Nickel And Dimed

I know there is a whole list of things like this but I hate getting nickeled and dimed. Why do really nice hotels charge for high-speed internet while cheaper ones give it for free? I know that the cheaper ones use it to draw customers while the expensive ones figure it doesn't matter to their clients. But this is the age of big-discount hotel bookings via internet, after all, and some of us poor folk like to take advantage. All that internet fee does is irritate me and make me think the hotel is cheap... like me.

Okay, so I'm hypocritical. But it leaves a bad taste in my mouth anyway and is it really worth it? I mean if they're going to let us poor people stay there don't they want us raving about how great it is? I better quit before I get started on Barnes & Noble. These people need to realize that charging for access may look profitable to the balance sheet but it does more harm than good.

Now let me say a few words about insurance companies. On second thought, I better watch my blood pressure.

Ooooh, that rant felt good.

At That Stage

My sons were in a bad car accident today. Ben, the oldest, drives Adam and Michael to school just a little after 7 AM. This morning a young lady pulled out of a side road directly in front of them. It was a direct hit right into the side of her car where her young daughter was sitting.

Ben was going about 50 mph and it happened so fast he probably didn't get slowed down much when they hit. The car spun around and ended up facing the opposite direction. The seat belts and airbags did their job and none of my sons were seriously hurt.

The passengers in the other car were not so lucky. The driver was thrown from the car and ended up underneath it. Some people passing by were able to lift the car off of her and a helicopter transported her and her daughter to the hospital. We found out this evening that they both have extensive injuries but it looks like they will recover.

I brought the boys home with the blessing of the principal who met us at the scene. They seemed a little out of sorts which was understandable. Ben was concerned about the lady and her daughter. People kept telling him it wasn't his fault but it still bothers him which I think is good. He turns 18 a week from today and I'm proud of the man he is becoming.

I hate getting phone calls like that but I'm at that stage of my life. I would be pleased if I never got another one but it is a dark reminder that life is fragile. My boys seems indestructible but after looking at the remains of our Buick I'm just thankful they are still here.

And I pray for a full recovery of that young lady and her daughter.

A New Friend

I made a new friend over the weekend. She died last Thursday and I did the funeral service yesterday. I never met this person while she was alive and I actually did not begin to learn some of her most basic details until Friday.

By the time of the funeral on Monday I found myself liking this person. I heard story after story from her family and friends. I knew that people would be sharing only the good things they could remember for such is the nature of the mourning process. But I think we would have been friends.

It's strange to feel the loss of a person you never knew existed before they died.

Yikes, More Sin.

Just when you thought you had a handle on the 7 deadly sins out comes a list with even more. This article on the CNN website starts with "A Vatican official has listed drugs, pollution and genetic manipulations as well as social and economic injustices as new areas of sinful behavior."

I kind of like the move toward sins with "social resonance" as they describe them because I think all to often we only think of ourselves and forget about our society as a whole. And I do think it sometimes helps to point out behavior that we don't necessarily notice is sinful.

But here is the downside with these lists. Some people are going to see them as a check list. As long as they don't do them, or get them absolved if they do commit them, then everything is alright. Righteousness ceases to be a matter of the heart, there is no relationship with God, and we go back to being a follower of Christ in name only.

It will be interesting to see how people respond to these additions. In the meantime I better go sharpen my pencil. This stuff is getting hard to keep track of.

Bingo

I love the IBM commercial about the convention goers playing Buzzword Bingo. It shows them handing out buzzword bingo cards at the beginning of a lecture. Then you see a speaker throwing out all kinds of buzzwords as he gives his presentation. Right in the middle a young lady playing the game yells out "Bingo" which brings the proceedings to a stop while they try to figure out what's going on.

I wanna play! I wanna play! It seems most of the pastor-type conferences I've been to are also filled with buzzwords. I just want to yell out Bingo right in the middle of one and see if anyone gets how ridiculous we are with our latest and greatest buzz.

I've got to be careful though. I can see it now. About half we through my next sermon some smarty pants is going to yell bingo. I'll probably just fold up my notes and say a benediction.

Pre-existing Conditions

When I signed up for our insurance I was asked if anyone in my family had any pre-existing medical conditions. A theological discussion I was reading the other day reminded me of that.

What if I had told my insurance company that there were none that I was aware of? After all, how can you be aware of an ailment that doesn't exist yet. There may be existing medical conditions but they would hardly qualify as "pre" since they had already manifested themselves.

I know that I wouldn't get away with it but it might be an interesting argument. I'm sure that they would tell me that the "pre" referred to their insurance policy going into force and they would hammer away at the fact that the term is standard usage. I would love to hear of someone winning such a case though, just for the fun of it. That's why I would make a lousy judge.