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Vultures, Slugs and the Stupodic

Posted May 23, 2013 By tjflynn

Most people know what a vulture is. We, in the south, call them buzzards.
Most people also know that slugs wear too much hair grease and leave little trails of it behind them.
Through the magic of copy and paste (from Urban Dictionary), I’m teaching y’all a new word today-stupodic.

Stupodic
stupid-idiot(ic) (n or adj); this can refer to a person or an act;
the complete opposite of genius
That guy is stupodic.
The war in Iraq is stupodic.
Although Albert Einstein was a genius to most people, when it came to basic math, he was stupodic.”

This word just rolls off of my tongue and will, from this day forth, be my favorite word. When I’m driving, I’ll call people stupodic instead of the things that my grandchildren say are “bad words, Pappy”. When a particular subcontractor, supplier or consultant does not meet a deadline, it’ll sound much better to say stupodic than what I usually say. This word has more than 4 letters. Ergo, it is socially acceptable in most circumstances. Yep…I like it.

My big question is, “How in Sam Hell did we let new car dealerships get in the control of aliens from the planet Coo Coo”?

Why were there no less than 20 buzzards in white shirts on the lot where an innocent couple pulled off the road to look at new cars in the comfort of their broke-down POS? Why was the buzzard that jumped on the hood of Ole Yeller flailing his arms and yelling, “how may I assist you fine folks today” with Bob Marley’s accent? Why was his butt so high off the ground that it didn’t match the top half of his body? Why was his shirt collar sized for Mike Tyson when his neck was the same measurement as a Great Blue Heron’s? As if that wasn’t spooky enough, why did he lift his feet straight up above his knees when he walked like Boris Karloff on that old black and white movie? What do the buzzards do when there ain’t nobody on the lot? How many buzzards does it take to flag down one couple? Okay, I’ll admit it…that last one was rhetorical.

Why did the only normal person there talk about his Corvette the whole time we were looking at a 50 MPG box?

Why did that guy and the slugs trade heiroglyphics and get all animated when they talked while we were inside resting?heiroglyphics How did those slugs get past homeland security and the airport xray when they came here from Coo Coo? Where do the slugs go when they aren’t in the cage in the middle of the showroom? Why was the tallest slug the boss of them all and of the salesman?

And, how did the slugs get so stupodic?

I ain’t too proud to admit that my algebra skills are sorely lacking and that I never attempted trigonometry. But, the stupodic slugs from Coo Coo can’t do simple math and I can. Mrs Loving Beauty sat there with her mouth open and her eyes slightly rolled in the back of her head when the salesman came back with the first “offer” from the slugs as well. She can count too.

Who in tarnation would ever trade and get taken just because they could afford the payment? Evidently everyone that ever goes to that dealership except me and Mrs Loving Beauty because that’s what the slug kept asking, “can you afford that payment”. And every time that I piped up to say something like, “you dumb alien slug, that ain’t got nothing to do with the price of that car”, I got a kick and the stink eye from Loving. And everybody that walked by couldn’t believe that the slug was standing there holding a piece of paper and an eighty dollar pen and I wasn’t signing nothing.

Why do the aliens try to confuse you with crap like, black book value, blue book value, secondary market, wholesale, retail and auctions? If you are looking for a fair trade, why do they talk about payments? How can they look straight in your eyes and talk Coo Coo? Why do they always answer a question with a question?

Why did the stupodic slug think that I’d stay there another ten minutes after I’d heard him spewing senseless terms and numbers for the last hour?

I heard a radio commercial from the country station in Orlando today that was hollering about a car dealership over there that’ll let you buy a car on the internet. I believe that I’ll check up on that and stay away from being right in the same room with stupodic slugs.

You never know. Stupodic slugism from the planet Coo Coo may be contagious.

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Markets vs Grocery Stores

Posted May 19, 2013 By tjflynn

I went through a period in my youth where I considered going to law school. In those days, Sociology was an acceptable undergraduate degree to have as a prerequisite. So, I ‘double-majored’ in business and sociology. It’s is no surprise, then, when I have random thoughts about why as a society we gravitate toward certain things. Things like becoming Publix Snobs.

At the end of March, I was fortunate enough to be in a group of 17 friends from the Indialantic/Indian Harbour Beach area to vacation in the Florida Keys. We rented 3 houses in the same neighborhood and inhabited them by family group, with each family being responsible to provide the dinner repast for the entire herd, at least once. It was during a grocery shopping trip for one of these feasts that I accused friend Derrian of being a Publix Snob. To which she freely admitted-to no one’s surprise!

Friends, frequent readers, freaks and fossils, we all have become grocery shopping snobs of some sort. We’ve had to for various reasons. There is a Winn-Dixie, Publix, Aldi, Wal-Mart, Target, or other regional/national grocery store in every 4-mile radius. Our peers shop at these stores. Smaller stores are ethnic, have the mom-and-pop syndrome, aren’t as modern, are not as convenient, or? In short smaller stores, markets, have no snob appeal to the majority of the populace.

As I look back on my shopping habit history, there are distinct periods of evolution and regression. Let me explain. When I was a carefree boy at home, most of my shopping was candy and soda at Pop Malloy’s or the Davis Grocery. Both of these wood buildings sold kerosene and gasoline in addition to groceries and were owned by local families. These were the precursors to 7-11 stores. At that time, Mama shopped at the corner produce market and Winn-Dixie downtown. Then, a Publix was built close to home and Mama and Daddy shopped there for convenience. When my wife started shopping for our family, I was building Winn-Dixies for a living and the choice for buying groceries was simple. Spend your money where you make it. With slight deviations, concentrating on Piggly-Wiggly, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Save-a-Lot, or Publix, that remained my habit until recently.

Fast forward to the beginning of May when Angela and I changed our diet to exclude all processed foods, all grains, etc. to concentrate on lean meats, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables. We are back at local markets for the freshness and cost savings.Photo of groceries in the fridge

So far, we have found 2 fantastic markets where food is fresher, prices are considerably lower than snobby stores and ethnicity is evident but not oppressive in any way. One of these markets offers two free glasses of beer while you shop! By comparison, we should get a 6-pack at the bigger, more expensive stores. I’m not talking about roadside markets, rather well established stores with carts, parking lots, and lots staple items.

Please stop here and re-read the paragraph above. Need I say more than “food is fresher, prices are considerably lower”? Okay, here’s the numbers for those who need me to say more. We spent less than $60 last week and less than $50 this week for all of the fresh vegetables and fruit we can eat. I’ve even bought extra fruit and vegetables to dehydrate for snacks in these numbers.

Do we drive a little further? Yes.
Do we need to keep an eye behind us for the mad shoppers and choo-choos in the smaller aisles who know what they want and will run over anyone in their way? Yes.
Are the stores a little less modern? Yes
Is it worth the freshness and savings? Hell Yes.

My common sense and my sense of adventure says that shopping at markets is smart and fun. Now if I can just find a meat market that’s affordable. I’ll be able to pass all of those big box stores and my peers in them who are paying more and getting less.

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Sometimes I Wish That My Preconceptions Were Wrong

Posted May 13, 2013 By tjflynn

Faithful readers already know that I prefer Lowes to Home Depot. This has reversed completely over the past 7 years or so. What I mean is that I used to love Home Depot and now my attention is elsewhere.

Yesterday, I needed to replace a worn-out tool. Do any of you become attached to your tools like I do? Do the memories flood into your mind when you notice the blue paint from the ceiling you painted in 2000? Or the chunk out of the plastic housing near the bottom that your grand-daughter cried about when you yelled at her for hitting the electronic tool with a hammer while you were helping your daughter and son-in-law with their first room addition. Or the soldered battery lead that broke and was repaired the same day you sliced your hand open with a box knife? Mine do. I hate it when tools wear out and the memories have to be put in the shed along with all of the other things that don’t work-but that you can’t bear to send to the landfill.

So, after driving to Northern Tool to find out that they only carry it online…not in the stores. I remembered seeing a Homey ad for it and went there. Buzzard Breath was stocking saw blades and after a brief excursion by myself, I asked him to help. He had no knowledge of the inventory in his section. He first said that they didn’t carry Zircon tools. When I pointed to a large display of them, he actually became indignant. I allowed the requisite 1.5 seconds of undivided attention to be polite and then marched off, heavy-footed like a Nazi slamming down my flip-flops as hard as I could without hurting my heels, to the tool rental department where, as I suspected, I found an intelligent and helpful homo sapien. He confirmed that they carry the tool online, but not in the stores.

My wife was sleeping in the car during both of these forays. But when we neared her favorite Publix, she sat straight up and announced that we needed to stop for a few things. Ninety four dollars and thirty four minutes later I shuffled back out and went straight to Lowe’s where I found the tool that I needed (without assistance). Floated in, then floated out-no pain no bother.

Just like my friends two wives that needed to be removed with all the agony, pomp and ceremony of lancing a boil, I have good reason to stop giving Homey access to my disposable income. Common sense dictates that you have an enjoyable experience when you part with your hard-earned scheckels in both circumstances don’t it?

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Griffin Industries renews my faith in service

Posted April 26, 2013 By tjflynn

Following up on my recent bad experience with an online company and the Griffin Survivor iPhone 4s case arriving damaged and without the belt clip, I set about to find a clip. What I found looked to be of dubious quality, not original and probably not worth the price of shipping.

So, I decided to use my friend Jeff Bass’ approach and buy at full retail. This seems to work for him.

During my thought process I remembered what I’d heard Jim Rohn say on a motivational recording, “things are not priced too high, you just don’t have enough money to buy them.” Mr. Rohn was making the point that the only way to get a raise is to make yourself more valuable to your employer. When you’re more important to your employer, you make more money, and those things that you thought were overpriced are now more affordable.

I went directly to Griffin, chose the orange soft stuff, the green hard stuff and the black belt clip. No kidding…those are sort of my company colors except the black clip which was limited by what might look okay with the blue case I bought from the brigands. During checkout, I was surprised to get a 15% off coupon for new online purchasers. There was serious hesitation on my part to take advantage of this discount given Jeff and Jim’s advice. Saving the 7 and a half bucks won me over, though and I scarfed up the discount like it was food in Tebow’s bowl. Tebow is my grandchildren’s “rescue hound” that is at a clumsy age where his legs and tail just won’t go where he aims them, and his only speed is “breakneck”.

The rest of my story continues with the sound track from Polyanna playing softly in the background on sunny-but-not-too-hot days until my Survivor Case arrived A DAY EARLY in perfect condition. As I opened the well-insulated box to find the object of my obsession lying there begging to be loved, I heard at least 3 different birds singing and two squirrels squeaking the sounds of joyous and playful squirrel laughter.

It’s funny how I value the orange-green pearl caressing and protecting the phone on my hip much more than I did the scruffy blue one that I had to shove in an undersized pocket or carry in my hand. Judging from the differences in the plastic cases, I now believe the first one was a knock off. A knock off, damaged, incomplete, arriving in a manilla envelope. Sputtooie on cheapies!

I’m going to InterNACHI’s website to take a continuing education course in the hopes of becoming more valuable so I can always afford to buy at full retail. Thank’s for the example, Jeff.

I’m playing with homonyms or homophones or something like that-trying to make a connection with the “N”s at the end of Griffin and Flynn. I think it’s going to take a little while to harden into something that I can write about. In the meanwhile, Griffin Industries get’s a proper USMC salute and tip of the ball cap for promising LESS than they provided. That kind of service gives me goosebumps.

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Petty Tyrants and Service

Posted April 26, 2013 By tjflynn

Several weeks ago, I contacted a local consultant to establish a relationship where I would recommend his company during the normal course of my inspections business. We connected well, his company was a member of the local Chamber of Commerce, and I was very comfortable when the time came to say, “I can coordinate the WDO inspection for you with a very experienced consultant, working for a substantial company. Their fee is just $75.00”.

From that point forward, it was as if I were in Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone.

For the sake of accurate and unbiased information, it’s best for me to list the things that happened next.

Wednesday
-I called the consultant’s office to schedule the inspection (as I had been instructed earlier. The lady on the other end of the phone, let’s call her “M”, asked me to call him directly to schedule.
-I called him to schedule the inspection and he told me that he could not schedule himself that I needed to call the office back.
-I called his office back and spoke to “M”. She transferred me to another lady, we’ll call her “D”, who told me that she’d email a form to be filled out, and schedule the consultant for 9:30 Friday morning.

Thursday
-I called the client for information to use on the form and was told that the transaction was amongst friends, there were no real estate agents, attorneys, etc involved-only a mortgage company. Her preference was to fill out the form the morning of the inspection and have it ready for the insector when he arrived at the inspection location.

Friday
-9:00 I arrived at the inspection, had the client fill our the form for the consultant and set about my work.
-10:00 The client told me that she had an appointment, needed to leave and asked me to check on the WDO consultant.
-10:10 I called the consultant’s office and talked to “D” who advised me in the most forceful way that I had not sent her the form so she had redirected the consultant. I replied that I had the form for him to hold when he got to the site. There were some lost minutes during this conversation where most of what I said was some derivation of “you are a hard company to give work to” and most of what she said was a derivation of “don’t try to drag me under the bus with you, we have rules and regulations.”
-10:20 Seeing no options, I left the inspection site for a local Five Guys restaurant where I could use the fax machine to send “D” the form. I confirmed receipt of the form with “D” and rescheduled the WDO for 1:00
-11:10 I got back to the site and restarted my building inspection.
-12:35 I noticed a missed call from “D” on my cell phone and returned the call to find out that she had again redirected the consultant because the form was not totally filled out. When I told her that the entire section on real estate agents was truly ‘not applicable’ because there were none involved in the transaction she rescheduled him for ‘as soon as he could get there”.
-2:00 he arrived. I paid him in cash, reminded him that the completed report should be emailed to me, and went on about my business after being at the site for 5 hours for a 3 hour inspection.

Saturday
-I had an appointment to deliver both reports (mine and the WDO) to the client at noon and had not received the WDO report, so I rescheduled for Monday with the client.

Monday
-9:30ish I emailed the WDO company (“D” and the inspector) letting them know that I had an appointment to hand deliver the reports at noon, because the client couldn’t print reports from her computer, and needed to leave my office by 11 to make that timeframe.
-11:00 I called “D” because she had not sent me the report and got a snotty attitude, but the report came in a few minutes.
…………………………………………………………………

Shame on me for not realizing that the infamous “form” was an integral part of their routine.
Shame on me for reacting badly to the inspector being redirected the first time.

Shame on “D” for allowing her tyrannical personality to influence her business decisions.
Shame on the WDO company for allowing a person with an ego larger than mine to be the only voice most people hear when dealing with them.

As one who has employed hundreds of people in the past, it’s easy for me to understand that people with “D”s personality make good employees because they get things done…by the book. On the other hand, they drive clients/customers away.

My common sense says that “D” could have maintained her standards and kept me as a customer, but chose not to when she decided to re-direct the inspector the very first time, without a courtesy call to me explaining the form’s importance to their system. Given our respective personalities, everything else that happened was inevitable.

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I Won’t Be Caught By These Brigands Again

Posted April 18, 2013 By tjflynn

Here’s the internet ad:

“Griffin Survivor Series Case for iPhone 4/4s/5
$14.95 USD was $49.99 USD
Griffin Survivor Series Heavy-Duty Protective Case for Apple iPhone 4/4s
Ridiculously over-engineered? Or the perfect case for your iPhone 4 no matter where you’re headed?
We think it’s a little bit of both.
Simply put, the Griffin Extreme Duty Case is the most protective case we’ve ever built.
Tested to meet or exceed US Department of Defense Standard 810F and UK Department of Defense Standard 00-35, Griffin’s Survivor Extreme-Duty Case is designed from the inside out to protect your iPhone from extreme conditions … dirt, sand, rain, shock, vibration and a host of other environmental factors.
Survivor is built on a shatter-resistant polycarbonate frame clad in rugged, shock absorbing silicone. A built-in screen protector seals your Multi-Touch display from the outside environment, with hinged plugs that seal the dock connector, headphone port, hold switch and volume controls. A detachable heavy-duty clip secures your iPhone to a belt or bag strap.
Survivor is independently tested and verified to meet or exceed environmental testing standards for blown rain, blown dust & grit, vibration, shock, temperature and humidity. You can view videos and test results online at www.griffintechnology.com/armored.
Retail Price: $49.99
Condition: Brand New
Compatibility: Apple iPhone 4/4s Models | All Service Providers
COMPLETE SET: INCLUDES FULL CASE AND BELT HOLSTER
CUSTOMER RATINGS: AVG SCORE: 4.7”

Copied (without the pretty pictures) right from the website.

Here’s my email to the company after I received part of what the ad says they’re selling”

To: wholesalefactoryshop.com
“I received this order today and AM NOT SATISFIED.
1. The soft case was damaged
2. There is no holster or belt clip
The add on your website clearly states that the “belt holster” is included. AND it’s included in the product photos.
I have attached photos of what I received.
I would appreciate it if you could send me a full replacement set and a postage paid envelope for shipping the damaged and incomplete case back.
2 attachments — P1010004.JPG 683K P1010005.JPG 1057K”

I sent the email on Feb 12 and the replacement set that I asked for was either not sent, or it was sent to another person who is afraid to damage his iphone, that ain’t me. Nor have I received a response from the horking blub slapdoodles at…well, I won’t even write their name again.

Faithful readers and lower human forms, not giving a redneck the whole thing in the pictures is sinful, but thinking that he cain’t read is worser than that. In fact, it’s more worser!

From personal experience, the Griffin Survivor Series Case is all that it’s hyped up to be. It cradles my new phone like my mama used to cradle me. It keeps my phone from getting sawdust and paint smells on it while it’s waiting on a set of blueprints for me to find it. It sheds water. It is the color of the sky, when looking over your bird-dog’s back at a quail hopping out of a butt-bumping feeding frenzy into flight, late in the evening on a sunny day. It’s soft. It’s substantial. It’s got flaps smart enough to hold themselves back when you take pictures and such.

But, fellow connoisseurs of passable service…it is too big to go in my shirt pocket. And, too big for the pockets on my Levis. And, too big for the several old holsters in my closet from my Treo and Blackberry days.

I ain’t holding my breath for the slapdoodles to get me my detachable heavy-duty clip. It’s been two months.

With no good things to say about the company in question, I suppose I’ll have to stop this post and look on Ebay for the key to my future Griffin-clad phone carrying.

Y’all got enough common sense of your own to stay away from these brigands, I believe.

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Service vis-a-vis Tools

Posted February 5, 2013 By tjflynn

As a teenager, working for my dad summers and weekends, I remember wooden ladders being the norm. There were no aluminum ladders that telescoped, extended or flexed at angles to morph into scaffolds. When I was a little older, still working with my tools, air compressors and nail guns changed the paradigm that was used for labor in the field. Not literally in a “field” like a cotton field, but working on a jobsite as opposed to working in an office. When I was a older still, working as a project manager, the fax machine and computers changed that paradigm for office labor, especially estimating and scheduling. In the late 80’s and early 90’s we didn’t use Flir infrared cameras or Surveymaster moisture detectors for building inspections like we do now. Those tools have changed inspection paradigms.

My question is…have these tools changed service for the better?

As with any and all technology, I think that they have the ability to increase efficiency, but that better service ain’t automatic unless someone uses that increased efficiency to benefit customers or clients.

Lowered labor costs, more thorough inspections, and faster project turn-arounds can certainly represent increased service to clients. But, they can also represent more money for providers if not shared.

An economist could probably generate a complex mathematical formula with several variables to produce a chart of the cost for buying and implementing new technology in relation to the perceived customer benefits producing an increase in business volume less a constant for what competitors would be willing to cede to stay in the game, netting a dollar-certain benefit.

Common sense, however, tells me that those who give good service with old technology will be the same ones that give good service with the new stuff.

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One bank with good service.

Posted January 25, 2013 By tjflynn

When my daughter and her family lived in Clearwater and I lived in Kentucky (but did most of my work in Florida), I opened banking accounts with let’s call them Bank X. I had accounts with a Kentucky bank, but spending over half of my time in Florida made it necessary to bank in both places. That was around 8 years ago.

Since I opened that account, I’ve not heard from Bank X except to get normal statements and notified when my checking account balance was low and money was transferred from savings to cover a debit card purchase or a check that I’d written. For all of these years, I’ve been charged $14 per month for the privilege of using Bank X, and being subjected to their other fees…debit card fees, overdraft fees, paying for checks, low-low savings account interest, mysterious and inappropriate charges by international businesses on my debit card(s), etc. AND, when I married Angie, it almost took 3 pounds of paperwork to add her to my accounts. Seriously, copies of marriage license, drivers’ licenses, social security card, applications, background check and a personal appearance just to add her to my existing accounts?

A couple of months ago, she hit a wall with them and told me to find another bank or wash dry and fold my own clothes. I did a ton of online research which boiled down to three banks. Then, I called each bank on the phone to get a feel for them and decided to give Wells Fargo a try. I would have preferred that they were a Florida bank, but I didn’t get everything that I wanted and the tradeoffs are worth it so far.

One of my telephone interview questions was, “Why should we choose your bank over another.” Without taking a breath, Dawn Reprogel answered, “Me. As your personal banker, I make the difference.” That kind of self-confidence is comforting. It shows that personal responsibility that I mentioned a few posts ago. And, it says to me that she is my kind of service provider.

We spent several hours opening accounts primarily because Dawn tried so hard to identify our needs and tailor her products to meet them. During that visit, Dean Friedman gave us a run-down of merchant services. We were put in contact with Wells Fargo’s insurance services, and met the branch manager and other branch personnel. We opened business, personal and merchant services accounts, have automatic payroll deposits and are happy with the new relationship that we have with our few sheckels (dollars) and Wells Fargo’s care of them. After a month, my only negative is that they try so hard to provide stellar service that it borders on being too much.

I forgot the password that I set on my debit card and needed help resetting it. The branch manager immediately sat down and fixed it for me,
Dawn has called me twice following up to make sure that we’re happy.
I’ve spoken to Dean and their insurance guy a few times.
I’ve been to the teller window a couple of times and they always make friendly conversation, look customers in the eye, and seem to genuinely want to be of service WITH A SMILE.

Friends and neighbors, Wells Fargo in Indian Harbour Beach Florida knows a thing or two about providing good service. Their great customer service ratings are well deserved from our perspective.

Common sense whispers, “they jumped out of the starting gate to a commanding lead-lets hope that they have the wind to stay out front and keep their competitors looking at their braided tails.”

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Don’t work for every person that asks you to.

Posted January 23, 2013 By tjflynn

When is the last time that you met someone who immediately rubbed you the wrong way? Somebody that you wanted to immobilize with a korean throat pinch, bare your teeth to and tell them to be nicer while glaring into their face from an inch away? But you couldn’t do that because it is not socially acceptable and illegal? Those are the people that you should NOT work for.

Yes, I’m the same person that advocates adopting the posture of a servant and loving your neighbors as yourself. But I also strongly believe that I should love butthead neighbors from afar and not involve them in my business. This way, my spiritual growth is not in danger of de-evolving into the guy from the second sentence of the first paragraph.

I read, yesterday, in an InterNACHI online course that not working for difficult people is a risk reduction technique. That’s what got me thinking about the subject of “difficult people” or buttheads as I call them. My dad had a graduated technique for dealing with them. I’ve developed my own technique. Everyone that stays in business does.

In my book Putting Up Restaurants, I list three options for dealing with a risk: Risks My preference is number 3. I can see how others would fare better by using number 1. I’m thinking about companies that depend on a lot of little jobs and have a lot of workers. They just spread the cost of dollars lost to buttheads in their normal fee. Obviously managing a risk (number 2) is the worst case, the one that takes the most work.

My dad’s technique included all three options. When he met with potential customers, he would nicely walk away from easily identifiable buttheads to avoid risks. If the customer would not let him walk away, he’d double or triple the price to manage the risks. If he was fooled during the initial contact and the customer turned out to be a butthead, he would do his best to manage it. One of his more effective techniques was to hide a water shutoff that could be turned off and used to “motivate” butthead customers to be reasonable. Few people wanted a home addition with a new bathroom that could not be used.

How does all of this relate to a blog on Service? Well, it takes a ton of effort to provide stellar service to a butthead, doesn’t it?

Common sense seems to indicate that you should leave difficult people to your competitors.

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Service Is Spiritual?

Posted January 21, 2013 By tjflynn

One must have a spiritual perspective of service. Knowing what to do and being able to do it are only 2/3rds of the equation. We are motivated to do, or not to do, based on whether or not we think it is right or wrong.

We are more than what we know, or what we feel, or what we think. Defining who you are (and the levels of service that you are willing to provide) includes the sum of at least three interactive components:
mind body spirit T.J. the person, therefore, is the sum of his learning, how functional his body is and how advanced his spirit is. And, T.J. ‘s offerings of service are the sum of his intellectual perspective on service (mind), his spriritual perspective of service (spirit), and his ability to physically perform services (body). Obviously environmental factors affect and shape each of these components as well.

For the purposes of this blog, we’re going to assume that one is physically capable of performing good service and has a firm intellectual grasp of what good service is and question spiritual influences.

Pastor Jason Byars at the Coastline Community Church has a way of involving everyone in the sanctuary in his sermons, which are based on biblical scriptures and generously spiked with references to them. On a recent Sunday morning he ran off a string of things that fit Galatians 5:14. Quoted from my Living Bible, “For the whole Law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love others as you love yourself’. “ The one that hit me like a George Foreman body punch was, “…it’s the best business model…”

So what motivated a preacher to advocate adopting the posture of a servant and loving others as you love yourself as a business model? Is it that he knows that’s what Jesus did and what we should aspire to? Is it that he does the same thing in his ministry? Is it because he understands this as an immutable law of the universe? I think yes.

Read Chapter 67 in the Tao Teh Ching. Lao Tsu advocates the same thing for Taoists. He holds and protects three treasures: Benevolence, frugality and never trying to be number 1. The idea of not trying to be #1 is anathema to “successful” people today. The value of the Tao’s treasures is that you can have them now and keep them forever.

Hindus have a similar perspective. “At death, those who have developed the mode of goodness, will go to the higher planets where the saintly persons live. Those who have developed the mode of passion will take birth among those engaged in materialistic activities. Those who have developed the mode of ignorance, will take birth in the animal kingdom.”(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 14.14-15). Those who are intelligent will work hard to make a living but they will also gain some spiritual knowledge so eventually they gain enough to go back to the spiritual abode where we live in the same beautiful body. That is eternal, full of bliss, and full of knowledge.

Paul from the Christians’ Bible, Lao Tsu from the Taoists’ Tao Teh Ching, and Lord Krishna from the Hindu’s Bhagavad-Gita advocated assuming the posture of a servant as a way of life. For what reason? It was the same for all of them, to fare better in this life and future ones.

I aspire to following Pastor Byar’s advice, though I don’t always reach the mark.

Common sense (from the spiritual component of Christians, Hindus and Taoist at least) seems to dictate that we adopt the posture of a servant in service to our clients to fare better in the present and hereafter, and to stay out of hell or coming back as a jackal or javelina.

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