"Tech Support"--A Four-Letter Word -- July 27, 2012

We have an HP LaserJet 3100 printer that was built in 1998.  It was a top-of-the-line all-in-one printer, scanner, and fax machine in its day.  Now, it's a 14-year-old piece of electronic equipment.  In technology years, it's a great-great-grandfather in a teenager world.

Here's the problem, though.  It doesn't know it shouldn't be working.  That thing is still clicking along, turning out crisp printouts.

Until Monday.

Monday was the day I started updating my Gumdrop Books' kit.  Every book sample has a printed insert in the inside front cover that tells the other titles available for my librarians.  I have to keep them current so that availability and pricing are correct.

That LaserJet 3100 is my go-to printer for making those inserts.  Its only hiccup is that I have to install the software to use it, then uninstall the software when I'm finished.  The reason is probably because the software was written for the DOS 3.0 operating system.  Even though I'm running Windows XP, the software is old and unstable.

So Monday I drag my LaserJet 3100 out of its storage place to use for printing inserts.  I put it on the desk, hook up the cables, and put the installation CD in my computer.

The installation process begins and then...nothing.

So I try it again.  Nothing.  Again.  Nothing.  I turn the computer off and back on.  Try again.  Nothing.  I read the instruction manual.  Follow its steps.  Try again.  Nothing.

Try 17 more times.  Nothing.

So I call Hewlett-Packard's tech support line.  I know the printer's not under warranty anymore (that was over 11 years ago), but I at least wanted a replacement installation disk in case that was the problem.

I talk to a main Tech Support person, I'm transferred to a Business Tech Support Person, I'm transferred to a Sales Department Person, I'm transferred to a Printer Tech Support person, then I'm transferred to the supervisor of the Printer Tech Support person. 

After 52 minutes and 49 seconds with my call bouncing around the U.S. and India, I get an answer.  "Your printer is too old to be supported anymore.  You should get a new printer."  To say I was miffed was an understatement.

I told them we had purchased two--repeat two--HP printers since this LaserJet 3100.  But I wanted to keep using this printer because (1) it's functioning and (2) I still have a replacement cartridge for it.  I just need the printer to be able to talk to my computer.  "Sorry" was the reply.

I put away the trusty old LaserJet 3100 in its storage space; not ready to part with my friend of over a decade.  I switch to our new, gee-whiz color laser printer and get to work.  For three hours I print inserts for my books.

I step away for a while to get something to eat.  When I come back to start again, what's on the computer screen?  It's the LaserJet 3100 installation guide wanting to finish.  I follow the instructions and the software loads the printer driver on my computer.

I haul the LaserJet 3100 out of storage again, hook up the cables, and start printing out beautiful inserts--HP tech support be danged.

What does this have to do with our lesson on Sunday?  Not a thing.  I just needed to get this off my chest.  Thanks for listening.

Andrew will be teaching our lesson on being "Confident" this week at 9:50 a.m.  Our scripture passages come from Ephesians 1:13-1, Romans 8:14-17, and 2 Corinthians 5:1-5.  This is our final week looking at how the Holy Spirit helps us as we go though life.  We'll be seeing that we can be confident in our Redemption, confident in our Relationship, and confident in our Reward.

Make sure you're there at 9:50 a.m. Sunday morning.  And as an added bonus, we'll celebrate the Lord's Supper in "big church" after Sunday School.

Finish Friday strong.  Enjoy Saturday with your family.  See you Sunday!

Loyally yours,

Darren Bayne

"A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away." - Bil Keane

I LOVE Airports -- July 20, 2012

I LOVE airports. 

Commercial aviation gets me where I need to go.  But airports are where the action is.

Over the past two weeks I have been in the Columbus, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee; Kansas City, Missouri; Atlanta, Georgia; and Cincinnati, Ohio airports.

Why do I love airports?

Is it the architectural design that fascinates me?  No.

Is it the airplanes?  No, airliners are utilitarian, not exciting.

The thing I love about airports is the people moving through them.  Where else boasts such a concoction of accents, ethnicities, and nationalities? 

They say America is a "melting pot".  They are right.  Airports are giant fondu pots with everyone bubbling together.

Just walk down a terminal and you'll see a sign at gate B22 advertising Spokane, Washington.  Across the aisle at gate B23 is a plane going to London, England.  Next slot down at B25 shows Shreveport, Louisiana as the destination.

You question the wisdom of some at an airport.  Why would people wear pajamas on a plane?  I understand wanting to be comfortable, but geez.  And what's with the woman wearing 5-inch-heels?  She better hope she doesn't have to run to catch a connecting flight.  Then there's "mountain climbing guy".  He looks prepared to scale Mt. Everest with the backpack he's wearing.  Someone needs to tell him he doesn't have to hike up to 29,000 feet; the plane does the work.

Every person at that airport has a story.  Some are flying on vacation; some, flying back from vacation.  Others are flying to see family.  Still others are flying to get business done.  Those in military fatigues may be flying into harm's way in Afghanistan.  Each person is making their way through to their final destination.

You see, an airport is not a destination.  It's merely a place to change direction and head to where you want to be.  It's a place of refreshment (at ridiculous prices).  It's a place to stretch your legs after a long flight.  It's a transfer point to "real life".

Our church building is also something of an airport.  We go through it on Sundays and Wednesdays.  But the church building is not our final destination.  Our work and our lives are outside its walls.

Each of us has our own story.  We come from different places.  We're going different places.  Some have been coming to the LPBC "airport" for a short time.  Others remember the Woodlawn "airport".

But the "airport" we call our church building is also a transfer point.  My job as a teacher is to transfer knowledge and wisdom about God to you.  You, in turn, use that knowledge and wisdom through the week until you can come back through.

Our lesson this Sunday at 9:50 a.m. is entitled "Wise".  Our scripture passage in 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 tells how we can rely on the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom in living our Christian lives.

You will even get to voice your opinion as to whether or not I showed wisdom in a situation that happened Wednesday at the airport.  I fully expect at least one of you to exclaim, "I cannot believe he did that!".  What's the story?  Show up Sunday at 9:50 a.m. to hear all about it.

Finish Friday strong.  Enjoy Saturday with your family.  See you Sunday!

Loyally yours,

Darren Bayne

"Don't mistake movement for achievement. It's easy to get faked out by being busy. The question is: 'Busy doing what?'"-- Jim Rohn

Fear or Faith? -- July 13, 2012

I just got back from the annual Gumdrop Books sales meeting.  It was great seeing friends from other parts of the country.  We swapped stories about things happening in our territories and traded ideas about what worked and what didn't.

The one thing I kept hearing that weighed heavily on me was an attitude that can be corrosive--Fear.  What kinds of fears?

The fear of client budgets being cut.
The fear of higher gas prices.
The fear for librarians' job security.
The fear that no one will buy books anymore.
The fear that the economy won't improve.
The fear that the best time in this business was five years ago and won't be back.

Sometimes these fears were front and forward in a conversation.  Other times it crept in through comments. 

Gumdrop has over 100 sales reps.  I was one of four selected to a panel explaining how we had sales increases last year.  They gave me a forum; I took advantage.  The question was "What advice would you give a new rep for Gumdrop?".

My answer was simple, straight-forward, and blunt.  I said, "You need to be so much of a resource for your clients that you are worth much more than what you charge them.  Most everything you carry can be purchased from another vendor, sometimes for less than what you charge.  You are the difference.  Go into every sales presentation with a great attitude.  It's contagious.  Give your clients ideas that make their lives easier.  When you do that, your clients will remember you and keep doing business with you."

It was the only answer during the hour-long panel that got applause.

What did I learn from that response?  I learned that people want to have faith, they just don't know how to shake their fears.

Is it any different in our Christian life?

We want to have faith, but:

We fear about the health of a loved one.
We fear for the economy.
We fear about our job security.
We fear about the world our kids will grow up in.
We fear that we won't get things done in time.
We fear people won't like us.

It's easy to throw up our hands and give in to those fears.  Fortunately, we have the Holy Spirit to give us a spiritual backbone to face our fears.  Life will still happen; bad things will still happen.  But we have within us a way to cope with anything life throws at us.

This Sunday at 9:50 a.m., Andrew will lead us on studying a lesson titled "Empowered".  That's just what the Holy Spirit does for us.  Our scripture passages are Ephesians 5:17-21, Ephesians 6:18, and Romans 8:26-27. 

So if you need a shot of faith, be in your seat at ten 'til ten.  You won't regret it.

Finish Friday strong.  Enjoy Saturday with your family.  See you Sunday!

Loyally yours,

Darren Bayne

“If a man harbors any sort of fear, it percolates through all thinking, damages his personality and makes him a landlord to a ghost.” - Lloyd Douglas

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y -- July 6, 2012

Can college football rivalries get out of hand?

Of course this is a rhetorical question.  Just read the sports headlines and you'll walk away scratching your head.

It seems that BAMA fans would be happier if Auburn football ceased to exist.  Auburn fans pine for BAMA to get the football death penalty.  North Carolina fans would love Duke to disappear.  Baylor fans would be tickled to see Texas A&M's '12th man' wiped off the map; the Aggies want the Bears to be no more.

But the fun part of sports is the struggle against your rivals.  If your rival was gone, who would you play?

It's similar in our spiritual life.

Wouldn't it be great if the sins that tempt us went away when we become a Christian?  Life would be like walking along a stream in a flower-filled meadow.  But, unfortunately, life isn't like a pharmaceutical commercial hawking its new wonder drug.

Even as Christians, we still are bombarded by temptations--things we know we shouldn't do but we want to do.  Paul talks about this in our scripture passage this week in Romans 7:20-8:9.  If super-apostle Paul had trouble with it, are we doomed?

Fortunately, the answer is "NO".  This Sunday at 9:50 a.m., we'll look at how the Holy Spirit helps us combat our "sinful flesh".

On "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire", contestants get three lifelines to help them.

As Christians, we have the ultimate lifeline--the Holy Spirit.  Nothing on earth can stump Him.

Finish Friday strong. Enjoy Saturday with your family.  See you Sunday!

Loyally yours,

Darren Bayne

“Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, whatever misfortune you may have suffered, the music of your life has not gone. It’s inside you if you listen to it; you can play it.”  Nido Qubein

"Free" recap and a Musing or Two -- July 2, 2012

I hope you have a few minutes.  I have a few things we need to discuss.  Make believe we're talking in the living room; I'll go first.

The title of our lesson yesterday was "Free" which is a great title for this week.  With July 4th coming in two days, it's a time for us to reflect on the freedoms and liberties we enjoy living in this great nation.

But the "freedom" we looked at yesterday has to do with the liberty the Holy Spirit gives us.

Like a GPS, the Holy Spirit is the guiding force for Christians.  It corrects our course when we lose our way.  And if we listen closely, it will tell us what we should do.

On the night that Jesus was to be arrested, He told his disciples that He must leave for the Holy Spirit to come.  The Holy Spirit would dwell within them and with all Christians through time.

The best illustration I could come up with was from the movie, "The Bear".  Here's the clip we watched:

When he could fight no more, the little bear roars his pathetic roar at the mountain lion.  The mountain lion doesn't fear the little cub's roar, but fled when he saw and heard Daddy bear's roar.  That's how it is with us.  Our power is nothing compared to what the Holy Spirit can accomplish.

Pray, spend time in God's Word, listen for Him to speak--those are the ways you can harness the power of the Holy Spirit.  He'll do great things through you if you will let Him.

One final prayer request:  You may have missed a story about an airplane crash in South Dakota.  Why would this touch us?  Follow me for just a minute.  The plane was from the 145th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard based in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Still wondering the connection?  The planes of the 145th are the responsibility of my brother-in-law, my wife's sister's husband.  His job is to get the planes ready to do anything from deliver troops and supplies in Afghanistan to fighting fires in South Dakota.

The plane that crashed was a C-130.  It flies with a crew of six.  The names of those killed won't been released until their families have been notified.

This plane crash happening just before July 4th got me to thinking. 

I want to take a moment to thank those serving in our National Guards and Reserves.  These are the true "citizen soldiers" who personify those who took up arms for our freedom 236 years ago.  They work hard at their "real" jobs and then give a weekend each month and a week each summer to train.

They are the first ones called when a natural disaster hits domestically.  They stand in the breach overseas fighting our wars.  They work down the hall from you.  They chose the Guard or Reserve for different reasons.  And their choice brings consequences they may not have foreseen.  But they do it anyway.

The loss of these airmen will be felt by their family and friends.  But the actions those airmen took while alive will also be felt.  Ours is the responsibility to support those left behind.  There's a son who'll never get to play catch with his dad again; a daughter who won't have her dad to walk her down the aisle.  We must not marginalize the families of those who paid the ultimate price.

I know some may say it is more noble to perish in combat than dying while fighting fires.  I disagree.  In both cases, the mission is the same: "Protect Americans".  Whether overseas or around the corner, that is what the Guard and Reserves are tasked to do.

In closing, I honor those who gave their lives fighting fires in South Dakota.  I pray for their families and friends.  I pray that God gives them comfort and the Holy Spirit is with them.  Join me by doing the same.

Thank you for your time.  Make it a great week.

Loyally yours,

Darren Bayne

“The end result of your life here on earth will always be the sum total of the choices you made while you were here.”  Dr. Shad Helmstetter