Back from the dead…

Men of Fuel,

As we begin our preparations for Easter, I couldn’t help but think of the experience I go through at the end of every quarter at my job:  The death and resurrection of my deals.  A co-worker of mine has coined a mantra, which is, “A Deal is not a deal, until it has died three times.”

Just last quarter I endured this process through this complicated deal that was moving towards closure, but it died because of budget issues.  Then it was brought back to life because they figured out, after all, they did not have budget issues, and had ample room for the down payment, which could be issued as a modification to the existing order.  Deal was alive.

But the existing bank required new terms and no new terms were acceptable under the “continuing resolution” so the deal was dead.  Again.

Then we brought a new bank in and they approved the existing terms, so long as we could insert specific linking language connecting the new order to the existing order.  Both parties agreed to the language and the deal was back alive.  Again.

So on the last night of our quarter, the customer issued the draft order, and everything but a few numbers needed to be changed.  We had 2 hours left in the quarter, and it appeared the final contracts were coming.  However, that’s not how this game works.

When the contracting officer submitted the final order, correcting a few of the numbers from the draft order, she decided to remove the linking language that was approved by her, and required by the bank.  So with an hour and half to go in the quarter, the bank walked away from the deal because the language was gone.  Deal is dead, again.

This process that I am summarizing took several months, and negotiations began last year.  Hours and hours of time spent getting us to this point, and here we were 90 minutes from the deal expiration, and the bank walks away again.  This was dead. Again.

And yet, somehow (after a ton of prayer, and convincing) we were able to get it done. So, at 2:52AM—8 minutes from the deadline I was able to submit a valid order, and had a great story to tell.  But was the story great because the deal closed?  No, the story was great because it shouldn’t have closed but somehow at the 11th hour came back to life.  That’s what makes the story so great…at least for me.

Sound familiar?  Ever had something come back to life after thinking it was long gone?  Did you keep it a secret or did you tell anyone that would lend an ear?  Was it a job, a deal, or a relationship that you thought was ruined but it came back to life?

What is it about stories of resurrection that captivate us?

Why is there something that draws us to the story of things coming back to life long after we have written them off?

Isn’t that the story of Easter?  Sure we have made it about colored eggs and baked ham, but the true story of Easter is that death was overcome.  Come on out this Wednesday as we begin our three week prep for Easter with week one: Back from the dead.

Pastor Mike Minter from Reston Bible Church will share his personal insights and stories of resurrection from 35+ years of ministering in Northern Virginia and beyond.

If you ever wanted to hear stories of hope, when there was none left…of victory being snatched from the jaws of defeat, of transformation from death to life…then join us this week.

Invest, Invite…Inspire

Pat Mancuso
patmancuso@mac.com
(703) 401-8302
FUEL
See our Blog at: https://menoffuel.com/blog

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Our mission is to create a comfortable, relevant and honest environment where men can explore and discuss aspects of life, purpose and faith.

We accomplish our mission by reviewing pertinent issues in men’s lives, examining them through relevant biblical principles, followed by a time of discussion with other men.

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