go GRANDE

Ok so I know that the “What we can learn from Starbucks” post are getting very tired.  I have found all of them to be very insightful and even posted a few of my own that I am sure you ignored.  But, as I was reading Scott Hodge’s blog this morning and the list of Starbucks that are closing, combined with the trip I made myself to Starbucks this morning, I had a thought.

In the business world, companies are always course correcting to stay with or ahead of the changes in culture, economic conditions and other factors.  Starbucks is going through that right now.  They have gone through a period where profits are down and business is slowing.  Starbucks’ business plan has always been a little strange to some people.  Starbucks has never been afraid to drop a new store down the street from an exsiting store because it creates hype and excitement in the neighborhood and in turn has pushed the existing store to perform better over the long run.  Now the climate is changing and this strategy that has proved so successful (and it has been successful) for Starbucks over the years is now actually hurting them financially.  What do they do?  Do they stand firm, asserting that this is the only way to serve coffee?  Do they complain that new companies that seem to be out-performing them are wrong?  Starbucks course-corrects.  They examine the culture, the economy and they take the necessary steps to adjust the plan so that they can continue to fulfill their corporate mission.  The mission to “Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow.“  The mission stays the same, the strategy changes.

Shift gears…People all over the world and even in my office have blasted Willow Creek, that “Why would anyone listen to them now, they only proved they don’t know what their talking about.”  One cannot debate that Starbucks has been wildly successful.  Their plan worked…until the landscape changed.  They have to respond and they have.  Willow Creek Community Church has been wildly successful.  God has used their ministry to bring thousands to Christ over the years.  Now the landscaped has changed and they are course-correcting.

Do we say that Starbucks doesn’t know anything about the coffee business, because they have lost some money in the process of a climate change?  No (well, some do, but we don’t listen to them).  Should we destroy Willow because in the midst of a very bold self-assessment that, by the way, no one asked them to do, they chose to do raise the bar on their ministry, they have made a course adjustment?  We shouldn’t.  The fact is, most of us in ministry aren’t bold enough to even ask the questions, because we are too afraid of the answers we would get.  I applaud Starbucks and Willow for the boldness of their choices.  Most of us are sitting on dying ministries too instead of boldly adjusting course to fulfill the mission of Christ.

I am reading “UnChristian” right now…here is a quote from a thirty-five-year-old believer from California I am chewing on right now…

Christians have become political, judgmental, intolerant, weak, religious, angry, and without balance. Christianity has become a nice Sunday drive.  Where the living God, the Holy Spirit, an amazing Jesus, the love, the compassion, the holiness?  This type of life, how I yearn for that.

Any thoughts?

I was walking through our building this afternoon as our custodian was cleaning the hallway outside one of the entrances.  Right next to the entrance is one of those pictures of Jesus.  You know the ones.  They look like it was a portrait commission by Christ himself, except not.  Whenever I see these I always think, “Whose idea of Jesus is this?” 

As I was walking through, our custodian was dusting the painting.  I flipantly said, “Don’t forget to dust Jesus.  You can’t forget to dust off Jesus.”  But since I said it, I have been thinking.  Many of us treat Christ like he is a painting or some piece of furniture.  We walk by him every day.  Honestly, most of the time we don’t even notice him.  And then when we clean once a week, we dust him off and prepare for another week of ignoring him.

I was with 160 Junior High students at camp last week and honestly, many of them just dusted Jesus off for the week and when it was over they packed him in the suitcase and went home for another year lived on their own terms.  Where do Junior High students learn this?  They learn it each Sunday when they see their parents, grandparents, pastors, elders and others dusting off Jesus for the weekend service.  They don’t see Jesus going with them into life lifting people up out of bad situations.  They don’t see Jesus going with them loving the most unlovely people culture has to offer.  They see Jesus hanging on a wall of a church wondering if this is what he died for.

Ok…so today was the day I was all set to head on down to the ATT Store to get my iPhone.  I am currently in a contract with Verizon Wireless that according to my calculations should be up at the end of the year.  I understand that I signed a contract and I am obligated to live up to my end, but here is my issue…

Several times in dealing with Verizon during this contract period, they have screwed up our billing ending up in “late fees” and disconnections.  They totally admitted on several occasions that they messed it up, yet nothing was done to make it right outside of an apology and my service turned back on.  Then last year, my wife went in to the Verizon Store to get her corporate discount applied to our account and somehow when we asked the guy at the Verizon owned store if there would be any changes to our contract or length, we were told “no.”  So we did it to save the money.  Come to find out, when changing account primaries or adding discounts, you automatically add a year to your contract.  So, we now have a contract that extends to December 2009 not December 2008.  To make it worse, our service was transferred to another region which resulted in an account number change and the dropping of our auto payment from our checking account.  That resulted in late payments and disconnected service once again.  They tried to blame us for this problem…once again, the Verizon Rep said, “Nope, nothing’s going to change.”
Fast-forward back to today.  My wife called Verizon to dispute some of these problems, 1) because were aren’t happy with Verizon. 2) Because we aren’t happy we are looking to make a move to ATT.

We were totally willing to pay our way out of the remaining 5 months of our contract at a reasonable rate.  Yet, Verizon wanted to charge us $335 to buy our way out of the remaining 5 months.  WHAT!  You have got to be kidding me!  I share minutes with my wife.  My phone costs us like $10 per month as an extra line and they want to charge me $140 to get out of my $10 line and $175 to get out of Katie’s primary line.

Why is it that when we don’t pay our cell bill Verizon has the right to run the gamit of repercussions against us.  But, when they don’t live up to their end of the contract, we don’t have any rights whatsoever against them.  It just makes me angry. If you are looking at new cell service, take my advice, think twice about Verizon Wireless.  They don’t stand behind their service as much as they say that they do.

Camp was awesome!  If are wondering what in the world I am talking about, check it out here. I know that a great way to get even more of you to stop reading my blog following a week of not posting would be to throw a mind dump on you, but here it goes…

• I love re-connecting with old friends working at church camp.
• I love connecting with new friends working at church camp.
• I got to hang out with my wife’s family yesterday in Peoria, IL.  Met my new nephew, Corban, for the first time. (See photo below)

• I missed my nap today because I had lunch with a church leader and had a staff meeting this afternoon.
• And can I just say this…I AM SO STOKED THAT I AM GETTING MY IPHONE TOMORROW!
  The next go GRANDE post will hopefully be made from my new iPhone!

In the words of my new friend Nash…”That is all.”