hype

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Watch Out! The Hype Can Disappoint

When the hype doesn’t match the experience, you are doubly disappointed. And I have to say, that’s how I felt after my lunch yesterday.

eggs-benedict

It was Sunday after church and Lily was in the mood to eat out. When that happens, you always jump at it! Normally she is the voice of reason, the voice of saving, the voice of “there are leftovers at home we can heat up”.

So when she threw out the suggestion, I jumped at it. I said “sure”, even before she had second thoughts and blurted out, “though we will be spending money eating out later this week”.

It was too late, however; I had already agreed to going out for lunch.

Now it was just a matter of deciding where to eat.

Lily wanted to eat at one of those places that is only open until about three in the afternoon. You know, the ones that specialize in serving breakfast to people who get up late and want to keep that sleepy feeling that it’s still morning.

It was against my better judgement to eat there but I said, “Sure, let’s go.” When we arrived there weren’t many spots in the parking lot and the line up to get in was almost out the door.

… It has got to be a great spot when people are waiting just to get breakfast food, which usually comes with very little or no meat at all.

This place was popular because it was close to 1:30 pm and it was still jammed to capacity. The good thing was that, by that time, many people were finishing up so the wait was not too long.

The atmosphere was cheery in the bright open restaurant. Its colours of yellow, green and orange gave the impression of a beautiful sunny morning.

As we took our seats, it felt like a great day to be alive. And with the sounds of happy people talking all around, I’m sure most everyone felt the same way.

The menu was filled with pictures of the food you could order. It all looked so good, and even half healthy – not like some restaurants where even the pictures of the food make you feel like it would sit in your gut like a lump till dinner time.

I had a hard time deciding if I should go with a crepe filled with fresh fruit and cream or choose a traditional egg meal.

I decided on eggs Benedict. I felt good about my decision, even when it arrived at the table. It looked great; I had high hopes. But one bite in and I was disappointed. The hollandaise sauce was bland; no taste. The very thing that makes the eggs Benedict was blah.

We could have gone home after all. Lil can make eggs Benedict astronomically better!

Here’s the thing: When you spend time with God, put aside the flashy, popular devotional guides and books that tell you what to think. It’s far better to let God shape your thoughts and responses. Grab your Bible and turn to just a verse or two. Read the verse over a couple of times, maybe even write it out. Then ask yourself a few questions like: What’s the instruction here for me? What should I praise God for in this verse? What do I need to confess to God here? What do I need to do? There will be no hype to get in the way of really hearing from God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you found to be the most nourishing devotional method? Leave your comment below.

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When The Hype Doesn’t Live Up To Reality

It’s a major let down when the real thing doesn’t live up to the hype. Oh, and you know I’m talking about Sunday’s Superbowl game.

madden 98.001

It’s the biggest game in the NFL year and only one team showed up. All the advertisers showed up, with their 4 million dollar commercials. And all the celebrities showed up with their $2500 plus tickets, getting in on the hype to promo their movies or shows.

The football commentators showed up, bringing us game analysis for four hours before the game and then all the way through the game.

This game was wrapped in so much glitter, glory and glam, that even the most uninterested fan couldn’t help but want to get a little peek at what was going to be unwrapped for us.

Wow, what a disappointment! I was expecting a football game. It was more like my son, Mike playing ”Maddens Football 98” with me on our old Sony Playstation. I could never figure out what control to use to tackle his running back. He just killed me!

I had a nightmare last night that Mike was controlling the Settle Seahawks and I was at the controls of the Denver Broncos and that I lost the game for them. I should never have got that kid a gaming system.

Okay, maybe I’m thinking it was such a bad game because I was hoping for Denver to win. But, on second thought, from the first snap that went sailing by Peyton Manning’s head, I had this bad feeling in my gut that this was how it was going to be the whole game.

It would be nice if we could point a finger at someone and say it was his fault. But pretty much the whole team got in on the disaster. From fumbles, to miss tackles, and from poor throws to missed assignments, it was all working for Denver.

I even had in mind to turn the channel and watch American Idol auditions … actually, no I didn’t, but maybe something else. I had a friend who told me half way through that he was going to watch the movie, “Sleepless in Seattle” instead.

It was a dog of a game. I’m sure Seattle fans see it differently. Yes, they played well, but with the way Denver played they should have beat them by twice as much.

There was a nice run back for a touchdown and a couple other plays that were pretty good. But the best play was probably the only touchdown pass that Denver made. The catch was what you wanted to see throughout the Superbowl – spectacular!

Well, I guess I’m glad it’s over. We can all move on to the Olympics now. Poor Lily – she wishes we could take a break from sports for a while. But this year the Superbowl just paves the way for 16 non-stop days of sports over in Sochi.

Here’s the thing: Living the Christian life has to be real. It has to be getting up every day and giving it all you have, putting your life on the line for what you believe. You have to show up as a Christian every day because you don’t know who might be in the audience. You never want the hype to be greater than the real thing.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What can get in your way of bringing your best as a Christian each day? Leave your comment below.