The Patio

May 2011 Diligently working on the pathway and listening to God speaking through rocks, my conviction grew. With an image of myself standing before God to give account, I committed to obey in faith. I would invest my small savings in a patio—a God-given dream—not knowing where it would take me. This savings was my emergency fund, meant for unexpected repairs, medical needs, or disaster of some kind. I was at a personal crossroad: would I choose to act on this persistent idea I believed God planted in me, or not?

Frugality and thrift is my natural bent. I was used to spending carefully, living without a savings cushion most of my life. Extra money in the bank was a luxury, and letting go of it required another kind of faith, perhaps even more difficult than having no savings at all. Could an unwillingness to let go of this security be the thing that keeps camels from passing through the eye of a needle? I wondered. (Matthew 19:24)

Having made the decision, the first step in creating my backyard oasis was to build a patio. Good quality lumber is expensive and requires maintenance, so I believed that a concrete patio was the way to go. In order to fulfill my vision, it would have to be large enough to accommodate small groups of people, much larger than the standard 4x8 concrete slab outside the back door.

Landscape designers would have drawn out a design; planners would at least have some squiggles on paper. Clueless people like me jump right in. I knew I wanted it to be rounded, and I had an approximate desired size in mind. I also had a small budget, which was much smaller than the estimates I got from several concrete contractors--anywhere from $3000-$7000, completely out of range.

Then, I ran across a surprising online review: “Great work! The barefooted Rob…” The word “barefooted” had me. I couldn’t imagine doing concrete work with bare feet! Was this for real? Intrigued and curious, I called. Rob’s son answered the phone. To my amazement, after I described what I had in mind, he gave me a surprisingly low quote over the phone: $900. Incredulous and somewhat doubtful, I said "Sure, when can you come?" Was this God at work?

A few days later, they arrived on schedule and Rob appeared, like a barefooted hobbit, at the door. He was a man of few words and in silence I led him to the back. He traipsed across the yard over burrs and rocks like his feet were made of leather. The team, including his son, were the friendliest and went right to work. They even enlisted my son, who was staying with me at the time, to help.

The patio ended up larger than I estimated on the phone, so the price was $1200 instead of $900, but I didn't complain! It was still far less than anything else I was quoted. They poured a 20’ X 25’ rounded patio into which I etched “All For Him 2011”. It was a momentous day.

It was great to have a nice big patio, but the southern exposure with no shade whatsoever made it intolerable to be out there when the sun was shining. The next step of faith was the pergola...would I be able to afford it?

Part 2 of 4. Click NEXT for Part 3 of Stepping Out: The Pergola and New Gate