Chicago meeting

Last Friday I went to Chicago to meet with my media distribution company, DGFastchannel. DGFastchannel bought out the former little guy, Point360. Now when it was Point360 there was an individualistic quality about the place - each person had their own office and could decorate it how they chose, etc. But now that "corporate" owns them, it's a lot more uniform. As a client, I have been treated to fancy meals and even a Chicago Cubs game - FUN! I have built a few great relationships with my account team up there and I hope to keep it up long past KFC. And Friday night I got a special treat again. They took me to a great restaurant, Keefers, and then Merlin, my account manager, took me and my old CSR, Pam, out to a great Blues Bar (John Primer was the group). It was a lot of fun! But the funny thing was it was located in the gay community of Chicago (Boystown)....which was crazy! In the bar itself I did not even see a gay couple...crazy weird, but the whole area was teeming with black leather pants and black turtleneck sweaters outside. So - what was my take on the whole scene? Tragic I told them....tragic that there were so many gorgeous men around and not a one of them would be available to date me --- LOL!

And it is tragic. Tragic for women like me who are looking around for a great guy to respect and admire. Tragic for those guys who may never know Christ - or chose to not know Christ - or may think they know Christ but do nothing to want to be like Him by denying that lifestyle (just like I have to deny laziness). And tragic for those women who refuse to let real men be real men. Merlin and Pam both know a lot of gay people. And they know quite a few that are gay because that gay person gave up on the opposite sex. A man can not live up to a woman's expectations - because they are not clearly defined. And women get too frustrated with guys too quickly and decide to just do it themselves - be it fixing a leak, or things more personal. That's not the way God designed it do be.

We discussed a lot of different things: raising children (which is always funny to hear a bunch of people who have no children "know" how to raise them!), homosexuals, corporate world, etc. Now, Merlin is not a committed Christian. He's one that has the "every Christian is a hypocrite" mentality. Which is very popular. However, when I told him that I believe a sin is a sin regardless of which one and it's not my place to judge someone else because that too is a sin, (even though sometimes I fail) he was impressed. Seemed simple enough for me. But he told Pam he had never heard a Christian actually say that. So while we were in that Blues Bar it hit me! Kim Kane who's leading our women's study asked us to ponder about "faith without works is dead" and at that moment I figured something out! My faith (inward belief) without my works (outward action) is dead (to others). If I don't live out what I believe, then that hinders someone else from coming to Christ. I'm all talk and no action. "Action speaks louder than words" mean anything to you?

And one more cute note. The next morning while I was waiting to meet Pam for breakfast outside the hotel, there were 4 little girls and the rest of the family waiting to go somewhere as well. The little girls were all dressed the same - ready to go to the American Girl store! It was adorable. Well to pile on the cuteness, a horsedrawn carriage comes around the corner to pick up the girls and grandma and tour the city before going to the store! Don't you know those little girls thought they were real princesses for a day!