Genesis Chapter 9

Genesis Chapter 9:1 “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.”

Once Noah and his family moved out of the ark (he waited for God’s instruction, see last post) God told him to “fill the earth”.    There are other verses in the bible speaking favorably of having children and children being a blessing.  As a father of three wonderful girls I can tell you that a child is one of the greatest blessings one can receive! Later in the chapter, God states again (verse7) “As for you, be fruitful and multiply; Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.” It seems to me that God always intended for his children to populate the earth abundantly.  Because God created all things and knows all I trust that he create a world able to sustain his command for us to populate abundantly!

Genesis 9:4 “Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.” Genesis Chapter 9:2-3 tells of how the “fear” of man will be on every beast of the earth, every bird, fish, ect.  In the above quoted scripture, God gives us the flesh of animals to supplement our diet.  However, verse 5 God instructed Noah to not eat the “lifeblood” of the animal (blood I am assuming).

Later in the chapter, God spoke to Noah and his sons and made a covenant with them.  God promised never to create a flood to destroy the earth.  Verse 13 “I set my bow in the cloud and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.” God said later in verse 15 that He will “remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh;…”  Years ago when I first read this, I never look at rainbows the same way again.  What a beautiful creation and reminder!

The last part of the chapter Noah started farming and planting a vineyard.  I guess he drank too much of his own wine and became drunk and was naked inside of his tent.  Ham, father of Canaan saw Noah in this drunken state, naked inside the tent and instead of covering him up (he will pay for this in a minute) he told his brothers Shem and Japheth outside.  Shem and Japheth covered Noah by coming into the tent backwards so that would not see him in his naked state and respectfully covered him up.  Needless to say Noah woke up angry and said (Genesis 9:25) “So he said, Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants. He shall be to his brothers.”

I will have to put a note to find out what happened to Canaan’s descendants as I read on.  If you have scriptures that you can cite that will help me please post them!

Genesis Chapter 8: The New Beginning

In Genesis Chapter 8 Noah’s travels in the ark were soon to be over.  God’s word says in Genesis 8:2-3 that the “…fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained.”

I noticed the significance of the number seven (7) again here as on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the Ark finally rested on Mount Ararat. Noah also waited seven days both times he sent the dove from the Ark to check if the waters had subsided.  The first time, the dove brought back an olive branch, the second time the dove did not return.

Based on my reading of the scripture, it appears that Noah knew the water had receded.  Genesis 8:13 -14 “Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth.  Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up.”

Noah stayed in the ark for approximately another month before God spoke to Noah and told him to go out of the Ark with his family and all of the animals.  Noah seemed patient and obedient to wait on God even though his surroundings seemed ok, he still waited on God!

Once Noah went out of the Ark, he built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings of some of the clean animals and birds.  The supplemental reading explained that this is why Noah took seven (there is that number again) pairs of clean animals while only taking one pair of unclean animals.  (Genesis 7:2)

Another verse that stood out to me was Genesis 8:22

“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night, Shall not cease”

This passage reminded me to worship, love my family, and work hard no matter what is going on around me.  In these times, many people get worried about what is going to happen with our nation, the planet, ect.  Instead of worry, we can trust God, fulfill our mission in life and enjoy our eternity with the King of Kings!

Genesis Chapter 7

Today, I thanked God for his forgiveness and mercy over my life. I need him to complete my goal of reading his word thoroughly within one year.  When you set out to follow God’s will,  I pray that he will give you the strength to overcome any opposition against God’s perfect will.  Let’s begin.

Genesis Chapter 7 deals with Noah, his mission, his family, and the flood.

Genesis 7:1 (NASB) “Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before me at this time.”

Remember that in Chapter 6:8 Noah had found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Chapter 6 also called Noah a “Righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God”

So I am thinking that his steadfast walk with God has something to do with him being seen as righteous in the eyes of God.

In Genesis 7:2-3 you will see that God has specific instructions for clean versus unclean animals.  For “every clean animal” God wanted 7 pairs of male and female, and for every “unclean animal” God wanted just 1 pair. (male and female)

Significance of the number seven in this chapter:

7 pairs of clean animals

7 pairs of the birds of the sky

7 days after Noah and his family went into the ark, the floods came

My wife told me that the number seven was symbolic of completion.  (She wanted 7 diamonds on her wedding ring…)  As we continue reading, I should be able to develop a better picture of this.

So Noah loaded up the ark as God instructed and the floods came.  This chapter references the flood coming by rain (Gen 7:4),”fountains of the great deep” and “floodgates of the sky” (Gen 7:11).  So water is coming from everywhere and it rains for 40 days and 40 nights.  It covered the mountains and everything that had the “breath of the spirit of life” died.  (Gen 7:22) The water prevailed upon the earth for 150 days.

Do you know who your landlord is?

Have you ever been in the hot, humid, Houston heat trapped inside of a building with no AC?  Imagine if you signed a lease in an office building and the chillers (AC) shut down for 4 weeks.  What would you do?

One of my clients sent me a referral to work with several tenants that were in this very situation.  When I walked inside of the building at 11 a.m. it must have been at least 90 degrees in the buildings.  There were tenants in the parking lots working out of their cards to avoid the heat and get AC.  Other business where shut down, some had already relocated, some even purchased portable AC units!

I can tell you several other stories like this, (especially after the last hurricane hit Houston) but I would rather share this for now.  Tenants, know your landlord!  Even though most of my clients do not ask, I volunteer the management history of a building so that the tenants have an idea of who they will be “living” with for the next several years.

Any tenant that has had a bad experience with a landlord will not sign a lease without having some kind of comfort level with the landlord’s history.  A good management company or landlord is like a good insurance policy.  You really don’t care about what they are doing until something breaks down.  When something happens,  (something always happens) talk to your broker before you sign a lease to make sure you know background  of the landlord and management company.

Here is the plug for using a Tenant broker like myself:

As a Tenant broker, I am able to present the most objective, accurate view of a property because I work for the tenant, and not any specific property.  The landlord broker is hired to get a tenant to sign to a specific building. We help our clients select the absolute best building based on the client’s criteria.

What’s the difference between Class A, B, or C office buildings?

First off, let’s start with the BOMA definition of each building:

Class A

Most prestigious buildings competing for premier office users with rents above average for the area. Buildings have high quality standard finishes, state of the art systems, exceptional accessibility and a definite market presence.

Class B

Buildings competing for a wide range of users with rents in the average range for the area. Building finishes are fair to good for the area. Building finishes are fair to good for the area and systems are adequate, but the building does not compete with Class A at the same price.

Class C

Buildings competing for tenants requiring functional space at rents below the average for the area.

I can add from my own experience that Class A buildings many times will have a restaurant, bank, 24 hour manned security, covered parking, ect.  Class B will have some of the amenities of Class A, but not all of them.  Class C buildings (greatest value, fewest amenities) may possibly have a deli, video surveillance, fewer floors, ect.  Every time I think the market will follow a standard, CoStar goes ahead and will turn a Class C building into a Class “A” building because of pressure from a REIT, owner, or broker listing the space.

Ultimately, a good tenant rep broker will make sure the market decides the true value of a building, not the letter classification!

Genesis Chapter 6

This Chapter in Genesis is about the corruption of man, Noah and the ark, and a few other points not really talked about much in Bible study that I will attempt to cover.

Genesis 6:2 – “…the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.”

I glanced over this verse at first, until I read the notes in my study Bible.  Who were the “sons of God?”  The study guide gives several different possibilities:

1.) Angels

2.) Godly men

3.) Royal figures

There appears to be a contrast between the “sons of God” and the “daughters of men”.  Could the daughter’s of men be descendants from Cain?  One thing is for sure, the beauty of the “daughters of men” was so stunning that those close to God took note and married them.  I believe that we all have seen this type of beauty in the women in our lives.

Another distinction in the scriptures refers to the “sons of God” having children with the “daughters of men”

Genesis 6:4 “…the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.  Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”

These guys just don’t sound like your average Joe’s right?

Here is another scripture of note:

Genesis 6:3 – “Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

In my opinion, this is our “battery life” earth.  I think that we sometimes shorten our lifespan due to a ton of different factors (check out my post on diet)  God’s “Spirit” striving with man may also explain the long lives of Adam and his decedents up until this point.

Once we get to Genesis 6:5 we see that the “wickedness” and continual “evil” was not sitting well with God.  In fact, the scripture says that he “grieved” in his heart.  Based on my interpretation of the scriptures, God was remorseful for the creation of man was ready to hit the reset button.

Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

The scripture calls Noah “righteous”, “blameless in his time”, and said that Noah “walked with God”.  (Genesis 6:9) Remember Enoch from previous chapters?  He also “walked with God” and did not die ,God just took him away!  Now here is another righteous man, Noah who God is going to enter into covenant with to build the ark.

Genesis 6:18 “…you shall enter the ark – you and your sons and your wife, and your sons wives with you.”

This reinforces the significance of family and shows God’s grace.  The scripture does not go into detail about how worthy or righteous Noah’s family was, yet here they are being sparred from God’s wrath as well.  I am looking forward to referencing scriptures in the future the correlation between a man or woman chosen by God to do great works and the effects or grace given to their families.

MiSfiT tenants…are they in your building?

My definition of a “misfit” tenant is an office space use that is allowed into a suite that does not fit the use of a traditional office tenant.  In softer markets landlords may attempt to maintain occupancy going a little further than giving attractive concessions.  When a landlord crosses the line and closes a deal with a “misfit” tenant, the entire building  (including the tenants) can suffer.

Now, I am represented or worked with almost all of the industries that I am about to name with the exception of abortion clinics.  Any good broker will direct these tenants to options that can adequately accommodate them.  If you happen to be a misfit tenant, get a broker with experience with working with your industry and start your relocation project at least 6 months to a year in advance before your move.

Characteristics of “misfit” tenants for office space can vary based on the building, but the most common misfit tenants are the following:

Salons and Barbershops – They use a lot of utilities, require a lot more build out, really thrive much more in a retail or mall environment where they benefit from the exposure and foot traffic.  If you walk into an atrium building immediately smell perm, weave, and shampoo…. You guessed it!  There is a “misfit” tenant in the building!

Deli w/out proper ventilation – Deli’s are great ….most of the time.  A deli without proper ventilation can have an entire building smell like a greasy kitchen inside of a month!

“Drug Centers” – These centers thrive in unregulated class C buildings where they can get away with the sometimes inappropriate or illegal activity that goes on in these centers.  I have seen a few reports in my years of thefts,  break-ins, even shootings where these centers have been located.

Educational Institutions –  High traffic and density are two of the major problems with these institutions in many buildings in the Houston market.  Most office spaces are designed to accommodate about 4-5 spaces per 1,000 sf of space.  Just one classroom alone can easily take up many of the prime/non-reserved parking that tenants would like reserved for their own visitors.

Call Centers -  Call Centers share the same issue with educational institutions high traffic, high density of employees.  Occasionally neighboring tenants will complain about call center employees not complying with a professional dress code.  Some buildings are a great fit for call centers in Houston.  Some are not.  There are several buildings that I know that are very well suited for call centers and I will always try these options first when working with this type of client.

Buildings with the right tenant mix really add value to all of the tenants.  At the end of the day, a “misfit” tenant has just not found the right fit for their industry and needs to make a change.  Many times, this change will ultimately save them time, money, and the headaches of dealing with angry neighboring tenants!

Descendants of Adam: Genesis Chapter 5

Adam’s partial family tree in chapter 5:

Adam – Seth – Enosh – Kenan – Mahaalalel – Jared – Enoch – Methuselah – Lamech – Noah – Shem,Ham, Japheth

This chapter explains Adam’s family tree from Seth all the way to Noah’s children.  All of the children of these men are not written from what I can tell and there is a very interesting contrast between all of the children of Adam and Enoch.  Check out the scripture below:

Genesis Chapter 5:24 (NIV)

²¹ When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

I wondered after reading this, how was Enoch’s walk with God?  Everyone in Adam’s lineage died except for Enoch who “God took him away”.  Enoch must have been living in a way that pleased God.  Read Genesis 3:8 when Adam and Eve sinned against God:

Genesis 3:8 “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

I looked at the contrast between these two versus and it re-enforces to me how sin separates us from God.  When Adam and Eve sinned, God was not with them.  I know this because later they heard God coming and hid from him.

If Adam and Eve were walking with God in the garden would satan have been able to tempt them?  Would satan have dared to show himself in God’s presence with his children?  I wonder how that conversation would have gone with God RIGHT there listening to the conversation?  satan is a liar and uses lies to deceive, divide, and destroy.  What does a liar do when in the presence of truth!

We don’t know much about Enoch, but we know what we need to know.  Enoch walked with God.  How much it must please God to walk with him!  Let us walk with God as well through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

Inspiration from my mechanic

This last Friday my radiator literally blew-up on my Nissan Altima while I was near the beltway.  By the time that I stopped the car and popped the hood, there was already a tow truck driver pulling up shaking his head at my smoking car.

Now I have had my share of wrench-time under my 83 GMC pickup truck in college, so I knew that my car was in no condition to drive.  The tow truck driver offered me a discount if he could bring my car to his “shop” down the street.  Otherwise he would charge me $60 bucks for the tow.

Years ago, I brought my car to Champions Car Care in Northwest Houston and the mechanic treated me honestly and fairly.  His prices are slightly more than the competition, but he became my “go-to” guy when he was able to fix a $150 headlight problem (according to the Nissan dealership) for $10 bucks.  Was he a mechanical genius?  Maybe, however it was more likely that I just found myself an honest mechanic!

So even though I had to pay for the tow, and a little more for service I feel confident when I pick up my car that it will be fixed the right way the first time for a fair price.  When you treat people right, tell the truth, and charge people fairly you will stay busy!

Attention Houston Office Brokers!

There is (finally) a place where listing and tenant rep brokers can talk shop, network, and stay in the loop on the Houston market!  If you are not on linkedin (you should be) then join today and be sure to add our group at the following link:

http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=3029755