The Value Of Family

Oh, it is so time for some men to be men and pick up that ball that was dropped!

As I look at my daughter, and think about her future, I fear there will be no young men who have been raised to be real men! I also feel the burden of equipping my son, who is 18 months behind her, to be a Godly man and husband for someone else’s daughter. Gentlemen, it is time to break this disastrous cycle and put “The Value Of Family” back in its proper place. Who is with me?

Is BIGGER Really Better? – (Mega Stores)

There is a question I have been asking myself for a long time. Is bigger really better? I know there are pluses and minuses to each situation, but let’s think about the big picture when answering this question. Let’s take shopping, for example. I am the king when it comes to looking for the best deal. For a while there, I loved the super stores. Being able to find everything I needed in one place was great, and getting it at a discount price was just icing on the cake; not to mention time saved. But what price did I really pay?

I didn’t realize at the time that the mega stores were putting all the little Mom and Pop neighborhood stores out of business. What had we robbed ourselves of? I had no idea until I lived overseas and experienced all the corner stores and markets. We robbed ourselves of those community connections. We rob ourselves of the convenience of just running next door to get some fresh bread AND the relationship with that person who made it. And for what? Yes, we saved a few dollars every week on groceries; but how much did we spend on the gas to get there. Not to mention the total time spent during that shopping adventure because these stores are rarely within walking distance.

Typically, Americans walk into their garage and get into their cars without stepping foot outside. The button is hit and from our bubble, with our tunes blaring, we commute undisturbed from our home to the mega store. Here, we grab a cart with our ear phones on and wander the store without interacting with anybody (unless we have a question, in which case you can never find someone who works there to answer). We check out with minimal communication because there is a long line behind you. We can even ‘self check out’ now and only deal with a machine if we want to. Say you need gas, in today’s world that still does not require any human contact. Then we just reverse the trip in our bubble. Arriving safely home with no need to leave again for another week.

This is both sad and dangerous when you think about the commission given to each one of us who believe. Never-mind what this does to our waist line. The funny thing is that a lot of those people made that trip with a cell phone connected to their ears talking to somebody who is at home and desperate for someone to communicate with. Then, when we get home, we run to the computer to Twitter and Facebook our friends

What has the world come to? Is bigger really better? I think it is time to bring back the community concept wherever you find yourself. Challenge yourself concerning where you commute to. Maybe you need to move there, or find a replacement for what you are commuting to near by. Make some neighborhood friends (because we all know that you probably don’t know many of them). Take a walk around your community, you might be surprised at what you find! Somebody may be making the best bread in town just around the corner. By stopping in regularly, you might make a great friend. A friend who might hear the good news for the first time… from you!

Just a thought, what are yours? I would love to hear your opinion.