Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Wrong Priorities


Maybe you heard about the accident in Africa. It made all the major news sites and public outcry came from all corners.  People demanded,  how could this happen? And the question was, what can be done to prevent it from happening again? If you heard, maybe you felt the outrage as well.  The media reported that the Google Street View car hit and killed a donkey in Kweneng, Botswana.  Google obviously denied the report but there are still those demanding answers. 

Meanwhile, a week later in Ghana, a loaded passenger van was involved in a head on collision with a truck carrying cattle.   The final death toll. . .twenty four, with two more on life support.  You can read about it, if you live in Ghana or use a Ghanaian news site.  But for the most part the news was ignored by the world.
There was a lot to be outraged about, a twenty-three passenger van overloaded, nobody wearing seat belts, a truck passing another vehicle without clear visibility, a recipe for disaster and yet it didn’t even make the news?

Where have we come as a society when the death of a donkey is more newsworthy than the death of 24 humans?

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.   

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Lack of Vision Stinks


I was in a stinky Irving bathroom the other day.  And it’s not the first time, but it wasn’t always that way.  I remember when Irving stations were renowned for their clean restroom., They had signs that advertised the fact that their bathrooms were clean and it wasn’t just an idle boast.  And so for years when we travelled we knew that if you went to an Irving station, you would be assured of a clean bathroom, but no longer. 

A number of years ago the Irving convenience stores and restaurants were taken over by Circle K and apparently they have a different vision and different priorities.  Which is too bad because I am a clean restroom fan.

That  reminds me of a couple of lessons to be learned. Once the vision is lost at the leadership level, it's not long before the vision is lost by everyone and that applies to churches, as well as, service stations. Secondly, in people’s minds, it is the owner, Irving, who has lowered the standards, not the management Circle K. And so we have to be careful, because when the church stops behaving as it should, it is ultimately a reflection on the owner, Christ, and not the management, us. Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.