“Good, Fast, or Cheap- Pick two”.  It was a phrase I often used in my Remodeling business prior to life here at the church.  Lots of stories to go with it. But today, let’s focus just on “Cheap”.   What is the real cost of Cheap?  An engineer friend of mine explained this in economic terms to me by saying that in making and selling things, if two identical products have different prices, you have to ask why.  Why is one of them cheaper? Or why is one more expensive?    Likewise, if two products cost the same, but one comes from halfway around the globe and the other from 10 miles away… why?  Assuming the same margin for the seller, somehow down the chain, cost is being pulled out of the product to make it cheaper. If the model discussed above is broken-down into the significant components, three groups would form.  Those groups are Materials, People, and Environment. In the case of...

Interesting conversations can manifest themselves in the most obscure locations. While pulling a few weeds in the First Fruits Orchard a passerby diverted off the sidewalk and took a seat on one of the benches.  She sat quietly as I buzzed around the trees pulling bind weed and goat heads.  I soon needed a break and joined her on the opposing bench.  We started talking. She was a visitor from out of town staying with a family member a few blocks away.  There were medical issues at the home and she was there to provide comfort and care.  She needed a break.  She went for a walk and found the orchard on a beautiful day with a slight breeze.  Her story ended with “I really needed this place today.” One of her questions for me was how the orchard came to be, why, and who.  I gave her the short summary, something hard for me to do.  All she said was “wow”.   She then observed a Dad and two...