Ok so I know I haven’t posted in a really long time, and I will do better, I promise. (and by do better I mean I will post, which I am doing, which means I have done better. So there, I did it! 🙂
Seriously, I am going to try to post more. I actually have a long list of things to talk about (suprise) so if I can make myself sit down long enough to write for a while I will try to catch up.
So today I am in Las Vegas for a “party” my company, CablesAndKits.com, is co-hosting with another company in our industry. About 300 or so “dealers” (companies that are also in the pre-owned Cisco and related networking hardware industry) descend upon Vegas once a year to get together to socialize (drink heavily), discuss a little business (very little, see previous point), and soak up the rewards of the companies with enough appreciation, money, and corporate willingness to throw parties (facilitate the heavy drinking). To be fair, we also get together for half a day for a “real” business meeting to go over events that have or could affect out industry. However, this usually also involves heavy drinking and for some that is a requirement to be able to make it through! Every year for at least 5 or 6 years this has taken place and usually there is a “big” party, and one or two, or more smaller parties, coctail mixers, etc.
This year the tumblers aligned and we had the appreciation (as always), agreement of management (as always), and money (due to not burning it on Interop this year; which is a whole different story) so we gladly jumped at the opportunity to co-host the “big” party this year.
To be honest though, I am not really sure what we were thinking. For people that know me (or read my blog) it may be suprising that I have not only condoned, but paid for the practice of drinking in excess. Really, it suprises me too. Let me establish that I am not anti-alcohol or against drinking in moderation. I do however have a problem wheh people claim to have a true relationship with the Lord and willfully act in a way that dishonors God. Unfortunately I am frequently one of those people, just like everyone else (thank God for grace!). It seems very odd that someone with my beliefs and convictions would condone, promote, and pay for heavy drinking …. and it should seem odd. It IS odd.
So why did we do it? I am still trying to figure that out honestly. I certainly appreciate all the people and the business they have given us over the years, I just wonder if this was the best way to show out appreciation.
I have always tried to run the company with Christ like values and ethics but, truthfully, you can think that is what you are doing and the whole time be making descisions based on conscience instead of Godly principles. As my relationship with the Lord has grown and gotten stronger over the years I have learned the importance of the diligent study of the His word and it’s application to our life and how we live it. I believe this may be the first time we have made a large business descision that may have turned out completely differently had we relied on scriptural principals during the descision making process. I am probably also delusional, I am sure it is more like situation #654,875.
As we grow in out knowledge and understanding of the Lords ways, and truely seek to imitate him, our descision making process changes. His word says we are to be in the world but not of the world, and that we will be a peculiar people. As a Christian leader it is not my job to conform, it is my duty to be different. I feel as if I have failed.
More to come…