Great Meeting

Today I had very important meeting with the GM and Director of Operations for Club Nokia. Meeting went very well, things look promising. Last week I went to the Skid Row development meeting and met a group of non-profit leaders and learned a lot about what the needs are among the poor and homeless in LA. Tomorrow I will catch the Metro Link early early in the morning to attend an LA economic forecast meeting and will have the opportunity to meet downtown business leaders.

Packard Lofts!

So I think we found a place! We have looked all over the South Park District in Downtown Los Angeles for a workable two bedroom/bath place to be that would accomodate us and our future adopted kids for the next few years at least. We found one place and filled out an application, but neither of us were too excited about it. I couldn't bring myself to fax it in. So on Monday, we decided to see a few remaining options. As we were leaving, I saw Packard Lofts, the old location for the Packard car dealership, and had Shelley call. This place was perfect in every way! They had a "two months free" promotion which pro-rated over 14 months made it affordable. So we are getting a lot more for a lot less, without the promotion we wouldn't have even thought about it. www.packardloftsla.com

Not Worth It

Driving and owning a “dream” car is way overrated. Besides the name and notoriety of certain cars its still just another car with four wheels, and it goes forward, backwards, and turns left and right. I’m not recommending that anyone drive a piece of junk, but take for example my situation. I owned a Cadillac CTS - great car but again, just a car. It went forward, backwards, and turned left and right (it also had an aux input, very important for iPod lovers like myself). But I did some research and now I’m driving a brand new Pontiac Vibe (don’t worry, the ’09 has the Toyota Matrix engine and great head room) with 0% interest for 72 months and cut my monthly payments in half! I got it at the Reynolds dealership in West Covina of course because they seriously rock, you don’t feel like your being hunted by sales associates who are foaming at the mouth. Anyway look, my point is, don’t fall into this trap that driving the right car will make you happy or give you some type of fulfillment. Just make sure it’s reliable and that it has an auxiliary jack for your iPod.

One step at a time

We are learning to trust God daily, one step at a time. It's difficult in our human nature - I want every thing and every detail planned in advance - but God keeps leading us one step at a time. Obviously God has spoken clearly enough to us that there is a vision and direction that we are heading towards. But the only thing that's crystal clear is.....God is asking us to trust Him daily, one step at a time. It feels a bit like what he told Abraham - he said go, and I'll tell you what to do when you get there. I'm actually learning to like it, and I'm beginning to think this is how God wants us to live everyday of our lives. Too many of us are living and trusting our own plans and goals. It's very difficult in our flesh to admit that we don't control our future, and we go insane pretending like we can. But there is so much freedom and life when we give it all up and start putting our 'now' and 'then' in his hands.

Rented!

8 days with a "For Rent" sign in our yard and tomorrow we should be wrapping up details for a family with twins to move in soon! Now we are trusting God to lead us to find the right place to live in LA.

DNA

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds". (Heb 10:23-24)

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved". (Heb 10:35&39)

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". (Heb 11:1)

Why drive to LA?

Why drive to LA?? The Metrolink is awesome. Free parking in Pomona - 15mnts from where I live now. Then just sit back and enjoy. Read a book, do work, listen to your iPod, do push ups, use the bathroom while in motion etc. In fact, I’m writing this blog now. Impossible to do while driving! Also, big thanks to Stewart for the tip on using DASH – a quick, agile little bus that gets you from one end of downtown to the other for a quarter. And it comes every five minutes to just about every corner in the city.
Today I met with a business owner in the South Park district who is interested in learning about our new non-profit start-up. His salon business and realty company are looking to partner with a charity in our new community. I am really looking forward to living down here and getting to know people. I really like the South Park area. I have to admit, there are parts of downtown LA that will be harder to adjust to than others.