par for the course, I find myself in a familiar situation. While I am employed, the company that employs me is without revenue producing work. This should be for a very brief period as we have received notice to ship out to the jobsite in two weeks. The move will take a portion of that time.

Hopefully I will take advantage of this "down time" to do those little "to do's" that have accumulated on my list of repairs. Yesterday I picked up a seal kit for the steering sector on BS 222. $30.01. What the heck! It should've been $3.01. I'm glad I'm installing it because they get $75.00 an hour.

Since I was on the West edge of Abilene, I went ahead and drove to Sweetwater to visit with a customer who had promised fill in work but had waffled. In fact they kept me on a string all summer long and I endured many idle days and late nights to accommodate their requests. I think I moved sixteen loads from May to now (all but two of them after eight in the evening and before seven in the morning) while they had told me initially they had ninety loads to transfer and then we would be given the opportunity to consolidate their warehouses into a single unit. Now they have brought in another company which submitted a higher bid. Go figure, but it is possible someone may be getting a kick back. Sad thing is, this customer is a member owned cooperative and the guys making the decisions aren't risking their own money, it is company money. Knowing a vast number of the member owners, they tend to be ultra conservative and not fond of waste. Turned out while this customer is spending a premium for identical service, the man that made the call is on holiday in the Caribbean. Next contact is up the ladder, his boss.

As you probably have surmised, I am no longer working with my friends K.O. and D.O.. It had become increasingly frustrating and my Friday helped make the decision that no work was a more desirable option. In fact it took three "bad" Fridays in a row to make my mind up. Basically it came down to a lack of communication and the inability to see something to completion. K.O. and I are going to sit down and talk. I don't relish the conversation but I feel I wouldn't be much of a friend if I wasn't honest in my assessment of his operation to him. Having worked in their office and worked outside through their dispatch I think I have a realistic grasp of where problem areas are.

Well, things have been stirred up over at preachermike's blog. The erection and dedication of Jack Maxwell's artwork "Jacob's ladder" on the campus of my alma mater has unsettled a few. Lot's of comments ranging from holy ground, sacred place, and many other positive accolades. These have been countered by a much smaller number of negative comments about waste and poverty. Typically, it has been a dog pile on the dissenters. I personally don't know where art falls into GOD's priorities. Does it have a place, yes I think. But at what cost. I have much more problem with waste on the physical plant, millions of dollars to move a road a few years ago, more recently the summer long project at the entry way with the man made lake that is following on the heels of the exercise walk way which surrounds the campus. Lots of glitz and glitter. Some talk of the number of people who will be changed at this institution of higher learning, I wonder about the number of people who become too discouraged to enroll there because of the costs. Of course with every project comes the disclaimer "our thanks to our friends who made this possible".

I once had a Bible professor there (who was later dismissed. Future student's loss) who posed the question to our class to describe "Christianity" in one word. After much discussion he gave us his answer, moderation. He went on to explain that over and over we are warned of excesses, and in his opinion moderation best fit the question he had asked our class. To many this would be the glass half full or half empty question, to others it would be considered a non-answer. (Eventually his view on moderation cost him his job as he was presented with a "change or be changed" ultimatum).

Over the years I find myself pondering this same question. The catch phrase the last few years seems to be "missional". I would term that as an incomplete answer. I don't buy in to the "moderation" answer although it does have basis. My answer is "selflessness". And this is a real problem for me. Do I practice it. On occasion, but then I catch myself backsliding. I doubt I practice it as much as I don't practice it. I fail miserably because I don't really know how everything looks from GOD's perspective.

Paraphrased;
'Sell all you have and give it to the poor. And the man was sad because he possessed great wealth. '

and then

'It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven'. (Not impossible but extremely difficult)'.

And I wanted a dumb sail boat.

FATHER, Oh to be like YOU!