Dear Friends,
This past week Jean and I traveled to Orlando, Florida where I
attended a church consultant conference on the future of the Post Pandemic
Church. For the past year and a half, I have been privileged to be a part of a five-member
team from around the country who have been training under church consultant Bob
Whitesel. Bob is a unique individual. He is a former pastor who earned
two doctorates from Fuller Seminary, where he taught for over 20 years. He is
the author of 14 books and is nationally recognized as one of the top three
church consultants in the county. I have learned so much from this man who has
not only been my church consultant mentor, but who has also become a dear
friend.
Two members of our five-member training group were present for
this Post Pandemic Church Conference led by Bob and following the conference we
all went out for dinner and some bowling. Now I haven’t bowled in over 40
years, but somehow, I managed to break a 100 (quite an accomplishment for me)
and believe it or not that was enough to win the friendly competition among
consultants.
It may have been obvious by our conversations that we were all
future church consultants, but certainly not bowling pros. At the end of the
evening Dr. Whitesel surprised me by presenting me with a real bowling pin
which he had purchased from the bowling alley and which all other team members
personally signed.
When I got to the airport, I was told I could carry my bowling pin
trophy in my carry-on bag. So, Jean and I checked in our one suitcase, and I
kept the bowling pin in my carry-on bag. However, when we went through
security, I was told they would not allow me to carry the bowling pin on the
plane. I guess the thought of an 80-year-old man wielding a lethal bowling pin
was considered just too great a risk. Now I certainly wasn’t ready to leave my
autographed trophy bowling pin behind, for trophies like that are not a dime a
dozen, but it seemed I had no other choice as the plane was boarding in ten
minutes and my suitcase had already been checked in.
It was then that Eric Millan came to the rescue. Eric was a part
of the airport security check in team, and he had been helping Jean and I
navigate through the lengthy check in process. Eric wasn’t about to see us
leave that bowling pin left behind, and so he took off running to the baggage
area which was a lengthy distance away. I was doing my best to keep up with
him, and when I finally did catch up with him, he asked me for my boarding
pass in hopes he could rescue my suitcase. Unfortunately, I had left my
boarding pass with Jean some five minutes away, and now the plane was boarding and
there was no time to run back and get it. I watched Eric demonstrably
negotiating with the baggage security official trying to retrieve my bag which
amazingly he was able to do. We then raced back with the bag to the boarding
area, where I once again had to go through the whole check in process which
Eric wonderfully expedited.
I quickly stuffed my prize possession into an already bulging
suitcase, and watched it loaded on the plane.
With no money in my pocket to give Eric and with Jean already
having boarded, I thanked him for his kindness. I grabbed a pen and scribbled
down his name and address on my boarding pass, and I told him how blessed I was
to have met him. I assured him that I would write a note to the airport
acknowledging his kindness to a “bowling pro” who was willing to do everything
he could to preserve his bowling memento.
We arrived home safely with my trophy bowling pin in hand. It now
sits proudly on my desk as the world’s largest paper weight.
I will never forget my gracious and caring friend Eric Millan who
was so kind to a man he never met before. How I wish the world had more people
like Eric.
November 13 is World Kindness Day, and it’s coming up soon.
Wouldn’t it be great if every day was World Kindness Day and each one of us
would learn to speak the language of kindness that even the deaf can hear and
the blind can see. Kindness, simply put, is demonstrating care and concern for
others. It is the quality that binds people together and from my perspective we
could use a little “binding” these days.
Yours in faith and friendship,
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