DILEMMA

All the characters in this short story are based on fictional characters. The names do not represent anyone in particular.

In a small country town of Lentus, in North Texas, there lives a small normal family. There is nothing spectacular or anything that stands out in this family. The Vettar Family. They live in the Fair Oak Community Sub-Division on Oak Lane Drive. They live in a modest four bedroom home wtih a swimming pool, a two-door garage and a medium sized front and back yard. They attend church every Sunday. And Bill and Bertha Vettar even help teach Sunday school. Bill Vettar is a realtor along with his business partner John Watson. Bertha Vettar is an accountant wtih a mid-sized accountant firm. Her best friend is Agnes Kawasaki. They both started at the firm together. Jason Vettar and his sister Jackie Vettar both attend a local community college. Jason has a friend named Isaac Appleton, but his friends call him "Ike." Jason also has a girlfriend named Christine Williams. Jason and Isaac are majoring in Sports Medicine and Christine is majoring in Business Management. Jackie has a best friend named Stephanie Jamison and her fiance's name is Gilbert Johnson. They all three are majoring in Psychology.

Bill Vettar is a honest man. He and Bertha have been married for twenty-four years. Bill has been in the realty business for about twenty-two years. Bertha's dad got him into the business. He decided to switch careers after the birth of their first born child, Jason. It was a very intense and stressful transition, to say the least. In the beginning, for about a year and a half, he was making less than half of what he was making at his previous job. That is when they began to cry out to the Lord. And with the Lord's help, through prayer and counseling, the three of them pulled through. And within three years, he was making almost double. Which was great, considering they just had another child, Jackie. About a year ago, the realty firm hired another realtor named John Watson. Bill and John became instant friends. John even started attending the Vettar's church. They made a great team. One reason is because John has been in the realty business just as long as Bill has. Filling in for each other when needed to. But about six weeks ago, Bill found out that John was raising the rates on the houses and even skimming more money on top of his commission. John even approached Bill to cut him in on the deals. You see, work has been slow for about three and a half years and they aren't selling places like they were in the past. The Vettar family was in debt. Mortgages, car payments and tuition - all the bills have been accumulating. Bill was in a dilemma.

TO BE CONTINUED WITH BERTHA VETTAR'S STORY

PARTIAL TESTIMONY

If I had to or could do some things over again or if I had the opportunity, I would definitely get help. I guess I could blame it on my upbringing or genes. You see, I grew up, virtually with no father figure around, most of the time. I had my mom and two older sisters who basically raised me to the age of about 11. My mom worked two jobs to barely make ends meat, or meet the ends. And as I was growing up living in the country, up to the age 4 or 5, in an old beaten up house we called home with no running water and an out house. Rumor has it, because I was too young to remember, that my mom would have to walk a couple of miles to a friends house, 3 brothers, mean with great compassion, to get water in buckets, when the water in the water tower was out. And so to the times that I do remember, growing up in the South East of San Antonio. I do remember my mom still getting up early making breakfast, going to work and coming home to make dinner. My two older, one about 2 years older and the other about 11 years older than me. I do have an older brother, about 7 years older, but he lived with a guardian. And I also have a younger brother - 1 year, 7 months and 1 day younger. But for the most part, I do not recall my mom asking for help from anyone outside our immediate family. I do not know if it was her Hispanic pride or if she just wanted to show us that she could or that we could live and survive on our own. And so with this in mind, this is where  I got my sense of pride. That I do not or would need any one's help for anything. Growing up, up until the 9th grade, I was an A & B honor roll student. I used to say or think that I didn't need God or Jesus to help me. I would think, well, I AM the one doing this. I AM the one studying & getting the good grades. And my ambition & goal was to go to West Point Military Academy. My mom re-married when I was about 11. My step-dad was a retired Master Sergeant and Master Plumber from the Army. Very disciplined and expected us to be the same or do the same.

So I moved out in the summer after my 9th grade year, to live with my dad. A huge mistake. I ended up starting to smoke cigarettes and dropped out of 10th grade half way through the school year. Then I moved in with my uncle the following school year. I did finish that school year, but didn't go back to school after that. I ended up smoking weed and snorting coke. I moved a couple of times after that. I ended up living in an apartment with so-called friends. Smoking weed and crack, drinking heavier, and not eating right. I had a black-out one day. I do remember not being able to stand-up or walk. So I scooted myself across the pavement for about 5 or 6 blocks, if you can believe that. I got picked up by 3 police officers who took me to my grand-dad's house. I left there within minutes, because my step-grandmas called my mom. I walked a little ways, I stopped on a median, shooting the bird and yelling at passing cars, even at a cop. Then I passed out, falling into the street. I got picked up by a Christian woman and her son in a suburban. She said I almost got hit and run over. She took me back to the apartment.

Two days later, I was dry all day. Meaning, I had no cigarettes, no drugs, no booze, no food. I had not eaten for 4 days. So I was depressed. That night, I went and sat on the ledge of I-37 bridge on Goliad Ave. I was contemplating suicide. But I couldn't jump off, because all I saw was myself only being paralyzed and not dying.

I walked back to the apartment and a man named Tony was talking to my friend Eddie. Tony is a Christian. He lived in the same apartment complex as us, but on the other side. He would come talk to us about God and other things once in awhile. That night he asked me, "Are you ready to change," and I just started to cry. He took me to his apartment where his wife made me a sandwich. He then took me to a rehab place, where I was only planning on staying 3 days, keep this in mind. It is a Christian rehab place. And I  wasn't planning on serving God. I was delivered from those addictions that night. It has been almost 15 years since then. And I am still attending that place, Victory Outreach International in San Antonio.

TO BE CONTINUED

TESTIMONY: If I Had To Do It Over Again - I Would Get HELP

STRUGGLES 3: PAST REVISITED

What struggles am I
currently going through
What struggles are you
currently going through

Am I still facing or fighting
the same struggles from my past
If I am still facing those same obstacles
what do I need to learn to overcome

If or when  I struggle with a certain issue
does that mean I am a failure
If I still haven't learned from them
does that mean I am a loser

I believe that there are
many reasons why
we continue to struggle
with the same issue, over and over

First, I believe we do not know how
to win over or overcome
the problem, issue, obstacle
failure, struggle or sin

Second, I believe we do not
want to leave it or let it go
because we do not want to get rid of
our security blanket, if you will

And lastly, I believe we feel comfortalbe
in the area of our comfort zone
we will call it
our comfort food

Then how do I go from
past failures to present re-failures
to knowing how to overcome to learning how
to the stage where I have overcome

TO BE CONTINUED
WITH
STRUGGLES 4: PAST LEARNED

STRUGGLES: PAST

A past is something we all have
We can try to hide it
We can try to run from it
But it will always be there

Some love their past
Others hate their past
Some have no regrets
Others have many

Some bury their past
but leave the handle sticking out
only to dig it up again
and try to find another place to bury it

Some have a past that they hide
only to have it catch up to them
Pursuing and haunting them for a long time
hoping one day to lay them to rest

But the past that we can have
is not a perfect past
but a past that is forgiving by God
through Christ, no matter what we've done

Though, I believe some don't deserve it

but who am I to judge

though we do everyday.

Probably because of our past and 

through our past, we live in the now, hope for the future.

HisStory

What is a story? Is it based on something true? Or on actual events? What is telling a story? Stories are not simply words or phases. There are many story genre's, if you will, out there. There is fiction, non-fiction, biographies, & documentries to name a few. But what is history? Or better yet, what is His Story?ve Whose story you may ask? Why, Jesus Christ's story. Now, I do not claim to know all there is to know about this God-Man. Not by any stretch of my or anyones imagination. But what I do know, well, atleast in part, I will tell. Freely I have received, so freely I will give...

Struggles

Struggles are a part of life
so why do I act suprised
Struggles are there to help me grow
so why do I not want them

Stuggles are usually not easy
that is why we call them struggles
Struggles sometimes take us by suprise
that is why we fail many times

I know I have had my share
of failing and falling through struggles
Many times it felt like my
back was against the wall

With no way to turn
With no where to run
Feeling like I was pressed
on all sides

But it is in these times
with no strength or no how left
we find that we have no choice
but to finally call out to our God

First Blog

This is the start of my first blog site for writing. This is amazing. More to come.

This blog is going to be comprised of my thoughts, experiences, personal journals, Bible Studies, poems, songs and other writings. Any comments and constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. And as always, I thank you in advance. May our God and the Lord Jesus Christ greatly bless and enrich your life through me and these blogs.

Today, Sunday, March 27, 2011. We at Victory Outreach San Antonio had an awesome service this morning. My or I should say, our pastor, Pastor Luis Molina preached an awesome and powerful message from God. He talked about the rapture, about the Second Coming of Christ. And that how that Jesus Christ needs to be our unshakable and unmoveable anchor. This anchor is not like an ordinary anchor, it is an anchor that is anchored upward, toward Heaven. And this anchor moves us and keeps us moving forward toward our prize, our goal, our destiny andour call......