Blessed at SEARS

If you're reading this in a place covered with snow and ice now, you may find it hard to believe, but many of us in Hawaii have such small houses that we have our laundry area OUTSIDE. Yep. It's true. With a wonderfully temperate climate you can have your washer and dryer on a lanai, porch or patio. They tend to rust out from the salt air (we are very close to the ocean) before they wear out.

We have had a GE Washer (outside) for 16 years. I have patched it up a time or two, replacing some parts, but it did a great job -- until last week. The timer mechanism started messing up and my wife would have to go and press/pull the knob to kick it into the next cycle. I went to an appliance parts dealer for a replacement, and they back-ordered one to the tune of $98. (OUCH.)

Last night it started making a LOUD noise that I finally determined was a failing clutch mechanism. Expecting the replacement clutch to cost even more than the $98 timer, plus it looked like a repair process beyond my limited mechanical skills. It just abruptly died in mid-cycle and refused to cooperate any more, so off we went today to see how much a replacement washer would cost. SEARS had a sale, with a pretty decent simple model for just under $500 -- not bad compared to the higher end models that cost $1,200 - $1,400. (A bit out of our price range AND we just couldn't see a $1,000+ washer sitting outside under a roof overhang rusting out. On the way out to Costco to comparison price, we noticed a washer off to the side. It was similar to our recently deceased one, with a few updates, and it was tagged "USED - $150."

After we made the Costco trip and discovered that the prices there were close to the SEARS sale prices, we returned to SEARS and found the salesman who was helping us.

"What does 'USED' mean exactly?"
"It was purchased, and taken from the store, but the buyer figured out how to fix their old machine and returned this one."

It had never even been plugged in; it had never had water lines connected, but they couldn't sell it as new, so they clearance priced it to move it out quickly, still with a 1 year full warranty!

We saved hundreds of dollars, got a 'new' full-featured washer that we won't feel bad about leaving outdoors, and did it all for $150. What a blessing!

Is my plate getting FULLER?

It seems that I operate with a pretty full plate most of the time. I have often referred to it as "juggling chainsaws." So it is with fear and trepidation that I watch my email and snail-mail boxes for a decision from Fuller Seminary. The applications and recommendations have been submitted for the Master of Arts in Global Leadership program at Fuller, and the Admissions Committee meets before the end of February.

Having been out of the classroom and academic environment for decades, it is a bit intimidating, but I exemplify the Peter Principle -- ("In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.") -- since my recent selection as Presiding Bishop (Overseer) for my denomination in Hawaii, I have come to a renewed realization of my level of inability! These people deserve a better leader, and I hope to become one.

Podcasts piling up

Do you hate the sound of your own speaking voice when you hear it recorded? It seems that most people do... including me. But we Pastors are professional public speakers, and our vocal presentations are key to our effectiveness. So I am learning to love -- or at least tolerate -- the sound of my own voice.

My weekly sermons are (barely) edited and posted as podcasts at www.windwardworship.com and are available free via iTunes as "The Word from Windward." I have subscribed to my OWN podcast! How egocentric is THAT? It has helped my delivery a lot. Each week, alone in my office, I download and review my own sermon podcast listening carefully for awkward "uh's" and "um's" and other annoying verbal habits. Often I groan and make a mental note to eliminate a phrase from my vocabulary or never use a failed illustration again.

It has certainly helped me become more concise and get to the point faster, and I hope it has helped me refine and polish my preaching skills and made me a better communicator of Biblical truth. You be the judge. Listen to an older one and a more recent one and give me some feedback.