What Does Black Friday say About Us.

I have survived another Black Friday by sitting on the sidelines.  I recall the experience of a friend my age last Thanksgiving.  His son and family were out of town, so grandpa had the assignment of going to the store to purchase the big screen TV at a discount price.  He was waiting outside the store in plenty of time, but he was not prepared for the terror he was about to face.   I could sense the fear in in his voice days later as he described the aggressive, borderline violent, behavior of the other shoppers.  I don't even recall if he achieved his goal of hauling home the TV.  I was just glad he survived to tell the story.

The whole Black Friday tradition disturbs me on multiple levels.  I don't like what it says about our consumer driven culture.  We seem to want more and more, while wanting to pay less and less.  Then there is the aggressive nature to which some of us will go to get what we want.  Finally there is what is required of the store employees who have to stock the shelves and man the registers for the Black Friday shoppers.  For many that means giving up Thanksgiving family time. Maybe we are just taking advantage of those at the bottom of the workforce.   I recently read report that pointed out the retail employees are among the lowest paid employees in the country.  They rank right along side fast food workers.   It is not surprising that some Walmart employees picked this weekend to protest the way they are being paid and treated.

Just when I had thought I had heard everything I didn't want to hear about Black Friday an other news story caught me ear.  One of the Dallas TV stations sent a reporter to cover the shoppers camped outside a Best Buy store in Plano, Texas.  It was two night before the doors would open for Thanksgiving night bargains.  The problem was the tents were empty.  Seems people had pitched their tents and then gone about their business.  They had staked their spots at the front of the line, leaving those who wanted to play by the rules behind.  Those individuals were angry, and planned to confront the absentee shoppers.  I have not heard anymore, so I can only hope things worked out.

I am left wondering what all this says about our culture and its value system.  What kind of message are we sending to the world, much less the children who observe our behavior.

My Favorite Holiday

This coming week we will celebrate our National Day of Thanksgiving.  I have come to appreciate Thanksgiving Day to the point that it has become my favorite holiday.  I know that we are Easter People.  From a spiritual perspective the annual celebration of our Lord's Resurrection trumps every other holiday.  Christmas is, well Christmas, but quite frankly the schedule can wear me out.  So much goes into the preparation that I end up tired, and then have to take down all the decorations.  How I enjoy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is about family and food.  When it comes to things I am thankful for, those are at the top of the list.  I am very grateful to live in a country where I have all my needs met.  I daily recognize how blessed I am.  I am well fed, and live in a comfortable home.  I am relatively healthy and have more clothes than I need.  I am part of a great family and am surrounded by friends who love me and accept me for who I am.  I am among the most blessed.

My plans for this year include lots of family time.  I will be walking in the Annual Dallas Turkey Trot with our daughter, Katie, and her husband, John.  Sometime Thursday afternoon Peter and his family will come over.  We plan to watch the TCU-Texas Football game that evening.  Mark and Kristen will join the celebration on Friday and we will celebrate the traditional Thanksgiving feast together.  I am sure along the way we will play some games and probably have at least one game of touch football in the yard. 

I pray that you and yours will have a blessed Thanksgiving.  Along the way take time to share with your family members,especially the kids, how grateful you are.  Your attitude of thanksgiving is another message that needs to be past to the next generation.

The Affluenza Epidemic

The Ethan Couch case won't go away.  Those who live outside the DFW Metroplex might not be familiar with Ethan Couch, so let me fill in the blanks.  Ethan was sixteen years old when he killed four people.  An hour before the accident Ethan stole two cases of beer from a Walmart.  At the time of the crash he was driving his dad's Ford F350 pick-up with seven friends along for the ride.  His blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit when he plowed into a disabled vehicle on a dark two-lane road.  The driver of the disabled vehicle, along with three bystanders who had stopped to help, were all killed.  One of those murdered by Ethan Couch was youth minister, Brian Jennings, who was on his way home from his son's high school graduation. Ethan and all his companions survived even though none were wearing seat belts.

The story does not end there.  During the trial a psychologist, testifying for the defense, stated that Ethan Couch was a victim of "affluenza."  In other words, he had been raised in a wealthy environment that had blinded him to the consequence of his behavior.  So was born a new term.  Affluenza: The inability to understand the consequences of ones actions because of financial privilege.  Ethan Couch was found guilty, but was not sentenced to jail.  Instead he was sent to a rehab program.  The accident was over eighteen months ago, and Ethan Couch is still in rehab.   This week it was announced that he has been moved to a ranch for troubled youth in West Texas. 

It's ironic that I first heard the latest chapter of this story today while driving on the Dallas North Tollway.  I have often referred to this highway as the "BMW Freeway."  For the wealthy residents of Collin Country (Frisco and Plano), it is their link to the city.  Today it was not just "Beamers," but Jaguars, a Porsche and yes a Ferrari.  The speed limit on the DNT is 70 but all of the them were exceeding it by a least 15 MPH.  An old man like me, who drives the speed limit in the center lane, feels at risk.  I view it as another example of "Affluenza."  I don't think any of those drivers have given a thought to the consequence should something, or someone get in their way.  I've driven by the scene of a few of those crashes.  It's not pretty.

But then, I should know something about Affluenza.  I have been infected with it too.  While perhaps not to the extent of Ethan Couch, if we live a typical American middle or upper class lifestyle we probably daily make decisions without thinking of the consequences.  It might be a simple thing like using a Styrofoam cup instead of a mug that can he reused, or buying clothing made in a sweat shop in some Third World country. 

The truth is, "affluenza" is real and we need to think of the consequences.  The members of the millennial generation are watching us.  We might talk about their expensive taste or consumer driven lifestyle but the unfortunate truth is they learned it from us.  Maybe now is the time to begin to make some changes. It's not to late to stop the "Affluenza" epidemic.

The End of the Millennials

It is no secret that the church has missed the boat when it comes to reaching millennials.  A majority those born during the last two decades of the twentieth century view the Christian Church as being insensitive and judgmental.  In their mind the Christian community has become an irrelevant voice.  We can debate any of the above, but the reality is less than one in four young adults who grew up in the church is still activity engaged in a Christian community.  That does not mean they do not have a faith.  Many still pray and read the Bible.  A majority still believe in God and even claim Jesus as their Savior, they just don't see mainline Christianity as a way to live that out. 

While we should be attempting to win back those who have wandered off, I think our focus should be on making a difference in the lives of those still in our midst.  I am writing about the high school youth who are members of our churches.  The current flock of teens is the last of the millennials to pass through our doors.  If they are still visible in our community we still have a chance to make a difference.  Even if they are not as engaged as we would like, we still have the opportunity to reach out and make a difference.

It begins with relationships.  For decades the church has relied on youth ministry professionals to take the lead in that effort.  Congregations have hired a youth pastor, or director of Christian education to gather the kids together and keep them engaged.  The staff person who heads the youth ministry department would then train a select few other adult volunteers in mentoring the teens.  If the numbers looked good, the church leaders assumed they were doing a good job.  That model no longer works.  The reality is it never was biblical.  The responsibility for passing on the heritage of faith should be shared by the entire community. 

For the next four years I would encourage you to move out of your comfortable pew and into the lives of the teenagers in your midst.  Instead of gathering around the coffee pot on Sunday morning, you need to be in the youth room, or wherever it is the teens are gathered.  If you notice that a young person who was once visible suddenly has disappeared, ask questions.  Reach out to them.  Write them a note, friend them on Facebook or send them a text.  Let them know you care about them.  Most of all; share you faith story.