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| Unlawful Grace!?; By Stacie (a long one) | |
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| Topic Started: May 23 2004, 05:29 PM (24 Views) | |
| Stace4Jesus | May 23 2004, 05:29 PM Post #1 |
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Hey I want to tell you a story. I call it unlawful grace because that is the word that came to mind as I put the pieces together. I am open to being corrected, but I am considering this as one of the things the Lord is trying to teach Kay and I about management (of the things of the Kingdom of God). Mr. Smith lives in 215. I can tell his story because it is not a secret around here. The first time I went to 215, I felt a deep warmth toward this young man. He is about 30 or so, married to a woman who had one child, and they have had another together. When I saw Mr. Smith, I saw a vision of him behind a dark mahogany desk with books and it gave the appearance of being a well studyied pastor's desk. Mr Smith is a nice guy... to your face, but behind your back, no matter what you have said, if it is not in line with his finding a drink, then what you have said does not matter. The first year that Kay and I managed this place, the Smith's were always late on their rent. It would start slow, 200.00, 300.00, and by the time income taxes came back, they owned 900.00 dollars. They paid it off and the cycle would start again. They would promise to come and pay an amount they said they could pay... but never showed up. They said they would come to the office ... they never showed up. They would call and say they were on their way to pay at least a little bit.. they never showed up. When Mr. Dave bought the park, Mr. and Mrs. Smith were again behind in their rent. This time they owed about 1500.00 dollars. By the time Mr. Dave seriously got involved with the problem, they had back rent of about 2500.00 We told Mr. Dave that they did not have a good record of keeping their word. Mr. Dave asked us to bring them to the office so he could chat with them. Before they left the office, Kay and I were starting a whole new program of handling their accounting. All they had to do is bring their checks to the office, sign them, and also bring their bills to the office. Kay and I would handle it from there. Mr. Dave would get his rent and their bills would be paid also. This is what Mr. Dave wanted and so we complied. Mrs Smith was the only one who could keep a job. Mr. Smith was continuously fired from jobs because of drinking on the job. These jobs were good contract/construction jobs, but one by one, he would get fired from them. Mr. Smith stayed home mostly and took care of the children. As Kay and I were make a round of the park one day last year about in May or so, I heard the Lord ask me what I would do if I was in charge. I stopped, thought about it, and made the best decision I could based on what I thought the Lord would do.. "I would evict them." This was about the same time period that Mr. Dave began taking care of their finances. I remember walking back to the office and seeing how Mr. Dave was handling the matter. He had such compassion on them (on her because her husband was a "sorry" thing that could not hold a job). Over and over I felt so awful that I had answered the Lord with the judgement call of evicting them. But today, I see what I could not have seen back then. Over this past year, up to Jan when they again paid off the remaining balance of 900.00 (what they had gotten it down to over the whole summer of dealing with their checks for them) Mr Dave said he had had enough of their problems. They were constantly late, never keeping their word, never showing up... and the pretty front that Mrs. Smith was putting on for Mr. Dave about how bad her husband was acting was breaking down. Reports were getting back to him that she was walking around drunk as well. She said she was still working, but it proved that she had been fired weeks ago. ect ect ect... So, what I am sharing is... the boss came to the same conclusion that I had when I stood before the Lord and "decided" it was right to "evict" a year before. Honestly, that helped me not feel like such a hard case. It helped me feel like I was a warm, compassionate person after all. Isn't is a nice thing that now I "feel" better? Than my "self image" is okay? That when I seek God and find the answer, that maybe I am not really putting my words in His mouth.. maybe I am hearing God give me His heart.... Isn't this great? No... it is not great. Somewhere, and maybe you all can see it much clearer than I can, but somewhere there was a huge mistake made. Watch this... Mr. Dave had Kay and I take over their finances late last spring. He wanted to gain his money back. He did not want to lose the vast amount they owed, nor put up the price to evict them. (I do not judge him, he is a business man and has to stand before the Lord as to how to do business.. me, I don't know nada... ) So, we started down that path I was describing above. Early last summer, while all is going well (it seemed) the kids in the park got together and played doctor with a young girl. This is not good. We found out later that the mother of the girl called for a parent's meeting and the handy man was invited to represent the park (his own personal problem of undermining the management). All the parents were there and one of the little boys admitted to all that he has started it. He was punished by his parents and the thing resolved.. but not really. This mother of the young girl is bed ridden and has nothing but time on her hands. She makes it a point to zero in on an issue and take some kind of vendetta against anyone who does not agree with her. (Again I thought how awful I was to think such negative things about her.. until she went face to face with the owner last week .... and he came away shaking his head.. and now, because she did not get her way.. for some reason... Mr. Dave is getting phone calls in the middle of the night. He is about to bring the police into the situation). When this lady's little girl got on the school bus at the first of last year. Mr and Mrs. Smith's little ten year old boy was on the bus too. They got into an argument. This lady called the police and reported that the young smith boy was a rapist (back two months earlier) and he was arrested. This issue became this lady's vendetta. The young smith boy was not the one who had admitted to being in charge, the one who had admitted to being in charge of the "play doctor" situation was not being charged by the lady. Note: pause.. remember the answer: Evict them. this would have been may.. the doctor thing was in July.. the police came into the picture in late Aug. When the young smith boy was arrested for rape... Mr. Smith was upset, he rattled off with his mouth. He became the next target for this lady. The handyman sat in a trailer next to the lady's trailer at about 2am and reports that he saw Mr. Smith banging on the lady's trailer. (why is our handyman in the vacant trailer next door at 2 am?... never made sense. Anyway, the handyman becomes a witness for the lady and Mr. Smith is taken to jail, denying all the time that he was any where near the lady's trailer. (due to another accusation by this lady about another man peering into her window that was proven false... I sort of believe Mr. Smith.) Note: pause.. again, this is months after the time when I was asked about eviction... Mr. Smith was charged with whatever that would be.. and then a restraining order was put up against him.. he was arrested when he went to the mail box to check his mail... arrest #2 The child is charged with assualt, rape, and now a new case of violating the restraining order. Mr. Smith is in jail... because he did not pay the court the fine he was suppose to pay... another "did not pay." What started out as an "did not pay" and could have gotten them evicted, but saved all of them some serious problems.. has now come to another spot of "not paying" but this time, the state refused to grant them "unlawful mercy." If we had evicted them, the boss would have lost about 1500.00 plus 600.00 in court costs. But, the trailer would have regained the loss by being rented very quickly. Now, this couple is behind again. He is in jail. She is getting so deep into drinking that she came to the office to pay part of the bill.. drunk or doped up. What are your thoughts? I think Kay and I had much more spiritual authority over this matter right off the bat, when the Lord asked what we would do. I think I missed it with the Lord, and then spent a year hearing about how mean I am, how judgmental I am. I think that there is another issue here that if I can get this spiritual authority figured out.. that the whole lot of persons involved can be saved a bunch of problems. The handyman has got some serious problems.. and is causeing some serious problems. When the Lord asked me about him.. I said.. "replace him." I don't want to go around that mountain all over again. I am calling for wisdom. I am sharing what I have learned. Speak to me... I, we, are in the same boat again.. but this time.. I want to walk it in the power and authority that the Lord gives and wants of His servants. It is obvious we are heading around the same type mountain. Help us learn how to walk in the spiritual authority I believe the Lord wants. The next situation is costing the boss a lot of money. We just need to learn what to do. shalom stacie |
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10:38 AM Nov 27
