How are you doing?

A Budweiser commercial during the Super Bowl this year inspired me to write this article.

An obvious out-of-towner sits down at the bar.

First bar patron says, in his thick New York accent, "Hoya dewin."

The bar tender replies, with an equally thick accent, "Hoya dewin."

The out-of-towner answers, "Just got into town. My brother-in-law picked me up at the airport. This sure is one friendly town.

A second bar patron enters and says, "Hoya dewin."

First bar patron says, "Hoya dewin."

The bar tender replies, "Hoya dewin."

The out-of-towner answers, "Just got into town. My brother-in-law picked me up at the airport. This sure is one friendly town."

By the time the third local patron comes in with "Hoya dewin.", the bar tender is trying to wave him off so they won’t have to hear the out-of-towners reply again.

What struck me the most about this was the reality of the situation. There is always someone totally clueless to the fact that doesn’t know that you just don’t care.

Whose fault is that?

Your not caring that is.

I’ll be walking down the hall at work and someone will ask me "How’s it going?" Lately I’ve been answering those questions with the truth. "Pretty rough. My wife had a blood clot and almost died."

The next day when I see that person, they only say, "Morning."

A few come by and ask me how my wife is doing. They stop and spend some time with me and listen and I mean they really listen. They don’t stand there waiting for me to shut up so they can have their say. You know the types. They aren’t listening, they are thinking of what they want to say and are waiting for a pause so they can get their "speech" in.

You can really tell who has the love of God in them because they truly care about people and they encourage them when things aren’t going well. Not just sympathize, I mean encourage. They don’t have to pray over you and make a big show about how religious they are, they are real, personal and interested.

1 Corinthians 13 (NASB)

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8a Love never fails;