I needed a way to post this on facebook since it wouldn't let me post a document...
Hey ACF! We are excited that you are joining us for the Awakening, and we hope that you are getting prepared for next week. Expect and ask God to move in big ways while we press into Him. If you’ve never fasted before or if you want a schedule to follow for the week – and if you decide to fast from food – this is a good one to try out. This is a “Daniel” type fast, meaning that we will abstain from certain types of food. If you are planning on following a different plan, by all means go for it! But be disciplined and follow through. Run hard after Jesus this week!
From now until Monday the 26th:
-prepare for the fast - cut out sugar and caffeine, and drink lots of water! Sugar crashes and caffeine headaches aren’t fun.
September 26th:
-Fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Drink lots of fluids! Water and juice, but nothing artificial and loaded with sugar.
-Normal dinner – make sure you have some protein in there (fish, eggs, chicken, etc.)
September 27th:
- Fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Drink lots of fluids!
-Normal dinner
September 28th:
- Fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Drink lots of fluids!
-Normal dinner
September 29th:
-Fruits and vegetables only
September 30th: FASTING DAY
-water, juice only
October 1st:
-Small meals throughout the day, water only
**Since you won’t be eating throughout the day, those are great times to be approaching the Lord in prayer. And feel free to meet with your friends and feast (see what I did there?) on the Word and pray together!
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." -Matthew 5:6
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
I becomes We becomes Others
I work part time doing youth ministry at a church where the average age is over 50. At first, this was a strange experience for me because I've never been part of an 'older' church. Being part of a more traditional church has definitely stretched me. I'm still not entirely used to it, but it's been awesome to get to know people better there. They have great hearts.
The youth group I lead meets on Sunday nights in various homes of people in the congregation. I've been really blessed by their generosity. Because of them we have a youth group that can meet in comfy living rooms where we can eat delicious snacks and play awesome games. Earlier tonight I met with students at a house where the owners' grandchildren are around my age. They even have two great-grandchildren! I really respect their leadership in the church. Like other people in the congregation, they realize that unless they change things, the average age of the members will continue to increase until there is no more church there. They are beginning to form a plan of action to reach out to the community to make more disciples, and it's been an exciting and challenging time!
I used to think that it would be difficult for this church to change because they seemed to be so set in their ways, but they are making some good steps forward. It seems like it would be so hard for an 'old' church to become 'young.'
But tonight, I was filled with more hope for the church. I had a short but meaningful conversation with the man of the house. He's a war vet and a patriot and a good leader and a follower of Christ. He asked me about me and my fiance and I told him that we are excited to get married in two months! He is also excited for us, but he's still also very excited about his marriage. On March 1st, he and his wife will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. How awesome is that! I respect couples who can say that...they should brag about it as much as they want...maybe not brag, but they should celebrate ti as much as they want. Anyway, I told him that I really appreciate and respect that.
He told me that, for their marriage to work, they had to move from "I" to "we." He said it gets fun when you get to the point of "we." But he said it gets even more fun when you move from "we" to "others." He and his wife have enjoyed their marriage. Just then I realized that this little church has a unique opportunity to get this church to grow. First, they are committed. If they can commit to marriage for that long, then they certainly can stay committed to changing the face of their church. I realized that the members of this congregation are very wise. They have the ability to invest in younger generations and pass on the wisdom they've acquired over time. That would create meaningful and lasting relationships.
I don't know...like I said, they have a way to go but they're on the right track. The Lord wants to be made greater in Penns Valley, so He'll use that church. He's given them a very unique set of skills and gifts to do a God-sized task, and I'm excited to see how it all plays out!
The youth group I lead meets on Sunday nights in various homes of people in the congregation. I've been really blessed by their generosity. Because of them we have a youth group that can meet in comfy living rooms where we can eat delicious snacks and play awesome games. Earlier tonight I met with students at a house where the owners' grandchildren are around my age. They even have two great-grandchildren! I really respect their leadership in the church. Like other people in the congregation, they realize that unless they change things, the average age of the members will continue to increase until there is no more church there. They are beginning to form a plan of action to reach out to the community to make more disciples, and it's been an exciting and challenging time!
I used to think that it would be difficult for this church to change because they seemed to be so set in their ways, but they are making some good steps forward. It seems like it would be so hard for an 'old' church to become 'young.'
But tonight, I was filled with more hope for the church. I had a short but meaningful conversation with the man of the house. He's a war vet and a patriot and a good leader and a follower of Christ. He asked me about me and my fiance and I told him that we are excited to get married in two months! He is also excited for us, but he's still also very excited about his marriage. On March 1st, he and his wife will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. How awesome is that! I respect couples who can say that...they should brag about it as much as they want...maybe not brag, but they should celebrate ti as much as they want. Anyway, I told him that I really appreciate and respect that.
He told me that, for their marriage to work, they had to move from "I" to "we." He said it gets fun when you get to the point of "we." But he said it gets even more fun when you move from "we" to "others." He and his wife have enjoyed their marriage. Just then I realized that this little church has a unique opportunity to get this church to grow. First, they are committed. If they can commit to marriage for that long, then they certainly can stay committed to changing the face of their church. I realized that the members of this congregation are very wise. They have the ability to invest in younger generations and pass on the wisdom they've acquired over time. That would create meaningful and lasting relationships.
I don't know...like I said, they have a way to go but they're on the right track. The Lord wants to be made greater in Penns Valley, so He'll use that church. He's given them a very unique set of skills and gifts to do a God-sized task, and I'm excited to see how it all plays out!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Winning
I'm in a goofy mood right now...jamming to U2, watching youtube...which put together = U2b (bad joke...told you I'm in a mood). But there's a lot in store for me soon. I am getting married in 72 days which means that I will also (hopefully) be starting a new job doing full time ministry shortly after that. Both of these things make me more excited than anything, but they also intimidate me a little bit. These two responsibilities are no easy tasks to do well. And I want to do them well.
These huge responsibilities make me feel small. I can't do them as well as I want by myself. These are God sized things, and God sized things are hard, and it's easy to give up. When I do that, I feel lost. Something within me (and pretty much everyone) wants to win, to overcome, to succeed. Oftentimes we get excited, have good intentions, and then fizzle out. Lately I've been reading through different parts of the Old Testament (mostly Joshua and 1, 2 Samuel) looking at some of the early leaders of Israel. It's interesting to see how that tiny little nation prospered and seemed to fizzle out with the coming and going of leaders. Israel was strong and prosperous with godly leaders and weak with ungodly leaders. Joshua may have been the most 'successful' leader of Israel: he led them into the promised land by driving out other nations (this dude was a stud) all the while keeping Israel focused on the Lord (a solid politician as well).
While I'm not going to be leading a nation, it made me think about my leadership. What are my strengths/weaknesses? Where do I need to grow? Where am I failing or falling short? Having all of that in mind, I thought about Joshua and all of his success. Was this guy just a superhuman stud with an incredible competitive drive to succeed? I think that's what the world wants us to be like. "You want it? Go and get it for yourself! Don't let anyone take it from you!"
I don't think this was the core of Joshua's character. He may have been competitive, but that didn't drive him. What made him so great was that he didn't view himself as great. All he did was follow the Lord. At the beginning of the book of Joshua, God gives him some promises (paraphrased): "Every place your foot touches I have given to you. You will have success wherever you go if you be careful to do according to all the law. All you need to do is be strong and courageous."
Well, Joshua did that. He obeyed God and he was strong and courageous, and I think Joshua would say that God did the rest. Do you know what Joshua means in its original language? It means 'Yahweh is salvation.' His name reminded him (and others) every day that he wasn't the one with the plan. Joshua wasn't saving Israel from the cities of people who didn't want the Israelites there. God did it. Israel entered the promised land and drove all sorts of people out of it, and they became wealthy from the spoils of war. And not one time did Joshua fall or lead Israel astray. Because Joshua was faithful, Israel prospered. Other generations weren't so lucky. Israel seemed like a roller coaster of good and evil leaders.
Joshua seemed to be the prototypical leader for the Israelites - obey God, follow him boldly and you'll win. Failing to be obedient is disastrous. I'm surprised at how devoted he was to following God's will. He must have been so focused and he must have cared so much for his people to be disciplined enough to always seek God first.
...Which leads me back to me. If I'm a husband and a pastor and I'm not seeking God first, of course it's going to be a disaster! And that's because I can't do those things by myself. My plans and vision and dreams and desires will fizzle out when I get discouraged or lost. But when I do begin to fizzle out, that doesn't change God's plans, and his plans are perfect. Thank goodness he doesn't change them based on my emotions!
I think that sometimes people get so focused on leadership that they forget how to follow. I've found that when I am not obedient and I forget what it looks like to follow the Lord, my life is way less fruitful (branches can't produce fruit unless they're connected to the vine). And how much despair do we have when we're lost! So quickly do we forget God's promises: "I will never leave you nor forsake you...do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
If God makes that promise, as long as we're faithful, we're winning. Sure, it's not easy, but isn't it harder to try to do it without the Lord?
These huge responsibilities make me feel small. I can't do them as well as I want by myself. These are God sized things, and God sized things are hard, and it's easy to give up. When I do that, I feel lost. Something within me (and pretty much everyone) wants to win, to overcome, to succeed. Oftentimes we get excited, have good intentions, and then fizzle out. Lately I've been reading through different parts of the Old Testament (mostly Joshua and 1, 2 Samuel) looking at some of the early leaders of Israel. It's interesting to see how that tiny little nation prospered and seemed to fizzle out with the coming and going of leaders. Israel was strong and prosperous with godly leaders and weak with ungodly leaders. Joshua may have been the most 'successful' leader of Israel: he led them into the promised land by driving out other nations (this dude was a stud) all the while keeping Israel focused on the Lord (a solid politician as well).
While I'm not going to be leading a nation, it made me think about my leadership. What are my strengths/weaknesses? Where do I need to grow? Where am I failing or falling short? Having all of that in mind, I thought about Joshua and all of his success. Was this guy just a superhuman stud with an incredible competitive drive to succeed? I think that's what the world wants us to be like. "You want it? Go and get it for yourself! Don't let anyone take it from you!"
I don't think this was the core of Joshua's character. He may have been competitive, but that didn't drive him. What made him so great was that he didn't view himself as great. All he did was follow the Lord. At the beginning of the book of Joshua, God gives him some promises (paraphrased): "Every place your foot touches I have given to you. You will have success wherever you go if you be careful to do according to all the law. All you need to do is be strong and courageous."
Well, Joshua did that. He obeyed God and he was strong and courageous, and I think Joshua would say that God did the rest. Do you know what Joshua means in its original language? It means 'Yahweh is salvation.' His name reminded him (and others) every day that he wasn't the one with the plan. Joshua wasn't saving Israel from the cities of people who didn't want the Israelites there. God did it. Israel entered the promised land and drove all sorts of people out of it, and they became wealthy from the spoils of war. And not one time did Joshua fall or lead Israel astray. Because Joshua was faithful, Israel prospered. Other generations weren't so lucky. Israel seemed like a roller coaster of good and evil leaders.
Joshua seemed to be the prototypical leader for the Israelites - obey God, follow him boldly and you'll win. Failing to be obedient is disastrous. I'm surprised at how devoted he was to following God's will. He must have been so focused and he must have cared so much for his people to be disciplined enough to always seek God first.
...Which leads me back to me. If I'm a husband and a pastor and I'm not seeking God first, of course it's going to be a disaster! And that's because I can't do those things by myself. My plans and vision and dreams and desires will fizzle out when I get discouraged or lost. But when I do begin to fizzle out, that doesn't change God's plans, and his plans are perfect. Thank goodness he doesn't change them based on my emotions!
I think that sometimes people get so focused on leadership that they forget how to follow. I've found that when I am not obedient and I forget what it looks like to follow the Lord, my life is way less fruitful (branches can't produce fruit unless they're connected to the vine). And how much despair do we have when we're lost! So quickly do we forget God's promises: "I will never leave you nor forsake you...do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
If God makes that promise, as long as we're faithful, we're winning. Sure, it's not easy, but isn't it harder to try to do it without the Lord?
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Say It Out Loud
This is a game I've been playing the past couple weeks. The game is "Say It Out Loud," and it's quite simple. Basically, if you're in a situation and you don't know what to do, say it out loud. If you need to make a decision, say it out loud. Saying it out loud helps make sense of the pros and cons.
A semi-humorous example:
My old roommate Ryan is a really intelligent guy who says whatever he thinks. Some of the things he says are ridiculous, and that always makes for fun conversation. One day I walked in and Ryan was sitting on the couch watching tv and he told me about 'a brilliant idea' he had.
When Ryan says this, I always listen. I listen because his ideas are always interesting. However, my most common response to his ideas is "Ryan, that's a terrible idea." And we proceed to debate and discuss.
Anyway, Ryan told me that he was going to become a millionaire. When I asked how he was going to make that happen, he told me that he was going to gain 200 pounds and go on the tv show The Biggest Loser.
"Ryan, that's a terrible idea."
While we both agreed that it might be fun to sit and play video games and eat tons of food, I was surprised to hear him say it. Ryan loves being active - he's always doing something: mountain biking, basketball, tennis, snowboarding. After talking with him a little more, he realized that he liked his life too much the way it was, and decided not to change it.
This isn't a story to make fun of Ryan. He's going to be my best man, and he isn't an idiot - this guy is intelligent. Saying it out loud helped him see the situation more clearly. But I think that everyone gets excited about ideas or thoughts that they have. I think we get too excited about our thoughts, and that's why we need to say it out loud. I don't know why, but saying stuff out loud helps me to organize my thoughts and it helps me to think more clearly.
"I'm going to eat this whole bag of beef jerky. Ya know, I just said it out loud, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Yes it tastes good, but if I'm that hungry I might as well make myself an actual meal."
"I want to play xbox...but you know what, my xbox will still be there after I do my laundry and get my other work done."
"I just got paid and I can't wait to buy some new clothes. Actually, Adam, you have a closet full of clothes. Save your money because you'll need it more when you're married (in three months!!!).
"I want to sleep in another 30 minutes. Well, since you got some stuff done yesterday, it wouldn't be a problem to sleep in."
Here's one I've heard on campus a few times: "This weekend I just want to get drunk and forget everything that happened." You said it out loud...how does that make any sense? This is where we need to make good decisions before doing the things we want to do.
Seriously, this is a good game. It's fun to play by yourself or with a group of friends. While it's fun to think of ridiculous things to 'say out loud,' it's also good practice for making responsible decisions.
A semi-humorous example:
My old roommate Ryan is a really intelligent guy who says whatever he thinks. Some of the things he says are ridiculous, and that always makes for fun conversation. One day I walked in and Ryan was sitting on the couch watching tv and he told me about 'a brilliant idea' he had.
When Ryan says this, I always listen. I listen because his ideas are always interesting. However, my most common response to his ideas is "Ryan, that's a terrible idea." And we proceed to debate and discuss.
Anyway, Ryan told me that he was going to become a millionaire. When I asked how he was going to make that happen, he told me that he was going to gain 200 pounds and go on the tv show The Biggest Loser.
"Ryan, that's a terrible idea."
While we both agreed that it might be fun to sit and play video games and eat tons of food, I was surprised to hear him say it. Ryan loves being active - he's always doing something: mountain biking, basketball, tennis, snowboarding. After talking with him a little more, he realized that he liked his life too much the way it was, and decided not to change it.
This isn't a story to make fun of Ryan. He's going to be my best man, and he isn't an idiot - this guy is intelligent. Saying it out loud helped him see the situation more clearly. But I think that everyone gets excited about ideas or thoughts that they have. I think we get too excited about our thoughts, and that's why we need to say it out loud. I don't know why, but saying stuff out loud helps me to organize my thoughts and it helps me to think more clearly.
"I'm going to eat this whole bag of beef jerky. Ya know, I just said it out loud, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Yes it tastes good, but if I'm that hungry I might as well make myself an actual meal."
"I want to play xbox...but you know what, my xbox will still be there after I do my laundry and get my other work done."
"I just got paid and I can't wait to buy some new clothes. Actually, Adam, you have a closet full of clothes. Save your money because you'll need it more when you're married (in three months!!!).
"I want to sleep in another 30 minutes. Well, since you got some stuff done yesterday, it wouldn't be a problem to sleep in."
Here's one I've heard on campus a few times: "This weekend I just want to get drunk and forget everything that happened." You said it out loud...how does that make any sense? This is where we need to make good decisions before doing the things we want to do.
Seriously, this is a good game. It's fun to play by yourself or with a group of friends. While it's fun to think of ridiculous things to 'say out loud,' it's also good practice for making responsible decisions.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Excellence
I was a bit bored the other day, and so I began to think. Thinking is normally fun, and sometimes I surprise myself with the things I think about. During this particular occasion, I thought about excellence. I'm a huge sports fan, so I'm always really impressed when athletes do their job well. But this drive for excellence isn't just noticed on a playing field. When I think of the word excellent, the word expert also comes to mind. A teacher once told me that in order to be considered an expert at something, one spends about 10,000 hours performing that task or job. 10,000 hours...that's a little over 416 days. 416 days of someone's life dedicated to something specific. I think that goes to show how important it is to work at something in order to be good at it.
Think about this: Tiger Woods (even though he's had a rough year), one of the greatest golfers of all time, had racked up about 10,000 hours of time on the golf course before he could drive (a car...you might get the pun). Steve Prefontaine (google him if you don't know who he is) ran his way into the 10,000 mile club before he even went to Oregon - where he would set all kinds of track and field records. It's easy to measure excellence in sports because it's easy to compare performance and statistics. By the time these two guys went to college, they had already dedicated over a solid year of their life doing nothing but practicing, training, competing. Sure, they were talented, but think about how much more time they invested in their sport compared to other people their age. It's crazy.
These are the things I think about. I love watching people do things they are good at. Good actors, good comedians, good athletes, good singers, good preachers, good parents, good teachers...the list goes on. I get a lot of joy out of that. And when I think about the amount of time they spend practicing and getting better, it really amazes me.
And then I think about myself. 10,000 hours...have I even done anything for a solid 10,000 hours? The only thing I can think of is sleep. I guess I'm an expert sleeper. Another thing that could come close to 10,000 hours of time is watching tv...and easily half of that is sports. So sleep and tv...total that up and it's about 20,000 hours...which means about 2 1/4 of my life...and I think that estimation might be on the low side. I'm 23. Does that mean I'm an expert at being lazy?
It's just a really interesting thing to think about. How many things are worth spending 10,000 hours doing? I guess that's for you to answer. I'm pursuing a career in ministry...I can definitely say that I haven't spent 10,000 hours prepping, studying, etc. for that. Going further, what if we spent 10,000 hours reading the Bible? You'd probably be able to recite it cover to cover from memory. What if we prayed for 10,000 hours? I can't imagine how God would use us.
I've heard so many times how we're supposed to tithe and give not just our money, but our time and our talents as well. We are to tithe at least a tenth. What if we spent a tenth of a year (about a month and two weeks) every year in solitude with the Lord? That's about 2.5 hours a day. What if we actually spent a tenth of our lives serving others? I once heard that if every single church member tithed 10 percent, world hunger would no longer exist. These are the things I've been thinking about. 10 percent doesn't seem like much time until you think of ten percent of a year or it doesn't seem like too much of a sacrifice until it's 10 percent of your paycheck.
But God calls us to do these things. If I spent 10,000 hours in solitude with the Lord, praying and reading my Bible, how would that change my spiritual life? How would my habits change, and how would I treat other people? How could I help others? Why does God call us to do these things? It's not to make us miserable, but he wants us to do things with excellence, and I definitely want to serve God with excellence.
Think about this: Tiger Woods (even though he's had a rough year), one of the greatest golfers of all time, had racked up about 10,000 hours of time on the golf course before he could drive (a car...you might get the pun). Steve Prefontaine (google him if you don't know who he is) ran his way into the 10,000 mile club before he even went to Oregon - where he would set all kinds of track and field records. It's easy to measure excellence in sports because it's easy to compare performance and statistics. By the time these two guys went to college, they had already dedicated over a solid year of their life doing nothing but practicing, training, competing. Sure, they were talented, but think about how much more time they invested in their sport compared to other people their age. It's crazy.
These are the things I think about. I love watching people do things they are good at. Good actors, good comedians, good athletes, good singers, good preachers, good parents, good teachers...the list goes on. I get a lot of joy out of that. And when I think about the amount of time they spend practicing and getting better, it really amazes me.
And then I think about myself. 10,000 hours...have I even done anything for a solid 10,000 hours? The only thing I can think of is sleep. I guess I'm an expert sleeper. Another thing that could come close to 10,000 hours of time is watching tv...and easily half of that is sports. So sleep and tv...total that up and it's about 20,000 hours...which means about 2 1/4 of my life...and I think that estimation might be on the low side. I'm 23. Does that mean I'm an expert at being lazy?
It's just a really interesting thing to think about. How many things are worth spending 10,000 hours doing? I guess that's for you to answer. I'm pursuing a career in ministry...I can definitely say that I haven't spent 10,000 hours prepping, studying, etc. for that. Going further, what if we spent 10,000 hours reading the Bible? You'd probably be able to recite it cover to cover from memory. What if we prayed for 10,000 hours? I can't imagine how God would use us.
I've heard so many times how we're supposed to tithe and give not just our money, but our time and our talents as well. We are to tithe at least a tenth. What if we spent a tenth of a year (about a month and two weeks) every year in solitude with the Lord? That's about 2.5 hours a day. What if we actually spent a tenth of our lives serving others? I once heard that if every single church member tithed 10 percent, world hunger would no longer exist. These are the things I've been thinking about. 10 percent doesn't seem like much time until you think of ten percent of a year or it doesn't seem like too much of a sacrifice until it's 10 percent of your paycheck.
But God calls us to do these things. If I spent 10,000 hours in solitude with the Lord, praying and reading my Bible, how would that change my spiritual life? How would my habits change, and how would I treat other people? How could I help others? Why does God call us to do these things? It's not to make us miserable, but he wants us to do things with excellence, and I definitely want to serve God with excellence.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Jesus Got What We Deserve
In addition to my part time job in youth ministry, I recently took a part time job at a brand new Chick-Fil-A in State College. It's not my ideal position, but the people who work there are great, and the boss is awesome, so I'm not complaining. Working there allows me to interact with all sorts of different people. I normally work in the front of the store, so I take lots and lots of orders. I like to think I've been around the block enough to not be surprised by things people do in public, but I've been taken aback a few times already, and I've only been there for three weeks! The one that still gets me (and it happens every day) goes something like this:
Me: "Hi, welcome to Chick-Fil-A! How may I serve you?"
Person: "Yes...I need a #4..."
...and the rest of the conversation doesn't really matter for the purpose of the rest of this discussion. As soon as I hear "I need," I immediately think, 'Do you really NEED a filet of chicken that's been fried in oil for three minutes with a Coke and a large waffle fry (also cooked in oil)? Sure, this food tastes really good, but does your life depend on this meal? You actually NEED it? My guess is you don't really need it. You want it. You'd like to eat it...you'll survive if you don't get it. In fact, you probably don't NEED anything from this restaurant. The only thing you might actually need from this establishment is, if you're like me, a job.'
Of course I smile and happily serve them their food and wish them a good rest of the day, but every time I hear someone say 'I need' while ordering, I am seriously amazed at the sense of entitlement that people have today - and this covers many generations. I have heard a representative from nearly every age group besides children begin their order with 'I need.'
If you 'need' a delicious chicken sandwich, how do you handle other situations? What are your other 'needs?' What kind of expectations do you have? How about this: before you give me a coupon for a free sandwich and tell me that you need it, why don't you give that coupon to someone who actually needs to be fed without spending money.
This sense of entitlement makes me pretty upset, as you may have gathered. I am not innocent of this attitude either, although I am trying hard to stop. Here's how I learned I had an entitlement issue: Two years ago while going to Penn State, I had to run a quick errand one day, and it required me to park the car. Not wanting to pay for parking, I passed on the garage and parked in an area with metered parking. I didn't have change, but I was only going to be a couple minutes. Five minutes later I come back to see a sunshine-colored envelope gently tucked underneath my left windshield wiper. 15 bucks out of my pocket...I was royally ticked off. I was only running in and out! I was going to leave quickly! I didn't have any change! Should I fight this ticket?
Now seriously, how ridiculous does that sound? Was that my parking spot? Does it really matter if I was going to be there for even two minutes without paying? That's why they have the meters there...you're supposed to pay for parking. And think about it, it was really silly of me to get so worked up about this. I didn't follow the rules, and I deserved that ticket (as much as I hated to pay for it). These instances happen to people all the time, and people get upset about these things all the time. And if people get upset because of little things like this, then what happens for bigger and more important things? How can you answer that?
I normally write this blog just to get my thoughts out there, but the purpose of this one is to not only force me to examine my own life, but also to challenge the three of you who will read this. In what situations do you expect things to go your way? How do you handle things when they don't go your way? What are your needs? What are your expectations? Are they really helping you - or more importantly, are they helping others? Where do you need to look out more for the interests of others?
What do you deserve? Think bigger picture. (Hint: It's in the title)
Me: "Hi, welcome to Chick-Fil-A! How may I serve you?"
Person: "Yes...I need a #4..."
...and the rest of the conversation doesn't really matter for the purpose of the rest of this discussion. As soon as I hear "I need," I immediately think, 'Do you really NEED a filet of chicken that's been fried in oil for three minutes with a Coke and a large waffle fry (also cooked in oil)? Sure, this food tastes really good, but does your life depend on this meal? You actually NEED it? My guess is you don't really need it. You want it. You'd like to eat it...you'll survive if you don't get it. In fact, you probably don't NEED anything from this restaurant. The only thing you might actually need from this establishment is, if you're like me, a job.'
Of course I smile and happily serve them their food and wish them a good rest of the day, but every time I hear someone say 'I need' while ordering, I am seriously amazed at the sense of entitlement that people have today - and this covers many generations. I have heard a representative from nearly every age group besides children begin their order with 'I need.'
If you 'need' a delicious chicken sandwich, how do you handle other situations? What are your other 'needs?' What kind of expectations do you have? How about this: before you give me a coupon for a free sandwich and tell me that you need it, why don't you give that coupon to someone who actually needs to be fed without spending money.
This sense of entitlement makes me pretty upset, as you may have gathered. I am not innocent of this attitude either, although I am trying hard to stop. Here's how I learned I had an entitlement issue: Two years ago while going to Penn State, I had to run a quick errand one day, and it required me to park the car. Not wanting to pay for parking, I passed on the garage and parked in an area with metered parking. I didn't have change, but I was only going to be a couple minutes. Five minutes later I come back to see a sunshine-colored envelope gently tucked underneath my left windshield wiper. 15 bucks out of my pocket...I was royally ticked off. I was only running in and out! I was going to leave quickly! I didn't have any change! Should I fight this ticket?
Now seriously, how ridiculous does that sound? Was that my parking spot? Does it really matter if I was going to be there for even two minutes without paying? That's why they have the meters there...you're supposed to pay for parking. And think about it, it was really silly of me to get so worked up about this. I didn't follow the rules, and I deserved that ticket (as much as I hated to pay for it). These instances happen to people all the time, and people get upset about these things all the time. And if people get upset because of little things like this, then what happens for bigger and more important things? How can you answer that?
I normally write this blog just to get my thoughts out there, but the purpose of this one is to not only force me to examine my own life, but also to challenge the three of you who will read this. In what situations do you expect things to go your way? How do you handle things when they don't go your way? What are your needs? What are your expectations? Are they really helping you - or more importantly, are they helping others? Where do you need to look out more for the interests of others?
What do you deserve? Think bigger picture. (Hint: It's in the title)
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