(Please note: the strange paragraph formatting is all the work of the software, but I don't care to spend the time trying to fix it...fits right in with a weird blog)
Funny how you can read a verse a lot of
times, then one day you see something new. Here's 1 Timothy:12-16.
12
And
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he
counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
13
Who
was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I
obtained mercy, because I did [it]
ignorantly in unbelief.
14
And
the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love
which is in Christ Jesus.
15
This
[is]
a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.16
Howbeit
for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might
shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should
hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
That's
copied from The Word, which is free Bible software, really good
stuff. Anyway, look at “for a pattern”. Is this saying we should
be patient with bad people, the way Christ was with Saul? I know
there are other verses that talk about that, I just hadn't seen it
here before. Now, here's Genesis 30:41
And
it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that
Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters,
that they might conceive among the rods.
My
involvement with this verse is a bit more wordy; so the insight I
needed more. If you're a regular, then you know I occasionally say
how unpredictable my work is getting. There are people dispensing
business advice along the lines of: “You're not just someone who
sells a product or performs a service; you're a problem solver. You
help customers find what they need. “ That's a good way of looking
at it, but like other things, it has it's limitations. My trade has
gone through many changes. While I'm pretty much abreast of them, and
can deliver the new methods, I usually stick with the old methods. I
end up being the guy that specializes in doing odd jobs that others
can't or won't do. That's fine as long as the job can be dealt with
in a timely way; but the problem comes when I try and do jobs that
have no good outcome; no matter which approach you take. I've been at
it long enough to have a gut feeling about them; but I tell myself
that I'm the problem job specialist, and take on the job anyway.
A
recent example was for a client I've had for about 20 years. The job
should have had a total revamp, but she wanted to add a word below
what was there. Because of the storefront's shape, there was not a
practical way to add the word. I sent numerous emails, with different
design solutions, one of which I thought was quite attractive. That
one involved making a plaque like board to put the word on. That
would allow the letters to be tall enough, and also allow them to be
mounted on a horizontal ridge like protrusion running across the
store front. The ridge wouldn't be tall enough without the plaque
board. The plaque had a subtle scroll on each side of the new word,
and the ends of the plaque were to be cut to the shape of the
scrolls, so that it wasn't just this added on rectangular board with
another word. I matched the color of the plaque to the rest of the
storefront, centered it above the door; and as I said, I thought it
was rather attractive.
But
she didn't, so after becoming frustrated with the negotiations, she
turned it over to her son in law, who resolved it quickly by choosing
to make the word smaller, fit in below the existing copy. When it was
done, they didn't like it; aren't returning my calls, and; the thing
I was trying to avoid, happened in spite of all my efforts. I think
I've lost the client.
I've
had two jobs recently like that, each time I thought of declining the
job, but these are times of economic difficulty, so I have second,
and third thoughts. You've probably heard of the 85/15 principle. I
think I heard about in relation to a paint salesman; he noticed that
85 percent of his sales were from 15 percent of his customers. So he
started turning some leads over to other sales staff; so that he
could better serve that 15 percent. It worked well for him. I've been
pondering this gut reaction stuff, when, during my personal Bible
study, I notice the Genesis passage. Jacob has the stronger animal
reproduce, not the weaker ones. Sounds a lot like the 85/15
principle.
At
least a year ago, probably two, I stopped at the “Time Warp Tea
Room” on Central avenue, in Knoxville. The had (maybe still do)
this Tuesday evening motorcycle rendezvous; cool unusual motorcycles
line the street out front, and people hang out. I got extensive
photos of a motorcycle made in Russia, it's patterned very closely to
a WW2 sidecar bike. I'll have to share those someday. What I've got
here is a hand painted sign displayed inside the place. It was
obviously rendered quickly, but it has so much character, that I
really like it. Looks like an ad for a 60's movie.
Below
that is a surprise I got while on a ladder, painting a sign on
Broadway, in Knoxville. I get a kick out of this kind of creativity.
It pulled up and parked directly behind me, as quiet as any other
car, so I didn't pay attention till I was stepping off the ladder. I
talked to the owner, he said that the ears hinge, and are mounted by
magnet. That way tree branches cause less trouble.
