Month: September 2018

A Wait Problem

by

Do you count the items the person in front of you has in their cart in the grocery store express lane? Do you honk your horn at people if they don’t smoke their tires the second the traffic light turns green? Do you ever pass slower drivers on the right and give them the evil eye as you go by? Do you line surf at Walmart? If you answered yes to these questions, you, my friend, have a wait problem. You hate to wait. Do not be alarmed. Most of us suffer from this condition. Our national anthem isn’t The … Read more…

No Room in the In-Group

by

In last week’s post I made the not-so-subtle suggestion that your church probably isn’t as friendly as you think. Even if you have all the expected contingencies – greeters, welcome stations, stand-and-greet sessions in the worship service, etc. – your church probably is not near as hospitable as you imagine. The reason is that when you walk in the door you know enough people and enough people know you that it feels like a family reunion. It feels that way to your visitor’s, too. It’s just not their family reunion they are walking into. Which always feels weird. This week, … Read more…

Your Church is Not as Friendly as You Think

by

I bet you think your church is friendly. It’s probably the friendliest church ever. You have greeters in the parking lot, in the lobby, even in the sanctuary. Every Sunday you see lots of handshakes, hugs and little groups of people huddled up in corners talking, laughing and loving on each other. And just in case someone wasn’t properly welcomed, you have an official stand-and-greet time somewhere in the service. Your church has practically institutionalized friendliness. If someone visits your church and doesn’t agree that it’s friendly – well – it’s probably because they were sending out some non-verbal cues … Read more…

Closer

by

I had this routine when I was a kid. I’d come home from school, pull a sleeve of saltines from the box and lay a dozen crackers out on the counter. I’d take three of those processed cheese squares and quarter them, put a piece of cheese on each cracker and stack them up. Then I’d pour a tall glass of sweet tea, carry it all into the living room, eat cheese crackers and watch Gilligan’s Island. Every day. Other than the fact that I was in love with Mary Ann, I can’t tell you why I was such a … Read more…