of the promise of Psalm 23:1 was at hand: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (NKJV).
THE MEETING
We met and ordered and sipped coffee, and his first sentence was “Well, Ernie, you must be wondering why I wanted to get together with you.”
I responded, “For sure! And so are my wife and sons.”
“Well,” he continued, “Vic has shared with me a little about your past, and as I have watched you work and listened to you express yourself, the idea came to me that you just might fit into a new position I am opening up in my company.” He then elucidated what the company was all about and what the job description would look like.
The more he talked, the more I was getting a warm feeling that this was a position I would indeed fit into and love. I would become the general manager of the aluminum company. When he said what the starting salary would be, plus the provision of a new car, I said under my breath, “Thank You, Lord. This sounds just like what I need in my life right now.” After I recovered from being a little in shock, I responded with “I would love to accept your offer.” We shook hands on the deal (no signing of any document) and agreed that I would commence my new job the following Monday.
Vic’s response? Sheer delight! Marion’s and the boys’ response? Absolute delight! Remember one of my mom’s favourite Bible verses? “God will provide” (Genesis 22:8, NKJV). And for four years and three months I enjoyed every aspect of the job, even getting into sales, which, because I was well-known in the Barrie area, became a little gold mine for me—and my family.
When employees of the company found out that I was an ordained minister, “Pastor Ernie” became my new appellation. This led to many interesting discussions and even counselling sessions, which I did freely and free of charge. One of the salesmen was having a rough time in his marriage, and I was able to help him work through it. Yes, once a pastor, always a pastor! One of the spin-off benefits of my job was that I could provide part-time work for my sons after school, Saturdays, and summers.
BAD NEWS!
The company continued to expand, but it began to get into deep financial cash flow problems, through purchasing new trucks as well as erecting a new headquarters. As a result, the bank became concerned and declared the company bankrupt. As I was one of the highest-paid employees, I was first to receive my termination letter. However, I didn’t panic, as I knew that the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23:1 would provide for me and my family in another way. It was of course a rather troubling time for Carolyn, who had now become my wife and the boys’ stepmother. Once again I was without employment and income. So…what do I do now? Back to prayer: “Lord, where do I go from here?” And back to leaning on my mom’s favourite Bible verse: “God will provide” (Genesis 22:8, NKJV).
GOOD NEWS!
And here is where the sun began to shine again (as it always does!) as you will read in the following pages.
BANKRUPTICIES and TERMINATIONS BEGONE!
The evening after my termination from the aluminum company, I gathered Carolyn and the boys around our kitchen table and told them the bad news. There was no sense of panic expressed, but we all agreed that for the time being we would have to tighten our belts, and this included cancelling a trip to Cuba that Carolyn and I had planned for our first wedding anniversary. We all held hands while I prayed for God’s guidance and peace, and we left the table knowing that “this too will pass” (one of Carolyn’s favourite sayings when something went wrong).
A VISION IN THE NIGHT
That night I had difficulty sleeping, which is unusual for me, whatever the circumstances of life might be. It wasn’t a feeling of anxiety that was keeping me awake and alert; it was a feeling of excitement and anticipation.
There’s an old facetious saying, “When all else fails, pray.” That has never been the modus operandi of my life, as I resort to prayer immediately when something goes awry. After all, no matter how distressing or vexing the matter might be, God has the solution all worked out. All we have to do is “wait on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14, NKJV)—which is not always easy—and He will reveal His will to us.
The same thoughts came bouncing around in my mind: Ernest, maybe it’s time to launch your own business, and then you will never get terminated, and you’ll be your own boss. The thought came back to me that I had heard many years before: If someone turns a hobby into a business they will have life made. I went over the things that I was proficient at and enjoyed, and I kept coming back to one: decorating. Yes, that’s it; I will establish my own decorating business! I felt like waking up Carolyn to tell her my plans for my new job, but as she always (unlike me) had difficulty getting back to sleep, I would wait until the morning. Soon I was going through my Bible verse and hymn routine, and I fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
MORNING FOLLOW-UP
When I awoke early the next morning (I’m a morning person), I could hardly wait until Carolyn awoke to reveal my revelation. And when she did wake up and I said that I had something really exciting to share with her, she responded with “Could we just wait until after breakfast?” So we did—as I had no choice.
I began to tell her about the new venture I believed God was leading me into. Her first reaction was her usual one: “Uh, huh.” Then her keen mind went into motion. First question—and an insightful one: “What would you do for a vehicle?” And then, “What would you do about equipment?” And “How are you going to get customers?” And “What would you call it?”
Well, I had those all worked out in my mind, and told her.
For a vehicle I would start out just using my little Mazda coupe. As to how I would cram all the supplies and equipment into that little space—I would just make it work!
For equipment and supplies, I would simply go to the appropriate stores and purchase them.
To get customers, I would place an ad in the local newspaper. And here is where the name of the company becomes relevant. As I was well-known in the area (having pastored Emmanuel Baptist Church for nine years, during which time I produced two weekly Christian radio broadcasts), I would call it Nullmeyer Decorating. I drew up an ad and took it to the Barrie Examiner, and my new business was launched.
FIRST CONTRACT
Within two days I had a call from a lady who operated a hair salon in downtown Barrie. She had for years coiffed Carolyn’s hair, as well as her mom’s and two sisters’. She said she would like her big old house completely redecorated. Wow! Sounded like an amazing first contract. As Carolyn had not yet gotten back into teaching, she volunteered to help me. If she had known what stage one was, she may not have volunteered; but on the other hand, being a farm girl she was no stranger to hard and not-so-pleasant jobs.
OFF AND RUNNING
We loaded up my little Mazda and were off to our first contract. When we arrived, Hyacinth was a little shocked to see Carolyn Cameron (as she had known her) at her door and even more shocked that the man she had talked to on the phone was really the Reverend Ernest Nullmeyer, whom she had heard preach every Sunday evening and Wednesday morning on the local radio station.
After she got over her shock, she walked us through the century-old house to show us what she wanted done. She didn’t even ask for a quote, as she had decided that she wanted my company (my wife and me at that time) to do the job. It was a big contract and would even require me to hire my first employees. Yes, things were taking off fast, even faster than I could have envisioned—even
