Lawn Care

0:00So I quit my job at the helium factory I refused to be spoken to in that tone of voice. Thanks for joining us today. You're listening to Lafagan with Phil Calloway. My grandson Andre is 12, which means we've started having grown up conversations about well everything. On a recent walk he told me he'd been helping on the family farm and his dad was paying him. He asked, what jobs did you do when you were a kid? Well my very first paying job was working for a farmer who eventually forgot I worked for him. That's not an ideal payroll system. So I moved on to mowing lawns for the Evans family. Before I started my dad enrolled me in lawn mowing 101, Lesson 1 Safety. It's a real pain to lose a toe, foot or hand to a lawnmower. When dad taught me to mow straight lines and trim around trees and fences until every last blade of grass was lopped off.

1:00So that's what I did on the Evans family farm. On day one an old chain smoking cowboy ambled over on horseback while I was feeding the cow's grass clippings. They don't treat me very well here. He sighed between puffs on his cigarette. They worked me hard. Don't pay much. Hope they're better to you than they are to me. I didn't know what to say. So I said nothing, which is a life skill everyone should have. Then a week later I discovered that the ranch I was working on was owned by that cowboy. He was the grand pumba. He ran the whole enchilada, the whole ranch. I thought it was hilarious. Word got out that I did a good job, finished right and had a sense of humor before long the phone started ringing. I worked construction, built barns and houses, drew cartoons from magazines and eventually stumbled into writing which I still do today. I asked Andre, do you want to know how to never be out of work? He did. Three things, take ownership, have integrity, be fun to work with.

2:00What's integrity he asked? So I told him about Joe who had worked nearly 20 years for a successful contractor. One day his boss said Joe, and put in you in charge of the next house. Order the materials, run the whole project, and Joe was thrilled. One temptation whispered, no one will know. Joe ordered cheap lumber, cheaper concrete, cheap wiring, cheaper plumbing. He cut every corner and covered every mistake. He even covered the cracks in the foundation. When it was finished the contractor walked through the home and smiled, Joe, you've been faithful for 20 years. I'd like to thank you by giving you this house. Integrity. It's what you do when no one's watching. What are you building today? You will live with the character and reputation that you construct. Each day we're building something more important than a house. We're building a reputation, character, a home, a life, so build well. Proverbs 1134 says the integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous

3:06destroys them. Jesus said in Matthew 7, 24 to 25, anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the flood waters rise, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. Proverbs says the integrity of the upright guides them. Jesus said the wise person builds on solid rock, so when the storms come the house still stands. What's true of houses is true of people. Build well. As we walked home that day I reminded Andre to work hard to tell the truth, to make people smile, grandpa? Yeah? Your writers get paid very much. I laughed. He said sometimes. He said, so why do you keep writing? Because people need to laugh. Andre said, you make me laugh. You're OK. Sometimes we don't need something new. We need to remember what we already know.

4:08That's why our friends at Back to the Bible Canada created what's so good about Jesus. A free 6 chapter booklet that walks through the gospel. Whether you follow Jesus for years or you're still exploring Christianity, this resource offers a chance to pause, remember, and rediscover the good news. Request your free copy today at laughagain.ca. Laugh again. Truth bringing laughter to life.