Customer service is dead...

Customer service is dead...

Don’t believe me; try taking and airplane flight.

Of course you can expect that the only “meal” you will get is a lousy package of dry pretzels with a measly amount of soda in a tiny plastic cup filled with ice.  Of course, the seats have padding approximately 1 micron thick.  But that little discomfort is offset by the fact that the seats are crammed closer together than chairs at a preschool.

Don’t even get me started on the vast indignity of the typical security screening, which has one nearly disrobed as complete strangers inspect your belongings with all the technology available to modern man.  And heaven help the person who singled out for closer inspection because of some perceived level of threat posed by an 80-year-old grandmother or a toddler in a stroller.

Now, it seems, the industry as a whole would have us travel without a change of clothes…

It seems that times are so bad for the airlines that they must now charge us for EVERY piece of checked luggage we take.  $15 for the first bag, $25 for the second and increasing amounts for each bag thereafter.  If you try to get around this little scam by trying to take your bag on as carryon, you will likely find that everyone else on the plane had the same thought and all of the overhead storage is filled before you even leave the gate area.  But don’t worry; they will gladly check you bag for you; for the customary fee…

But wait you say, I’ll just get a BIG bag.  That way I can fit twice the amount of stuff in a single bag and only pay for one!  A stroke of genius you think.  Don’t worry the airlines are way ahead of you.  If your bag ways an ounce more than the arbitrary amount they set, you get to pay some more; or if it is a millimeter larger than the ridiculously small size they set, you get to pay more for that too.

Of course, you can always take up your dispute with a supervisor.  These, you will find, are employees who have had all vestiges of human compassion surgically removed.  The only actual authority they have is to tell you that they can’t do anything about your problem, and that they probably wouldn’t even if they could. They are living proof that customer service is an oxymoron. 

“Why do these new fees and regulations surprise you”, you are asked.  “They’ve been all over the Internet and the news for weeks.  How could you have missed them?  Besides, everyone is charging them; so that makes it OK.  What’s that you say?  Some airlines are not cheating their customers like this?  Oh well, they don’t fly to this airport, so they don’t matter. 

And neither does the customer.

Pushing Boundries

I went to a baseball game the other day.


I saw something that puzzled me at first. Then it amazed me. And finally I recognized it as part of me...


The coaches at 1st and 3rd base each have an area in which they are allowed to stand so they can tell the runners what to do as they round the bases. The area is well defined and clearly marked on the field. The rules state without ambiguity that the coach must stand within the boarders of the box when they are on the field. The players know it, the coaches know it, even the fans know it.

But do you think that any of the coaches on either of the teams ever stayed within the defined area? Nope. They were always at least 2 to 3 steps outside of the box. It isn't that they couldn't see as well if they stayed in the box. They just didn't want to say in the boundaries.

I wondered about that for a while, and then I realized that I'm no different. I'm forever pushing boundaries in my life. How fast can I drive, how late can I sleep, how much food can I eat, how little exercise can I get away with, how much do I really have to pray, is it really necessary for me to read the Bible every day, why can't I...(fill in the blank)

482 items

So we are back.

It's funny really.

There were 482 items. 482 items!!! And I stood there in the hot sun as it was all unloaded to put a little check mark on a page to validate each box as it came off the truck.

I couldn't help thinking...how can the life of a family be boiled down to a list of 482 items. I mean, that is what came off the truck, right. 482 items represents the sum total of what they brought with them when they moved. These are the things that they valued enough to bring with them.

Lots of stuff didn't make the cut. Things got tossed or donated or just given away. Lots of stuff...I was there, I saw it happen.

So these 482 items were everything that they brought with them as they began their new adventure...at least that was what I thought...at first.

As I was standing there in the middle of all these boxes I realized that this was just their stuff. If the truck had for some reason not made the trip, and all the stuff never showed up it really wouldn't have changed much.

Sure, it would have been a major pain. They would have gotten a check from someone and then they would have had to go out and replace all the stuff, but in the end they would just end up with new stuff.

It wouldn't really have affected what they brought with them that really mattered. What they really moved with were the intangibles that really define their lives.

They moved with the PEACE that comes with knowing that they made the move because God wanted them to go there.

There was HOPE and EXCITEMENT for new adventures they would experience.

FAITH went with them, because it is what defines their lives.

They each had PLANS for what they would do when they got there.

They have DREAMS for this new chapter in lives.

LOVE surrounded them because they were sent off with it from many friends from home, and because they define it in their family relationships.

They couldn't travel without the MEMORIES of friends and good times that remained behind.

There were even a few FEARS of the unknown in what they would be facing. They probably didn't want to bring those, but in the end they are good too because their fears will drive them into the arms of a loving God whom they serve.

As I stood there in the driveway that hot sunny day, I realized that the intangibles added up to a lot more than 482 items ever would.

So it doesn't really matter that they can't find the toaster...

Goodbye.

I hate goodbye.

My best friend is moving half a country away.

We’ve been praying about it for months. God has called him to join the pastorate of a congregation which needs his skills and maturity; and that of his wife…she is my friend too.

God’s hand is clearly in this. Their house sold in about 2 weeks with 1 showing in the worst real estate market in 15 years. Numerous events in their lives both big and small converged exactly the way that they would have needed to if this were to happen. Doors that needed to be open were opened and doors that needed to be closed were closed. He even spoke to my friend through sermons and scripture which pointed the way.

God’s hand is in all of this…but I don’t like it.

Not that it matters.

God never said that we have to like His will; only that we need to follow it.

So he’s going to go; and I’m gonna help him.

I hate goodbye…

I heard once that sometimes you have to say goodbye in order to be able to say hello again some day.

I guess there is some truth to that. I mean, it’s not like I won’t see them again. I’m sure we’ll speak often on the phone or Skype. E-mail will fly back and forth, probably on a daily basis.

But I’ll miss sitting down for a cup of coffee and a word of encouragement, dropping in to his office on a whim, taking our sons to a “boy movie” or the occasional nights out with other guys usually consisting of a steak and a “big boy movie”.

I’ll miss just spending time with him, sitting around doing nothing and liking it that way.

I know that God is sovereign and I love Him even more that I do my friend; so if it’s His will that they go then so be it…but I still don’t like it.

Our families will drive out to their new adventure together and we will help them get settled in their new home. We’ll probably get the chance to meet some of the new people who will share their lives. We’ll even get the chance to worship with them at their new church home.

Then we’ll give them all hugs, say goodbye, get back in our car and start the long journey home.

I really hate goodbye.

I lost my job the other day.

I've been thinking a lot about that lately.

It's kind of an odd turn of phrase..."lost my job". I mean, it's not like I put it down somewhere and can't find it. I didn't drop it like a contact lens and now can't see it. It didn't slip out of my hand. And yet, I lost it...or did I? I guess I could say that I'm pursuing other interests, or I'm exploring new opportunities. Perhaps I'm looking for a change in direction.

We people often have an odd turn of phrase when we don't want to say what we really mean. We want to put the best face on things. Sometimes that causes us to be somewhat less than frank when we describe what is going on. Maybe we're afraid to face the truth. If we make it sound nicer, maybe it won't feel so bad. It might even be a good thing...

Sin is like that for me too. I don't want to confront it. I want to avoid talking about it. If I put a nice spin on it, perhaps it won't be so bad. So I may talk about "admiring the scenery", I mean boys will be boys...right? Perhaps I "bent the truth" or had a "lead foot". It sounds so much nicer that way. I mean, who wants to admit to looking at a woman with lust in my heart? Lying is something that other people do, and speeding isn't really wrong...is it?

But the ugly truth is no matter what words I use, the sin remains. And it is sin. It hurts my loved ones; and it hurts me. More importantly, it separates me from God. Paul wrote in Romans 3:23 that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...". I can soften the words, or blunt the edges. I can try to deny the truth; even to myself. But it’s all the same in the end. I have sinned. I have fallen short of the mark. I've condemned muself. All of us have.

Fortunately, the truth doesn't end there. There is a way out. Jesus paid the price for me, and for you, on the cross. He took the punishment for our sin; and in His resurrection He paved the way for our journey to eternity. Sometimes though, the weight of our sin still wants to hold us down despite the victory we have in Him. But you know what, He provides something for us there too. 1 John 1:9 tells us that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." All we have to do is be honest with Him and He will forgive us AND wipe the slate clean. We get to start all over again.

I was fired from my job the other day. But it’s OK; I get to start over again…