Spent a few days at Leavenworth – Washington that is – at the invitation of former The Dalles citizen, Penny Carpenter.

    She is the President of the Leavenworth Rotary Club this year and she invited me to be the speaker last week.  My topic would be on the Rajneesh and its impact on Wasco County.

She and her husband, Tom, took us out to dinner – sharing a few stories - and then a grand tour of the town and the surrounding area.  We sincerely appreciated their hospitality.

    Leavenworth, for those that haven’t visited it, is a town based on a Bavarian theme.  The store fronts are all designed to bring you to those countries in Europe, and you certainly feel that way.

    I know the town’s survival depends on tourists; the stores and employees treat you well, because they want the reputation of being a friendly community.  As we walked the streets they were full of visitors.

    Shoulder to shoulder, with little room to get passed each other, as we went from one store to another.

    The attitude of the visitors was one of friendliness and willingness to smile and get out of each other’s way.

    Everyone stood aside as pictures were taken by the families and friends so they had plenty of time.

    It was as if there was something in the air that made everyone patient; and the businesses set the tone.

    We enjoyed the atmosphere, the good food and the community.  It was a great little vacation.

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    I talked with a friend the other day.  Seems the friend is an employee of a company that needed a door to be watched...all day long.  The employee got two 15 minute breaks and a lunch break as required by law.  But had to sit there, on a folding chair, in the hot sun, 105 degree temperature in the shade, but the employee wasn’t in the shade, but in the sun, much hotter than in the shade, and all day long.

    Now when I first heard this, I had to laugh.  So you go home and your child asks, “what did you do today?”  “I sat down and watched a door, all day.”

    Yep, had to laugh as I imagined the employee sitting there, not allowed to use their phone or read a book, just sit there watching the door.  It had to be worse than a stake out.

    Then I got to thinking – you know me, sometimes I geta bit ahead of myself, and it comes to me a few minutes – or hours later.

    Now it really was more than just ‘sitting there watching a door’ those entering that door had to belong there, they had to deal with hazardous materials and in doing so must be careful as well as dressed in the right clothing – no one else was allowed. 

    It was an important job, even if it was ‘just watching a door.’

Colossians 3:22-23 KJV  “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

²⁴ Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

    There is no small or unimportant job when we do it as if we are doing it for our Lord. 

    When we do our job, no matter what it may be, when we do it the very best we can, God is honored.  We don’t work for our employer nor any man, oh, someone may be paying our wages, but we don’t work for them, we work for ourselves, and we do it to glorify our Lord.

    That sets the tone, that makes whatever we do important.

    What did you do at work today?  ‘I served the Lord!’

Later, Art (-: