Should you be the best?

We were having dinner with our friends, The Harris's, last Sunday evening (watching Carolina Basketball - Go Heels) when Tim said that Tristan had never had lobster so they went to Red Lobster to let him try it one time. When their lobster arrived it was horrible. The worst lobster they had ever eaten. Red Lobster's webpage states "Driven by his passion for fresh seafood and determined to settle for nothing less than exceptional quality and selection, Bill Darden opened his first Red Lobster in 1968. It wasn’t long before such superior fish and flavor were recognized. Today, with more than 680 restaurants, Red Lobster is known as the foremost expert in fresh seafood."

Now with a with name like Red Lobster wouldn't you think they would strive to have the best lobster anywhere? Not just in Asheville, but the best anywhere? I had some bad lobster in the Bahamas, but I didn't have high expectations. But I would expect lobster at Red Lobster to be slammin'.

So when I see the word church in a name, should I not expect the same? For that to be the best church? How do we measure best? It's all about experience when you are dealing with intangibles. Red Lobster serves tangible goods. I can taste my lobster or shrimp or fish. But feelings are intangibles. I want someone sitting at the table with me to say last year on Christmas Eve your message really spoke to me and I remember "xyz" like it was yesterday.

The most memorable experience I ever had at Covenant was one Easter when Mack Strange was the Pastor. He had a cross, preached a message on sin, and let us hammer a nail into the cross. We left in silence. I can still remember the sound of the nails. I'll never forget that experience.

I want to create experiences on Sunday morning that our children can go home and tell their parents about. Where they experience the word, not just hear about it. Christmas Eve Service at 5:00 will be an experience. Look for more details to follow.