Brutal. That's all I can say at this point.
If I had a sandwich board sign with the word DUNCE in huge letters, I would need to wear it, and walk up and down the street drawing attention to my ignorance.
Last summer, I signed up for a promotion for a FREE two-night hotel stay. It coincided with Father's Day, and if we purchased more than $100 of Dockers clothing at a Kohl's department store, we were eligible to get the voucher. I even did my homework. I thoroughly researched the restrictions and the list of participating hotels. All looked good.
But, it couldn't be THAT easy, could it? Of course not.
Here I am, eight months later, and I still do not have confirmation on my requested hotel nights. In fact, I just got off the phone with the "Customer Concierge," and they told me that it's too early to confirm my reservation. The trip I am planning is in late May. We're only 90 days out, but they tell me it's TOO early to confirm it.
Add to that the fact that we have already booked our flights in and out of Boston for the requested weekend, and if you are as pessimistic as I am, you see that this is the perfect recipe for disaster.
I could spend days typing out this entire ordeal from beginning to end, but I'll spare you. Suffice it to say that it has been ridiculous. I think I have a pretty good idea what Jesus' brother, James, meant when he talked about being "tossed about like a wave in the sea."
I'm not sure why companies put their customers through this amount of grief to cash in on a promotion that benefits WHO? Oh yeah, it's supposed to benefit me. I must have forgotten that in the dozen phone calls I have made to try and speak to someone who can give me some answers.
Just remember that things are rarely as they appear. And, usually a much bigger headache.
3 comments:
Wow! What an interesting page....everything from new movies, to music, to celebrities, to books, and so on. One can come to the church to find out what's going on in the world. This is a very interesting concept!
I do see one small issue that I would like to address. It's a verse of scripture found in James 4:4 which says, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
Now, whether you're an adulterer of adulteress is not the point. The point is the part about friendship with the world. I, for one, would much rather forsake the world and have God as my friend, than to love the world and be his enemy.
My suggestion to you, as a church leader, would be to search out the scripture. See what it is the Lord our God tells us to think on. I think Paul may have written about that very thing. There is truly no difference in this blog than the thousand other "secular" blogs out there. Please don't be a friend of the world, and please don't lead others to believe that this is acceptable behavior or is an acceptable way to use their time.
Here is another scripture on which to meditate, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." 1 John 2:15-16.
I'll pray for you that the Father will reveal to you just what this all means. I hope to see a blog more devoted to Christ and His greatness, goodness and mercy in the future.
Interesting thoughts. I, for one, do not see things as "secular" vs. "religious." My faith is a part of virtually all that I do...even this blog. I would cease to be who God created if I concentrated solely on Scripture in my blog. If you have read all 100+ posts, you can probably see that I use scripture quite a bit to discuss things going on in the world, and in my life.
Furthermore, if I never talked about the Bible or scripture, and wanted to share about my family or my hobbies, that would be perfectly OK, too. Methinks blogging is not a sin.
I guess it comes down to balance. Perhaps you should check out the book "unChristian," which reveals most of the problems that "outsiders" to the Christian faith have with those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ. Much of this stems from the perception that we are self-righteous people.
You like to use the Apostle Paul as an example, so I will do the same. Paul said, "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
Paul looked for common ground, by which he could form relationships with other people.
I enjoy music. I enjoy movies. I enjoy laughter. I enjoy reading. God has created me to take pleasure in these things. So, I do not think there's any issue with me sharing my likes and dislikes, as long as I do it respectfully.
I am sorry if my individuality disappoints you. It's something I am blessed to share with others.
In conclusion, God does consider our relationships with those "in the world" to be of utmost importance. Perhaps someone who reads my blog will be entertained, or inspired, or their heart will be touched and softened towards God. That is my ultimate prayer.
Thanks for reading.
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