Most will tell you that it’s very difficult to comment on something you’ve never had or experienced. I thought, many years ago, that I was in love. Looking back now, I still believe I did experience love, but it was only a small footprint of how I believe God ultimately designed love.

So here’s where I ponder. If God designed something so incredible, so vast, so different and so everlasting, why do we use it as a period at the end of a sentence? Why do we cheapen it and sprinkle it in casual conversation?

I can already here the sighs, “Danny, you simply don’t know what you’re talking about…you’ve never experienced it, you’re not married, you don’t know what it’s like.”

Years after my initial brush with love, I’ve gained a little perspective. The next time love comes my way, I want to treat it with the reverence it deserves. For me, that means it’s kept for the most intimate moments, never overused or devalued, never habit.

Maybe what they say is true, maybe I am young and naive. Or maybe I should just rewrite the expectations and norms everyone has come to love.

When someone spits enough truth to blind you, you can’t help but listen.

Thank you Sean Berger.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005
“I’d be silly to sit here and tell you I’m perfect. I can’t even say I long for perfection or strive for perfection. But I do desire God’s presence. And He is fully perfect. And that’s something that hit me last week: I love myself far more than I love God.

There’s a Bible verse in 2 Timothy that says some people are “lovers of pleasure, not lovers of God.” The quote puts these two desire directly oppositional to one another. How can this be? Doesn’t God desire me to enjoy the life He’s created for me?

Simply put, the only things we should desire are the things He desires. And if there is anything outside that voice of His which entertains us, we must strike it down. Now, I know there are several people who read this blog who are and are not Christians. So if you’re one of those later folks, you may ask yourself why you’d bear arms against something that entertains, pleases or satisfies us.

John Piper (a fave’ author of mine) would tell us that perhaps we aren’t desiring enough from life when we desire only what the world offers. Perhaps if we desire God and His goodness we would see that He is far supreme and far better than anything else we desire.

I’m not perfect, but I am honest. I need God.”

Visit Sean’s Entire Blog

Came across this website while reading about the national push for reform in Wal-Mart.

Make sure to click on the “Movie premiering November 13” to watch the trailer of the documentary. It’s amusing.

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com

The story on MSNBC was really good as well.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8333653/

Enjoy!

In the last 3 days I’ve witnessed two prime examples of terrible customer “service” and I wonder, when did this become acceptable?

Case 1 : Blockbuster Video
Not expecting much from a video rental chain, I’ve been into the Blockbuster by my apartment over 8-10 times since I moved in. There is a worker there, who over the course of my rentals has thrown my card at me, thrown my credit card at me, been rude, “busy” and really made it seem like I was inconveniencing her. On my last rental, I forgot to grab my rental card, so it took a couple seconds for me to get it out of my wallet. As I completed the transaction and headed to the door, the woman tells the next customer very loudly “Thank you for having your card ready I REALLY appreciate that.” Oh I’m sorry, did I make you wait an extra three seconds? Was there more than three customers in the store?

All in all, it has been pretty poor. My two options. Not rent there anymore. Bring her flowers. I’m thinking that out of some kind of weird irony, I really want to bring her the flowers.

Case 2: Credit Union Inside Hy-Vee – Noland Rd.
Apparently the Credit Union inside Hy-Vee closes at 7 pm. As I finished up shopping, a middle age, African American man approached the counter. Two employees had their heads buried in the counter, fumbling through papers. The one women, sensing someone was at the counter, looked up and said three words, “We close at 7” then looked down and returned to her papers. The man was kinda taken back and after trying to figure out what just happened, the woman did it AGAIN! Keep in mind it’s 7:18, she doesn’t apologize, tell him when they open the next day or even give an ounce of compassion. Mmmmmm yeah, customer service at it’s finest.

Now to the countless people that truly serve their customers, kudos to you all. But I again have to ask, when did poor, lazy, sub-par customer service become acceptable? When did it become ok for customers to fold under this garbage and just accept it?

Anyone wanna fight back?