Branding reliability

By: Kathy Elliott 

"Sorry, Sir. Your flight is overbooked by 18 people. Please stand by for the next available flight."

My son and his family recently heard these words on their trip east for vacation. When we buy airline tickets, we expect to board the flight as scheduled.   When we buy a particular brand, we anticipate the quality of service or product that the reputation indicates. Reliability is delivering with quality and timeliness what was promised.

Branding is one way of seeking reliability-finding the consistent, dependable, deliver-what -it-says -it- will- deliver brand. The NY Yankees have consistently high performance teams and entertainment. Apple produces innovative and effective electronic devices with ease of use. Wegmans offers a classy grocery shopping experience that has become a tourist attraction in Rochester.

Individuals, like companies, develop a branding, a standing among peers as reliable or not. Billy Graham has lived and preached in a manner that validates his faithfulness. Your own mechanic may excel in service and skill that recommend him, and your BFF may be your best friend because you know he can be counted on.

The reputation of products is determined by the quality and workmanship of the materials that comprise them. Likewise our personal substance determines the extent to which we are reliable. The principles that govern our life direct our steps, and when those are filled with God-in-us wisdom and a purpose to make a difference, we tend to live more fully and consistently motivated by love.

When I was a child my father used to quote "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." (Proverbs 22:1) He knew a reputation was more valuable than earthly riches.

Emotions, Logic, and Reliability

By: Kelly Hammel, LMSW

It's a common saying that "Facts don't lie." Sometimes, though I wonder if interpretation of facts is quite that clear cut. Interpretation usually is influenced by feelings and emotions. How reliable are emotions? When it comes to decision making, some of us tend to lean on our emotions while some of us want our judgement to be based solely on reason and logic. What is the right role for the influence of emotions on our brains?

Research in the past 10 years has shed a great deal of light on our brain and how it is affected by trauma. We now can see through functional MRI's that our brain's responsiveness to the world around us is actually changed by trauma, drug abuse, physical abuse and even extreme emotional abuse, especially early in life.

Due to the brokenness of our world and the effect it's had on our minds, many of us struggle with difficult emotions and difficulty making decisions.

Emotions are very powerful and can often cloud the process of decision making. On the other hand, those who may rely entirely on logic and judgement can also find themselves detached from key elements of decision making and often "stuck" searching for the perfect choice.

The truth is that we should not rely entirely on either our emotional responses or our cognitive processes. God gave us extremely complex minds and due to sin our minds have not been "perfect" since The Fall. Research now shows that our life experiences are so powerful that they are capable of changing our brain chemistry. However, we have an all loving and graceful God that is waiting for us to turn to Him for clarity of thought, peace of mind and direction. God also gave us the Bible, the Holy Spirit, trusted friends, prayer, tradition, as well as emotion and the ability to reason.

If all of these God given tools are carefully employed together, Godly decisions can be made. So, as we grow in faith we should strive to function using a balance of healthy emotion AND reason, along with the other tools God has made available to us. It may seem easier and sometimes natural to just rely on one tool entirely, but Truth is often found when we slow down and make sure all of our God given resources are in agreement with each other!