I made a confession on Facebook a couple of weeks ago about my growing addiction to QuikTrip doughnuts. My openness helped me learn some valuable information about this “new-to-me” social networking website. You can add posts about matters of faith, politics, and culture with minimal to no commentary at all from your friends in Facebook-land. But, make a comment about doughnuts and QT and an avalanche of comments will soon follow! I just did not yet properly understand the hierarchy of priorities on Facebook. Now I know!

We had QuikTrips in the Dallas area where I lived for the last twelve years, but I didn’t learn until coming to Broken Arrow that it is a Tulsa-based company. So I did some online research and found a lot of interesting information: QT stores have up to 24 gasoline pumps; there are 520 stores in 10 large metropolitan markets; the 500th store opened in Broken Arrow in May of ‘08; QT has its own line of foods from QT Kitchens. But the most fascinating fact involved why there are no QTs in Oklahoma City. There is a “gentlemen’s agreement” between QT CEO Chester Cadieux and the owner of the 7-Eleven stores in Oklahoma City not to compete in each other’s markets. So, there are no QTs in OKC and no 7-Elevens in Tulsa. Apparently, there is no contractual or legal obligation not to compete, just a “handshake” and taking the word of a business competitor at face value! What a refreshing revelation in this dog-eat-dog, competitive culture that looks for loopholes and buries surprises in the small print of contracts.

God wants us to speak and act with that kind of integrity, so that our word is our bond. We serve the God of truth (Isaiah 65:16), whose very nature prevents Him from speaking a lie (Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2). We follow and are clothed with Him who is the Truth (John 14:6). We are personally indwelled by the Spirit of Truth (John 14:16-17). Falsehood was a part of the old self of sin. “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its practices,” (Colossians 3:9). Mr. Cadieux and his competitor reminded me that Jesus taught us to let our “yes” be “yes” and let our “no” mean “no.”

(Tim’s BA bulletin article, 5-3-09)