A New Roof

My An Arkie's Faith column from the November 2, 2022, issue of The Polk County Pulse.

My mini golden doodle, Tucker, was frantic. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew he didn't like it. Loud banging and scraping sounds were coming from the roof over the bedroom. Tucker was jumping and whining. No matter what we did, he would not settle down. He was sure that the sky was falling. 

The noise came from workers on the roof who were scraping off the old shingles directly above the bedroom. On another part of the roof, other workers were nailing new shingles. Even though the activity on the roof distressed Tucker, it made me happy. Finally, after a five-year ordeal, we were getting a new roof on our house.

During an intense thunderstorm five years ago, hail damaged our roof. The next time it rained, we noticed several leaks in the house. I called our insurance company, and they sent an adjuster to inspect the damage. The adjuster decided that the damage was minimal and issued a small check. With the money, I could replace the vent pipe boots, but there was nothing left for roof repairs or repainting the stained areas in the house where the roof leaked.

When I had a roofer inspect the damage, he took over 100 photos documenting it, but when he contacted the insurance company, they refused to reinspect the roof, telling me the case was closed and they would not reopen it. I knew I would have to pay for the new roof, so I started saving for the project. 

By the time we had saved money and were ready to replace the roof, it seemed that everyone in the construction business had more work than they could do. One day, Jeff stopped by our house. Earlier in the year, Jeff had removed some trees from our backyard and had done an excellent job. He wanted to see how the project in our backyard had turned out. When Jeff learned that we were looking for someone to put a new roof on our house, he told us that he worked with an experienced roofer and they would be interested in the job.

A couple of days later, Jeff came by with a bid to put a new roof on my house. We both signed a professionally printed contract form. I gave him money to buy the 50 squares of shingles needed to do the job. He had six squares of shingles delivered to my house and told me that he would start the work in two days. But instead of beginning work, Jeff called and said that he and the other roofer had contracted Covid. Many people in our community were sick with Covid, so I didn't see a red flag. After two weeks, I called Jeff to see how he was doing and when work would start on my roof. He would never answer the phone. I called the number of the other roofer, and he wouldn't answer either. 

When I took my contract and canceled checks to the police department, they immediately knew Jeff had conned me. Jeff was well-known by the police, but not by the last name he gave me. I was not the first person in town to be scammed. It has been a year, and the police have yet to apprehend Jeff or his accomplices. 

We didn't have a new roof, and we no longer had enough money to hire someone else. But after a year of saving, we started looking for a roofer. Friends of my wife recommended David's Roofing, and after meeting with their representative, Rick, we felt comfortable with the company. When Rick sent us the bid for the job, we agreed and signed the contract. 

Within a few weeks, the David's Roofing crew was at our house, and six guys were scrambling over the steep roof, replacing our 29-year-old roof. As the crew was finishing the job, my wife picked up the fixin's for a taco lunch from Papa's Mexican Café. The crew enjoyed the tacos on our front porch as a light rain began to fall. It took them just two days, and now we had a beautiful new roof. I felt a wave of relief at the sight of the completed job.

I'm thankful to have a new roof. After so many problems and pitfalls, it feels good to know that I don't have to worry about my roof anymore. While I was reading the book of Ecclesiastes, I found this little gem. "When you are too lazy to repair your roof, it will leak, and the house will fall in." Ecclesiastes 10:18 (GNT) The primary function of any roof is to offer protection from the elements for people and their possessions. A good roof gives shelter. 

There is an old hymn that equates God to a shelter. "The Lord's our Rock; in Him we hide. A shelter in the time of storm." Verse two reads, "A shade by day, defense by night. A shelter in the time of storm; No fears alarm, no foes affright. A shelter in the time of storm." God is our shelter and our refuge. David wrote in Psalms 91:1,2 (NLT), "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him."

Gentle Reader, you need a good, sturdy roof to shelter you from the elements. Isaiah 15:4 (CEV) tells us, "You have been a place of safety for the poor and needy in times of trouble. Brutal enemies pounded us like a heavy rain or the heat of the sun at noon, but you were our shelter." When the rains come, make sure you find shelter under a roof that doesn't leak. Pray the prayer that David prayed, "I come to you for shelter. Protect me, keep me safe, and don't disappoint me." Psalms 25:20 (CEV) "If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home." Psalms 91: 9,10 (NLT) It is essential to have refuge and shelter provided by a good roof. I'm thankful to have a new roof, and I am grateful for the protection that God has promised us.