Shalom Tour

Brand Loyalty

By Boaz Michael  | Comments (7) | Posted on January 10, 2007

Brand loyalty can get you in trouble. When your bias for a particular brand inhibits you from looking at other options “they” have got you. “They” are the hidden marketing gurus hired by companies to create a subliminal sense of loyalty which gets us trapped into buying only their product.

I was recently reminded of this phenomenon. For several years I have run in a particular brand of shoe. Five weeks ago something strange happened to my hip while I was running. Suddenly and without event I had a sharp pain in the joint area of my left hip. I tried several things over the following weeks to heal it up but nothing seemed to work. My running essentially stopped. Frustrated I googled; “running hip pain” which brought me to several sites that gave me some ideas on how to begin to heal my injury. All sites suggested trying new shoes.

So I ventured out to the local running shoe (www.trackshack.com) store here in Orlando where we are currently parked. I made the decision to try a new brand of shoe. It was not an easy choice. The new model of the same old shoe felt so nice. I was reluctant to change, but in the end I did, and I have to tell you, it was the right choice. Stretching, rest, changing running speeds, etc. did not help. The only thing that helped me heal up and get back on the road was changing my brand of shoe.

Being on the road, meeting with leaders representing the various groups in the Messianic movement at times is very frustrating. Some leaders simply refuse to look at the other “brands” to see what they have to offer. They do not see all of the area’s in which there are similarities to their current brand. They fail to appreciate the role and function of the other groups in the larger picture.

Technology in shoes is always evolving. The shoe company that I was formally buying from has not changed with the times. They have not altered their product to reflect advancements in shoe technology, nor have they made modifications to meet the evolving needs of their customers. Thus runners like me with fierce brand loyalty can experience pain.

Theology is the same. We have new information that we did not have years ago. Things have evolved; new filters of truth and understanding are now in place, which enable us to see things differently. We need to consider these new “brands.”

After changing brands and getting back on the road the nagging hip pain was now gone and replaced by a nagging cramp and hurting lungs. Having enjoyed a couple of weeks off, my body fatigued faster. The same is true for us when we look at other perspectives and consider others points of view. It is painful. It requires us to have to catch-up or run a bit harder to find the answers.

I have been blessed by changing shoe brands. I hope that in matters of faith a greater level of respect and understanding resulting in peace and in some degree of unity can be demonstrated by all of us by looking at the good in the other “brands” and if necessary making the switch.

“For if you love those who love you [brand loyalty], what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers [brand loyalty], what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Matthew 5:46–47)

Recently my efforts on the road have been rebuffed, some leaders have simply denied my invitation to fellowship over a cup of coffee. This has been disappointing. I have not approached them to consider switching brands—my intention has been made clear that I simply am interested in establishing relationship in order to have a greater understanding and respect for each other’s strengths while acknowledging and recognizing our differences. I know that any effort on our part to build relationship tends to break down walls of resistance that are or have been built through misunderstanding.

Going back to my running analogy, a recent article in Runners World Magazine (Feb 07, pg. 59, “Running Dialogue”) the author shares about a chance meeting with a friend from the service in the United States Army Band at a road race in Tampa. As the started the race they found themselves at the back of the pack, conversing and enjoying each other’s company. The author states,

“I had no idea that I’d learn more about Don during thise 3.1 miles that I had in the five years we spend performing together.”

A couple of hours after the race the author reflects,

“I realized that the conversation Don and I had on the road that day would never have taken place at a dinner party or over a beer. That’s because, of all the gifts running has brought me—and there have been way too many to list—the greatest ability by far is the ability to connect with people on a profoundly personal level. There is something magic in the movement of our feet and rhythm of our breathing that breaks down the walls we normally hide behind.”

This is a very true statement and should we should not be too far removed from this as believers running in the face of faith. We need to connect with one another on a “profoundly personal level” and then, from my experience, we will be able to break down some of those walls that we have established that create a perception of difference when there really is not. The article ends,

“Don and I were once musicians and colleagues, as well as friends. Then 30 years of life intervened, taking us different directions. But it only took about 30 minutes of running to get us back on track.”

Please pray that Messianic leaders and various pastors give me 30 minutes, I think that it will get us on track.

-------

Please continue to pray for our time on the road. We have been resting for the past couple of weeks as I take care of some administrative needs and responsibilities. Next week I am in Colorado for the week with some of FFOZ staff planning and recording. The following week my son Jeremiah and I go to Trinidad / Tapago for a 3 day symposium on Torah with local pastors and seminarians hosted by a budding Torah community. In February the “peace train” starts to roll again and we will have a heavy schedule throughout Florida and the South East ending up in Atlanta around April 15th.

About the Author: Boaz Michael is the president and founder of First Fruits of Zion.

Search in blogs...

Feeds

Use RSS feeds to track this section in your favorite reader.

FFOZ Blogs RSS Feed

Browse Entries

• « Our Relationships With God
• Blogs...
• » אשרי is the man who can read Hebrew

Select a Blog

• Events and Administration
• Founder’s Blog
• Guest Contributors
• Publications
• Shalom Tour
• Teaching Team
• The Siddur Project
• Site Info Blog

Most Recent Entries

• A Dead Sea Stone: In Three Days You Shall Live
• Our 4th of July Bang!
• America Believes in God
• Shabbat and Fireworks
• Plum Tuckered Out!
• Blind Ambition
• A Shot in the Dark: A Bulgarian Translator
• Obama and Dobson Talk Some Torah
• I Cried Today
• The World's Oldest Church?
• It's Summer...Now What?
• Help Wanted: Artist
• Forum people have faces!
• Shabbat Shalom is Coming!
• New Testament Burning In Israel

Select a Previous Month