day 1350: Implied Free?

"Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy."

It used to be that if you wanted to access the internet in an airport that you had to pay for it through services like Boingo, or T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.  You can still pay for that internet access if you want, or you can access it through what I call, "Implied Free".  Implied free is telling the consumer that something is free, but it isn't really.  In the case of airport internet access, you watch an ad and then you get a half-hour or so, and then you can watch the same ad again, and get another half hour or so. And on and on it goes. It seems free, but it's not because we have taken our time to look at the ad and distract ourselves from doing something else. What is the cost to us? It's the cost of what we could/would be doing otherwise.  "Implied free" is not new.  Broadcast media was built this way and we now see the same for the "implied free" of ad supported streaming entertainment services.  We are just a moment away from walking into a coffee shop and receiving what appears to be an "implied free" cup of coffee, but we will have to show that we watched the ad, tweeted or create a Facebook status about being in the store and trying the coffee.  I personally don't mind "implied free". It feels active and full of choices.  If we can find the goodness in the approach, there is much we can do and have our consumers and customers join in to help.

Believing in Jesus is free.  Following Him is not.  Jesus never implied otherwise. To follow Jesus, as He asks us to do, comes with a cost. That cost is giving up ourselves and the ways of the world for Him. It means that if we are going to receive the full abundance of what He has to offer, that we have to empty out those things in our lives that are filling us up and getting in the way.  As we know, it's all worth it and more!

Reference: John 16:24 (New Living Translation)

day 1298: No Catches...No Ties..Nothing Hidden

"For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

There is a great AT&T commercial running, called, "Supervisor"  . It's filled with so much of how we think.  First, we are cynical and disbelieving of any offers (maybe rightfully earned).  Secondly, we distrust that we are receiving the right level of authority and attention from service people. Thirdly, we think that we have "won" when we escalate the problem to someone higher in the authority chain.  What the ad is saying back to us, or is at least trying to do so, is that all three of our assumptions are false.  But, will we change?  Not likely, so we might as well accept that our consumers and customers all think this way.  The only thing that gets over the fears of ties and catches are trust, authenticity and transparency. Might in the AT&T advertisement the service been better had Lily identified herself as the Supervisor from the beginning? Something for us all to think about!

There are no ties, no catches and nothing hidden in how and who can enter God's Kingdom. And, even more powerful for each of us, is that our way to Him comes directly from God Himself through Jesus.  When we offer ourselves and how we work and live as the example of Jesus to others, we must always assure to others that God's love is open to all without anything hidden that can't be found in God's Word. If we are transparent and authentic in who we accept within our workplaces then we are modeling out the commandment of how we are to behave to our neighbors and coworkers.

Reference: Luke 11:10 (New Living Translation)

day 1285: The Power Of A Child's Voice

"They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger."

One thing I know for sure is that there won't be a shortage of TV commercials during this holiday season that will feature children, from babies to awkward growing pre-teens.  There is a lot of power and attention that gets given to children and especially to the voice of a child. Look no further than the adorable AT&T "It's Not Complicated" series.  It's almost like we can't not watch when these come on the TV.  And we can bet safely that there will be more to come and that advertisers will use every angle with kids to pull on our heartstrings this season. Might be something to consider!

The same will be happening in churches all across the country as children sing Christmas hymns and we will see the love of Jesus through the innocence and genuineness of a child.  Why didn't God just send Jesus to us as a teenager or adult?  God knows that we wonder in the birth of a child and that only the most hardened can't see that only God can give us the creation of a human being.  Jesus came to us as a child and then challenged us to never lose the heart and mind of a child so that we can be open to all that He wants to do in our lives.  Have we lost the spirit of the Child?  Have we lost the voice of the Child? Let's take this coming weekend and see if we can't recapture some of that wonder and bring it back to work with us on Monday.

Reference: Luke 2:16 (New Living Translation)