My Daily Life and Thoughts while in San Diego |
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This blog is where I express myself to the world or at least to those who might stop by to read what I post 
. Maybe God will use what I post (I am a Christian and this blog will have a most decidedly Christian bent to it) to good effect in the lives of my readers.
I may turn some of my posts into a book. I may cease blogging here altogether. Who knows. But for now..I am content to post away in this, my own little corner of the world.
Rather than reading through my now lengthy list of posts you may wish to read what I consider to be my very best posts or you can just read the posts that deal with a single subject category that might interest you.
Please know that I am open to any input on any topic I write about. If you have something to say about anything you see written here please....feel free to speak up in the form of leaving a comment or sending me a PM (private message).
And if you are in San Diego and wish to meet the one and only Carlos (that's me)...drop me a private message. I always enjoy meeting one of my readers!
Thanks.
Carlos
PS. If you want to follow my blog such that you will get an email when I write new posts you can subscribe to my blog.
. Maybe God will use what I post (I am a Christian and this blog will have a most decidedly Christian bent to it) to good effect in the lives of my readers. I may turn some of my posts into a book. I may cease blogging here altogether. Who knows. But for now..I am content to post away in this, my own little corner of the world.
Rather than reading through my now lengthy list of posts you may wish to read what I consider to be my very best posts or you can just read the posts that deal with a single subject category that might interest you.
Please know that I am open to any input on any topic I write about. If you have something to say about anything you see written here please....feel free to speak up in the form of leaving a comment or sending me a PM (private message).
And if you are in San Diego and wish to meet the one and only Carlos (that's me
)...drop me a private message. I always enjoy meeting one of my readers!Thanks.
Carlos
PS. If you want to follow my blog such that you will get an email when I write new posts you can subscribe to my blog.
I am moving out of my trailer and...into a house!
Or at least it looks like I will be if things continue to look good after I meet with the owner of the house tomorrow.
We've already hashed things out on the phone so unless there any surprises I believe I will be moving into an actual house and will have my own bedroom in a couple of days!
Basically I will be trading computer work at $25 per hour for what he would normally charge in rent ($600 per month). That translates to 28 hours of work per month which is perfectly acceptable to me.
Basically I did what I did to find the place I am in now. I put an ad up on craigslist where I offered my services in exchange for rent. The person who responded is the only one who did but it sounds like everything I could hope for and then some (with the only exception being that he has no air conditioning).
Without a doubt this has been the toughest struggle of faith that I have faced yet. I have not done well in my response to the possibility of ending up homeless in the street and as always, regardless of my response, I deserve nothing so much as a glance from the Lord never mind the grace and lovingkindness that He lavishes on me.
A couple of days ago He gave me a number of verses that spoke to my heart and encouraged me with the thought that everything would work out. A couple of weeks ago He did the same sort of thing and impressed upon my heart that everything would work out.
Though by sight I just saw no way possible for me to hope that I would be able to avoid living homeless in the street.
What is ironic to me is that as usual...the one's who have been the most ready to help me in my need have been one's who are not mainstream in their Christianity if they are even Christians at all.
It is an absolute DISGRACE to the name of the living God who inhabits His Body that church members have shown such incredible insensitivity to the needs that I have endured or have otherwise faced. Not that they have known of such needs often for I don't go around making my needs known like a Christianized panhandler appealing to the Christians for help.
I just don't do that. God knows my needs and I look to Him to help me.
But when Christians have, through one means or another, come to know of my need for the most part they have done nothing.
There have been some exceptions. Notable exceptions but I speak generally of most.
The lack of willingness to help those of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need among those who claim to be Christians continues to astound me. I mean astound me!
How Christians can read of how Christians helped each other in New Testament times and think for one minute that anything less is acceptable to our Lord today is beyond me.
Absolutely beyond me to comprehend.
I have two standing offers to help me from two friends that are disposed to stand by me no matter what. The one is a homeless friend who lives in his car. He offered to let me live in his car with him!! To share his home, such as it is!
What have the Christians who live in nice homes done? Nothing that even comes close.
Another friend cannot have me stay with him in his rented quarters but he has offered to let me sleep in his car indefinitely. To drive me every day to the college library and to let me use his own laptop every single day to enable me to continue my computer work. To even tint the windows on his car to allow me to sleep more securely from prying eyes that have a problem with people sleeping in their cars.
What have the Christians with garages and nice cars done? Nothing.
Again there are exceptions. I am talking about the Christians in general who hear of such needs and do nothing.
My two friends willing to share whatever they have with me in the hour of what could have been my need...to share out of their own meager resources all that they have and to place all they have at my disposal to help me should I have need of it...put the churchy Christians to open shame.
Truly as the Lord said...on His return many will be those whom He does not know and who will be cast into the darkness of hell forever. Who did not help those in need as though they were helping the Lord Himself.
Many who think they are Christians only deceive themselves if they think they can go around rich while those in need suffer around them.
The Lord did not do such a thing and neither did New Testament Christians and we need to get back to that interdependence in these hard economic times if the Church is to rise up to be everything the Lord wants her to be.
In my case the Lord has abundantly supplied for my needs in the past and it looks like He will once again provide for me again in this potential new living situation.
It remains to be seen what happens mind you. Things could fall apart at the last minute. But my eyes are on the Lord to watch over me and to do me good no matter what happens.
The house I will be moving into, if things continue to look good...I will know by tomorrow, is a house in a very nice area near San Diego. The owner who lives there is a single somewhat older batchelor who is interested in getting help with setting up and using the Internet to help his home based business (which is not the usual stuff envelope type of business at all). A help I am most aptly qualified to give him.
There is a laundry room and pool (if I remember correctly), a nice big dog (I like big dogs), even several laptops that I can use should mine break down.
He can appreciate my need to have a quiet place where I can continue focusing on my internet work.
He is the kind of guy who like me likes to lay our cards on the table and be open with each other about our expectations and what we are looking to get out of this arrangement.
As I said we have talked extensively on the phone already and barring any major surprises I will shortly be moving into a much better living situation.
I'll keep you all posted but I wanted to share at least this to let anyone who is interested in my continuing story know the latest news from my end.
If this works out I will walk around in a daze...once again astounded at God's faithfulness and goodness to me.
I just wish the Lord was predisposed to not have His provision come to me at what seems always to be at the last minute. That's awefully hard on my flesh but admittedly of wondrous value in helping me grow in faith LOL.
Truly I did not see how God was going to be able to pull this one off for there seemed no way possible for me to end up anywhere but living either in a car or in the streets.
I should have known better and listened more closely to the Lord's encouragement to me on two occasions that everything was going to work out okay.
What I have shared here is only part of the favor that God has shown me these last couple of weeks. There is more. Much more but with respect to my greatest need to find housing for this next month...this appears to be His provision for me. And what a provision it is!!
Carlos
Update
A friend is picking me up on Wednesday at 9:45 AM on the way to stuff he needs to do somewhat in the area where this man's house is and will be dropping me off there about 10:30 am to meet with him. If things are still a go after we meet and I look at the place I may be able to just make this a one way trip to be there for good.
The new landlord and me are already at the state where he is asking me what kind of furniture I will need and what I will be bringing with me so it's pretty much a done deal...though again until it happens it could unravel of course.
Talk about cutting it close. I have to leave by noon on Wednesday (the trailer has already been rented since I told the landlord I was moving out!). I am being picked up at 9:45 am and won't know till about 11:00 am whether this is an absolute go or not. Talk about cutting it close!!
Try as I might I simply was not able to get work to pay my rent this coming month where I was. I answered God knows how many craigslist postings, put various ads up on craigslist myself, even made phone calls to local businesses. Some hopefuls in all that but nothing definite in time to make the rent. So I must conclude that it was God's will for things to neccessitate my moving elsewhere.
It's just as well when I think of it as the temperature in the trailer was become unbearable! I mean literally to where I could no longer stay inside during the heat of the day. To the point where my computer might have started malfunctioning form the heat. With heat coming off the walls, the desk, the ceiling, even the couch where I am sitting. Heat, heat, and more heat. Unbearable.
Perhaps the Lord knew this and forced my hand to get out in time to keep from fainting from heatstroke LOL.
The Bible says that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called in accordance with His purposes. I can definitely see some good coming out of this for sure.
I believe this new landlord's home even has it's own swimming pool. I was looking around through Google maps today and just about every house there has a swimming pool. If that is the case I will be living in front of my computer while talking a most delighful dip once in a while to cool myself down while sipping on my tea LOL.
The California lifestyle continues...in great measure due to God's gracious mercy and lovingkindness shown to me in this otherwise very dry and very hot land (at least at present).
We've already hashed things out on the phone so unless there any surprises I believe I will be moving into an actual house and will have my own bedroom in a couple of days!
Basically I will be trading computer work at $25 per hour for what he would normally charge in rent ($600 per month). That translates to 28 hours of work per month which is perfectly acceptable to me.
Basically I did what I did to find the place I am in now. I put an ad up on craigslist where I offered my services in exchange for rent. The person who responded is the only one who did but it sounds like everything I could hope for and then some (with the only exception being that he has no air conditioning).
Without a doubt this has been the toughest struggle of faith that I have faced yet. I have not done well in my response to the possibility of ending up homeless in the street and as always, regardless of my response, I deserve nothing so much as a glance from the Lord never mind the grace and lovingkindness that He lavishes on me.
A couple of days ago He gave me a number of verses that spoke to my heart and encouraged me with the thought that everything would work out. A couple of weeks ago He did the same sort of thing and impressed upon my heart that everything would work out.
Though by sight I just saw no way possible for me to hope that I would be able to avoid living homeless in the street.
What is ironic to me is that as usual...the one's who have been the most ready to help me in my need have been one's who are not mainstream in their Christianity if they are even Christians at all.
It is an absolute DISGRACE to the name of the living God who inhabits His Body that church members have shown such incredible insensitivity to the needs that I have endured or have otherwise faced. Not that they have known of such needs often for I don't go around making my needs known like a Christianized panhandler appealing to the Christians for help.
I just don't do that. God knows my needs and I look to Him to help me.
But when Christians have, through one means or another, come to know of my need for the most part they have done nothing.
There have been some exceptions. Notable exceptions but I speak generally of most.
The lack of willingness to help those of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need among those who claim to be Christians continues to astound me. I mean astound me!
How Christians can read of how Christians helped each other in New Testament times and think for one minute that anything less is acceptable to our Lord today is beyond me.
Absolutely beyond me to comprehend.
I have two standing offers to help me from two friends that are disposed to stand by me no matter what. The one is a homeless friend who lives in his car. He offered to let me live in his car with him!! To share his home, such as it is!
What have the Christians who live in nice homes done? Nothing that even comes close.
Another friend cannot have me stay with him in his rented quarters but he has offered to let me sleep in his car indefinitely. To drive me every day to the college library and to let me use his own laptop every single day to enable me to continue my computer work. To even tint the windows on his car to allow me to sleep more securely from prying eyes that have a problem with people sleeping in their cars.
What have the Christians with garages and nice cars done? Nothing.
Again there are exceptions. I am talking about the Christians in general who hear of such needs and do nothing.
My two friends willing to share whatever they have with me in the hour of what could have been my need...to share out of their own meager resources all that they have and to place all they have at my disposal to help me should I have need of it...put the churchy Christians to open shame.
Truly as the Lord said...on His return many will be those whom He does not know and who will be cast into the darkness of hell forever. Who did not help those in need as though they were helping the Lord Himself.
Many who think they are Christians only deceive themselves if they think they can go around rich while those in need suffer around them.
The Lord did not do such a thing and neither did New Testament Christians and we need to get back to that interdependence in these hard economic times if the Church is to rise up to be everything the Lord wants her to be.
In my case the Lord has abundantly supplied for my needs in the past and it looks like He will once again provide for me again in this potential new living situation.
It remains to be seen what happens mind you. Things could fall apart at the last minute. But my eyes are on the Lord to watch over me and to do me good no matter what happens.
The house I will be moving into, if things continue to look good...I will know by tomorrow, is a house in a very nice area near San Diego. The owner who lives there is a single somewhat older batchelor who is interested in getting help with setting up and using the Internet to help his home based business (which is not the usual stuff envelope type of business at all). A help I am most aptly qualified to give him.
There is a laundry room and pool (if I remember correctly), a nice big dog (I like big dogs), even several laptops that I can use should mine break down.
He can appreciate my need to have a quiet place where I can continue focusing on my internet work.
He is the kind of guy who like me likes to lay our cards on the table and be open with each other about our expectations and what we are looking to get out of this arrangement.
As I said we have talked extensively on the phone already and barring any major surprises I will shortly be moving into a much better living situation.
I'll keep you all posted but I wanted to share at least this to let anyone who is interested in my continuing story know the latest news from my end.
If this works out I will walk around in a daze...once again astounded at God's faithfulness and goodness to me.
I just wish the Lord was predisposed to not have His provision come to me at what seems always to be at the last minute. That's awefully hard on my flesh but admittedly of wondrous value in helping me grow in faith LOL.
Truly I did not see how God was going to be able to pull this one off for there seemed no way possible for me to end up anywhere but living either in a car or in the streets.
I should have known better and listened more closely to the Lord's encouragement to me on two occasions that everything was going to work out okay.
What I have shared here is only part of the favor that God has shown me these last couple of weeks. There is more. Much more but with respect to my greatest need to find housing for this next month...this appears to be His provision for me. And what a provision it is!!
Carlos
Update
A friend is picking me up on Wednesday at 9:45 AM on the way to stuff he needs to do somewhat in the area where this man's house is and will be dropping me off there about 10:30 am to meet with him. If things are still a go after we meet and I look at the place I may be able to just make this a one way trip to be there for good.
The new landlord and me are already at the state where he is asking me what kind of furniture I will need and what I will be bringing with me so it's pretty much a done deal...though again until it happens it could unravel of course.
Talk about cutting it close. I have to leave by noon on Wednesday (the trailer has already been rented since I told the landlord I was moving out!). I am being picked up at 9:45 am and won't know till about 11:00 am whether this is an absolute go or not. Talk about cutting it close!!
Try as I might I simply was not able to get work to pay my rent this coming month where I was. I answered God knows how many craigslist postings, put various ads up on craigslist myself, even made phone calls to local businesses. Some hopefuls in all that but nothing definite in time to make the rent. So I must conclude that it was God's will for things to neccessitate my moving elsewhere.
It's just as well when I think of it as the temperature in the trailer was become unbearable! I mean literally to where I could no longer stay inside during the heat of the day. To the point where my computer might have started malfunctioning form the heat. With heat coming off the walls, the desk, the ceiling, even the couch where I am sitting. Heat, heat, and more heat. Unbearable.
Perhaps the Lord knew this and forced my hand to get out in time to keep from fainting from heatstroke LOL.
The Bible says that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called in accordance with His purposes. I can definitely see some good coming out of this for sure.
I believe this new landlord's home even has it's own swimming pool. I was looking around through Google maps today and just about every house there has a swimming pool. If that is the case I will be living in front of my computer while talking a most delighful dip once in a while to cool myself down while sipping on my tea LOL.
The California lifestyle continues...in great measure due to God's gracious mercy and lovingkindness shown to me in this otherwise very dry and very hot land (at least at present).
Total Comments 2
Comments
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Good luck in your new home! Do plant a baby tree!
Posted 09-01-2009 at 05:45 AM by 2goldens
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Thanks 2goldens! The new landlord has a 1 acre back yard and has actually told me that I can plant some vegetables back there! Unreal.
It's still not an entirely done deal mind you. The new landlord is concerned somewhat that he might go shopping some day and come back to find all his furniture gone or some such. Understandably.
Like I said this is an area sorrounding San Diego that seems to be very well to do at least by the satellite photos I have seen of his neighborhood through google maps.
And he has not had very good experiences with so-called Christians in the past.
He was talking yesterday about an application, deposit, and the usual things that one might expect from tenants. I had to re-explain to him that my proposal did not involve any money in exchange for rent. That it involved computer work (which he definitely needs) in exchange for rent. He backed off from the usual requirements but for a little while it seemed like he was going to back out.
I did not presssure him at all. I just laid out what it was that I was looking for afresh trusting the Lord to have us continue to move forward if it is His will for me and him to enter this arrangement...and we connected again in person on the phone. I think he has been burned by tenants before.
I have also prayed that if it is not the best for the new landlord to have me be there for some reason that the Lord would also block this arrangement for the new landlord's sake. As well as that the Lord would protect me in turn from getting involved in a situation that might turn out not to be good for me either.
Basically...I continue to take baby steps toward what I need and want leaving the results entirely in God's hands to do with me as He might wish. Trusting in His love and in His living reality to watch over me no matter what happens.
I am giving the new landlord two local references...my home church leader and my present landlord and we will get together at 3:00 pm today to meet face to face.
It's absolutely amazing to me that this is even happening though not entirely unexpected in God's way of doing things. Hopefully this will actually come to pass. If not God will provide for me in some other way but if this does happen I will blog more details about it that will make it all the more evident that this is nothing less than almost miraculous if not outrightly so.
CarlosPosted 09-01-2009 at 08:59 AM by carlos123 
