Watching Change Take Place - Same Point Pictures

On the morning of May 23, 2017 I was up early to make sure everything was in place for the day. We had men coming to frame the house and I honestly did not know what to expect. I was nervous about the whole thing.

After preparing all that I could I spent some time walking up and down the drive praying and asking God to calm me, keep the men safe and to guide the whole process. On one of my trips down the drive I stopped and took this picture.

The slab

After looking at the picture, I thought it might be neat to take a picture from that same spot at various times during the construction. I marked the spot with a stick and begin to take pictures periodically.

Some one or some truck removed the stick from the ground I was marking but most of these pictures are from near the same point. It is interesting to look back and see the changes taking place.

I have those pictures for you today. I hope you enjoy them.

Davy

While framing

Trussses

Putting the decking on the roof

Tar paper

Doors

Metal roof, soffits and fascia

Garage door

Siding and snow

Porches, driveway and sidewalk

Red front door

Grass planted

Porch posts installed

Vintage View Wednesday Norfolk, VA 2002

Wow! I ran across some pictures from way back in ancient history. These are from a parking lot meeting in Norfolk, Virginia in October 2002 I believe.

The vintage pictures are part of a much larger story, probably too large to tell here, but since when has that stopped me.

In 1999, our first year in Wichita, we some how decided to have a few nights of service in a park. I had never participated in anything like that at all. We had sang and preached in jails, prisons, nursing homes and all manner of churches, but I had never ministered to the public outdoors that I can recall.

The park was in a little town north of the church. We carried some music to a gazebo, sang and then I preached some Gospel. I do not think we had much tangible results from the services, but I am still personally reaping results today.

Every time I put the tent up, step behind the little Bible stand, read the scripture and begin to preach, I am reaping the results of those two or three nights of revival in a park north of Wichita. It started a fire in me to win souls to Christ that still burns in my heart. Praise God for that little gazebo revival!

The next year I had a green army tent and we set it up next to the church in Wichita for two weeks. We did that every spring I was pastor there.

One of those years I brought in Bro. Paul Blanton to preach part of the tent revival. He was an old pro at outdoor services and I learned a lot from him. I learn a bunch of things that worked and I also learned that some of his strengths were not my strengths. I found out that I had to discover how to surrender to the hand of God for myself. Bro. Blanton was a huge help.

At Bro. Blanton's invitation we traveled from Wichita, Kansas to Norfolk, Virginia to preach a parking lot meeting. I believe it was in October 2002. 

We had a wonderful revival. I hope I never forget the woman that was sitting on her porch when I gave the invitation to the altar. She stood up, walked down the steps of her porch, looked both ways, crossed the street, made her way across the parking lot, walked straight to the altar and knelt down to pray! Wow!

I am more than ready for our next tent revival. I want to see more of that and I want to see it bad!

I found a few pictures from that week of the services and of Bro. Blanton's family. I hope you enjoy.

Davy

Raising Up To Ground Level

We had a great night of revival Monday and we are hoping it gets better and better the next two nights. During the day we have been working on more house projects, ticking off at a time.

I had a guy here Monday working on installing five more porch posts. These posts are not supporting posts, but have been part of the plan from the beginning. I worked with him most of the day Monday. Hopefully he will finish up today and I will have pictures later.

We also have the internet company coming to day to install the internet service. We ran a conduit underground when we ran the electricity. It even already has a pull string in it. Hopefully that process will be painless.

I forgot a to show you a project I completed last week. It was not a huge project but it was dirty and necessary. I was super happy to get it done.

When Bro. Jimmie Radcliffe and I put in the water back in November 2016, we installed three access pits. Do you see the pit on the left below?

Each pit allows access to a shut off valve like this.

Three pits accessing three valves. One is a valve to the house. One is a valve for the hydrant by the fire pit. The third is for the hydrant by the barn.

The one for the house has been mostly in the way during the whole construction process. I have kept it marked with a rock and a stake most of the time to keep a big truck from running over it and also to prevent me from losing track of it.

We knew the house would be raised up a little above ground level so we raised this particular pit about 6" above the ground. When the house was completed and the driveway was poured, the top of the pit was 12" BELOW ground level.

Oops I missed that one!

One morning before the sun got hot I attacked it with the shovel and rake and figured out how much it needed to be raised. I made a trip to Pickrel Brothers, a big pluming supply house, in Dayton and purchased the proper amount of lid extensions. Dad helped me put them in, I covered it all up and here is the finished product. I still have the rock laying on top of the lid.

My hands were a mess most of the time and I was laying on my belly so no pictures were taken while the work was going on. 

I plan to eventually widen the driveway some and this should be perfect level for the concrete. I have fretted about that job a long time and I am very glad to get it done.

We may never get all these things done, but we will leave Ohio and let it all go soon. I am looking forward to that.

Thanks for reading today.

Davy