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
No comments:
Post a Comment