My visit to sam's

i've only been to Sam's (wholesale) a couple times in my life. once as a youth minister preparing for a ski trip and once many years ago to purchase a vcr when i was in seminary. but today i returned to walk around and consider membership. i figured out that very little would fit in our appartment. things are still as big as they were back then. huge pods of swiss cheese. enormous boxes of cherios about the size of a 95 computer hard-drive tower. we'll probably join when we buy a home. a box of cerial is devoured rather quickly around here with these four guys.

Sam's in a way reminds me of Christianity Americana. Everything is indeed huge- from the hair styles to the worship centers. huge budgets. huge crosses (yes, adrian) huge sound boards, huge projection screens, and yes, a few huge egos.

There's even those greeters out there to check you out before you come in.

It all makes me wonder where people who aren't around the clubs get their food.

Do you think Sam's will ever take the plan to third world countries?

Do you think we will?

Comments

[john]

Happy Easter, Brother

I wrote this on the bulletin in church this morning as I was looking around before the BIG SHOW got started.

There is something inept about this mechanism we call church.

I recently read that only 8 percent of SB share their faith. We make a big deal about getting them thru the doors. The problem is we do not train them in what to do before they go back out the double doors.

Plenty of numbers on joiners and baptisms. But we need numbers on quitters and slackers so we can show the managers that the company is not being run right.

I do not think the Chairman of the board is happy...

[~m2~]

i like the analogy of sam's being like a huge church; am i now being left to wonder if there was a collection plate being passed around?

i have been lamenting about consumerism as of late and am now really being introspective about it (sayeth the woman who just returned from a 3-day, all-inclusive trip to jamaica - first vacation in 16 years with the husband, though)...while it would seem excessive that we went, i actually got to see first hand how exceedingly poor their country is and am now compelled to do something about it.

what that *something* is, i have no idea.

maybe i need to start a sam's club over there? only thing is, they have little or no refrigeration, the streets are exceedingly narrow so i cannot imagine how deliveries would be made, and to say the huge items at sam's would fit in their homes would be an overstatement...i saw more huts and shacks than actual homes.

but what a gracious people. kind, easy smiles. it makes me wonder who are truly the ones in poverty.

[matt tullos]

i am constantly struggling with that issue. i am praying like you, that God will give me direction. We are a wealthy, weathy, wealthy, wealthy people. I hope my children get that message. I hope that i remember it too!