I Think I'll Fire My Mechanic!

OK, here's the deal. I need my thermostat replaced in my '97 Ford Mustang, V6, 3.8L. Easy enough, right? Any mechanic worth his salt could whip that out in about 15 minutes (though he'd probably charge a full hour). Well, my mechanic doesn't seem to be that talented. He's a "moonlight" guy who holds down another full time job during the day. It's a good thing too, because after his performance on my car, I'd hate to see him try to make a living at auto repair. After seeing the symptoms last week, I had him take a look at it on Saturday. Beautiful day...60 something degrees...no big deal, right? Well about four hours later he had broken two bolts off into the engine block. Fortunately he was able to get them out because they broke off "above the threads" of the block. Well, by this time the parts house that he needed was closed. He assured me that the fault was in the cheap bolts he had bought from the local auto parts store and he needed to get the genuine ones from Ford. Ford is the epitome of customer service (sarcasm here) exampled by keeping their hours as close as possible to the time when "normal" people are at their day job. So, my mechanic friend wasn't able to get parts until yesterday (Monday). Last night after work, he shows up, not with Ford bolts, but with a tap to clean out the threads in my block and a couple of better quality, but still generic, bolts. He spent another 3 hours trying to get the thermostat to stay in place on the side of the engine block while he tightened the bolts. When he was "done" we cranked the car. It didn't take long to see the antifreeze start to drip. Oh, and did I mention that unlike the nice day we had on Saturday, last night's temperatures were in the teens, and it was dark? Well, his solution to the drip was to tighten it further. He cranked a few more turns, not wanting to break off these new bolts. Finally, after cranking it, the drips slowed to 1 or 2 a second. At this point, I'm thinking that I really need to fire this guy. Frustrated, I told him he was done for the night. I test drove the car and barely made it back home before it overheated to the point of damage. I popped open the hood and examined his work. The thermostat (or at least the rubber seal around it) could be seen protruding out of the bottom of the housing. So, most likely, this guy crushed my new thermostat because he didn't get it lined up right before tightening down those bolts. I normally don't like to name names, but as a courtesy to my readers I really feel I need to warn you. Whatever you do, don't let Mike Southerland repair your car! He's a programmer, not a mechanic! So, Mike, you're fired! I guess I'll have to do it myself now.

Sincerely,
Mike Southerland

Psalm 146

There's a reason I haven't personally authored anything on this blog since June 17. It's certainly not lack of desire. Due to an unwise decision I made in my life I am suffering under the thumb of an oppressor. There is an entity that would steal away every last waking moment of my life and rob me of my precious family time. Last Lord's Day I selected Psalm 146 as the hymn I selected for my family. The words in the Trinity Hymnal are metrical, but enjoy with me the Word of God as it is written in the Geneva text. When reading, remember that our trust of provision comes not from man, but from an eternally loving Father God who faithfully feeds His own.

Psalm 146
1 Praise thou the Lord, O my soul.
2 I will praise the Lord during my life; as long as I have any being, I will sing unto my God.
3 Put not your trust in Princes, nor in the son of man, for there is no help in him.
4 His breath departeth, and he returneth to his earth; this his thoughts perish.
5 Blessed is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is; which keepeth his fidelity forever,
7 Which executeth justice for the oppressed, which giveth bread to the hungry; the Lord looseth the prisoners.
8 The Lord giveth sight to the blind: the Lord raiseth up the crooked: the Lord loveth the righteous.
9 The Lord keepeth the strangers: he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but he overthroweth the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord shall reign forever: O Zion, thy God endureth from generation to generation. Praise ye the Lord.

Amen, so let it be. I make this my prayer today. Lord Jesus, overthrow the way of the wicked and preserve me, your son, as I stand in the righteousness of Christ alone.

Achieve Outstanding Results - With Passion!

Do you have a product or service to sell? Is there a ministry or non-profit organization that you support? You are excellent in what you do, but your challenge is in letting others know about it? I may be able to supply just the boost you need!

If you’re like me, you are a Christian father who has a longing to work for himself. Or maybe you are a Christian lady who supports her family's vision by running a business out of your home. Perhaps, you are a Christian leader or minister who is working to make a difference in the physical and spiritual lives of people everyday. Whether you produce a product, or you simply have good information to share, people can’t support your efforts if they don’t know you exist.

Direct mail advertising is one of the most effective means of reaching your target audience. Using direct mail, you can benefit families by making them aware of excellent materials that they can use to educate their children, spread the Gospel, or make a positive difference in their communities.

As part of my plan to secure self employment, I have invested in a course on writing direct mail. So far, I’m loving it! I can now channel my passion for causes and products I believe in to a means of supporting my family. I see this as a win-win situation all around. You benefit by gaining customers or donors. The customers and/or donors benefit by receiving your excellent product or the blessing of helping ministries in need. I benefit by doing something that I love (writing), and using it to directly support my family.

I already have a sample piece I can share with you that I wrote for my favorite restaurant.

Drop me an email today at mike@mikesoutherland.com to discuss how I can help you bring in the response you need for your business or ministry.

Normalcy?

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
(Jas 4:13-15)

Ironic it is that on 6/27, I issued a blog entry detailing my plans for the short term future. Though these plans have not changed, another event transpired late on Friday afternoon 6/29. The company for which I work, Dobson Communications Corporation announced that they are being acquired by AT&T. This was quite a surprise. The closing is estimated to take place in the first quarter of 2008.

What this means for the Southerland household remains to be seen. I have thoroughly enjoyed working for Dobson. The management here has been outstanding. Any desire I have had to work for myself has been for reasons other than not liking my job, like those of family heritage and passing on a vision to my children. This could very well be God’s plan for me to launch into business for myself. Whatever happens, I know that He will provide, and I have no need to worry. God is faithful to provide for His own. I know that He will continue to keep me and my family in the palm of His hand.

I will be stepping up my efforts to get that real estate IVR application off the ground. On my last blog, someone made a suggestion of trying to publish the documents I am writing for my children. I may very well explore that possibility. In one way or another God will provide our needs. I have peace that we are walking in His will.