Reno, Nevada - Eyes in the Sky

After the wonderful weekend that was the 2010 Edition of The Grapevine Project Fall Conference (http://www.thegrapevineproject.org), I hopped on a plane and headed to Reno, Nevada. Yes, the irony of following up a weekend at a retreat campground with a 5-night stay in a casino/resort is not lost on me. And to be perfectly candid, I think I really like Reno.

From a business standpoint, the setup is quite comfortable. The airport is less than two miles from the hotel. The hotel runs a complimentary airport shuttle every thirty minutes throughout the day. The office is right across the street from the hotel. Walking time from my room to the office: Seven minutes, and two minutes were spent waiting for an elevator on the 17th floor. There are nine different eateries in the hotel, including the obligatory buffet. And if I want some down-to-earth food, there is a grocery store and two cafés next to the office.

The view from my recently updated 17th Floor room was spectacular, as I could look across the valley and up into the mountains. Thanks to natural jetlag I was able to take in every sunrise effortlessly and gleefully. During the walk across the street I can't help but marvel at the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains that surround this community on all sides. Although I am in the middle of the city, I somehow feel close to nature. This refreshes me as the mountains all point to the Creator and remind me of his love which surrounds me. And without the stress of a rental car I am truly in no hurry as I walk at my own pace.

After work I return to the room, leave my bag and my tie and head down to one of the restaurants. Monday I did the buffet. Tuesday I enjoyed half-price appetizers at the bistro, specifically a shrimp and scallop ceviche with mango, and mini mahi-mahi tacos. Wednesday was a Cobb Salad at the deli. Thursday was a BBQ Chicken Salad and a cup of Potato Soup at Claim Jumper with two colleagues from the office. (Incidentally, the Claim Jumper is the only place in Reno I've been outside the airport/hotel/office in three trips here.)

On a couple of evenings as I wander back from dinner I pick up a 20-ounce cup of illy coffee with cream and sweetener to enjoy a little but save for breakfast the next morning. And as I walk back to the elevators I observe the people who are there. But it's not the gamblers I watch; it's the dealers.

As a mathematician (who squeaked through Probability and Statistics with a C) I know enough to stay away from the tables. While my training could be put to "good use" I prefer to watch the comings and goings. Blackjack tables bring back fond memories of playing for chips with my cousins late on a Friday night (I didn't want money to get between us). The Poker room looks much like it does on ESPN, with players who look like they are dressed for anything but success. But it is always the Roulette table that grabs my attention.

Roulette is a simple game. You get a stack of colored chips, and you plunk them down on different spots on the board. A wheel spins, a marble drops and a number is called. Whatever chips are touching that number get paid out; all other bets are swept off the table. I have seen people walk up to the table, put down $100 and lose their entire stack in under 5 minutes. But I have also watched people put down $20 and work that small stack into $200 in a matter of 20 minutes. (That kid kept playing and left with only $80 of his winnings.)

Like I said earlier, it is the dealer that fascinates me most. When given a $20 she puts the money on a stand in front of her, counts the player's color chips and slides the stack to the player. Then she takes the currency to a slot on the table and pushes it through with an acrylic handle into a box under the table.

This magic stand is also the scene of another interesting transaction. As players win, they give the dealer tips on occasion. In order to accept the tip the dealer puts the player's color chips on that stand, counts out an equal number of "house" chips and places them next to the color chips on the stand. She then claps her hands over the chips and turns her hands up and down as if to direct her palms toward the chips and toward the sky. These hand motions are automatic; there is no hesitation in executing them. It is just a part of what she does.

I thought about that for a while: What's up with all that? And then I realized (thanks to movies like "Ocean's Eleven") that there are cameras all across the ceiling trained on those tables. The dealer is showing her empty hands to the camera as a way of being held accountable for her actions. Between the pit bosses roaming the floor and the "eyes in the sky" she is sufficiently motivated to maintain her professional integrity in the interest of keeping her job.

That got me wondering. Between God's "eyes in the sky" and my fellow brothers and sisters here on Earth, what about my integrity? God is just as real as the electronic surveillance in the casino, if not more so. If I truly believe that, then shouldn't my actions align with that reality? And if we as brothers and sisters would commit ourselves to owning up to our responsibility as mutual "pit bosses", perhaps personal integrity wouldn't be so much of a challenge. And if such accountability and practicing the presence of God were a habitual part of our daily living, then maybe - just maybe - we could begin to taste that freedom and abundant living that Jesus came to give us.

Yep, I definitely like Reno.