CHURCH of the NEBULAS SPIRIT
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Monday, February 21, 2005
Standard Response
Well the Third Church is focused on people a bit right now. Well that and Pancakes, but then again why shouldn't we focus on pancakes? Light and fluffy and oh so tasty! We love them here, in fact we're going to serve breakfast this morning while the sermon is going so please try not to smack and chew so loudly that your neighbor can't hear the preacher!
Okay, so people... we'll make this short and sweet cause that bacon sizzling is callin' my name. Here goes.
How many times a day do you walk down the road and either say some sort of variation of, or hear from someone else a variation of "Hello how are you?" "G'day, howzitgoin'?" or something like that? How many times have you, without thought said something like "Fine, you?" or "good, you" and not even thought about what you were saying. If you were having a horrible day I'm sure you said "fine or good" if you were tired you'd have answered the same. The other person probably would have as well.
Actually this has been tried and tested by a gentleman I knew back in the states. His name was Norm and he had Cerebral Palsy. He said he'd be walking down the street (yes his walking and whole physical demeanor was affected by the CP so he "looked" more handicapped than he was) and people would see him coming. They'd automatically do the "Hello, how are you?" and for a while Norm thought they were talking to him, really asking him... so he'd say "I'm fine" and they'd say "That's nice" and walk away without ever really hearing what he'd say. Finally one day someone said "Hi Norm how are you?" and he said "I'm really upset and not having a good day at all." When they said "That's nice" and kept on walking it really made him think. The next person that said "Hi Norm How Are You?" Norm was gonna test 'em and see if they were listening to him. So when it happened instead of the typical answer Norm said "can you hear me? or are you a jerk?" and the person simply said "That's Nice" and kept walking.
The moral of this story is simple. Don't ask if you don't want to hear, and to ignore if you've asked. Or simply "Say what you mean, and mean what you say." Think about that the next time you greet someone in the street. When you say "Hello, how are you?" Mean it... listen to their answer... you might make someone's day.
Amen
the word was delivered at:
.........................Well the Third Church is focused on people a bit right now. Well that and Pancakes, but then again why shouldn't we focus on pancakes? Light and fluffy and oh so tasty! We love them here, in fact we're going to serve breakfast this morning while the sermon is going so please try not to smack and chew so loudly that your neighbor can't hear the preacher!
Okay, so people... we'll make this short and sweet cause that bacon sizzling is callin' my name. Here goes.
How many times a day do you walk down the road and either say some sort of variation of, or hear from someone else a variation of "Hello how are you?" "G'day, howzitgoin'?" or something like that? How many times have you, without thought said something like "Fine, you?" or "good, you" and not even thought about what you were saying. If you were having a horrible day I'm sure you said "fine or good" if you were tired you'd have answered the same. The other person probably would have as well.
Actually this has been tried and tested by a gentleman I knew back in the states. His name was Norm and he had Cerebral Palsy. He said he'd be walking down the street (yes his walking and whole physical demeanor was affected by the CP so he "looked" more handicapped than he was) and people would see him coming. They'd automatically do the "Hello, how are you?" and for a while Norm thought they were talking to him, really asking him... so he'd say "I'm fine" and they'd say "That's nice" and walk away without ever really hearing what he'd say. Finally one day someone said "Hi Norm how are you?" and he said "I'm really upset and not having a good day at all." When they said "That's nice" and kept on walking it really made him think. The next person that said "Hi Norm How Are You?" Norm was gonna test 'em and see if they were listening to him. So when it happened instead of the typical answer Norm said "can you hear me? or are you a jerk?" and the person simply said "That's Nice" and kept walking.
The moral of this story is simple. Don't ask if you don't want to hear, and to ignore if you've asked. Or simply "Say what you mean, and mean what you say." Think about that the next time you greet someone in the street. When you say "Hello, how are you?" Mean it... listen to their answer... you might make someone's day.
Amen
the word was delivered at:
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