Too many times in our busy world we hear promises and wonder if they will ever be kept. Real estate is an area where promises are critical to our business. If we don't promise to do anything we won't be held accountable for what happens yet if we become so complacent that we are not willing to promise to simply do a good job, we will never have a business profile for the people we represent to recommend us to others and our business fails.
Recently, I was able to be reminded of one of the promises our Father in Heaven gave us. He promised to provide for us and as many of us are falling short in finances through no fault of our making, this came at a time when the reminder meant so much more than when we feel we have everything in control of our own hands.
I was at home working when I heard a loud bit of bird chatter on our side porch. Knowing we had a wren nesting there, I quietly walked to the screen door to see what was wrong. I was absolutely blown away by the visual of God's promise being acted out. Both parents were sitting on the porch railing calling to the nest. In hopes of being able to see God's handywork in action, I did not attempt to get a camera as I did not want to miss anything that was going to happen.
Shortly, with a lot of coaxing from the parents, a very young wren hopped out from the nest and attempted it's first flight into this world. The flight could be better described as a somewhat controled fall to the tress some thirty feet away. One of the parents flew by it's side and made sure it was established in one of the trees then returned to the porch.
One by one, I watched as four small wrens exited the safety of the nest to the uncertanity of this world. After these four little ones were into the trees, the parents were back on the porch still calling to the nest. I wondered if there could be another one still there. I the presence of my oversized body, I could not imaging enough room for another one to be left as the nest was so small. Yet shortly, what I can only describe as the runt, hopped out of the nest to edge of the flower box the nest had been built in.
It called to it's parents with, what sounded different from the other four, it's begging as to do I have to leave? The parents hopped back and forth from the nest to the rail showing it that it could do this. Finally, the leap was made, barely) to the rail. it stopped and looked back at the nest seemingly to ask, "Can I go back home?" The parents began to fly back and forth from the porch to the trees until it's umwillingness was overcome by lonelyness and it launched itself into the air. It made it to the ground about ten feet down and twelve feet out. It began to return to the porch area when the parents blocked it's path and called it to come with them.
Watching this until they finally got it to the trees by way of four short flights and a lot of encouragement, I finally was able to see it sitting on a branch some thirty inches off the ground. As I watched this, I knew I had been given an answer to the prayers I had been presenting to God as to His providing for us in every part of our life.
I do not know where the family went nor do I know if the runt will make it or not. I do know that I have nothing to worry about and that our Father is encouraging me to trust in Him fo all my needs. I also know that He is able to provide everything that my family will need as we move into the future in a very uncertain world.
I hope that as you read this you will also be able to know that He promises this to all who will come to Him. Watch for His answers as we walk the paths of this world. He is there to be seen.
I had a friend send me a video where some monks who had taken a vow of silence present Handel's "Messiah" in a very entertaining way. I hope you enjoy.
Hallelujah Chorus - from monks with a vow of silence! This is way too much fun....not to share with music lovers and friends...... You might have to watch it a couple of times to see all the guys under the robes !!!! Just click and enjoy:
After way too long in keeping up with your market, I find myself in an area I did not expect. The handle I was holding on to in our business snapped in two a while back. I kept telling clients to stay active and be positive. Things beyond most of our control has forced me to change the way I do business. The bank took over control of the two subdivisions I was involved in and the builder was foreclosed on, effectively stopping business as I knew it.
Therefore, I have moved into commercial real estate as I had a couple general contractors and property owners who had been attempting to bring me on board with them to assist with management and overseeing remodeling project's. I know that our Father has His hand in the market/buusiness that I had been in and can see His closing of one door to provide the opening of a better one. I keep thinking how awesome our Father is and still find awe in the fact that He takes the time to see each one of us as we walk through life.
Isaiah 40:31 (The Message)
27-31Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, "God has lost track of me. He doesn't care what happens to me"? Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening? God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind.
Through this entire changing of the way I see things, our Father has been putting things in order and I am learning to expect more and better things from Him while learning to trust in Him more. This does not mean everything is peaches and cream. Finances have fallen way behind and we stand to have the opportunity to give our current home back to the bank, but can you just imagine what living totally in His care will look like? It is hard for me to imagine given I am human and He is God.
If we all would walk hand-in-hand with each other and our Father, what joy, peace, and fulfilment we willl see. Know that I am still alive and well beyond human understanding and will attempt to keep up with you all again.
Beyond any shadow of doubt the month of September was better than the best roller coaster ride I have ever been on. No, I did not set the world on fire, no, I did not die (although I have talked to our God about it), no, I have not been in the hospital but I have been extremely busy looking for that needle in the proverbial haystack. The one I have been looking for has to do with the correct one to be able to use to pick the lock at the bank to get some money for both my clients and myself.
Working my real estate career (one of the joys in my life), plus working two other jobs to pay bills has not left me much time to share with my family in the Rain. Boy, do I ever miss that. You guys are a very special mix of interests that not being able to walk among you has been very tough. The biggest part of being able to come back for a walk in the Rain is that you all understand and there are some that understand even more.
To those more understanding people who have gone to the trouble of making contact with me, I wish to say thank you. You have no idea how special it was to be in the midst of the "stuff" going on and to hear from those of you who decided to take your heart and put feet on it to send it walking through the Rain to visit me! Having the heart that reaches out to touch another's is one of God's special gifts. For all of my family here in the Rain here is a video to say thank you.
The last week of September and these first weeks of October has made me realize why the knees on my pants having holes in them does not matter. Our God has performed miracles in the life of this REALTOR. I would like to share three of those miracles and the first two lead up to the last one which has made it possible for me to go the rest of my life with out thought of worry. Here they are in ascending order.
1: I have written 8 contracts and closed on 2 of them in the last three weeks with 3 more closing this month and the others closing by the 24th of November. All but one of them is a sure thing as financing is not going to be used. Lowest of the miracles!
2: I have a REALTOR friend who has been searching for that miracle in her life and when she came to ask me the other day why I can smile even when things are not going well, I shared our God's message with her and she heard it this time. She accepted Christ as her savior and told me later that she often wanted to hear some more of "those God stories" that I had been sharing with her. The change in her outlook in two weeks has been the second miracle.
Now for the most incredible miracle.
3: This past week I had the honor and priviledge to see my 12 year old son accept Christ into his heart and he asked me if I would baptise him. I asked him why he would ask me and not the preacher and he answered by telling me I was the spiritual head of our house and God would smile down on us as we did it. I, of course, said I would (how could I not?) only to find out he wanted to do it in front of his school mates. His school is a private Christian school and a number of students were going to be baptised. So, all said and done with tears streaming down my face, I knealt in front of God and the school to complete this part of his walk towards God. Here is one of the proudest moments of my life in picture.
Thank you for allowing me to walk in the Rain again and to share with you and for checking in with me and reminding me I have family still walking in the Rain.
Are you one or the other? Any one working in the Real Estate environment will find the fill the role in each category at some point just about every day. I find mopst of my days filling the role of Dream Catcher and, accordingly, in naming my business, peoples dreams played a part. I proudly own Dream Properties, Inc. Let me add to Gary Woltal's infoprmation as I explain.
Gary's post is linked below and you can click on the blue link to read it.
The following video is about dream weaving as well.
In Gary's post the picture he uses is one of a Dream Catcher so he must have been thinking of both sides of the public we serve. All of us have the ability to "weave" dreams, and as Gary points out, with action, dreams can become reality. We all serve in the role of Dream Catcher more of the time, in my opinion. Dream Catching means we have to listen to the people we serve to know what their dreams are and then, with Gary's action, we assist our clients in seeing their dream come to reality. Below is a short history about the physical dream catchers.
Dream Catchers
Dreamcatchers are an authentic American Indian tradition, from the Ojibway (Chippewa) tribe. Ojibway people would tie sinew strands in a web around a small round or tear-shaped frame--in a somewhat similar pattern to how they tied webbing for their snowshoes--and hang this "dream-catcher" as a charm to protect sleeping children from nightmares. The legend is that the bad dreams will get caught in the web. Traditionally Native American dreamcatchers are small (only a few inches across) and made of bent wood and sinew string with a feather hanging from the netting, but wrapping the frame in leather is also pretty common, and today you'll often see them made with sturdier string meant to last longer.
Do you really listen to your client and pick up on all the little nuances of what their dream really looks like? If you find your self talking a lot, try asking leading questions that will paint the colors into the dream. You'll be surprised as to how much difference you will make for your client.
Be cause we all find ourselves confronted with the same market, we all are having the same questions. These questions boil down to one basic question: What am I going to do?
I have the answer to that question that is working very well for me as I look around, wondering. The answer presented itself in a song from a long time ago. If it will assist you while you are wondering, then smile and hold yoiu head up high, the better to see where your strength is coming from.
In the early 1900‘s, Davis Bible college in Lestershire (now Johnson City), New York, asked Walter Martin to help them compile a book of hymns for use at the college. He moved there with his wife, Civilla, and their children, to begin the assignment.
One Sunday, Walter was to preach in a town some distance from the school. Since Civilla was sick and unable to attend, he wanted to cancel his trip. While it was being discussed, their 9-year old son said, "Father, don't you think that if God wants you to preach today, He will take care of Mother while you are away?"
Martin kept his appointment, and when he returned that evening, he found his wife greatly improved. While her husband was gone, Civilla thought about the struggles of life, and wrote the words to the poem, "God Will Take Care Of You". . . based on her son's comment of faith earlier that day. Within an hour after returning home, Mr. Martin had written the music for the poem. That very evening a couple of teachers at the school came by, and they all sang the song together. Later in the week it was sung at one of the college assemblies, and later included in the new "Songs of Redemption" hymnbook compiled by Walter Martin and John A. Davis in 1905.
GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU
Be not dismayed whate'er betide, God will take care of you; Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.
Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you; When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.
All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you; Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you.
No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you; Lean, weary one, upon His breast, God will take care of you.
CHORUS
God will take care of you, Through every day, o'er all the way; He will take care of you, God will take care of you.
Genesis 22:1 says that God tested Abraham. David said, "I know also, my God, that You test the heart" (1 Chronicles 29:17). Psalm 11:5 says, "The Lord tests the righteous."
If you're facing trials & troubles now, think of them as a test. God is testing your faith to see if you'll trust Him and obey Him in the tough times. In James 1:3, we read: "The testing of your faith produces patience. And we know that as we trust and obey Him, He will take care of us.
Have you learned yet that our trials & troubles are often tests?
Russell Ray made a comment about another train that is fun to ride, more so today than ever before as it is one of the few Narrow Gauge Rail Roads still running. It is the Durango & Silverton and runs in Southern Colorado through the mountains. It is really a great trip if you have never been. Of course the mountains are nice as well to look at. From Durango it travels to Silverton and back.
When you are in the area, yoiu might also take the time to visit the only place in the United States where the corners of 4 different states touch. It is obviously called the Four Corners Area. Here is a picture of the marker showing the exact location. You can actually be in four states at the same time.
Getting to the Four Corners area you will have to pass an area called Meas Verde where there are deep canyons. Among the canyons are houses built by ancient indian tribes hanging on the sides of the cliffs and canyons. I have spent weeks exploring and will never get tired of the ability to walk among the history there. Picture having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and having to climb up or down the side of a cliff to accomplish you mission. Remember it would be pitch black.
A little further west and you will be in Utah looking for Arches National Park where just recently one of the most photographed arches has fallen. There are over 2,000 natural stone arches in the park. I am not sure this picture is of the one that fell or not, but it gives you the idea of what you will see.
So, if you have nothing else to do, this will give you at least a couple weeks worth of enjopyment.
My daughter recently sent an email with a link to a video by an unusual artist that at first looks to be one of these crazy, wild, splotches of paint. Little did I know that I needed to really watch the whole thing to realize that this was sent as a reminder that we need to hold our freedoms dear and remember our heritage. The first song is one that makes me stand to attention anytime I hear it and I can't seem to get enough of it. This is a video of a man named Michael Israel. As a proud American, he captured my heart as I listened and watched.
Because of the posts he has written and the love he shares, this one goes out to
Simon Conway
as a person who chooses to make America his home and the fact that he exhibits sincere ove for his chosen country. Thank you Simon for reminding us many times of just how special our country is.
Just before I stepped away from the Rain for a while, a new group got started that I immediately fell in love with that is gearded to train lovers. Growing up in Colorado, my grandfather worked on the local railroad for 45 years. The railroad he worked with was the Denver, Rio Grande Western (DRGW). So when the group got started, I went on line in search of information and photo's from the time he was active with this Colorado railroad. I have not had as much success as I would have liked (probably because I have not been able to devote the necessary time to it), but I did come across an interesting find.
I lived in Pueblo, Colorado for a while and most of my family still lives there and near there is a place called the Royal Gorge. It has a suspension bridge over the gorge that is somewhere over 1,000 feet above the floor of the gorge. People have been know to bungy jump off the bridge and some even have had their marriage performed just before they jumped. Anyway, there is a train still active through the gorge and it is part of the system my grandfather worked with. It is quite a trip if you ever get the chance. Here are some pictures of the Gorge and train. Enjoy.
The canyon is even steeper and deepr than this depiction allows the imagination, although looking closely at the suspension bridge gives you some idea of distance. This bridge allowed two way vehicle traffic at the time but no longer can you drive over it. I guess the chance that the wood decking you drove on may not support vehicles any more might be a problem.
I have been gone from the Rain for some time now as a result of circumstances beyond my control. Had it not been for some "Wonderful "People", I may not be returning to the Rain. These "Wonderful "People" wento out of their way to make contact with me because they were concerned. This speaks to the quality of character these "Wonderful "People" exhibit and it is this character trait that has kept me with a desire to return. Those of you wondering who these "Wonderful "People" are, by nature of the fact that you are having to ask, are not one of them. Suffice it to say that the "Wonderful "People" character trait does not show up in many people and when it does, it makes a difference in the lives of those it touches. It does not take but a little time to call or email to check in with each other.
To those "Wonderful "People", everything I have or can accomplish is yours for the asking. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to you.
During the time I was away, one of the "Wonderful "People" challenged me to write a post centering around two words ---- difficult and different. This came about as we discussed simply some of the things going on at the time. So with that having been said, I will make the attempt to share with all of you the background.
Webster defines these two wrds in the following ways:
DIFFICULT ---- 1: hard to do, make, or carry out :arduous <a difficult climb>2 a: hard to deal with, manage, or overcome <a difficult child> b: hard to understand :puzzling <difficult reading>
DIFFERENT ---- 1: partly or totally unlike in nature, form, or quality :dissimilar <could hardly be more different> -often followed by from, than, or chiefly British to<small, neat hand, very different from the captain's tottery characters - R. L. Stevenson><vastly different in size than it was twenty-five years ago - N. M. Pusey><a very different situation to the...one under which we live - Sir Winston Churchill>
I like the Churchill quote and would say this is where most of us find ourselves today.
During a time when things have changed so drastically, it is our choice to look at how we live everyday with the changes we have no chance of controlling. Many of you have read my posts about how different my life has been compared to some other more normal lives, so as I encountered some new issues, I had to decide to look at them either as different or difficult. I have never liked the word difficult as it has a negative feeling to me and chose to see things as different.
Different, to me, has neither a negative or a positive feeling to it. Iyt is just what it is, different. To me, that means I may have never seen something like it before and I would need to look at it closely to know how to work with it. If we realize that everyone, everyday, has different things show up in their lives and we chose to work with those things instead of fighting for control, we would walk forward much easier and not bump our head into so many obstacles. For me, the ability to walk with the differences in this world easily comes from my faith in God. Having encountered the things that have encroached my life, have taught me that most of the time I will not control what is going on around me. The one thing I can and do control is how I get to view those things.
With all that is going on around us today, with so many different things getting in front of us, my challenge to myself as well as you is to walk down the path we find ourself on looking forward to seeing things from a viewpoint that build character in all of us like the character exhibited by those "Wonderful People" I shared about earlier. God is waiting for us to participate daily (constantly) with Him so we have the skillsets to travel the paths of this world.
Again, thank you to those "Wonderful People" out there. While I was writing this, two of them checked in with me again.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
This is a picture of a physical dream catcher.
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