Tag Archives: Real Estate

The First Mama’s Boy of the Bible

While the apostle Paul warns first century Christians about having favorites, each person is drawn toward certain personality types. Some human beings naturally mesh, clicking as if they have been lifelong friends. Meanwhile, others struggle to find anything in common due to different gifts and talents. Subsequently, one sibling may relate better to their mother while the father leans toward more athletic and manly children.

Afterward his brother came forth, and his hand grasped Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob [supplanter]. Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them, Genesis 25:26.

According to Moses, Esau was the athletic child in Isaac’s family. Esau blossomed into a great hunter, likely with a bow and arrow. Unable to compete with his brother, Jacob appears to have stayed in the kitchen, learning to cook with his mother Rebekah. Although there is no mention of boys from the neighborhood teasing Jacob, Moses is clear that he is the first mama’s boy of the Bible.

When the boys grew up, Esau was a cunning and skilled hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a plain and quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved [and was partial to] Esau, because he ate of Esau’s game; but Rebekah loved Jacob, Genesis 25:27-28.

If your mother is athletic or you share similar hobbies and interests, this isn’t a bad thing. As a former mama’s boy myself, my mother was an incredible woman growing up. Besides possessing the ability to be a professional bowler, my mom was content with being a housewife who eventually developed into a successful real estate agent In the end, Jacob’s mom played a role in him becoming the father of a great nation. What God began in Abraham, was brought forth through the life and children of Jacob.

by Jay Mankus

God’s First Open House

My mother became a Real Estate Agent for Century 21 when I entered high school. Due to the demands of new transfers, I was often dragged to open houses where my mom shined. This was the glory years of real estate before the market was flooded with too many individuals trying to get rich selling homes. While not every potential homeowner found the house of their dreams, open houses still provide strangers with opportunities to begin a new chapter of their lives if the timing is right.

Now [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others]. And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and [a]curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves], Genesis 12:1-3.

While residing in Haran, a man named Abram was introduced to a foreign God. Just as modern telemarketers paint the ideal scenario for your future success, what God promised Abram in the passage above seemed too good to be true. When a severe famine delayed Abram’s journey to see this promised land, this dream property was put on hold for a few years. Meanwhile, Abram’s wife Sarai was taken by the king of Egypt, Pharoah, to become a member of his harem. This predicament which began with a lie likely distracted Abram mind from God’s first open house.

Arise, walk through the land, the length of it and the breadth of it, for I will give it to you. 18 Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt among the oaks or terebinths of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and built there an altar to the Lord, Genesis 13:17-18.

When a dispute arose between Abram’s and Lot’s servants over a lack of space for both of their herds of cattle, Lot chose to move to Sodom. where the fields and soil were rich in nutrients. Once Lot completed his move, the Lord spoke to Abram, opening his eyes to the scenery of God’s creation. The passage above reminds me of what my mother would say to clients ar an open house. As Abram listened to God speak, a forest in Mamre got his attention. As the Lord informed Abram that this property was part of the land he was promised, a move quickly followed. This is where Abram built an altar to the Lord, dedicating this land to God.

b y Jay Mankus

Real Estate

The term Real Estate is first mentioned in the 1660’s. Derived from Old English, “real” meaning “existing, true”. The English took this concept from the Latin word Realis. The brainchild of modern real estate in the United States dates back to 1906 when young entrepreneurs Coldbert Coldwell and Benjamin Banker established The Coldwell Banker Company. These pioneers paved the way for the 869,595 real estate companies that exist today national wide

Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me, John 14:1.

After my two older sisters graduated from high school, my mother became an agent for Century 21. This was the perfect time to enter this business, the golden age of real estate. I spent a decade working my own schedule around all the Open Houses my mom either listed or showed. While taxes and specific fees always knock down the total amount you actually make, my family was blessed by the extra income my mother earned by selling homes.

In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places (homes). If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you. And when (if) I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also, John 14:2-3.

In the final week of his earthly ministry, Jesus introduced his disciples to the biblical version of real estate. According to the passage above, Jesus speaks of a place with many dwelling homes. Jesus already went to God’s open house, excited by the possibilities. The goal is to secure a place, making a deposit for the future. The disciple whom Jesus loved goes one step further, 1 John 5:13, claiming that you can know for sure. The only real estate worth investing in on earth is guaranteeing your place in heaven. While you can’t see it, belief and faith will take you there.

by Jay Mankus