Tuesday, November 06, 2007

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.

The following happens between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.

“Next please”
I move to the counter, pull out my electronic ticket…show it to the Air Canada ticket agent, only because I am flying Air Canada! But wouldn’t you know it…I am standing in the wrong line at the wrong counter. The ticket agent asks me “why don’t you have an electronic boarding pass” to which I responded, “I tried but I couldn’t log on.” To which she promptly responded “Sir, you are in the wrong line, you need to go to counter 25, the United counter….please hurry sir, you do not want to miss your flight.”

If only you could read my mind at that moment! Like, I choose to stand in the wrong line for who knows how long. "Don’t you know who I am!!!??? Jack Bauer!!! I am on a mission to save the world," I thought, but alas, I am just me……

So I move to the next line…at the United counter…only because I am stupid….(no comments please) Then I made it through customs and security and proceeded to the waiting room …
At 7:45 a.m. I boarded my plane and found my seat…

A young woman sat beside me but wanted to sit with her boyfriend and so she switched seats with an older woman….full of perfume. I mean full of perfume…I actually sneezed. She is a nice older lady and she noticed that I was typing these notes into my Crackberry….Then came THE QUESTION….
Do you know THE QUESTION? The question is somethings that causes people like me cold sweats. THE QUESTION is something that makes or breaks the flight. THE QUESTION means we will continue our talk or it is over right now! WHAT DO YOU DO? IT IS THE QUESTION.

I froze in mid type…”what do I say?” Does she watch the Simpson’s? Will she know who Rev. Lovejoy is? I am in a dilemma…will she even talk to me if I confess that I am a MINISTER, a PREACHER OF THE GOSPEL, A REVEREND, A DOCTOR (without medicine) a... a... a... minister…..so I say……

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Soul Pastor,

I love this! Can hardly wait for the next installment!

You never know what the person's reaction might be. Just the other day, while getting in my last round of golf I joined up with two other guys on the course. On about the third hole I mentioned that just the other day I was talking with my pastor. Thought I felt an awkward silence drop, but a few moments later one of the guys asked me what church I go to. When I told him he said "I've heard of that church and by the way I'm the pastor at ..."

If the question comes up about what I do, I let them know and I'm in the other conversation stifling field ... education. Then it's either time to move on to the snack table at the party or an opening to get to know the person a bit more. We spend too much of our own "24" in a state of anonymity because we are too busy and don't have time for anything else.

Who knows where the conversation might lead.

Parking Lot Guy

Mark said...

Yeah, so when you say what you do, you get the "Oh, I didn't know... sorry did i swear?".

Guess what I get.

SoulPastor said...

Hey Anony...
That is funny
BTW if that pastor was having a good golf game...did you ask him if he should have been working?

Mark
I always get the apology! I usually respond... "That's OK, I have heard it before."

Dying to hear what you get....