Strictly business

I have occasional bouts with insomnia. Most nights, I have to read for a few minutes just to be able to kind of turn off my mind. The psychobabble people call this "decompression time"; I call it reading. Anyway, sometimes, reading doesn't cut it. When that happens and 2:00 AM rolls around (as it has tonight) I can always count on the most brilliant cinematic masterpiece of any generation, The Godfather - Part 1, to help me turn off the engines and get back to neutral. I can quote every line (even the majority of the Italian conversation between Michael and Solazzo in the diner before he....well, I don't want to ruin it for you...) The movie is masterful. The book was better but such is life.

There is one scene where the momentum of the story suddenly starts turning and slowly revolves its way into brilliance. The Don was just shot and Michael had gone to the hospital to visit him when he had to stand up to the crooked police captain who had pulled the guards away from the Don's room. The police captain shows up and Michael stands up to him and the cpt breaks his jaw. The next scene is my favorite from any movie, ever. It is the scene where Michael sits in his father's study with Tom Hagen and Sonny and calmly sells them his plan to kill the police captain and the guy who tried to have the Don killed. If you haven't seen it, then you're lost but trust me - this scene is where Michael enters "the family business" and changes the course of the rest of the events in the story. During Michael's schpeel, Sonny (the oldest brother and next in line to be the Don) tells Michael that he's taking it "too personally". Michael stares at Sonny and calmly says "It's not personal, Sonny, It's strictly business."

Over the last week or so, I've witnessed and heard my brother talk about situations in a business setting of "Christian" men who milk their customers for extra cash, mistreat and disrespect their employees and generally do whatever it takes to increase profits. Their excuse is the same. "That's business and I've got to feed my children."

Or how about this one? You're at the building on Sunday doing your best to not forsake the assembly when one of your acquaintances pipes up with some comment that would be rude from the mouth of an atheist, much less a believer and they say something like "What? I'm just being honest."

"Business" and "honesty" do not provide sufficient justification for being a jerk.

I'm thankful for a handful of men at PV that mentor me and many others of my age in ways that show us that "business" isn't as important as integrity. Specifically, there are 3 that teach our class on Sunday morning. They are successful businessmen but their successes are blessings from the hand of God, not the fruits of cutthroat business practices. They are all shepherds, so they hear their share of "negative feedback" from people who are "just being honest". But, they should know that what they are doing is showing some young bucks how to lead a church in the coming years and that they've shown themselves to be always faithful.

Thanks, guys.