Good customer service can make all the difference. I have just got off the phone from someone in a company where they had sent me something that was not quite correct. The young lady with whom I spoke was courteous, sympathetic, knew what she was talking about and offered to find out what was happening. I have used that company before and had dealings with the customer service team on that occasion too, and while there had been a mistake the way it was rectified made all the difference and gave me confidence in going back to them.

I had a meeting earlier this week with someone from our local Council where the ‘can do’ attitude of the person I was meeting was also really encouraging and gave me confidence about working together. Rather than looking for potential difficulties (and I think we would have been hard pressed to find any if I am honest) the approach was ‘we can do this together’. I have worked with a team from the Council before and I know that they will deliver what they say they can and that their desire is to serve the community too.

Both of these encounters have led me to reflect again on how people encounter churches. I did a similar thing about a year ago (you can see that bloggage here – it is called ‘service’ hence this is ‘service returns’) and I feel the need to ponder further. I have mentioned an ‘attitude of gratitude’ that I think God’s Spirit can create within us. I like it as a phrase because it trips off the tongue and rhymes. But I also like it as a concept because it is a positive outlook on life – what can we be grateful for today?

Today I want to push that a bit further though. If God’s Spirit is cultivating an attitude of gratitude, what about if we anticipated that there will be things for which we are grateful? What if we became more ‘can do’ people because we know that God is with us and if he wants it he can make it happen? What if we valued every encounter we have with people as a possible source of us blessing them and being blessed by them?

If you look at Jesus in the gospels he seems to relish being with people. Even unexpected interruptions are welcomed. He even accepts invitations to dinner with people who were criticising him.

So who will you bless today, and how might they be a blessing to you?