24 Apr, 2007
Car wash crooks
Kids phone in car-wash scam
From cell phone to cell phone, word rippled through town: Use this number for a free car wash.
Over several weeks, cars carrying high school and college kids lined up six or seven deep outside Severson's Food Plus convenience store in Austin, Minn., waiting for a touch-free/cash-free wash.
With the stolen maintenance code programmed in their phones or memories, they ripped off at least 1,000 washes, police and store officials said.
The stolen suds caper dried up after three weeks, thanks to an astute Severson's employee, former middle school teacher Tom Scrabeck.
On March 19, the car wash malfunctioned, so he stood near it, putting in customer's codes manually. The cars trickled through, many driven by nervous young people with no sales slips. When Scrabeck asked one of them, a teenaged girl, for her code, he said, "She hemmed and hawed and then looked in her cell phone and gave me her number."
Now the hunt's on for the culprits, said Austin Police Chief Paul Philipp.
Scrabeck had some advice for the scofflaws: "Get a job. And pay for your washes."
picture courtesy images.google.com & story startribune.com, 4/1/07
Leviticus 6:1-5 (NLT)
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Suppose one of you sins against your associate and is unfaithful to the Lord. Suppose you cheat in a deal involving a security deposit, or you steal or commit fraud, 3 or you find lost property and lie about it, or you lie while swearing to tell the truth, or you commit any other such sin. 4 If you have sinned in any of these ways, you are guilty. You must give back whatever you stole, or the money you took by extortion, or the security deposit, or the lost property you found, 5 or anything obtained by swearing falsely. You must make restitution by paying the full price plus an additional 20 percent to the person you have harmed. On the same day you must present a guilt offering.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about stealing?
This Old Testament passage was given to Moses and Israel thousands of years ago, but the truth still applies for us today. It points out that stealing involves more than just taking something from someone. Another form of stealing is finding something and not returning it or not returning something we have borrowed from someone. This is not only a sin against others, but a sin against God. If we have stolen anything, we must confess this sin to God, and ask the rightful owner for forgiveness, and return the stolen items with interest.
When I read the story about the kids sharing the code for the "free" car wash, I remembered similar stories of when I was a kid. There was an attitude of "finders - keepers - losers - weepers!" Or "hey, no big deal 'cause nobody got hurt!"
So what do we try to get away with? We may not be stealing suds, but do we need to clean up our attitude about somehow "ending up" with something that belongs to someone else? You know - they really won't care, or they didn't need it anymore, or they already have more than they need, or by now they've forgotten about it and it would be really look bad if...
STOP THIEF! We can't rationalize anymore...make it right with God and the person we stole from...plus a little extra! It's what the Bible says to do!
That little extra is 20%. That means the young car wash crooks would have to wash 1200 cars!
How can we connect today's God's Story scripture to our lives?
- Thank God that His Word is so clear and practical! Confess any sin of stealing to Him right now. Thank Him for His forgiveness and ask His Spirit to give you the courage to confess and make things right with those you have stolen from and if necessary - with the law. Ask Jesus to help you live every day with integrity.
- Ask God to help you remember, as you make a written list of anything you have stolen or borrowed and not returned (books, DVDs, clothes, tools, money....). Return what you have taken (with interest). It may cost you some time, money and embarrassment, but it will be worth it! You will be amazed at the freedom you will find!
How can we connect today's story, God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- If you need to return something you have stolen or kept from someone, be ready for them to question why you are being honest and making it right. This will be a great opportunity for you to talk about how Jesus has changed your life story.
- If you have a friend who confides in you about stealing something and they regret it, offer to help them apply today's DAILYBIDE. If they don't regret it, pray for them and look for the opportunity to offer your help.
- The next time you drive through a car wash, take along someone who needs Jesus. Use the "wash" time to talk about today's car wash story and/or to share how God has been teaching you to clean up your act about stealing.
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