PAINFUL Dental and Housing Update March 22 2017

DENTAL

I talked with a clerk at the dental school and learned that the students are on spring break this week. Pray for me to make good contact with my dental student next week.

May we come to an understanding of how much money will be needed to complete the implants.

According to my understanding there is hundreds of dollars of difference between the invoice provided in November versus the invoice provided in February. I might be wrong. Or they may need to apply what I understand is a large discount.

HOUSING
I went to the Housing Authority and got a one month extension on my section 8 voucher. Thankfully that went smoothly.

I picked up a revised list of the maximum rent paid for apartments in DFW. There are dozens of zip codes in this area. The maximum varies from one zip code to another. Most of those maximums increased by 50 to 70 dollars. That made me happy.

I spent hours online using this new list but I found that most apartments charge more than that maximum. That was discouraging.

I continued to expand my search scope. I went from the most desirable to just about any option.  I set up a spreadsheet to collect the data on the few that feel within my range.

Then yesterday I called many of them. I found that most do not have vacancies in the next few weeks. Those that said that they might said that they do not accept section 8 vouchers. That was mentally and emotionally painful. It was like I hit a brick wall.

Over the recent months I have wrestled with internal resistance. I have procrastinated. I have had all kinds of internal excuses. I prayed and I requested much prayer.

My initial goal was to do my online research including the comments of residents. Then go visit the best prospects. Narrow those to a 4 to 6 complexes that would be acceptable. Then choose the one that was the best. My intention was that I would have peace of mind after such a filtering process. When I finally relocated I would have found the best possible option.

SENIOR

While reflecting on all this yesterday the Holy Spirit prompted me to next seek help from the senior services agencies. While I have a gray beard and I am 63 years old I do not think of myself as old. Yet those people have helped lots of others like me to navigate the housing obstacle course.

During my investigations I did bump into a few listing of senior resource centers, I have no idea right now how many there are or what they offer.

Pray for God to guide me in exploring this avenue. May I soon get connected with the right agency and get the right caseworker or how ever they help people.

When I worked at the seminary God used me to help several disabled people to find help within the government agencies and Christian organizations. Often they would take a bus to the far side of the city to wait a long time to meet briefly with a person. But more than half the time it was a waste. They got the runaround with a list of others to go to see. Or they were put on a waiting list that never ended.

So I fear such waste and discouragement going down this new avenue. Surely God can guide me and God will provide right on time.

FEELINGS
Recently I have been thanking God that while I experience feelings, they do not dominate my life.

Typically for me feelings come and go like clouds that pass over in a clear sky. But lately there have been more dark clouds than usual.

I have felt frustrated, aggravated, depressed, discouraged, helpless, hopeless, disparaging and more. Mostly this is related to the housing search.

Pray for me to best cope with these feelings.

SERMON

Thanks to answered prayers the first sermon in the new series on prayer went smoothly on Saturday. I have dozens of ideas in my notes about prayer. So this will be a very long series.

I feel prompted to preach on the armor of God as it relates to daily prayers for this Saturday. I request your prayers for the preparations and delivery of that message.

My audience is mostly African American men that are homeless. Most of those grew up in the church as a child. They have an active faith walk. They have heard every Sunday school lesson lots of times.

Pray for me to do a good Bible study about the armor of God. May God use me to bring fresh understanding to this familiar passage.

I want to make this and all my messages both theologically rich and packed with practical applications.

Due to the hardships that I have been coping with and that they face may that part of the Bible in Ephesians 6:10-18 become alive and very useful.

Lord willing I will offer a handout for those who attend and others I will meet later. One side will have this diagram of the armor of God http://www.freewebs.com/simplelessons/PDFs/Armor_of_God_--STAND.pdf and the other side will have related Bible verses.

SPA

Along this bumpy path I have felt weary, worn and emotionally exhausted. I have sensed the edges of burn out. I have wrestled with the willingness to keep moving forward.

Due to my very thin cash flow I do not have many options to take a vacation.

I do not have a car or much money to spend on myself. Yet I need to take a break from all the matters mentioned previously. I need to get away from the pressures, people and screens for a while.

Thankfully I came on a day spa in the area called King’s Spa http://www.kingspa.com/dallas/  I met a man at church that had gone to that family oriented spa. He enjoyed the relaxation and strongly recommend it to me.

That has been in the back of my mind. Then 3 things happened. The El Centro Community College library stopped welcoming the public 2 weeks ago. It is part of their increased security measures. Recall they had an active shooter there last July.

I had been going to the downtown Dallas Public Library across from City Hall. They will be closed on Friday March 24 for a staff training.

So I could go hang out at a public park or at the shelter or go to the day spa.

Pray for me as I intend to stretch my cash flow to go to King’s Spa this Friday. If you want to help me with that cover charge and to buy food there then here is my Pay Pal link

http://www.freewebs.com/jsohub/give.htm

CONCLUSION

I heard a podcast that made a statement that indirectly comforted me. I forget who the speaker was but the sentence that stuck went something like this: lasting change or character development comes from suffering or love. That is just the way things are.

So my character will be better when this housing adventure is done. But just now it is painful.

THANKS again for ALL your prayers.

God is answering your prayers in His timing and in His way.

Shalom

John S. Oliver

Seeking My Goldilocks Apartment

Seeking My Goldilocks Apartment

I request your best prayers.

This is a long message and I think all this is needed to target your prayers.

I have been stuck and stalled for a long time in finding an apartment.

I believe that God will answer prayers and get me moving forward in the right direction with momentum.

The subject line Goldilocks was used because in the story Goldilocks was seeking what was not too hot or too cold and not to large and not too small. She wanted what was just right.

As I reflect on my search for an apartment this Goldilocks analogy comes to mind. There are a few external criteria that are imposed on me. And there are some personal criteria. And there are fears that I recently uncovered that have delayed me.

EXTERNAL CRITERIA

The section 8 voucher has a limit of how much rent it will cover based on the zip code. There are dozens of zip codes in DFW. The amount covered for a 1 bedroom apartment ranges from 570 to 1400. The amount I would pay remains the same based on a percent of my income.

Most apartments that I have researched online are above the limit for that zip code. The complex I wanted that was near Upper Room church was slightly above. And in the comments a resident said that they had reduced the rent for the last 2 years in March. But that did not happen this year.

Besides finding an apartment within the price range they must accept section 8 vouchers. Some do and many do not.

Also there needs to be a vacancy within the window before the voucher expires. Some of the best properties that accept vouchers have a long waiting list. The complex at 511 Ervay near the downtown YMCA has 56 people on the waiting list and they are not taking any more because so few people leave there.

Reading the comments by residents has revealed much. Some complexes have loud parties on the weekends. One often has dog poop in the hallways. One resident reported that his apartment flooded with each heavy rain. There is mold in his residence. And the management will do nothing.

PERSONAL CRITERIA

For the last 2 plus years while living at the homeless shelter I left a little before 8 AM and returned a little before 8 PM each weekday. I went to the library to use their WIFI. Some days I returned for lunch and or dinner. So I walked 2 to 5 miles a day. That has been useful exercise. It has helped me physically, mentally and emotionally.

I get most of my income from my social security retirement. I plan to work on an ebook and ecourse about prayer as well as my many other online projects. So I would not have any purpose to get out of my apartment when I am accessing online using broadband.

If I do not have a reason to go outside then I will remain inside. If that continues for many months and years it would not be good for me mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

I remember that my mother became a recluse the last decade of her life. She rarely went out. She deteriorated. She stopped communicating with my brother and me. I feel that attraction to withdraw from society and become a hermit.

As I consider what would motivate me to get out of my residence 2 things come to mind. They are prayer and nature.

I would go to Upper Room for the prayer sessions they offer 6 to 8 AM, noon to 2 PM and 6 to 8 PM on Mondays to Thursdays. I would not attend all of those but I would attend a few times each week.

Another strong draw for me is to go for a long walk in nature. I enjoy walking and I enjoy nature. I have begun to seek nature centers in DFW and found that there are a few. I have begun to research apartments near them. Most are out of my range but a precious few are in my range.

MY FEARS

I fear becoming a recluse and deteriorating like my mother. So I want to not just pick any apartment but one that will be located where I will want to get out a few times each week.

I fear failure. I fear that I will get stuck with a lease in a place that is horrible. Many years ago I lived in an apartment where my neighbor played music so loud that the pictures on the wall shook and the manager would do nothing. I lived in an apartment where the air conditioner did not work and the manager did nothing. I lived in a complex where all the first floor apartments were flooded, yet that time I was on the second floor.

I dislike moving. The shelter is not pleasant but it is tolerable.  Note that I lived in the same apartment complex for 20 years. It was 3 blocks from the seminary where I worked.

Obviously I cannot control all the variables. I can invest time to research online and I can go to visit the promising places. I can request prayers. But ultimately I must trust God to guide and provide.

DENTAL

I left another voicemail at the dental school recently. I have not heard back about the discount I was promised in December. I hope that savings of hundreds of dollars will apply to the surgery scheduled for April 17.   

PRAYER

Pray for God to guide my online and offline searches.

May I face and gain victory over my fears.

My voucher expires soon. I was told it is easy to get a one month extension. I plan to go get that extension on Monday, March 13.

THANKS for ALL your prayers.

Shalom

John

Odd Symptoms - New Ministry Direction - Income Streams

INTRODUCTION

This update is rather long and complex.

It is a reflection of a major crossroads in my life.

I request your best prayers both now and later.

What I present here is a summary of how I sense God leading me.

I have begun to head in that direction.

As I continue in this way for years it will have major impacts.

It will put me into relationship with many people who will pray for many others.

This could be used to equip Christian leaders and teach Christian teachers.

Like I told my pastor I request for God to confirm or correct this direction.

God knows how to communicate with me directly and indirectly.

God knows how I think and feel about these matters.

I do not require for God to confirm but that would be nice.

Otherwise I am moving forward by faith and I trust He can redirect me as needed.

This was written on my computer using one sentence per line.

That helps me to keep it simple and stay focused.

It cuts down on my rambling.

But I do not know how this will appear on a smartphone.

So if you have troubles then I apologize.

There are apps to read text and one of those might help you with this long message.

ODD SYMPTOMS

For several days I have had odd symptoms.

These might relate to the new direction for my ministry.

I request your best prayers both now and in the future.

I need God to answer many prayers.

There is a small challenge ahead of me.

This will lead to many more large challenges later.

SYMPTOMS

Gas has gone up and down.

There were burps and farts far more often than normal.

Gas X has helped.

I suddenly got a sour stomach several times.

That has not happened in my lifetime before.

My diet been same as last 2 years.

Pepto bismol tablets helped.

I have suddenly had mild headaches.

I have rarely had any headaches in my entire life.

I do not think I am sick.

There has been no temperature or other signs of sickness.

NEW MINISTRY DIRECTION

It is possible that these odd symptoms are spiritual attacks.

Maybe this is part of the explanation for these odd symptoms.

I have been pondering a new focus for my sermons on Saturdays.

And it will become a large ministry avenue that will include videos, ebook and ecourse.

This will hopefully lead to financial income streams.

The working name of this is Let’s Pray Better.

I admit that I need and want to pray better.

I believe that many others want to pray better too.

Praying better has been a goal and a struggle for decades.

I have tried and failed to improve my prayer life dozens of times.

I have requested prayers to pray better dozens of time.

I can do is start where I am right here with what I have.

I can put out there the parts that I have to offer.
I trust God will give me more as I sow good seeds into good soils.

I will be requesting many prayers as we go.

Eventually this will lead to an interactive online community.

The ministry will be a blend of teaching, preaching, exhortations, inspiration and more.

It is my way to equip Christian leaders

It is how I can stir believers up unto love and good works

It is a way to pass along the dozens of insights God gave me into this subject

It is my way to teach teachers who will teach others.

It is my way to make reproducing disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

INCOME

Please pray earnestly for this will lead to income streams.

It is a wise way to steward my time and talents to earn more money.

I have lots of internal issues about money that I will need to face and overcome.

I love to give and I dislike fund raising as well as sales.

God has made a way for my modest bills to be paid.

Yet there are needs and wants that have been out of reach so far.

When I offer inspiration, instruction and exhortations that will be valuable.

God will guide me to organically grow that into income somehow.

There will always be plenty available for anyone for free.

There will be a way to request and receive donations.

Eventually there will be prices set on some digital products.

That includes sales of ebooks, ecourses and membership in online community.

NEXT STEPS

I already have dozens of small units that are ready to share with the public.

I have an overabundance of outlines on mind maps.

I have previously published articles online and made short videos.

I have studied how to make a ebooks, ecourses and podcasts.

For weeks I have been using an online project management service.

That service is named Liquid Planner.

God used that to sort out my many incomplete projects.

It has become obvious to me that this is the major focus.

This is both wonderful by itself and it will pave the way to the others.

It will take many years to complete all God has put on my heart.

Yet in order to accomplish those huge projects then I must pray better.

I must have a support team that is knowledgeable and skilled in prayer.

I must get over my resistance to teach and preach online.

I must learn how to harness the many online services I have bookmarked.

WBS What is Bible Salvation

VISION

What follows is the short term and long term vision.

Some of this could become a reality in 3 months.

Other parts will take more than 3 years to fully mature.

The way that God has wired me requires that I see the long term big picture.

Then I can fully commit to the milestones along that course.

For years the Holy Spirit has prompted me to publish a short video weekly.

This will go out with a PDF handout with the notes and application.

So please pray for that healthy habit to start soon.

As I do that they will be small parts of a large and complex set of lessons.

When I ponder prayer there are much more than a dozen major sections.

So my current focus is to gather those parts into an online outline service.

This will become the initial skeleton or table of contents to help me stay organized.

I have been using Checkvist it is great for just outlining.

It also integrates with an excellent online writing service Gingko App.

Together those will give me the internal structure and text content.

Then Spark by Adobe will turn the boring text into attractive text and videos.

When the units are ready it is quick and easy to copy and paste in many places.

Those attractive units will be hosted on Youtube, Vimeo and Prezi.

Those will be also on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Medium.

Publishing on those places is good but promoting is needed too.

I have studied Internet marketing for many years.

There will be email subscriptions that are segmented for each kind of user.

There will be polls and surveys to learn what people want.

There will be ebooks and ecourses related to the kinds of prayer.

There will be an online community with a wiki and forum.

There will be more than one podcasts eventually.

For many years I been learning about all these tools for years.

But I have lacked the inspiration, motivation and guidance to use them.

I am on the brink of making a wholehearted commitment to this.

PRAYER

So what I need the most now is much prayer by many people.

At this critical moment I ask the Lord Jesus Christ to confirm or correct this guidance.

It seems like God has been guiding me into this direction.
It involves a huge commitment of my time and energy.

It might lead to a steady and increasing income stream.

But this might not be the best time.

Maybe it would be best for me to focus on another project in the short term.

Going in this direction will mean that I will be experiencing spiritual warfare.

The forces of darkness will not be pleased for me to teach others about prayer.

I am ready, willing and able to move forward; yet I ask for God to confirm this.
I am not requiring God to confirm in a certain way or at all.

I just take this moment to totally surrender my will to know and do His will.

I ask you to pray for God to connect me with many excellent intercessors.

The only way I have come this far is due to answers of prayers.

The only way I will continue to move forward is with God answering prayers.

Shalom

John S. Oliver