Housesitting WASN'T THAT HARD.

Have you ever looked after somebody's house and dog before? How well did you do? When a friend offered the job to me, I thought it would be difficult and that I would be a failure at it. Fortunately for that family whose house and dog I took care of, I did a good job. Even better, the money they paid me was an answer to prayer.

From my upcoming How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity memoir, here's the story of my one-and-only experience in housesitting.

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God answered my desperate pleas sooner than I expected. Mrs. Boyle, whose family I boarded with during grade eight, phoned me one evening. "We're going to visit New Foundland for a month in June and we need to hire somebody to look after the house. Would you like to do that for us? We'll pay you two-hundred dollars."

I wrestled with indecision. Looking after a house seemed a huge responsibility. On the other hand, I desperately needed money.

When I agreed, she added, "Why don't you come over to our place? I'll fill you in on what you'll be doing."

As Mrs. Boyle's teenage children, Stephen and Mary Jane, joined us in the living room of their elegant older home near the Alberta Legislature, she listed my duties. "I also need you to do Mary Jane's flower and newspaper delivery routes at the hospital," she finished after ten minutes. "You'll have to walk and feed Lady every day too. Can you do all that?"

I pondered her question, then replied, "Yeah, I guess I could learn to do all those things."

Then she noticed the sole of my right shoe. "You certainly do need the money. Look at the size of that hole."

Contrary to my over-exaggerated fears, I quickly learned Mary Jane's flower and newspaper routes. By the end of the week, I made my rounds confidently each afternoon. Likewise, caring for the house and dog grew easier each day.

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How I Was Razed is the testimony of how God revealed his true character to me after charismatic house church elders misled me for more than fifteen years. You're welcome to contact me directly for more information about this upcoming paperback.