Author: Jon Gauger

Businesses are funny. They all speak their own dialect—a sort of modified English.  Have you noticed?   In the rail business, that thing a locomotive pulls down the tracks–it's not a train.  Instead, they call it a “consist.”  Funeral directors don't refer to dead bodies.  They refer to them as “cases.”  But the food industry has an expression that has always impressed me as being downright odd. Look at the label on a package of gum and it will likely say, “Please dispose of ‘after use.'” “After use?”  Who actually “uses” gum?  We chew it. Imagine being with a group of…

Loyalty programs–seems like everybody's got one.  From airlines, to restaurants… supermarkets to car rental places.  Businesses everywhere want more of your business.  That's why they offer these so-called “loyalty programs.”  You know—it's the plastic card that gets you a 15% discount at your next hotel stay…or the grocery store that offers special pricing—if—you use your reward card.   Or maybe you're into collecting miles with your favorite airline's frequent flier club.  A recent study from FanXchange and COLLOQUY shows that 54% of Americans are unhappy with loyalty program rewards.   Part of the dissatisfaction is that customers find the rewards themselves unappealing! …

The candy bar industry is on a roll lately.  And I'm not sure I like it.  The trend for the last few years is to offer much smaller versions of full-sized candy bars.  As if that isn't bad enough (hey, if I want a Snickers bar, I'm expecting a Snickers bar, not some shrunken alternative), they're trying to make our getting something less…sound like something better.  In a marketing hubris that only ad executives could speak with a straight face, these less-than-satisfying candy bars are said to be “fun-sized.” Now, I get that folks watching their weight might welcome such…

How old do you have to be before you're too old to encourage someone else? I think I found the answer–in the "Bird Room." That's what we call the meeting room at the nursing home where my mother-in-law lives. A large wood and Plexiglas display houses a dozen or so colorful little birds, fluttering from nest to branch and back again. So the "Bird Room" is an obvious choice for relaxing and visiting loved ones. While we were there last time, a smiley chap named Bob reintroduced himself to my mother in law, who seemed to recall him. Bob had…

Anxiety swirled like the impurities in a glass of pond water. I was feeling uneasy…a bit cranky—and I didn't quite know why. Call it a case of the Monday Morning Blues.   Or was it?   Pacing myself along the mile-and-a-half walk to work, I attempted to take some sort of emotional inventory and became the the subject of my own interrogation: Why are you so uptight, Jon?             Not sure. Did you have a bad night's sleep?             No.  Slept reasonably well, actually. Are you gainfully employed?             Gratefully, yes. And would you describe the work you do as meaningful, or…

To me, they represent the most exotic, most luxurious travel experience in the history of flight.  The Boeing Clipper ships.  Built from 1934-1941, these were essentially flying boats with no capacity to land on the ground at all.  Hence the name, “Clipper ships.” The largest of these planes, the Boeing 314, had room for 74 passengers—and could even provide sleeping accommodations for 36 of them.  And remember–this was before World War II. A dining salon served meals on linen covered tables as passengers relaxed in comfortable chairs.  These planes featured washrooms, hot and cold water, air conditioning, and a lounge…

How likeable are you? I'm serious. If a group of honest folks were to assess your likeability on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the best…how would you score? My guess is most of us think we are more likeable than we really are.  We minimize our crankiness, our quirkiness….while maximizing the good. This is an important question if we care about how non-believers perceive those who claim to follow Christ. Wanna know why I think most Christians are less likeable than they think they are?  Check out these stories. One time attending a national convention for…

Like you, I’m trying to cram in the last bits of summer.  Out at our camper, I sat outside with my tablet.  Dusk was past, yet I was largely unaware of the light show going on around me: fireflies. At length, I took a break from my reading to (finally) observe the lightning bugs. Consider these gentle light bearers whose lifespan is only about two months.  They have no batteries—at least not as you and I consider batteries. These bugs just light up. The glow of their light bursts is brief, but somehow comforting.  And despite our advances in technology,…

If you are charmed by the aroma of pine trees and find magic in the sway of long needle branches, the place for you is White Pines State Park. The timber lined drive is itself worth the trip. But the real draw to this 385 acre Illinois park is the log cabin dining room.  Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, its massive timbers, dark with age, offer a gracious backdrop for lunch.   Having placed our food orders, my wife and I sat back in our chairs and took in the ambience.  That's when my eyes came…

They say the town is only one square mile–has less than a thousand residents.  But every year, half a million people come for a visit. I'm talking about the phenomena known as Shipshewana, Indiana.  This tiny strip of land is home to one of the largest flea markets in the entire United States—and some of the best eating on the planet. More remarkable than the food or the farms is the faith element.  A strong Mennonite and Amish presence is evident in the Bible verses that you see, the music streamed into restaurants and the Christian books and concerts available…