Chance Meeting

Well, you never know what a day will bring. Yesterday afternoon, as I was wandering around Oak Court Mall while my new glasses were being made, I went into Banana Republic. I was wearing my "cross cap", purple and green with a silver cross on the front. A lady was there with her daughter and commented on how much she liked my cap. I said that it was just my way of trying to show my love for my Lord. She said that she wished more people would do that, and that I was doing my part. I said I was trying, and she replied, "So is my husband. He's running for the Senate."

I was talking to Bob Corker's wife. She said that she guessed she should be with her husband campaigning, but her daughters needed her and she came to Memphis to spend time with them. I like that kind of family commitment.

Maybe I should have given her my card and said let me know if you need anything in Memphis.

Sermon or interview?

I have attended two church services recently where, instead of a message, there was an interview. One was with a visiting organist who had lost an arm but still plays. The other, which I attended today, featured an interview with new members of the church about their experiences and why they had joined the church.

These interviews could be considered testimonies. Such interviews are valid and useful in giving us understanding of how people are applying Christianity in practical, everyday life.

My first question is, should such interviews take the place of a sermon? To me, reading and expounding the Word of God is a central part of worship. Not every worship experience needs to have a full-length sermon, but I feel cheated if I go to church and do not receive at least some teaching from the Scripture.

Another question I would raise is: Is this a trend? Are sermons being replaced by interviews? If so, it seems a symptom of the times. Perhaps we do not want to listen to the Word any more. Perhaps we feel we need something more hip, more cultually relevant. If this is true, God have mercy on us.

O'Hare Airport Delays

Linda and I are on a trip to Canada to visit some friends. The plan was to fly on American Airlines from Memphis to Buffalo, by way of Chicago, and they would pick us up in Buffalo for the drive to St. Catharine's, Ontario. We were supposed to leave Memphis at 8:20 AM CDT and get into Buffalo at 1:45 PM EDT.

I will think long and hard before I fly through O'Hare airport again. We were delayed initially due to weather: Chicago had put a ground hold on all incoming flights. Then, again due to weather, they changed our flight plan to fly around turbulence, and we did not have enough fuel. So we had to return to the gate for more fuel, then wait some more. It was after 10:30 AM before we took off from Memphis.

When we got to Chicago, we found that our flight to Buffalo, which we had missed anyway, was canceled. We wound up on standby for two more flights, which we did not get on. After waiting all afternoon and evening in Chicago, we finally got on a flight at about 10:00 that night, and did not get to Buffalo until after midnight local time.

The worst of it was that our friend was supposed to pick us up, and came in from St. Catharine's, Ontario, only to find out we were not there. We finally managed to contact her at home, over a poor phone connection, and told her we might make it onto a flight that night. She called the airline to be sure we were on the flight, then came back and picked us up.

Avoid flying through O'Hare airport in Chicago. It is delay city.