I like it when the gallon indicator goes faster than the dollar indicator at the gas pump. Now I realized that .99⁹⁹ is the same as a dollar, but it sure feels good to buy gas for less than a buck. Somebody told me that they saw gasoline for 96⁹⁹ across town. I figured I could save thirty-six cents if I went there, but the math didn't work out. It would be about a twenty mile round trip, I guessed I use about a 2/3^rds of a gallon to make the trip, which would translate to sixty-four cents worth of gas and about a half hour of my time. Add up the time I wasted doing the calculation and now the time you spent reading about it, and I think we can both agree that buying the .99⁹⁹ gas was a good idea.

The other day, a fellow pastor and I met for coffee at 2:15 to visit for a while. Those meetings are always worth the time spent because of the mutual encouragement that comes from the fellowship. We got good service from a twenty-something waiter who saw to it that I had plenty of Decaf and my friend had all the diet coke he could drink. When it was time to go, I asked for the ticket. The waiter said, "Oh, that's a bigger bother than its worth; your coffee is on the house." He got no argument from two Baptist preachers, though we did leave enough money to cover the costs and compensate him for his service.

Have you ever decided that something isn't worth the bother? Clearly driving across town to save a few pennies on gas isn't worth the bother, and perhaps, our beverages weren't worth ringing up. But other things are worth the effort.

In small towns around the world, people stop and chat, but it's different in the city. We are always in a hurry. We can buy gas, wash our car, do our banking, or shop over the Internet without speaking to anyone. We're efficient all right, but we're also lonely. Have you taken time to rub souls with someone lately? It takes effort, but it is worth the bother.