We planned a nice event for all of our potential and current customers, and we just weren't getting the registration numbers. I can only guess that the economy is keeping contractors and facilities teams from being able to spend money on new projects, so why learn about a new product they can't afford to buy? I'm not really sure. Here's some good news:
1. we're making some really nice inroads to customers and subcontractors through our traditional HVAC service model. We are closing sales and making contracts work when we sell directly to the customer with a need. Novel concept, huh? I'm starting to think that this is the business model that will work, we just use the traditional work to find ways to put our product out there.
2. we're actually building a nice grouping of subcontractors. The same companies that aren't as warm about hearing sales pitches are perfectly fine with us feeding them work. Again, this could work in our favor, if we're farming out work, they might be more receptive to seeing our products for their other customers.
3. We've got some nice work contracted for the next couple months and it really hasn't been very hot outside yet. I have a feeling we're going to be slammed with work in June.
So I ask our friends, families, and associates to continue to pray for and support us- we've still got some pretty big hurdles to jump. One very serious issue is that we've got to figure out what to do about operating capital. If we're awarded a large contract, we may not be able to execute the work simply because we can't afford to buy the material and then wait to get paid. I'm going to start chasing investors more aggressively, and we're going to start focusing our advertising and promotional materials more on the end user, on the decision makers who are more likely to buy our products and services.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Doctors part ii
I was sitting in the hallway waiting to see the doc with Mel at the hospital, and I started thinking of a python-esque sketch.
man- I have an appointment to see my doctor here.
nurse- wristband or toe tag?
man- excuse me?
nurse- do you need a wristband or toe tag?
man- I would guess I need a wristband since I'm still breathing.
nurse- well, how serious is your condition? If you have any doubts, it will save time to give your toe tag now.
man- a wristband will be fine.
nurse- maybe we should have the doctor check you in first, and then we'll decide.
man- I'm here about a sore toe.
nurse- we'll be the judge of that.
man- if I sign a waiver promising not to die while I'm here, can I get a wristband?
nurse- Do you have it notarized? I'm also assuming you have health insurance.
man- Are you a notary? and yes, I do.
nurse- I'm not a notary, so nothing you sign is binding anyway. We just have people sign it to scare you into paying whatever your insurance doesn't cover. So, fill out these forms and join the others in the waiting area. We'll call your name when the doctor is available.
man- is it unreasonable to assume that the doctor would be available since we've had this appointment for three weeks?
nurse- YOU have the appointment, I don't even know if the doctor is here. The doctor works in mysterious ways.
man- I'll just fill out the forms, and sit over there.
man- I have an appointment to see my doctor here.
nurse- wristband or toe tag?
man- excuse me?
nurse- do you need a wristband or toe tag?
man- I would guess I need a wristband since I'm still breathing.
nurse- well, how serious is your condition? If you have any doubts, it will save time to give your toe tag now.
man- a wristband will be fine.
nurse- maybe we should have the doctor check you in first, and then we'll decide.
man- I'm here about a sore toe.
nurse- we'll be the judge of that.
man- if I sign a waiver promising not to die while I'm here, can I get a wristband?
nurse- Do you have it notarized? I'm also assuming you have health insurance.
man- Are you a notary? and yes, I do.
nurse- I'm not a notary, so nothing you sign is binding anyway. We just have people sign it to scare you into paying whatever your insurance doesn't cover. So, fill out these forms and join the others in the waiting area. We'll call your name when the doctor is available.
man- is it unreasonable to assume that the doctor would be available since we've had this appointment for three weeks?
nurse- YOU have the appointment, I don't even know if the doctor is here. The doctor works in mysterious ways.
man- I'll just fill out the forms, and sit over there.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Boundaries Redux
Tonight at St John, we had our second Christianity 101 meeting, and Brian revisited the Boundaries discussion from a sermon series in 07 that we had. A few years ago, we used a book in our small groups and in a sermon series called Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No to Take Control of Your Life
We began talking about boundaries, and someone told a story about something that happened to them in their past, and I couldn't help being reminded about some of the wackos I have encountered in and around "the church" and in Christian circles.
I guess, my point, and the reason I ran home to get online and post this blog- is that it is OK to tell the wackos to hit the bricks. Just because someone calls themselves a Christian doesn't mean that you have to listen to what they say or allow them to overrun your boundaries. As a matter of fact, the Bible is pretty clear about guarding ourselves against some people. Proverbs 4:23 warns us "Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it." GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
If you are visiting a church, or you are attending a special event, or even listening or watching a TV preacher on TV, radio or internet- you don't have to accept everything they say. You need to protect yourself by testing what they are saying.
"1 Dear friends, don't believe all people who say that they have the Spirit. Instead, test them. See whether the spirit they have is from God, because there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: Every person who declares that Jesus Christ has come as a human has the Spirit that is from God. 3 But every person who doesn't declare that Jesus Christ has come as a human has a spirit that isn't from God." 1 John 4:1-3 GOD'S WORD ® Translation
I know that church should be the place where you can trust what people are saying, and that you should be able to let your guard down- but you've got to be careful who you allow to have influence over you- and it is OK to set that boundary.
15 "Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but in their hearts they are vicious wolves. 16 You will know them by what they produce. "People don't pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they? 17 In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into a fire. 20 So you will know them by what they produce. Matthew 7:15-20 GOD'S WORD ® Translation
In my short time on the earth, I've heard some pretty weird things, and some of them even sounded good at the time- but deception can be subtle and it is important to "guard your heart." I find that I have three places I look when I hear something new
1. Scripture. I go to the Bible to see if there are references about the topic. This isn't tough, and you really don't need to be a scholar to look up topics in the Bible, especially with some of the modern tools that are available online. As a matter of fact, the references I have made on this blog were done using Biblos.com
2. Tradition. This one is a little tougher, but the saying that "There is nothing new under the sun" is usually true. There are many people who have gone before us who have studied theology far more than I ever will, and there are many resources available. Look to find what the issues were, and decide for yourself where you stand on the issue.
3. The best thing to do is to have a church that you can trust. Get to know the pastor, find out where he or she was educated, and remember that you don't have to check your brain at the door when you attend.
Finally, and i'll get off the soapbox after this, another pet peeve of mine is Christians who haven't read their Bible. I can't say that I've read the entire annotated code of Maryland, but if I get a ticket for speeding or jay-walking its still my fault. This is the same way I view Christianity. I'm not saying that you have to have the thing memorized, but you should have some working knowledge of what each "book" says, or at least what the main theme is.
I try not to "preach" on my blog, but sometimes the sermons slip through.
We began talking about boundaries, and someone told a story about something that happened to them in their past, and I couldn't help being reminded about some of the wackos I have encountered in and around "the church" and in Christian circles.
I guess, my point, and the reason I ran home to get online and post this blog- is that it is OK to tell the wackos to hit the bricks. Just because someone calls themselves a Christian doesn't mean that you have to listen to what they say or allow them to overrun your boundaries. As a matter of fact, the Bible is pretty clear about guarding ourselves against some people. Proverbs 4:23 warns us "Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it." GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
If you are visiting a church, or you are attending a special event, or even listening or watching a TV preacher on TV, radio or internet- you don't have to accept everything they say. You need to protect yourself by testing what they are saying.
"1 Dear friends, don't believe all people who say that they have the Spirit. Instead, test them. See whether the spirit they have is from God, because there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how you can recognize God's Spirit: Every person who declares that Jesus Christ has come as a human has the Spirit that is from God. 3 But every person who doesn't declare that Jesus Christ has come as a human has a spirit that isn't from God." 1 John 4:1-3 GOD'S WORD ® Translation
I know that church should be the place where you can trust what people are saying, and that you should be able to let your guard down- but you've got to be careful who you allow to have influence over you- and it is OK to set that boundary.
15 "Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but in their hearts they are vicious wolves. 16 You will know them by what they produce. "People don't pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles, do they? 17 In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 Any tree that fails to produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into a fire. 20 So you will know them by what they produce. Matthew 7:15-20 GOD'S WORD ® Translation
In my short time on the earth, I've heard some pretty weird things, and some of them even sounded good at the time- but deception can be subtle and it is important to "guard your heart." I find that I have three places I look when I hear something new
1. Scripture. I go to the Bible to see if there are references about the topic. This isn't tough, and you really don't need to be a scholar to look up topics in the Bible, especially with some of the modern tools that are available online. As a matter of fact, the references I have made on this blog were done using Biblos.com
2. Tradition. This one is a little tougher, but the saying that "There is nothing new under the sun" is usually true. There are many people who have gone before us who have studied theology far more than I ever will, and there are many resources available. Look to find what the issues were, and decide for yourself where you stand on the issue.
3. The best thing to do is to have a church that you can trust. Get to know the pastor, find out where he or she was educated, and remember that you don't have to check your brain at the door when you attend.
Finally, and i'll get off the soapbox after this, another pet peeve of mine is Christians who haven't read their Bible. I can't say that I've read the entire annotated code of Maryland, but if I get a ticket for speeding or jay-walking its still my fault. This is the same way I view Christianity. I'm not saying that you have to have the thing memorized, but you should have some working knowledge of what each "book" says, or at least what the main theme is.
I try not to "preach" on my blog, but sometimes the sermons slip through.
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