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Service

money-trash1Things got a little weird that day at the Taco Bell in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.  A customer tried to pass two 1928 five-dollar bills as cash to pay for his meal.  The clerks had never seen such old money before, presumed it to be counterfeit, and called the police.  Here’s the sad part – as currency, the cash was legit.  As collectors’ items, they had to be worth way more than a bean burrito combo or a chalupa.

What a waste, right?  Right up there with Esau, selling his birthright for a bowl of peas. Or the prodigal son, wasting his inheritance on a never-ending party.

But another part of my brain wants to defend our fast food shopper.  After all, maybe he was hungry, and that was the only cash he had.  Maybe he had no idea what he had!  I’ve learned that if you don’t know the value of what you possess, it really doesn’t matter to you what you waste it on. Esau and the prodigal learned that, too – the hard way.

Anyway, what’s so different about the taco king?  [click to continue…]

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cleanersHere’s a new definition of boring:  working at a dry cleaners at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon.  In a town like ours, where the cleaners on virtually every corner close at noon or 1:00 on Saturdays, and nothing is actually being cleaned, it can be a pretty sleepy time.

Until I show up.

The wedding was scheduled for 5:00, and everything was ready.  The church was decorated, the ceremony was prepared and printed, and the wedding party was starting to party (translation:  flashbulbs were popping).  All I needed to do was go home, freshen up a bit, and change into my suit.

In what part of me remains traditional, I keep a black suit.  It goes with anything, is appropriate for funerals or weddings or any other semi-formal something.   Problem is, I only wear the thing when there is a semi-formal something.

(You probably know where this is going.) [click to continue…]

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Ho Ho Humbug!

by Andy Wood on December 11, 2008

in LV Stories

(The Further Adventures of Eugene Davis, Sophomore Christian)

“Have you seen this?” asked an angry voice one Sunday morning.

Yep, it was Eugene Davis, sophomore Christian and resident expert on what everybody else should and shouldn’t be doing.

“Seen what?” I asked politely as Eugene shoved a Sunday bulletin in my hand.

“All these parties!” he said.

In the midst of the activities list, Eugene had highlighted three youth fellowships in one week:  the Jr. High, the Sr. High, and the All-Youth Pizza Pig-Out and Christmas Party that night after church.

“Well, there’s never a bad time to eat pizza,” I joked.  “Don’t you know the wise men caught up with King Herod at Pizza Hut?”

But Eugene was in no joking mood.

“That’s not the point,” he fumed.  “It seems like all we ever do with these kids is feed ‘em pizza and take ‘em on trips.  When I was a teenager, we learned to give and do for others.”

“When you were a teenager, you were lost,” I replied.  “Furthermore, when you were a teenager, Chicago was a cow pasture.” [click to continue…]

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A Tale of Two Restaurants

by Andy Wood on November 28, 2008

in Turning Points

(A Turning Point Story)

A few years ago I was Birmingham, Alabama at lunch time, so I decided to eat at a favorite restaurant there.  I had been to this place quite a few times, and had always enjoyed the food and service there.

Until this time.

The host (a new guy) sat me at the table, and informed me that my server would soon be there to take my “quick lunch” order.  So I looked over the menu.

No server.

I closed the menu (a popular hint).

No server.

I thought about memorizing the menu before the server got there.  I could have succeeded.

I was sitting close enough to the front door to see the host who seated me.  I looked plaintively at him, and he returned to ask if my server had come.  Gasp!  He hadn’t?  He’ll be here in a couple of minutes. [click to continue…]

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Emma, the Prophet

by Andy Wood on November 21, 2008

in Ability,Consumers,Life Currency,LV Alter-egos

Emma Thompson drops by our church from time to time.  And yesterday, she prophesied.

No, not the actress.  Emma and her twin sister Annie are the eight-year-old daughters of my friend and our communications pastor, Todd.

So get the scene.  Our entire church foyer/fellowship area is covered with Christmas decorations.  We’re getting ready for a big night of volunteers showing up to decorate the building for the holidays.  The office staff is scattered out into the various rooms that have their names on the door.  And in comes Todd, Emma and Annie bouncing behind.

Mary, our receptionist, is friendly territory for the twins.  She often visits with them while they’re waiting for their dad to finish a meeting or project.  She’s also learned that it’s good to offer them something to do to occupy them on days they don’t have homework or something.

Emma is loaded with questions.  What’s all this? What are they going to do with it?  When?  The usual 8-year-old excited kind of stuff.  Laughing and chattering away.

Mary says to Annie and her sister, “I have something y’all can do to help us.”

(Okay, get ready, here it comes…) [click to continue…]

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Ten Ideas for “Giving Up” Your Holidays

by Andy Wood on November 18, 2008

in Life Currency

We’re giving up Christmas this year.  Thanksgiving, too.  And if I have my way, New Year’s day will follow suit.

It all started with a meeting by our Creative Team at the church.  The conversation was about what to do this holiday season.  What’s on people’s minds?  What are they thinking/planning for the holidays, especially Christmas?

As the conversation flowed, it followed themes such as people who were giving in to discouragement, fear, and despair because of the e-word.  Also, one couple talked about giving out to charity instead of buying family a bunch of stuff they didn’t particularly want or need.

We talked about how Christmas has become jacked up because of the demands and expectations we place on it – how it’s supposed to magically solve all our problems or bring some sort of enchantment to our otherwise unhappy lives.

We talked about the pressure to make Christmas tricked up – raising the materialistic bar year in and year out.  We’ve been keeping up with the Joneses, only to discover that we are the Joneses.

We talked about how, biblically, God one-upped Zecharias, the father of John the Baptist.  God always seems to be able to out-give, out-serve, out-surprise the greatest acts of our service or obedience.

And we talked about the ultimate Gift – offered up by God to a world too busy to care.

So, our theme for Christmas is, Give It Up!  Before you give in or give out, give up!  That’s exactly what God did with His Son.  Now He awaits your response.

But why wait for Christmas Day?  Why not start now, in the Thanksgiving season, to offer up our lives, first to God, then to others?  For many of us, this will be an opportunity, albeit unwelcome, to really discover that it’s not about the toys and trinkets as much as it is about the love, the joy, the life, and the service we offer up.  So in that spirit, I thought I’d share ten ways you can give to others in life-affirming ways for little or no money.  I would encourage you to do some or all of these things, regardless of your financial status. [click to continue…]

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Red Shoes and More

by Andy Wood on May 26, 2008

in Life Currency,Love,LV Stories,Words

Red ShoesLouise has had a rare kind of kidney cancer for the last 10-11 months.  She believes in prayer, and has a lot of people praying for her.  Add your own prayers to the list on her behalf.  She believes that with God’s help, she can beat it.

She receives chemotherapy treatments, and recently had an idea for a way to brighten her day while she was taking them:  Red shoes.

“I just thought the would make me feel better to look down at my red shoes,” she explained.

So she called Zappos to place her order.  She was greeted with their “usual greeting that is so comforting.”  She skipped the company’s joke of the day, and soon was greeted with a customer service rep.  “Gracious” was the word she used to describe this individual who helped her with her order.  “We talked a little, and I explained why I wanted these shoes.  She, as all of your employees, [went] out of her way to please customers.  That was that.”

The next day, to her surprise, Louise received a beautiful arrangement of red tulips, in a bright red vase and a beautiful red ribbon.  She couldn’t imagine who sent them.  She opened the card and began to cry.  The card read,

[click to continue…]

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MarvinThen there’s Marvin Burchall.

Two years ago, Marvin is on the job in his native Burmuda, waiting tables at a resort. And from his perspective, that’s all he was doing. His job.

Lynn Bak saw it a bit differently. She saw an outgoing, approachable young man whose impeccable service and attention to detail revealed a professionalism way beyond his 23 years.

Lynn Bak is paid to know these kinds of things. She coordinates the School of International Education in Bermuda for Endicott College, whose main campus is in metropolitan Boston. She travels to the Elbow Beach Bermuda resort every three weeks or so. And a couple of years ago, she got to know Marvin.  You won’t believe what happened next.

[click to continue…]

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Somebody Else’s Hassle May Be Your Opportunity

by Andy Wood on January 23, 2008

in LV Stories

TireMy wife’s car had a flat tire today. There was no question what to do. We called Flores Tire. I’d like to tell you why.

When babies are born, God gives them a voice and lungs to sound the alarm when they have a need. The only word they know is “Whaaaaa,” but it works pretty well.

When babies go to college, only the vocabulary changes. [click to continue…]

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