Convenience

I had been in a holding pattern on 24/7 Scrolls, waiting for another word from God, what direction to take, how much effort, if any, to put in. Never move without a plan, something definite. Or should I?

I almost sent out a blog, relaying all these non-assertive thoughts. Should I act alone? Noah did. Elijah did. Jonah only had the assistance of a fish? Should I? Shouldn't I? Surely people were out there who could help. All I really needed was one wealthy patron. The needs were modest compared to other non-profits.

But I was not alone. Not only did I have Him. I had her.

My gorgeous wife, Lisa, is a brilliant woman, but has had some misfortune. She has been looking for work for next to seven years now, following a severe brain bleed that left her partially paralized despite much very expensive physical and occupational therapy. Time and time again I've told her that if I ever quit my day job and was in a position to hire, say for instance as in a NPO like 24/7 Scrolls, she would be first on my list of "volunteers." She was also well aware that doing something beyond my day job is not an option for me. It is not workaholism. Our current condition is not sustainable. Something must change. If it's not 24/7 Scrolls it will be something else.

While I was whining to her once again about how all I needed was $10,000 for the DJD, $40,000 for the PG and PL, $20000 for other miscellaneous scrolls, $20,000 for a computer network and hot spot, plus some rooms for lectures and chat, plus salaries for four initial employees including me - ooooh, maybe $500,000 for a fully staffed Reference Hall #1, it occurred to me what the missing element was - coffee.

Lots and lots of coffee. And maybe some snacks. Yes, we would need vending machines.

One wealthy patron. That was all that was needed. To pay for all that coffee. Oh, yes and the books.

Why? Because college libraries, if they have such specialized reference material, are only open to students and not open 24/7. Public libraries also probably won't carry them for financial reasons. Churches and synagogues may have an interest in housing the scrolls but only support their individual ideologies so I've discounted them. Plus they also close after hours. And what the need was, who the target was, was the person who needs to do research - the one who has a full time job but wants to write their book on the side to escape the poverty trap - people like me, or the diligent and astute rabbi, pastor or imam that actually makes the effort to check their facts. Or perhaps, the skeptic, who would never set foot in a place of worship and whose agenda is simply to dismantle organized religion one piece at a time, one fact at a time, through their own channels of communication, supposing that there is nothing in these scrolls that would support historical expressions of faith, much less modern ones.

With all of these I would be happy to dialog daily and throughout the night, hearing and considering their insights if there seemed to be any merit to them. I can't afford to put myself through college again. What I needed, and people like me, was the convenience of a 24/7 Scrolls. Please make me the director. Please put me there. It's my passion to be in an environment like that.

That and this incredible woman I've been married to for about 20 years. There she was sitting by the window chatting with me. And here we were talking about 24/7 Scrolls and my workaholism - and coffee: what it needed most. There she was in the light of the rising sun peeking through the vertical blinds as I considered just how much coffee, and snacks, and the profits from the snacks that could pay for it all. And then flash ...

What we really needed was a Convenience Store!

Aren't they already open 24/7? Aren't they already fully staffed? Aren't they already in every city? What if instead of a 24/7 Scrolls with some conveniences we had a Convenience Store chain with some 24/7 Scrolls in some of its stores - just giving it a try?

I liked it. They're well lit. Very visible. Just like her, with the light of the sun shining on her and those big brown eyes.

So we returned to a conversation we had had a number of times. It wasn't so much that it would be difficult. It was about how to proceed. It wasn't so much that there wasn't money out there. It was about who to approach.

Then she suggested BP Oil. "They could use some good PR right about now," she said.

BP HMMMM
I was with her on that. I've been boycotting Citgo for years because of its connection with Hugo Chavez. But now, since the press is still attached to the president, Big Oil, (and American capitalism generally), is the bad guy so instead of actually doing anything to help BP clean up the Gulf and contain the spill the Obama administration has simply promised criminal investigations. With the press on his side, this will no doubt churn up grass roots efforts calling for a boycott on BP. In the end, Hugo Chavez wins.

I like to stay away from politics but ... imagine George Bush responding to Hurricane Katrina by doing no more than calling for an investigation into why New Orleans was unprepared for the disaster. Surely the problem was poor leadership in New Orleans itself in one administration after another. But the one who took the fall was George Bush - despite his sending in the military to help PDQ and a number of other things that just weren't fast enough for a hostile press. By contrast, it's been six weeks now and there's been absolutely no government assistance I am aware of in the Gulf. What we have here instead is an opportunity to knee jerk legistlation that will further hinder the economic interests of the United States in the name of environmental good will. Somehow against the mainstream I was looking at BP as a victim rather than a criminal.

And that was where Lisa's genius was. In that one statement I could see she saw the irony - I would be willing to help them even though they have billions and I am penniless. But what are the chances I could get them to help me? Probably nada.

As an aside, I have plenty of thoughts about politics but I stopped going public with them years ago because I did not believe that any politicians would be capable of fixing the Unitied States nor would my words make a bit of difference. It would just be a matter of how fast it fell. That is why I registered as "no party affiliation." I don't believe that any of the parties has the answers to my country's needs. The Bible says that the Restrainer will be removed. I have never hidden the fact that my interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls had to do with my interest in prophecy. And that is all I intend to say on the subject.

But when that luminary with such fascinating eyes suggested BP, my thoughts raced while my heart lept. She was speaking way down deep into the core of my being. Whoever owns BP has more than enough money to make 24/7 Scrolls happen. And really, any corner store might just increase their profits if they added some 24/7 Scrolls Reference Halls to their mix. I mean, the books take maybe one aisle of shelves - a thing they specialize in providing already - shelves. The rest is just people hanging out - people who eat and drink coffee and eat snacks. Can't hurt business. Can it? Might even be tax deductible.

It's worth building a sample floor plan for. And I would, but discretion tells me someone will think I'm telling them how to run their store. I'm not. I just want to know where they want to put the 24/7 Scrolls department. I'm accepting proposals.

THE NEGATIZER
Let's just think about this. Every time I see the light this way I take a reality check. My negatizer - that little demon on my left shoulder who always explains to me why things won't work, starts his next rant by telling me no convenience store chain, least of all BP would find this profitable. Furthermore, he always adds, they won't want to associate with anything religious, even if it doesn't represent any particular religion so much as the facts behind them all. And if they were going to have any books, they wouldn't be ones that only scholars read. Why not best sellers? Books-a-Million knows what books to put on shelves. I'm just a freak of nature out of touch with the average guy. Then sinking his talons in a little farther he sends a picture of some corporate sycophant saying the business model has never been proven and is way too innovative. He has the facts to prove it. Finally he points to the folks behind the cash register and shouts out: "do you know how much it will cost to train these people to become librarians?"

THE POSITIZER
Holy, holy, holy. Nothing is impossible with God. Really any Mom and Pop would do. It only takes one willing participant. Scrolls are not just for scholars. But more importantly, did I say you couldn't include the top Books-a-Million picks in your inventory - actually selling them for profit? Be gone evil one - if freedom from the trappings of big biz is what is needed, there are thousands of smaller chains and individually run shops across the planet who might be willing to give this a try. And did I mention that I would be willing to move 24/7 Scrolls Reference Hall #1 anywhere, so long as I could be there to adminster it? I only mentioned Palm Beach Gardens because ... wouldn't it be just so nice if I didn't have to drag my kids to another school and say goodbye to Mom. And yes, there still are not one but two or three tremendous empty office buildings in my backyard all begging to have the 24/7 Scrolls name placed on them. I would love to walk to work every day. All they need are convenience stores added to them. Are you listening Mr. BP?

KNOWING PEOPLE
I never checked into who runs BP. I suppose it was the Brits who first owned it since that's in the name. Google says 95% of its oil comes from the US. Some 27% of it is apparently owned by people from Kuwait. But I don't have to wait until they call me. Nor do I have to try to get my foot in the door there or anywhere else by digging further. This little work-a-holic is not looking to get involved in fundraising. I am a writer. I don't mind founding an idea. I don't mind being there to guard it. After all, that's a place where I can get paid, do research and write at the same time. Works for me. Neither do I mind public speaking, or travel, etc. Actually I enjoy it quite a bit. But I'm still going to let someone else do the work of communicating these ideas, first by recognizing them and then by doing what THEY do best - promote, apply for grants, raise funds, organize, network, and so much more.

SIX DEGREES
Did you know that a study was once done proving that every single person on this planet is connected by just six degrees? That is to say, I've (1) met someone (2) whose met someone (3) whose met someone (4) whose met someone (5) whose met someone (6). This summarizes the entire distance of the living human race. Every single person is no more than six degrees away from anyone else. You are only six degrees away from every single person on the planet living today. So now I'm going to ask a favor - for me, for my wife, and dare I say "for God?" Please contact the people you know and tell them about this blog. There is somebody out there who can make this happen. And I would like to meet them. I think I've conveyed the idea well enough so that the other posts in this blog, along with the web site, should give them everything they need to know. But if anyone has any questions, there is a contact form on the 24/7 Scrolls web site. Please send me an email.