Meet the weird neighbors

I've long enjoyed the subject of marketing, not entirely sure why. Probably in part because one can change his circumstances with ideas, which cost only the time to study the subject, and the time to devise the methods. We're locked in this world of physical parameters and circumstances which are difficult to change, it's nice to be able to do something about it.

 Anyway, one of the books I'm reading, and highly recommend, is called (I didn't name it!) "Your marketing sucks" by Mark Stevens. He gives a number of actual events where people started with completely wrong motives or methods, and threw away thousands or millions of dollars on ineffective marketing campaigns. He's continually bringing your feet back down to the ground, to the bottom line in fact, by saying that all efforts should be measurable and return more money than they cost.

Just today I thought that it would be easy for me to sell a stack of these books. I remember how many people became members of a sign forum -to the tune of $50 a year- because I was so glad to tell them about it. I wasn't implying that they sign up for the paid status; it has only a few perks more than the free status. I was just saying that I liked it so much I paid the money. So they did too.

 The thing about this book is that EVERY business owner or manager should have a copy. It's a relatively small paperback, but thus far, not a word is wasted. Most of the small business owners I encounter don't have a bad marketing plan, they have none at all. I'm moving in the direction now of trying to be sure that the signs I sell are part of a comprehensive marketing plan for the business. Here in Appalachia, it's difficult to sell ideas; people have a hard enough time buying the actual items: business cards, signs, ads, etc. I'll need a very solid track record to sell consultations or campaign packages.

Again, the name of the book is "Your marketing sucks": I haven't read the others. If you want a copy of the book, you can get it from the store at his blog.

My wife is incredible. She is very
people oriented, hates wickedness, remembers names well, among other
things. Lately, she's been wanting me to have a talk with the
children after I discipline them. Sometimes it's being grounded on
this property, or in the house, or even in their room for a day.

It might be having to stand in one
place for ten minutes, write something ten times, or some other
punishment. I've always been of the mind that you can be angry at me,
I'll let that slide, but there are certain rules which are non
negotiable. She wants me to change that with these talks.

My earlier life was a lot coarser than
hers, I haven't developed the social skills she has; so I rely on and
trust her judgment in matters like these. I thought I'd be at a loss
for what to say, but I did OK. I present this for others who may feel
awkward in that situation.

It has been about a week since it
happened, I don't remember the details, so this is approximate.

The boy was caught taking something
which he didn't ask for. I sat next to him on the couch and said:

We don't like you to get in trouble,
but sometimes that's the only way to make children remember what we
expect. We need to teach you to be less selfish. A lot of the bad
things people do to each other is because they care more about
themselves than other people.

If you keep doing these selfish
things, that will be who you are, it will be your identity. You can
pretend to be something else, but it's just a big act. It's like a
jar of pickles. The label on the outside can say Kluasen, Del Monte,
or Kroger brand, but inside it's still pickles. Quite a long time
ago, there was a lady that felt sorry for all the wounded war
soldiers. They didn't have many people to help care for them. So she
started taking care of them, and getting other people to help.

Do you think that people remember her
for what her hair looked like? Or what kind of dresses she wore? Or
do you think they remember her as that nice lady the helped the
soldiers when they were hurting? You're right, they do, they remember her
as Clara Barton, the lady that started the Red Cross.

So go on now, and think about what
kind of boy you're making yourself into.

 -I just heard a wicked country music song at the supermarket. A big concern is that I didn't think to say an objection to the management. Another concern is how long it took me to come up with a worthy reply to the most common answer the store people give. It wasn't for inability; rather, a lack of tenacity. The common answer is this: "We can't do anything about it". Spoken with finality of course. 

 The appropriate reply is:"Sorry, I have a hard time believing that; if a song said I hate blacks or I hate Gays; then you would change the music really fast. I guess you think that it's OK for families to hear this trash about ___, right?

-People need to rethink the old saying about a man's home being his castle. Now it should be a man's home is his fortress: a place where the lewd unclean communication of the world is kept out.

 -I wonder if there are web sites that show the cost of the current wars by type of expense? That is, so many billions on troop salaries, so many billions on tanks, and so many billions on bombs and bullets. Could be enlightening as to motives.

Here's a picture of one of the cards my sister in law often sends to my children:

I heard Ann Graham Lotz the other day
on the radio. She pointed out something very interesting, which I
should have seen myself, but hadn't. She was saying that as a mother,
she remembers labor pains as increasing in frequency as the actual
birth of the baby draws near; and that the passage where Jesus
relates end time events to a woman in labor pains should be seen in
that way. Events will be closer and closer together. So I'm wondering
if we're about to see another group of strange and disastrous
events.

I also wonder if this 'events in groups'
timing helps explain the paradoxical nature of Matthew 24, that is,
where people see strange things which should be a wake up call, but
are nonetheless caught off guard. People will become accustomed to the
lull in the storm, and will expect another break when a group of
calamities are happening; thus are they pacified into believing
everything is alright.

Be careful about details. I never quite
understood the saying “The devil is in the details”. Does it mean
that one can spend too much time worrying about trivial details; or
that overlooking details can be costly? Probably the latter, but I
want to relate some recent events:

I had a number of people contact me
about work, enough so that if all goes right, I'll be able to stay
working and paying bills for six weeks or two months, which isn't bad
in this time and place. All the requests came in within a relatively
short time. It probably wasn't a good decision, but I decided to get
all the related office type work out of the way at once, then I would
have weeks of productive work; or so the story goes. I took more than
a week to make sketches, get measurements, call suppliers, and bid
the jobs.

Then, It seemed as though they were
all evading me. Customers weren't avoiding me or turning me down, I
can tell when that's happening. It's that everything had a delay, an
interruption, it all stayed just out of my grasp. It was starting to
seem bizarre. Upon closer examination, I found that things were
stranger than usual, but not as bad as I had thought. A client that
I've sent emails to hadn't received my latest one. I should have
called to be sure they received it, or sent it in the way that
verifies it has been opened. Another client seemed to never answer
their phone when I called it. It turns out I was using his old
number. I talk to him every couple of months; one one of those
occasions he asked me if I had his number. Granted, he didn't say my
NEW number, but now I know that instead of saying “yes”; I should
say “yes, that's _ , right?”

However, I'm not alone in slacking at the details. One of the above
clients paid me with a check made out to my name with the word signs
added to the end. I looked at it and told him they wouldn't cash it.
He said sure they will. I said no, not at all, the always harass me
about stuff like this (they do). He said look, if you have any
trouble, have them give me a call. That folks, is banking circa 1969
or so. So it was, they wouldn't cash it, and they wouldn't call him.
When he called, they still refused. The bank is attentive to joint
accounts which use the word “and” or “or”; they're also
attentive to details like exact company names.

Perhaps one finds more paradoxes when
looking for them, maybe my life is this Twilight zone sort of thing;
whatever. You know your gears are getting a bit rounded on the teeth
when you're swimming in the weird, but can't expend the effort to
contemplate it all. That or you wonder how cool a nose hair mustache
would be. I'm kidding. I don't contemplate things like that.

Back to the paradoxical. We've been
really busy since we moved into this house; getting the appearance
better, making it ready for winter, and more. So the old electric
cook stove didn't make it to the top of the priority list.

It had its share of problems; a knob
was missing, so one had to shift them around in order to use all the
burners and oven. One of the oven elements was out, so one had to
guess at what temperature setting to use, and how long to bake . Not
easy, but add to that the door needing to be held closed with a strap
on the outside. Finally, the handle broke, and there was nothing to
attach the strap to. Answers to the name “lucky”. I had no
indoor work, and a rainy day gave me a chance to take in the scrap
metal; which pays decent these days. A medium load pays at least
$120. We had no replacement stove, or money to get one; but my wife,
being the woman of faith that she is, said to add this stove to the
scrap metal load.

Now me, being a skinflint that would
put the tightest Scotsman to shame; I would have maybe opted for a
tie down strap from the truck to hold the door closed. You know, the
kind with the little ratchet thing in the handle? But not her, she
said that being rid of this one would let us get another one sooner.
Bear in mind that she is masterful in the kitchen, she takes baking
to an art form. On the truck it went.

Two days later, she finds this listing
on Craigslist, in the swap section. All the ad said was “fs or t”,
which I guess meant for sale or trade. The guy had a list of things
he wanted to sell or trade, a stove being one of them. We had to
verify that it was an electric stove, not wood. The guy hadn't been
able to sell or trade his stuff, and had to get the stove out of his
daughter's garage. So he agreed to trade it for an electric leaf
blower vac thing my wife had bought at a garage sale. Turns out that
the stove was incredible. Digital clock and timer, glass top, burners
that heat really fast; by far the nicest stove we've ever had, and
the guy went ahead with the trade. He probably wanted to help the guy
in the 33 year old truck, whatever the case, we really needed that
stove. So it was, 2 days after the scrap run, she had this awesome
replacement.

So why not junk the old truck and the
old computers, with their big clunky monitors? Not so fast...It's a
matter of faith not physical action. That and I think our teen agers
needed to see a miracle right then. So what's the paradox? The Bible
says to be content with such things as you have. I like my 33 year
old truck, and my old computers. The truck is a Toyota, and keeps
running smooth. I suppose that when it gets in the condition of that
stove, I can back off in the contentment department, and have the
faith that I'm doing the right thing.

But not a minute sooner. New stuff
would hinder my status as King of Cheap.

I have what I call the Prospector's
Bible Study; it's based on the idea that if you're looking for
something, you're more likely to find it than by accident. You make a
list of things you're interested in, say free will, or end of O.T.
Law. Then, with notebook, pen, and list, you read part of the Bible,
taking notes.

What I found was that you not only
find gems this way, but you find better mining tools; a very present
case of to he that has, more will be given...I ended up with
something like a read between the lines Bible study. But instead of
the former list of things to keep an eye out for; the new list has
principles. These are to a large degree speculative, I don't hold
them as concrete, or etched in stone as it were. In fact, the whole
point is to see if I can solidly confirm them in the Bible.

One of the things I'm definitely
seeing is this thing about anti mediocrity. That's not a
comprehensive way of saying it, it has to do with the idea that God's
will is for people to move in the direction of their heart's moral
compass. Be ye hot or be ye cold. If you're interested in His ways,
pursue a knowledge of them. If not, don't use His name in vain. You
might think that adding His title to the word damn is taking His name
in vain; but I would consider it a secondary definition. The book of
Proverbs shows that it has to do with calling yourself one of His
people, but not living it. The Gospel of Matthew has another example
of this principle. See chapter13, verses 3-15. Note that vs 9 is a warning to
the people hearing His parable. Take a close look at verses 12 and
15.

I've heard it said that Jesus was born
in such humble circumstances so that all people could relate to Him.
Now I'm wondering if there's another reason: Do you want His message?
Had he been born in a different economic strata, He might have
followers because He had a certain style, or had degrees from some
institution. As it is you have His teachings, you have to decide
whether to pursue them.

.

Your destiny is in your desire.

I think that the above contains
another of these paradoxes I'm seeing in life; I just didn't want to
dilute that last line with an aside. I don't want to engage in a game
of exact semantics, so don't hold me to rigid definitions of words
like will and desire in the part about “God's will is for people to
move...” I hold to the idea that God wants, desires, wishes, would
have joy in all men repenting and being part of His Kingdom. But His
will is that you go one of two directions. I want Him to help me
understand paradoxes and truth. Seeing these paradoxes brings a
certain comfort in knowing that when a difficult thing happens in my
life, it doesn't mean I'm on His B list.

Did you hear about the new ruling in
Mexico?!? Now you can get a 2 year marriage license? Um, folks, this
guy no habla Castiliano, but that's_not_really_marriage, for your
information. I have this tendency toward reductio ad absurdum, it
leads me to making advertising layouts for the occasion. How about
one where the main copy says:VEILS Y VIVA! Below, smaller copy: For
all the weddings and seasons of life. Then a group of pictures, all
small, and symmetrical in size, arranged neatly; the pictures show a
woman in bridal veils and gowns, as she ages. Below that, more copy
about a “group” plan of weddings, whereby a persons pays once and
gets all future weddings planned and catered. Copy: For all the
seasons and weddings of your life, we'll be there, highlighting the
dignity and grace you've gained, the friends and songs, the blah and
blah...the uncertainty, the kids without a real home, the lack of
investment in the future...what a wreck.

It wouldn't take much effort to turn
this into a quick cartoon, but I hesitated at the question: Am I
mocking God's ways and His word? Probably not, just highlighting
those that do.

I did more exterior house restoration over the weekend; was pleased with the results. I had replaced the broken shingles the prior weekend, and now was trying to paint. Only problem was running out of paint. I wasn't sure when I started if I would have enough, it turns out not. The old shingles really absorb a lot of paint. 

 So I looked around and found a quart of Dutch boy white, and a gallon of Bob Villa "light tint base". It looked rather white, but I wasn't sure how much pigment it actually had. Being desperate, I reasoned that it must have -some- white pigment, or it would be clearer when I tested it on a piece of wood. Also, what store would sell just the base? The odds are that they did add pigment. So I put the quart and gallon in the pail, and it worked great. Here's a couple of pictures:

I'm pleased with the house renovation
project. We're only renters here, some might wonder why the
motivation to improve what's not mine. It starts with the simple idea
that we want to live in a nicer place. The good thing is that there
are other benefits; it helps the neighbors retain the value of their
properties, and it says to everyone, this is what happens when the
Christian people come. Previous tenents drank a lot of bottled beer,
and shot up the out building with a shotgun. It's also an analogy of
what Jesus does in a person's life. Then too, we want to return our
landlord's kindness. He had a huge new leach line put in (septic),
and we're glad that he'll let a large family live here.

The broken asbestos shingles were
replaced with a Diebond knockoff, all the white paint is free, or
very low cost. I get it a little at a time; some given to me, some
from garage sales, and there's a city dump where they give away
usable paint . I just make sure that it's white-white, don't worry
about whether it's flat, gloss, or semi gloss. I get enough to do one
side of the house, then paint up to an edge. If the white is a tiny
bit different than the side next to it, or the gloss is different; it
doesn't matter, because the light is always hitting it at a
different angle, and people do not notice. Shoot, I work with very
slight differences in color, and I can't tell. It's about
assumptions, people assume it's all the same paint.

Yes, money is that tight right now,
but the thing is that this sort of project can be done -very- cheap,
if you want to do it. And I'm talking about 15-20 year paint. The
shingle replacement material is scrap from making signs. I did pay $5
for a can of mis-matched green, which I'm using on the trim. The
house is old, maybe 111 years old, and I get real satisfaction from
fixing it up. Good ol' house has been home to numerous families, and
is still being used that way. Which reminds me, if I do end up
promoting the historical aspect of Seymour, doing restoration at
'ground zero' is a good idea. In these pictures, you can see the
progress, the roof will be painted after the sides. I have 4 gallons
of green oil based paint that I got on a salvage run, that will be a
start.

This isn't profound, but I like it when I can see something clearer
than before: Some people lie on the defensive, some people lie on the
offensive. Take your major news media for instance. When a large
group of prominent scientists gather to question or renounce
Darwinian evolution, does that ever make the news? They regularly
fabricate stories in support of the bad theory, but never report
evidence against it.

There should be a new acronym: Chrino. Christian In Name only.

I need to get serious about a certain
investigation, that is, a moral/spiritual timeline of events in the
early to mid 20^th century. If you look at the early
1960's, it seems a very busy time of decline for the U.S. The ending
of the gold standard, Ted Kennedy's changing the immigration laws
(importing non Christian religions), increased divorce, rock music,
cultural revolution. Previously, I wondered if the removal of school
prayer was causal, but now I wonder if pornography and a covert
sexual looseness in the 1950's had a role in our losing God's favor.

Of course, some will question why I
look only at the 1900's, and not at prior events; such as the
unleashing of the monster federal government in about 1865. Was that
a curse, or just a force that God would use to shape history? Not
that I'm limiting it either-or; maybe it was a benevolent monster
that shaped world history...you know, Puff the Magic Democracy.

Some of the most exceptional people I
know have these big blind spots in their lives. Something about their
way of thinking, their reactions, spirituality or personality isn't
right. Of course, for the Christian, the first reaction to that is
the splinter-beam thing, where I'm wondering what the big blind spot
in my life is. Maybe it's blogging twice about the same thing,
telling the same story twice to a person...Naw, I wouldn't get off
that easy, it has got to be bigger than that.

If you're having a REALLY bad day, is
that Murphy 2.0?

I was sitting among some members of a
family, 3 generations. The oldest asked if I wanted to bring my
children to vacation Bible school. The next said I should put the
sign back up that I had at the previous residence. It's Psalm 51:6
“Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts.” I explained
that the reason for the sign is so many people have heard the truth
in regards to their situation, or the information is readily
available, but they avoid it.The scientist or teacher may have seen
very strong evidence in favor of creation, but admitting it would be
to lose their job. The Mormon may realize that the Bible isn't
compatible with the other books Mormons use, but to renounce the
religion would be to alienate 5 generations of family, near and
distant relations and all between. Too high a price, so they stay
where they're at. Same goes for the Roman Catholic or the liberal.

The third generation family member
then spoke up, saying that the Bible is subject to interpretation. I
replied by saying that I wasn't talking abou the difference between a
Presbetarian and a Baptist; but rather, the difference between a
Baptist and a Mormon. Someone who because of additional books, must
suppress the inner conviction that they're living a lie.

Years ago, I think I was listening to
Frank Peretti on the radio, and he related how he was in a debate or
important conversation and had the perfect reply...three days
later. I can relate to that; not that my first reply was bad or
lacking, but having thought about the incident for awhile, like 2
weeks, I now have a second reply, should the same conversation occur
again.

If the Bible is subject to many
interpretations, it has no meaning, no message. If you can make it
say whatever you want it to, then it says nothing. So I wondered, why
not a blank Bible? It would have a black leather cover and gold
letters, but the pages would be blank, for you to write in whatever
you wanted. One could give it to the guys who call themselves
Christian, but live in adultery or watch pornography. Or, maybe have
every other page blank, with the word 'but' or 'although' printed at
the top of the blank pages. That way people could write their excuses
after the law of God.

But you know what? It wouldn't fly;
save for maybe the liberals, they love this kind of stuff. The reason
it wouldn't fly? Because a blank Bible wouldn't allow people to take
the full word of God and twist it to justify the actions. They need
to claim His authority for what they do.

What about you? Do you need some blank
pages in your Bible?

Location, location, location; is what the real estate people say affects a home's value. Context, context;can make a decision difficult. I have a large family, and my income is the only one we have. Usually I work for myself, I run a one man sign shop. Very recently, three weeks passed without a significant job; and things weren't great prior to that.
Then I got a call from a contractor that I've done a number of jobs for in the last couple of years. The work has been part of commercial cosmetic renovation for Knoxville businesses. They call me for hand lettering. I knew that the work was funded largely by local government; the store owner pays a percentage of the total bill, something like 10 or 20 percent, the government picks up the rest. I'm not really wild about government being involved in this sort of thing at all, considering how much I've been influenced by Libertarian thought; but at least the local and state bodies in Tennessee do a better job of living within their means than the Federal government.

As time has passed, I have slowly learned that the money is Federal grant money. To say that those guys spend money they don't have would be an understatement. I was reluctant to participate, but I've learned a few things along life's passage. One is to be sure of the facts, another is to consider things from a different perspective. I thought that maybe it's not my job to find out where the money comes from, it's just a contractor calling for my services. Another thought is that at least it's not a handout, I'm actually working for it, in fact, I made a point of giving them a very good return on what was spent. Also, one could consider the aspect of submitting to government and authority.

Still, what if ten years from now I had to look a 25 year old in the eye and explain why I made a living at the expense of him living in a very wrecked economy. “Well, er, blah, blah, blah...” That's what all the above reasoning will sound like, the fact is that I was just another partaker in the whole scheme-scam. So I turned the latest job down, on the grounds that it was irresponsible and maybe even robbery.

It was a trying decision. The way things have been, I actually wonder if we could live without one or more of our utilities. Phone? No, if work does come in, that's most likely how it will. Internet? No, I've got good contacts from my web page, and I need to be able to send emails. Electricity? No, laundry would pile up really high, and food preservation would be difficult to learn and do. There are times when our $65 phone bill is repeatedly $100 because we have to continually pay the reconnect fee.
I'm not trying to be depressing, or elicit sympathy, just trying to let you know the context of this decision.

So often a decision is between difficult A, and difficult B. Then, after you make it, others around you think you decided wrong.. There you are, alone, and wondering. The phone doesn't ring 10 minutes later with a great paying job; as though God was saying, well done, you passed the test.
A couple of introspective days pass, but I've had some ideas about using the history of this area to promote tourism and create jobs for those with less work than me. I was meeting a neighbor, asking about history, and a generalized conversation ensued. They asked what I would charge to paint their house. I gave them a price, and got a more than a week's worth of work. As it turns out, I might just like painting houses as much or more than signs, at least in terms of the business complexity. A few other sign jobs have come in, we're OK.

Remember the future generations.

Life is complex, which is one of the things that make it difficult for people to be informed in today's world. So...in an effort to help the public be clearly defined as to what the true agenda of Liberals and their comrades in the Pravda main stream media is, I propose that Republicans offer to raise the debt ceiling by not a penny more than what is required to service the national debt.

 They all howl about it as though it's a financial calamity and the end of a once great respectability worldwide. It would be fun to watch their reaction. They would be caught off guard for just a second, then go into automated shift about old people dying without their prescriptions.

Things have been busy, so I've had little time to write. I had a big paint job in Knoxville to finish, and we moved our household. The house we moved into was quite thrashed; but I've learned something in the process. With a large family, if we moved into a pristine house, it would be inevitable that we bring it down a notch or two. The children make paths in the yard where they play, things like that.
But if we move into a really beat up house, then do repairs, it brings the look of the place up 5 or 6 notches, at least. That's how it appears to be working out here. The landlord is happy, the wife is happy, probably the neighbors too, and it's fun for me to do the repairs.
This house was built in 1900. It looks like it had wood siding, which was later covered with those 12 inch tall by 24 inch wide tiles. Some of the tiles have broken, which makes the place look bad. A hodge podge paint job doesn't help either. I don't want to be working with that old tile material, but as it turns out, I don't have to. The rent here is pretty cheap, which suits me fine, 'cause I'm the king of cheap. His majesty was quite pleased to realize that all these scraps of “Polymetal”, which is a knockoff of “Diebond”, work well as replacement tile pieces. I had a number of 12 inch by 8 foot long pieces, imagine that. This material is a layer of black PVC plastic, about 1/8 inch thick in the middle, with a thin sheet of aluminum of both sides. It's light, rigid, resists weathering well, and comes with a nice painted finish. The pieces I have are white. I'll try to insert a couple of before and after pictures below

.
Not only are we able to do some renovations, but I like other things about this place as well. We get along with the new landlord better than the old one; I'll skip the details. This one lets the kids go into the hay field, he lets me use part of the barn for working and storing paint. The barn! Man, what a neat old structure. It's a two crib, hand hewn cantaliever design. It's had extra parts and newer roofing put on, so you can't see it's history from the road, but it's all obvious from within.
A little looking around has revealed that this Boyds Creek area is rich in history, and historic structures. I once had hopes of renovating bad looking structures and walls in Knoxville, but decided that it would be better to work closer to home, in the Seymour area. I have what seems like some neat ideas, but that's another topic, I'll probably handle it through my other website, Donahuesignarts.com
Years ago, I spent a lot more time in the woods, I taught my children to labor by using a crosscut saw with them, to get all our firewood. There are something like 60 different kinds of trees here in East Tn. If you like hardwood trees, this is a real joy. So now I'm back to going in the woods with antique tools and the younger children. I make things out of dead trees; mauls from Hickory, gluts (wooden wedges) from Dogwood, fence posts from Locust and Cedar.

I was going to ask that you allow me to coin a new word: parentoia. But I just Googled it, and others are using that term. The site I looked at used in regards to parental fear for their child's safety. I wonder though, if they're familiar with the dictionary definition of paranoia: illusions of grandeur or persecution. 

 So my version of parentoia is for parents of teenagers: illusions of authority or relevance.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Would an aspect of dry humor be material that's only half kidding?

I almost feel like saying "A guy I know" has been fasting for 1 day a week now, going on at least 5 weeks. In years past, I never fasted much, because I didn't know what it was for. I figured that it didn't give me more favor with God, His Son has already paid for my way into His kingdom. I have only just started looking at Bible verses which mention fast or fasting. In the ones I've seen, the people fasting are usually sorrowful about something. Some of the verses indicate that what my sister in law said is true; she said that fasting is a way of humbling yourself before God.

 At first, it was like a spiritual party, it was so neat to be focused on prayer all day, and drawing close to God. Now though, I'm thinking and praying about the condition of the church and country; it's a bit more sobering. Still, without yet finishing my look at what the Bible has to say about fasting, I will say this:

 What it is, is an easy redirect. That slight empty feeling is a reminder to be in serious and constant prayer, your physical hunger is redirected to a spiritual hunger for God's presence. It's a huge blessing to know you're doing something so right and important.

 Would you please join "a guy" in praying 1 day a week for your own purity, to know how to do the work of His Kingdom in your house and your community, and to see His power manifested in those places? You will be blessed.

Thank you.

Somebody was throwing away a tile cutting saw, still in the box. It had been used, but probably only once. There were cut tile pieces next to it, so I'm thinking that maybe a guy had some tile work he wanted to do, bought a cheap Harbor Freight saw. Used it for the work, then threw it away. I took it home, and Saturday afternoon, tried cutting some rocks with it; as a with-kids project. I already had the rocks; I was saving them because I really like the way metamorphic rocks look. I study their appearance because I want to be able to reproduce that layered look quickly and easily with paint. 

 As it turns out, The cut edges show the layers in a very nice way. Here are a couple pictures of the results. Most of these rocks have a spray clear coat on them, to make the patterns show more.