Monthly Archives: January 2010
The Difference Maker
I saw a commercial for a new Kenmore washing machine the other night and it brought back memories of some early days working the floor in the Hardware and Tools Dept at SEARS. In those days SEARS was beginning a downhill slide and I left right before a major shake up of management and corporate structure occurred. Working there taught me an appreciation for retail and coupled with other various jobs I held I can no longer enter any retail establishment without critiquing everything from store layout to cleanliness to customer service. One thing that I have noticed that sets stores that I love to stores that I hate is what I term as “the difference maker”. ”The difference maker” is loosely defined as the ingenuity and motivation and innovation to do something that no one else is doing and to do it better than anyone else can. Which brings me back to the Kenmore commercial. It has only been recently that I have seen commercials for this brand that have been for products that seem innovative. I remember when I worked for SEARS Kenmore products had the reputation of being good but they were non-descript or bland. They were simply a copy cat. The other brands were more expensive but were offering new technology and were beating out the Kenmore products. That is, at least in my store. I don’t know facts and figures for that time or now so don’t come back at me with them I am giving testimony from where I was at. The point is now they are making it known that they are innovating new products and are trying to position themselves as a leader int he market.
I said all of that to make this point. How many churches simply blend into the background and are nothing special. They simply get by as a cheap imitation of someone else and because of that they are often passed over by the people who want the best. Let’s not fool ourselves, there is one body of Christ but there are enough choices for a person to make in where to worship and co-labor with that someone can be picky. If the church up the road is really reaching out and really making a difference why would I go over here to the inward focused do-it-the-same-as-always church. As church leaders we should be finding our “difference maker” the thing that sets us apart and makes us unique and valuable to the Kingdom and its work. When we find it we should pursue it and never look back only look ahead.
The Power Of Facebook
It is no secret I love facebook and twitter. I update my status more than anyone know. FB stays open in some window at all times when i am on the computer. I play games and send messages. I use it for work and for school and for fellowship. I talk to other youth pastors across the country and ask advice and give encouragement as well. It has been a great source of entertainment and relaxation. But what I never realized was the power facebook had to unite people or reunite people.
It has only been a short year and there have already been two miracles in our family through Facebook that I would like to share. The first happen in the closing days of 2009 and into the new year. My wife had long known that she had a sister from her father’s previous marriage. She knew her name and where she lived and where she went to school. What she did not know was how to contact her or how to make that initial contact. If you think about it, that is an incredibly awkward situation. Questions arise inside your mind and you stress on how you will be received. It must be an frightening experience. Well a few days before New Years my wife decided to do a search on FB for her sister and she found her. Through a number of messages they arranged a time to meet and will do that very soon. It is an amazing time for my wife and saying that she is excited is not an adequate expression of her feelings.
The next miracle that FB as but an integral part of is in my family. At the age of thirteen I lost my older brother to an untimely death. He was only 28 years old when he passed and left behind a beautiful family including a 2 year old son. That family lost contact with us over the years and we did not know where they were. For several years now we had searched in vain trying to find them. We found my nephew’s mother’s obituary on the internet a couple of years ago but still could not locate the kids. This week my mother called and asked me to search him on facebook using his whole last name. I did and there was one person on all of facebook with that one name. It was him!!! I add him as a friend worried that I might freak him out. Apparently as I did that my dad messaged him as well. I was worried that he might react negatively to us but he reached back and I got to chat on FB with him for almost two hours Tuesday night.
I have a whole new love for facebook now. Most importantly I have a greater appreciation for God’s grace to think that this was just a coincidence is foolish only God could orchestrate two such encounters in 3 short weeks. I look forward to the coming weeks and months as I get an opportunity to talk and get to know the family that God has given back to us after so long.
