Mr. Bob's Weblog

According to Gallup, many Americans have lost confidence in several institutions, such as Congress and the Presidency. A lot of this can be blamed on the unfaithfulness of the said institutions. Many leaders have been decieiving their way in (and to stay) in power. Who can be trusted in all this?

The Father is fully faithful all the time, even when we are not. He always keeps his word. And even the few times he has taken his word back, it was for our benefit. How cool is that?

I’m usually not one to write a negative post (or at least try), but I’ve been itching to write it.

So now that I’ve reduced my work schedule and started to set up my freelance web design business, I’ve been looking for work. It’s really cool that I’ve been given the opportunity to have the freedom of working freelance. I can adjust my schedule (within reason), plan vacations, and give myself a raise occasionally.

The slight disadvantage of this, however, is that I have to be actively looking for clients. I have to work for work. However, this gives me an oppportunity to trust my Father more and more for my needs.

Anyway, the point I’m trying to make here is that I have to look for work. So far I have two primary ways to find more business:

• Find work with local businesses and organizations, and get word-of-mouth refferals from those clients

or

• Using sites on the web, namely GetaFreelancer

When I signed up for GetaFreelancer, I thought I would be able to find so much work, I’d be fine. However, what I found was not unlike a day labor site for web designers.

First, many of the projects are riduclously underbudgeted. For example, one buyer wanted a “web 2.0 site” for $30-100. Also, I saw one project from a buyer in Alabama that preffered suppliers who worked “under $5 hour.” How do these people expect us to live?

Because of these underbudgeted projects, there are many providers who aren’t that good. Some providers’ portfolios were impressing. Unfourtunately, however, most of the providers on GetaFreelancer make lousy websites, whether it’s lack of skill or experience, or a lack of care. I believe the lack of care bugs me the most. Many of the projects bids are autoposts from people too darned lazy to read through the projects. There are other things too, but I’m not in the mood to write them. I decided to do this not because I think I’m the best, but to work towards that goal. I want to improve everyday in my skill, service to clients, salesmanship, and trust in God. In order for me to do that, I have to look towards the best. I can’t hang around providers whose business model is “sell’em cheap.”

Despite all that, however, maybe the one thing that’s really bugging me is that I haven’t landed a single job online. Any fruitful job opportunity has come from local people whom I met face-to-face. So far, that seems to be the best way to find clients. Working with local clients, making sure they are satisfied, and getting referrals (or more business) from that client. It not only works well, it gives a greater satisfaction, too.

Day labor sucks.

This past week I’ve been receiving condemnation from the adversary. I made a mistake Friday night, and he put fear in my heart. The thing was, though, it was a mistake, and I know I have been forgiven of them in the past.

The devil used the misuse of Heb 10:26 to hurt me, concerning sins I did earlier. I had the same problem about a year ago, and pushed the verse to the side. However, I believe I have found the correct answer for the interpretation.

Now, I read quite a few long explanations that seem t go around in circles. So I decided to ask God. Later, by rightly dividing the Word, I found the answer.

Even with a close look at the verse, I think the verse says what says and means what it means. However, it has to be viewed in the light of the rest of the Word.

When David is confronted with his sin by Nathan the prophet, Nathan says that David “depised the commandment of God,” like how Hebrews 10:29 describes the sin in verse 26. However, David repented and found mercy, even though God didn’t explicitly say “unless you repent”. A similar occurrence occurs in Hezekiah’s life, when he is confronted by Isaiah, and a few other times. If that was the case in the age of the Law, how much more in the age of Grace?

God doesn’t want anyone to die, even in Acts 5 when the married couple decides to lie to God. He wants us to be with Him. He says (in Ezekiel I believe) that he doesn’t want the wicked to perish, but repent (change).

I know I was forgiven before, and I am forgiven now. I can speak in tongues, have prayers answered (surely by the Father), and have also backed it up with a rightly divided word. So I’m going to let my past get me anymore, thanks to the True God, His Son, and the mercy they have!

While embedding Google Maps into a website I’m working on, I found it caused a scripting error in IE:

Object doesn't support property or method: Line: blah Char: blah


Eventually I found the problem. Apparently IE needs variables to be called in JavaScript. You know, with the actual “var” operator/statement (It’s 2007. Who does that anymore?).

So I’ll have to remember that.

If you haven’t noticed the very cool subdomain, I have a new web host: Media Temple (mt). I’ve heard good things about them, and so far they’ve been great!

Also, in unrelated news, I’ve reduced my schedule at my retail job to one day a week. I’m going for freelance web design/development (which explains the host change) and a full-time college workload again (Yay!) After almost a year of working full (or near full) time in retail, my Father has opened new doors! Will it be hard? Sure, but I know I have someone–The One (and His son 🙂 )–in me.

So I’ll keep praising God (while searching for clients)!