even though you're busy, you get really, really hungry! - 1 Pic + 1 Experience with the Lord(30-day challenge)

:) A new challenge! At least as far as I see it now, I think it will be something like, 1 Pic + 1 Experience with the Lord today... Since I'm in London, I was thinking to put one picture from London on the blog and say something about it, then share something from what I enjoyed today... I have received a lot of feedback concerning the previous challenge, One Meaningful Thing I Did Today - and it looks like it is very encouraging to find out about our experience with the Lord! O Lord Jesus.... So without further delay, here it is:

Even Though You're Busy, You Get Really, Really Hungry! - 1 Pic + 1 Experience with the Lord Today

This is Archway, close to where I live and work. At 6pm, everyone is running - literally running - to the bus, from the bus, from the office, towards home... you have to dodge people on the street, make sure you don't hinder other busy running people, the people coming off the bus or getting on the bus or running after the bus.... To the Left is the Archway Tower, and straight ahead there's Office Spaces :) and all kinds of companies renting it. Right behind that building is the Archway Leisure Centre(where I go to the gym :) almost every day) And there's Bus 43 :) which goes all the way from High Barnet to London Bridge.

Mondays are usually busy days - lots of things piling up from the weekend, there's a new week in which we need to take care of the urgent and important things, etc. At work is even busier these days - lots of orders, lots of enquiries, people calling to check the stock and more info, others checking what's going on with their orders, etc... It's fun, you can have a decent conversation with many of the people who call. I love doing some customer care from time to time :)

And then there's the daily routine - every day there are some things that you HAVE to do, and specifically on every day of the week there are some things that you know you need to do. Today - Monday - I was so busy that today I almost forgot it's time to take a lunch break! And when I came back from my lunch break - after eating some physical food :) and praying with a brother... - I was so busy that only after 5.20pm I realized, Maybe it's time to go home... - there are so many things that keep you busy that 24h in the day are not enough!

Even though I was so busy today that I almost had no time to take a break, at the end of the day I got hungry - not hungry physically, but I got hungry spiritually! You know, with all the things you do, the things you accumulate, you take care of, or even the things you achieve - they never satisfy you or fill you inward hunger! Things may go well, or things may not go so well - in both cases, you never are satisfied... Even while doing something good, something noble, commendable - achievements or success, failure or distress, nothing satisfies your inner thirst and hunger!

I got so hungry that I knew - I had to get into the Word of God! I had to read the Bible! After a whole day of reading, writing, speaking, etc - I need to eat the Lord! And not only a little bit - but I need to seriously have some "big dinner" of Christ! A "steak of Christ", a solid portion of Christ... So I went to the gym and I got to go through John 4-6 (long chapters, filled with life and Spirit!). Also, I got to listen to almost the entire message 6 from the Crystallization-Study of Psalms(1) on The Organic Shepherding of the Pneumatic Christ. Such a supply to hear again that Psalm 23 is according to God's economy: Christ in His ascension is shepherding us and taking good care of our inner being that we may grow in life, be living and functioning members of the Body, and accomplish God's economy!

It is so good to EAT when you're really really HUNGRY! Just like my previous experience with drinking the real water (and not going for Pepsi) - when you're hungry, don't eat fast food, junk food, ready made food, or all kinds of food that doesn't fill your hunger! Eat the Word of God! And as you're eating, drink of the Lord Jesus by calling and saying AMEN, LORD! It is very good to learn to EAT when you're hungry - eat the Word, eat the Lord in the ministry which opens up the Word of God, learn to turn your heart to the Lord... - and whatever we eat, that's what we become!

Hallelujah, Eating Jesus is the Way!

outrageous: this is total disrespect! - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today (30-days challenge)

I'm not talking about myself being disrespectful - even though I can't say I'm not(sometimes)... - but I'm talking about someone else being disrespectful. You would think that in a modern world people respect one another since there's so much propaganda about emancipation, feminism, equality in rights, no racism, no distinction between nationalities or races, no bullying, or even the principle of "no slaves and no masters". In the 21st century, with so many systems and policies in place - all of which are to help man relate to others in the best way possible - the people today are still very much inclined to be rather rude and disrespectful than polite and respectful. I'll tell you why and how in a bit via,

Outrageous: this is total disrespect! - One Meaningful Thing I Did Today

After I finished work today - yes, I do work half day on Saturday... - I was passing by an "open market", many of which are available all over London these days. You get fresh vegetables there, different kinds of cheeses, all types of foods (Carribean, Argentinian, continental European, Mediteranean, etc), all sorts of bread products and milk based products, etc. This one I was passing by was a small one, but there was something there that caught my attention - some nice vegetables!

Yes, I know you know I love Pepsi ;) and I need to cut it short - why not rather drink the pure water which can actually quench your thirst?!? - but it may surprise you that I also love vegetables! Probably because of the way I was brought up, I love having a salad on the side with almost anything - even when eating pizza, KFC, fish and chips(or any other fast-food/unhealthy dish), or a sandwich, bread with stuff, or any "second dish" in a meal. I love tomatoes, cucumbers, salad, radish, corn, cabbage, etc. I love both to buy them separately and make them in a salad AND the ones ready-made from the stores...

Anyways, to cut the story short, there was this lady who was selling nice vegetables, and I approached her to ask about the price, but she would not pay attention to me. She was engaged in a relatively meaningless conversation with another person who was selling some cheese,s and even though I tried to get her attention, she would not talk to me. I waited a bit, tried again - nothing. This is outrageous - I'm the customer, she's the seller, she traveled all the way here to sell her vegetables, and when I am interested to buy, she wouldn't talk to me! This is total disrespect...

The Customer is Always Right and the customer should always be served... - since I work in sales, I know this and, though I may not like it all the time, I apply this principle... So I went and took out some cash, calling on the name of the Lord to really touch Him within... You know, you can be offended or bothered by situations like these. Or if not, maybe they give you a bad taste, they disappoint you... I just called on the Lord's name, took out some cash, and returned to the lady - who now smilingly served me and was OK to sell me some vegetables :) [the story ended up well :) ]

I was thinking about this after it happened... so many little things can bother us or even offend us. What do we do then? Many people say, I'm FINE, It's Alright! - but something within feels uncomfortable, and there's a discontentment being built up over the days, months, and years... You never know how and why but out of the blue someone "explodes" and starts arguing with someone else. It's these little things, these little unconfessed and undealt with issues, that build up and eventually overflow from us.

The people in the world are bitter, disrespectful, not polite, and rude - because NO ONE is nice to one another! How can anyone be nice to others in a genuine way if he does not enjoy the Lord who is GOOD and can be the proper human being in us? Maybe some are nice outwardly, so "polite and respectful" - but when you get to talk to them to know them, there's nothing there, it's just a facade - the "British politeness" is very common especially in England (dah!). What about us though?

Lord, what about me? Am I a bitter, unpolite, and disrespectful person? O, Lord, is there bitterness being built up in me as I go on in life? Lord, what's my attitude towards other people?

One very important principle is that we as human beings and as believers in the Lord need to have a proper fear and respect towards God. If we fear God in our humanity, we will also respect others who are around us. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The more we spend time with the Lord, the more He shines on us and exposes us, the more we both love Him and reverently fear Him. This preserves us and protects us from many evils that can happen to human beings - the proper fear and respect towards God safeguards us against the evil one.

So.... as a customer I may be RIGHT and I can try to prove my point, get the seller's attention, argue a bit, make a big case out of it... or just "sweep it under the rug" saying, It's all good... But I can also choose to turn to my spirit and call on the name of the Lord. I can open to Him and confess my situation and my feelings... - and then something happens. It's not just that "I will be OK", but my attitude towards that person will be a proper one, a kind attitude and a good demeanor. O, Lord.... save us more in these little things of our human life!

One Meaningful Thing Today: Customer Service Done Properly (30-day challenge)

Since one of our workmates is off on holiday to Poland (where I was a few weeks ago) and since the company I work for is a small company, we all felt it! It's August, and it's supposed to be a "dead month", everyone's in holiday, no one is shopping for lights or switches... but no, today especially the phone kept ringing and ringing! We did our best to cope with the situation, but there were a few cases today that we missed some calls - we were too busy with so many things to be done! ... anyways, this is a glimpse of things going on at where I work, which brings me to,

One Meaningful Thing Today:
Customer Service Done Properly!

I was NOT trained in customer service, but since I manage the online store I'm supposed to "know everything about every product on the website", so I also take calls from customers, helping them, especially when it comes to placing orders online, finding products online, browsing, issues with the payments or the website, etc. Anyways, today there were a few customers that simply called in, asked questions and, before I could even answer their question, they answered their own question and thanked me! How cool is that!

But this is not the Customer Service Done Properly I wanted to talk about - no, what I discovered today is that it's one word: LISTEN! We are all so full of ideas, opinions, feelings, moods, issues, and all other stuff. So when a customer calls, the best thing you can do is to LISTEN! And today it happened that this is what I did - I simply listened to this particular customer! Since the online stores and the online stuff is sometimes abstract and not-so-obvious, many times most people need help - at least they need assistance. Even in a physical superstore you need an assistant to show you where stuff is!

This particular customer was on the phone with me for at least 15 minutes, and most of the time I was listening to her going through the steps that the website indicated, clicking, entering data, card details, etc - I was just indicating small things here and there, "guiding her". But the key is that I was not "rushing her" - I simply listened and sometimes said something. It happened to me before several times - especially with elderly customers - that all we needed to do is to "assist" them and they would know how to do it! Most young customers are rushing, they think they know, they mess up, and they still blame us! This is not a stereotype, it's just something we as young ones tend to do! This particular customer eventually placed the online order and gave me a warm "thank you for your time, I really appreciate that! I will recommend you to my friends..."

This is NOT an add for the company I work, but a random story of a meaningful thing I did today - I listened to a customer and guided her, for an extended time over the phone, to place an order online on our website. The key: LISTEN. Now to the REAL side of the story - all the physical and outward things can have principles for life behind them, even spiritual principles. Here's at least 2 such principles I saw here:

• I need to learn to LISTEN to people - listen to the ones around me, to the saints, to my co-workers, to the ones in my vital group, to my siblings and family members, to everyone who happens to be around me and is somehow related to me. Yes, sometimes I can help or I can get help, but listening is most important. Watchman Nee said that the first characteristic of a servant of the Lord is that he is perfected and trained to LISTEN(to the Lord, to the saints, to the Spirit within, to the Lord's speaking, and to the people) (in, The Character of the Lord's Worker).
• When we come to the Lord, HE LISTENS TO US! This is our experience - we come to Him with all our problems, situations, cares, woes, tears, persons, relationships, disappointments, etc, and He listens to us, takes our burden upon Himself... He doesn't stop us to speak, He is not impatient, and He doesn't straight ahead rebuke us or turn His back on us. Sometimes He speaks to us, but most times He gives us the sense of life and peace, and He listens + comforts us / cares for us with His presence...

Lord, make me one who learns to LISTEN to people and LISTEN to the Lord! Which reminds me, maybe I should listen to the Lord right now and stop :) But not before I invite YOU - the reader - to leave your thoughts and comments below. What do you think? I know I have not explored in-depth what customer care means, but I hope you have a better experience or something that you think it would help me / others... :)