Thanks heaps for all the comments re the boat fiasco.

I have concluded that the best and most christlike thing to do is to drive round to the house of the guy who sold it to me, tip it on his front lawn, pour petrol over it and then set fire to it. I think he may get the message.

Then again…

Actually as Dave said, ‘I kinda answered my own question’, but I needed to check. Sometimes I can be obsessive about the whole ‘honesty’ thing – I don’t mean that in a boastful way – more that at times I can be a little anal with it.

Today (during the conference) I worked out the various financial options and now we just need to decide which way to go.

I am tempted to have a bash at fixing it. It will take quite a while, but if I fix it over winter it might just be ready to go again in summer.

Then again me and DIY have never been the closest of friends!

I shared with a mate at the SU retreat that I sense this is God saying to me ‘are you really going to follow me? Or does $2000.00 change our relationship and your devotion?’

I believe he is as capable of replenishing my funds as quickly as I deplete them – I think…

But more than that i think he has been telling me that he isn’t that concerned about the money. He is very concerned with how I respond to these kinds of situations because that is the test of discipleship – not whether I read my Bible every day.

I keep realising how greed and money ridden I am when these situations occur. One half of me is very noble and wants to do right. The other is devious and scheming.

The sinful nature is alive and well!download wackness the dvd

I’d like some genuine feedback on a personal ethical question I am chewing on. Its a bit embarrassing because I got shafted.

A few weeks back I discovered that the boat I bought has some problems.

It leaks…

That is very bad when boats are meant to spend most of their usable time in the water…

When I bought it I could see that the hull was shiny and new looking after being re-sprayed. I am no rocket scientist but I know that new paint could be hiding something… So I said to the seller ‘just give me a straight honest answer. Is the hull intact or is there any crap under there I should know about?’

‘No – she’s rock solid’ he replied.

He lied… or maybe (and this is a big maybe) he wasn’t aware that the hull had dramas. And of course I trusted him…

The problem is that basically the hull is developing cracks across the beams and the fibreglass on the bottom of the boat has separated from the cross members. It means its life span is greatly reduced and will need around $2500.00 of repair if done professionally. This was all covered up when I inspected it in January.

I discovered all this because a small crack developed – which I had fixed – which came back again. It is possibly going to return – possibly not. My guess is its more than likely to be a problem again at some point.

So the question I am facing is what do I do?

I know how I felt driving home to tell Danelle that I just blown a stack of our $$$$ on a lemon.

Options I see:

1. Do I spray it and sell it to some other poor bloke who will then do the same? That really is not an option I can entertain ethically or morally. I would hate for someone else to feel what I felt and to lose what I have lost. Hard to imagine Jesus taking that route.

2. Leave it as is and sell it for the best price I can get hoping no one sees the cracks? I may even make money on it? Seems a bit unethical again”

3. Intentionally take a loss and sell it as is without informing the buyer?

4. Tell any prospective buyer that there are hull issues?

It really isn’t worth me fixing it – even if I did it myself. Are there other options?

Right now it is sitting in a boat yard on consignment. The guys in the yard looked it over and told me they could get me $4K in the hand for it (I paid $5K + $600.00 in repairs/improvements). I was hoping for more, but said ‘ok’. I would rather someone else sell it than have to do it myself. Its in there for a month. I’m not sure if they know about the cracks. I haven’t tried to hide them in any way but as I was watching my kids at the time they were inspecting, I’m not sure how hard they looked. I’m not so sure I’m even ok with saying ‘their responsibility’. I was last Saturday when I was just mad about it all. Now” not so sure.

I guess I am wondering what I need to see as my responsibility in it all.

Yesterday I was going to strip the hull, tow it out to sea and whack a star picket thru it and create my own artificial reef – take it out of circulation for ever! Today I am wondering if I am over zealous in my endeavour to try and do what is right.

I really do want to do what is ‘right’. As much as I feel lousy and embarrassed about the $$$, I would rather lose dollars than cheat someone.

I was on a retreat yesterday and we were given two passages to read. Phil 2, Isaiah 55. These verses struck me.

Phil 2 “Consider others better than yourself”
Isaiah 55 “My ways are not your ways” says the Lord.

Is it cheating someone to sell it with known flaws and not tell – especially if those flaws are visible to anyone who looks?

Am I anal about this?

I have been seriously tempted to go the re-spray / cover up route – I have also considered giving the hull to a playgroup as a cubby house. My pendulum swings!

What do you think?…blind fury download cave the dvdrip divx waterboy the

My work life is complicated!

I work as the WA Director of Forge, but because we are not an incorporated body we have had to form an alliance with another group who can cover us with their inc status. That group is Scripture union. Officially I am an employee of SU as they are my registered employer and will give me a group certifcate etc. This has been a really good partnership and hopefully we’ll be able to see greater synergy develop between our two organisations.

When it come to church I don’t know who employs me! I work as the leader of the Brighton team and the Baptist Union give me $8K a year to church plant, but because they don’t want to be my ’employer’ with all associated liabilities they have funneled (laundered?!) the money thru Lesmurdie baptist, my previous church who use it to pay my mortgage. Do they then employ me (legally)?… I really don’t know!

As for school… well its all pretty simple. Roll up. Work. Get paid by them.

Not easy!