As some of you may or may not know, one of my part-time jobs is working at a Christian bookstore. In the time I’ve been working I’ve come to ponder why some people do or don’t shop at a local Christian bookstore, instead of ordering from an online source.
There may be a number of reasons someone would find ordering books and materials online:
1) Convenience--ordering from home, anytime, anywhere.
2) Content--selection, more books than any one bookstore could hold in inventory.
3) Customer Centered--efficient, good customer service/order processing.
4) Cost--better pricing.
Perhaps a bad experience in the past, or less than optimal customer service has also caused people to use online services instead of supporting “Christian” businesses…and rightly so…or maybe not?
If the four stated reasons make sense then perhaps we should apply this to attending church too….Instead we can now podcast, stream video, watch it all on TV. Let’s look at this a bit closer:
1) Convenience--it is more convenient to download or turn on the TV than it is to dress, drive to and attend church.
2) Content--you can pick and chose your “pastor for the day” as well as sermon topic.
3) Customer Centered--you don’t ever have to deal with real people so you will always get efficient, fast service focused on YOU and not what YOU can do for them.
4) Cost--most websites, TV programs and Podcasts are free.
Perhaps a bad experience in the past or less than perfect church service/ministry operations has caused people to disassociate themselves from the community…then it’s just hearing the Word of God without dealing with those “Christian” people….and rightly so…or maybe not?
As with local Christian bookstore and local Christian churches, there is an obligation to provide for the wants and needs of the body of believers AND just as important is an obligation for the body of believers to provide support Christian businesses and churches.
So, my questions to you are:
1) What is the purpose of community?
2) Does the Bible speak on supporting Christian businesses?
3) Does the Bible speak on attending a local church?
4) What would happen if we close all local Christian bookstores?
5) What would happen if we close all local churches?
6) Any other thoughts or comments?
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
The Sudoku-Driven Life
Before you all start screaming, “Heresy, blasphemer!” Please note that I’m just trying to be cute and put a unique spin to some things for us to consider….
Welcome to MY “Velvet Elvis”
See, I think one day I’m going to write a book…now, whether or not it sells any serious numbers of copies, or I get to make it on Oprah, or even on to the shelves at Logos is to be seen. But, I figure I at least have my spots on the Internet and if you like what I write and it moves you closer to God….cool.
So, if you haven’t tried these addictive Sudoku puzzles I suggest you don’t. I reframed from joining the growing number of addicts for quite some time but I recently got a year’s worth of puzzles as a gift.
Now, it doesn’t help that I have an addictive personality, I’m stubborn, and I’m a bit A.R.O.C., so you can understand why I’m almost a third of the way through the book in less than two months…(I’m sure some of you are surprised by this little revelation of my personality…yeah, right).
Okay so here I am about to share with you some deep, theological insights that no one else has come up with before… Just like Velvet Elvis, The Purpose Driven Life, Chicken Soup for Everything Under The Sun and Then Some, or Fresh, Wind, Fresh Fire, Fresh Underwear, Fresh Air…you get the idea.
The Game
The puzzle consists of 81 squares, some of which are already filled with numbers. The object is to ensure every row, column and 3x3 box contains all the numbers from 1 to 9…easy.
The Rules
As you work out each row, column and 3x3 box, there can be no duplicate numbers…again, easy.
(Yeah, right!)
The Strategy
Each Sudoku-ite has their own personal preferences but to begin with, one tries to fill-in the places that are quite obvious, depending on the difficulty of the puzzle.
The Sudoku-Driven Life
So, how does this apply to life?
There are things in our lives that, well, just are…God has given each of us a preset placement of filled-in numbers (who, what, when, where). With these bits of the puzzle already in our lives we then must work out the rest as we go on with our lives.
This complex puzzle applies to our relationships, our goals, even the “working-out of our salvation”.
There are those who will break the rules and try to force a solution.
There are those who will simply quit and go off to do their own thing.
There are those who will so obsess with trying to solve the puzzle, they forget the puzzle is there to be enjoyed and experienced over time.
There are those who will demand that every puzzle must be solved or they will beat themselves literally or figuratively if they get it wrong or make some mistake during the process.
There are those who will try to do their best, being patient to work things out, recognizing that while one square is still unfilled, by working on another area of the puzzle the possibilities will eventually work down to filling in the right one. These people will also recognize that it is by making mistakes, or failing at early attempts at these puzzles they are actually learning AND getting better at solving more complex/difficult puzzles later…over time.
I’m somewhere within each of these types of Sudoku-ites. At times, I’m so obsessed with one or two spaces that I can’t see the solution for other spaces will help be go back later and solve the more difficult ones. At other times, I just want to finish so I just take some guesses and ALWAYS get it wrong and quit.
Them Final Thoughts
I’m looking back at the parallel between the things in my past and present and I handle Sudoku puzzles like my life. I hope to get better at both over time….
So here are my 10 Irrefutable Lessons of a Sudoku-Driven Life for the Best Life Now.
Learning as I continue to try to work out my situations
Learning by seeking God
Learning from my mistakes
Learning to accept the placement and number of digits preset to my “puzzles.”
Learning to accept more difficult challenges because they help me to grow
Learning to surrender to God, because some things are beyond my understanding, but not quit
Learning to persevere
Learning to enjoy the challenges
Learning to love it
Learning to learn.
Welcome to MY “Velvet Elvis”
See, I think one day I’m going to write a book…now, whether or not it sells any serious numbers of copies, or I get to make it on Oprah, or even on to the shelves at Logos is to be seen. But, I figure I at least have my spots on the Internet and if you like what I write and it moves you closer to God….cool.
So, if you haven’t tried these addictive Sudoku puzzles I suggest you don’t. I reframed from joining the growing number of addicts for quite some time but I recently got a year’s worth of puzzles as a gift.
Now, it doesn’t help that I have an addictive personality, I’m stubborn, and I’m a bit A.R.O.C., so you can understand why I’m almost a third of the way through the book in less than two months…(I’m sure some of you are surprised by this little revelation of my personality…yeah, right).
Okay so here I am about to share with you some deep, theological insights that no one else has come up with before… Just like Velvet Elvis, The Purpose Driven Life, Chicken Soup for Everything Under The Sun and Then Some, or Fresh, Wind, Fresh Fire, Fresh Underwear, Fresh Air…you get the idea.
The Game
The puzzle consists of 81 squares, some of which are already filled with numbers. The object is to ensure every row, column and 3x3 box contains all the numbers from 1 to 9…easy.
The Rules
As you work out each row, column and 3x3 box, there can be no duplicate numbers…again, easy.
(Yeah, right!)
The Strategy
Each Sudoku-ite has their own personal preferences but to begin with, one tries to fill-in the places that are quite obvious, depending on the difficulty of the puzzle.
The Sudoku-Driven Life
So, how does this apply to life?
There are things in our lives that, well, just are…God has given each of us a preset placement of filled-in numbers (who, what, when, where). With these bits of the puzzle already in our lives we then must work out the rest as we go on with our lives.
This complex puzzle applies to our relationships, our goals, even the “working-out of our salvation”.
There are those who will break the rules and try to force a solution.
There are those who will simply quit and go off to do their own thing.
There are those who will so obsess with trying to solve the puzzle, they forget the puzzle is there to be enjoyed and experienced over time.
There are those who will demand that every puzzle must be solved or they will beat themselves literally or figuratively if they get it wrong or make some mistake during the process.
There are those who will try to do their best, being patient to work things out, recognizing that while one square is still unfilled, by working on another area of the puzzle the possibilities will eventually work down to filling in the right one. These people will also recognize that it is by making mistakes, or failing at early attempts at these puzzles they are actually learning AND getting better at solving more complex/difficult puzzles later…over time.
I’m somewhere within each of these types of Sudoku-ites. At times, I’m so obsessed with one or two spaces that I can’t see the solution for other spaces will help be go back later and solve the more difficult ones. At other times, I just want to finish so I just take some guesses and ALWAYS get it wrong and quit.
Them Final Thoughts
I’m looking back at the parallel between the things in my past and present and I handle Sudoku puzzles like my life. I hope to get better at both over time….
So here are my 10 Irrefutable Lessons of a Sudoku-Driven Life for the Best Life Now.
Learning as I continue to try to work out my situations
Learning by seeking God
Learning from my mistakes
Learning to accept the placement and number of digits preset to my “puzzles.”
Learning to accept more difficult challenges because they help me to grow
Learning to surrender to God, because some things are beyond my understanding, but not quit
Learning to persevere
Learning to enjoy the challenges
Learning to love it
Learning to learn.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)