"Even for Red Wings"

My family's big into Nashville Predators hockey, even though we don't live in Tennessee.  We get Center Ice just so we can watch Preds games live on FS Tennessee.

Our Tivo catches most games, and we watch them later.  It's a whole lot easier than trying to arrange our schedule around a distant hockey team.  It also means we get to fast forward through the commercials.

Earlier this week, we caught game live.  Meaning we got to watch Nashville's local commercials.  Like our local commercials here, some we can quote, some make us laugh, and some are lame.

There was a commercial I've seen before for Vanderbilt University Medical Center.  I tried to find it on YouTube, but, of course, when you want a commercial you can't find it; when you don't want it it's everywhere.

The commercial features four different healthcare professionals vowing to do what you would expect of them.

An orthopedist vowing to fix broken bones.  A nurse promising to use her wisdom and compassion.

Again, things you would expect.  Maybe not always received but expected. 

The remarkable thing is the promise to do this "even for Black Hawks, even for Red Wings, regardless of Western Conference standing."

This is a Nashville hockey commercials.  The Nashville Predators HATE the Detroit Red Wings.  But the Vandy nurse promises to provide compassionate care even to Red Wings.

What if we vowed the same thing?

I don't mean we all promise to fix the Red Wings' broken bones unless, of course, we are the ones lucky enough to break them.  Kidding.

What if we re-wrote the commercials to put in things we're expected to do even when confronted by people or situations we don't particularly like.  Mine might look like this:

I will be patient... even when I'm on a tight schedule.
I will be joyful... even when I have a headache.
I will love... even non-Christians.

What would yours look like?

<>< Katie

God Speaks Through a Wal-Mart Commerical

I might have just seen my favorite commercial ever.

A mom is turning off the lights on her way to bed, and she goes around the Christmas tree to find her young son hiding with a toy guy and a rope.
"What are you doing, Samuel?"
"Shhh! I'm going to catch Santa," he explains.
"What are you going to do with the rope?" She inquires.
"Tie him to the Christmas tree," he says nonchalantly.
"Honey, you can't even tie your shoes," she reminds him compassionately.
"Go to bed, Mom," he says seriously.

This kid is serious about capturing Santa and tying him to the tree. He's not even concerned with simple logistics. He is determined to catch Santa.

What if we had the same determination to fulfil God's wishes. He can worry about logistics and we just sit waiting with the rope telling any skeptics to go to bed.

Maybe the commercial isn't great for Wal-mart (because you don' know who the ad is for until beyond this scene), but it is great for God moments.

<>< Katie
PS: If you want to watch the commercial, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwVT_bQVO4A