You Can't Miss This!

I saw a headline on MSN.com today that said, "Top Five Shows You Can't Miss", referring to this Fall's television lineup. Isn't it interesting that the words you can't miss carry such powerful meaning?

What will happen to me if I miss those shows? What if I catch only four? Will it be worse if I only watch two, or just one? Are the penalties compounded if I miss two weeks in a row? What if I have a good excuse for missing (funeral, being out of the country)?

I think you get the absurdity of my comments. But go back to those words: you can't miss. Think about them in other contexts.

If you are going to an important meeting on the west coast and your boss says, "You can't miss your flight or we lose the deal", then you better not miss your flight. If your daughter is getting married, and being stuck in traffic you call her on your cell phone and she says, "You can't miss my wedding," you had better find a way to get there.

If you are a soldier staring down the sight of your gun at your enemy, who is staring down the sight of his gun at you, you can't miss!

All of a sudden, I don't feel so pressed to watch the "Top Five Shows You Can't Miss." In fact, those TV shows seem pretty insignificant compared to my life and the things I am called to do, the relationships that I am called to invest in.

So the next time you are told you can't miss something, maybe it's worth missing for something greater.

Willet Band Coming To Immanuel's

This Sunday, August 23rd, brings the Willet Band to Immanuel's Church in Silver Spring, MD. They will be ministering in both our morning worship services, and also be doing a concert at 4:00 that afternoon. These guys are completely committed to the ministry of Food for the Hungry, an organization that feeds poor people around the world. Check out their video...

What Are You Aming At?

I heard someone once say that the best way to hit a bulls-eye is to shoot an arrow into a wall and then paint a target around it. Not very purposeful, but certainly accurate.

Many people go through their lives aimlessly, focusing on nothing in particular, and hitting it every time. They justify their actions by finding something purposeful in them, after the fact. Random actions, conversations and relationships, with certain random results.

Sure, sometimes they get lucky and do something with substance that matters. But most of the time their lives are about drifting wherever the current or wind takes them. When they look back over their lives, they are not able to see much substance, or anything of value that remains.

I was one of those random drifters, relying on my relationship with God and on the strength of my personality to get me by. But was there anything of substance that was left behind? Not much as far as I can see.

Now I seek to be a man of vision and purpose. Although I am not always on task, I am doing a lot better than I was several years ago. Now I want to have purpose in my life, to develop goals based on a God-given vision of my preferable future. I want to be involved in shaping my future, not having it shaped for me by circumstances. I want to be able to look back on my life, and realizing that I may not have hit the target every time, I still took careful aim for it.

So what are you aiming at?

Botox For Business

According to KGW.com, a Portland Oregon news station, "As the pressure to retain or land a new job increases, some job seekers are turning to a competitive-edge-in-a-needle, Botox."

Advocates report that looking younger boosts both first impressions and personal confidence in job interviews.

On June 5, Washington, DC-based aesthetics emporium Reveal offered a Botox Bailout — free Botox injections (a $300-500 value) for the first fifty people to show up with pink slip and resumé in hand. The party included headhunters who gave job-search tips and conducted interviews (ABCNews.go.com 6.5.09).

What does this mean? Beauty and grooming are making a slow shift from the indulgence category to competitive strategy. Crossing their t's and dotting their eye area with Botox assures Control Freaks they're putting their best face forward.

Most people would say that appearances don't matter, but when the chips are down, some consumers are placing their bets on pretty.

This weekend, our church is hosting an event featuring Employment Workshops, where job seekers can get resumé advice, interviewing tips, life coaching, and help with navigating job posting websites. Did we cover all the subjects or have we left out something that is staring us right in the face?

Advice if you need a job: Put on a clean outfit, update your resumé, cover your tats, and get a Botox injection!