A Very Expensive Lunch

Dear Crosswalkers,

New Year Greetings in the name of the Lord!

Here’s an interesting story about a lunch date that happened back in 2008.  As far as I know, this was one of the most expensive lunches in the world.  Guy Spier, CEO of Aquamarine Capital Management, took Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world, to lunch.  The lunch cost Spier and a friend $650,100.

The luncheon came about through a charity auction on eBay.  Each year, investment guru Warren Buffett offers to go to lunch with the highest bidder and seven companions,  and promises to discuss virtually any question—except what he’s buying and selling (darn!).  Buffett then donates the money to charity (Praise God).  Spier and another money manager won the auction with a bid of $650,100.  Yikes!  That is one costly lunch!  And yet Guy Spier says it was worth it!  According to a report in Time magazine, here’s what Spier said they talked about:

Buffett has always made a point of doing business with integrity—and of working only with people who share his values. As we learned at lunch, he credits his father with teaching him at an early age to rely on his own sense of what’s right, rather than look for affirmation from others. “It’s very important to live your life by an internal yardstick,” he told us, noting that one way to gauge whether or not you do so is to ask the question, Would you rather be considered the best lover in the world and know privately that you’re the worst—or would you prefer to know privately that you’re the best lover in the world, but be considered the worst?

It’s interesting that at one of the most expensive lunches I’ve ever heard of, the discussion centered on values!  When given the chance to talk about anything with a famously wealthy man, the discussion turned to values, that which matters most.  This Sunday we are beginning a new sermon series called CORE VALUES for a Life that Really Matters.  In this series we will examine the 8 Core Values that have been taught in over 50 countries to 40,000 Christian Leaders through the International Leadership Institute.   I have personally taught these values on mission trips to Nepal, India, Burundi, and Paraguay, as well as in stateside venues.  Last month I taught them in a prison in Paraguay!  These values are not just for leaders, but they are values for everyone who wants to life a life pleasing to God, a life that really matters!

This would be an excellent series to invite your family and friends to attend, because everyone lives their lives by an internal yardstick, as Buffet says.  We crave for a set of values to guide us through good times and bad.  You don’t have to take me to lunch for this advice:  I strongly recommend the values God teaches us in the Bible!  I HOPE TO SEE YOU SUNDAY AS WE KICK OFF THIS SERIES!

On another note, special thanks to all who contributed to Pastor Jerry and Kimberly’s send off!  They have arrived in Indiana and looking forward to their first Sunday!  In a note we received yesterday, Jerry writes:  “Thank you for caring for our souls and breathing into us from our first Sunday until our last Sunday!  All we can do is praise our Heavenly Father for such a wonderful gift we have in Crosswalk and each of you.”

See you Sunday!

Pastor John