Uhhh not so fast…
In Sunday’s message I said that we need to do the 1 or 2 things we do best at work and then delegate the rest to someone else. Today I learned that the one exception is when there is a fire…then it becomes your job.
We had some guests in the building earlier and they stopped by my office to ask me if it was normal for the mulch outside to be smoking. I’m not the smartest guy in the world but even I figured that was probably not a good thing. Sure enough right outside the main doors the mulch was smoking. I figured just a few stomps and we’d be good to go…uh no….it just made it worse in fact now it was on fire. I ran and got a bucket full of water, dumped it on it…and it got worse…flames were now visible. Another couple of buckets and it was out…but now I reek like smoke.
My theory is that after a funeral this morning, someone flicked a cigarette into the mulch and it burned down underneath…the bricks and block all around were incredibly hot so it had been burning for awhile. My disturbing the pile only provided more oxygen and it took full flame.
The lesson is this…it’s never a good idea to throw a lit cigarette into mulch. Even better…don’t smoke. Someone once asked me if smoking would send them to hell. I replied, “Probably not but you sure will smell like you’ve been there.” Speaking of smelling…think I’ll head home to shower and get the smell off of me…so much for a productive day.
One of my least favorite words…
I needed to return something on Friday to Circuit City so I could exchange it for something else. Upon trying, the clerk informed me that she couldn’t do it because there return policy was 30 days and I had bought the item 31 days before. I asked her if she was really going to make a big deal out of 1 day? She said, “I’m sorry, I can’t do it.”
Ah, the word can’t. It’s definitely one of my least favorite words right up there with sin, liver, committees and “spaghetti dinners” (Ok, that was 2 words but I couldn’t resist). Most of the time “can’t” is just a code-word for “won’t”. I absolutely hate to be told I can’t do something or it can’t be done for me. Usually it just drives me to prove the person wrong.
Where am I going with this? Well before you use the word “can’t”, make sure you’ve explored all the options. Are you saying you can’t because it’s the easy way out, or is it legitimately something that for right now can’t be done. Most times you’ll discover that if you get creative, you can figure out a way to make it happen.
So how did the Circuit City story? With me politely thanking the clerk for doing her job and informing her that although she couldn’t I was pretty sure her manager could. The result…I got my item exchanged and we all lived happily ever after sinning by serving on committees, eating liver and spaghetti.
Two questions for you…what word do you hate? Also, give an example of a time you were told that something couldn’t be done but yet you proved the critics wrong.
Inside Today’s Experience
From Come and See to Come and…
I had dinner last night with a young guy who has been attending United now for about 7 months. It was exciting to hear him share with me all the things that God has been doing in his life over that time.
I was reminded of Jesus first words to his disciples, “Come and see….”. That’s what United is like…people are invited to come and check out the Experience. And it’s just that…an Experience…awesome music, cool lighting, and some relevant teaching. However, at the come and see level there is no commitment and people are just there for the show…nothing wrong with that, but eventually they need to go to the next level.
Jesus turned up the heat by telling His disciples over and over again…”You are really my disciple if you _________.” That’s what I try to do with the teaching time each week. I try to paint an accurate biblical picture of what a disciple looks like in 21st century America and I try to put it in terms people can understand and apply. However, there is a level even beyond that…
Jesus right before His death told His disciples that they were to “take up your cross and follow me.” In other words, they had progressed from “come and see” to “come and die.” They and we are to be willing to lay down everything for the sake of Jesus…even our own lives if need be. The guy I had dinner with is progressing from stage 2 to the “come and die” part. Here’s the cool thing…he’s excited about it! He loves how Jesus is changing his life and his families life as he lays down his own life.
So what about you? Where are you at? What do you need to do to continue progressing on your spiritual journey? It’s ok to come and see, but eventually you need to get beyond that and be willing to lay it all at the feet of Jesus.