A few months ago we opened our doors to an extended family member to live in our guest bedroom until she was able to get back on her feet financially.
I was happy to do this, and seeing that this person belongs on my husband's side of the family, I thought I would also get some kuddos points seeing that they aren't that fond of me in the first place.
So in moves our house guest. Room and board free.
A week into her stay and things are going well. Well. I thought. You see, at the time, my husband and I decided to not have cable in our household. True. We had three tv sets. But none were hooked up.
You see, we thought that if we had enough time to watch TV that we had enough time to go for a walk, or clean the backyard, or something more productive than, well, tv.
But. This theory didn't sit well with our guest. And before I knew it, a DirecTV van was parked outside my house and holes were being drilled into my walls for cable lines.
Ugh.
I knew what this meant!
My obsession with tv was going to rear its ugly face and my good theory of no tv was going to fly right out those drilled holes.
And, I was right!
Who was I kidding?! I lOvE TV. If I wasn't already married, I might consider marrying it.
And not only did we get cable. But we also got DVR, which made me even more obsessed since I could record and watch later.
Oh, this is bad!
The last few weeks I have been trying out some new shows because the ones I have been watching have come to an end. Some of the ones I am trying out are Chopped All-Stars on FoodNetwork, Army Wives on LifeTime, and Wipeout on ABC. Wipeout is hilarious. It is a "game" show and actually I just signed-up my husband for the next wave of casting calls in the next few weeks (hey, the way I see it, if he wins the $50,000 prize, I can lay off his back a little about the job hunt).
Anyway, after Army Wives last night was a new show called, Coming Home. It's a reality show that captures the arrival of deployed military personnel returning back safely to their loved ones.
And I came a part.
This is such a touching show and really puts the heart of all military families in the spot light.
I think I even caught my husband with a tear on his cheek by the end.
Praise God for our military troops, and praise God especially for their families back here at home.
And I truly mean that. If you know of a military family, please find it in your heart to reach out to them and let them know that you care.
If only this show was able to bring all the troops back home and broadcast those reunions.
Now, then, I would truly fall a part.
Monday, March 14, 2011
When The Ground Shakes
Well, it happened again. Another terrible earthquake has hit our planet and thousands of people are displaced, dying, or already dead.
I was reading reports that the initial 8.5 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan last weekend shook the ground for five whole minutes. FIVE MINUTES!?
Living in Southern California I have had the not so pleasant experience of earthquakes. But one thing is for sure. The ones I have experienced never lasted more than a few seconds. I could only imagine the terror of five minutes.
I am reminded once again of Psalm 46 that I spoke about in a previous blog. In Psalm 46 it says that earthquakes will shake our lands to the point of regions being separated, but nothing is more powerful than God's power. And when faced with disasters we are to remain calm and know that God is God and he still is the Almighty King.
We adults think we have it all figured out when it comes to emergencies. I mean, we got our supply of back-up water, we have cans and cans of spam just waiting to be opened, we know that we should recite Psalm 46 in times of ciaos, we always are aware of our emergency exits.
But, what I was reminded of yesterday at work, is that children, teenagers even, don't have it all figured out yet. They see the pictures on the news, and they hear the emergency sirens on the radio, and they are scared. Yesterday during worship I held a boy as tightly as I could, rubbing his back, reassuring him that he was going to be okay, because he was terrified of an earthquake happening right then and there.
I don't have any children of my own, but for my sake, please talk to your children, no matter their ages, about emergencies. There are emergency drills at schools that take place, but those drills always end with children returning to their classrooms. What if there were no classrooms to return to? What should kids do then? Remain at school until a parent comes to pick them up? What if your kids aren't even at school? I encourage you to help answer your childrens' what ifs.
My heart goes out to the people of Japan and the aid workers that are rushing over there to help with the recovery. May God bless your broken lands and repair your broken hearts.
I was reading reports that the initial 8.5 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan last weekend shook the ground for five whole minutes. FIVE MINUTES!?
Living in Southern California I have had the not so pleasant experience of earthquakes. But one thing is for sure. The ones I have experienced never lasted more than a few seconds. I could only imagine the terror of five minutes.
I am reminded once again of Psalm 46 that I spoke about in a previous blog. In Psalm 46 it says that earthquakes will shake our lands to the point of regions being separated, but nothing is more powerful than God's power. And when faced with disasters we are to remain calm and know that God is God and he still is the Almighty King.
We adults think we have it all figured out when it comes to emergencies. I mean, we got our supply of back-up water, we have cans and cans of spam just waiting to be opened, we know that we should recite Psalm 46 in times of ciaos, we always are aware of our emergency exits.
But, what I was reminded of yesterday at work, is that children, teenagers even, don't have it all figured out yet. They see the pictures on the news, and they hear the emergency sirens on the radio, and they are scared. Yesterday during worship I held a boy as tightly as I could, rubbing his back, reassuring him that he was going to be okay, because he was terrified of an earthquake happening right then and there.
I don't have any children of my own, but for my sake, please talk to your children, no matter their ages, about emergencies. There are emergency drills at schools that take place, but those drills always end with children returning to their classrooms. What if there were no classrooms to return to? What should kids do then? Remain at school until a parent comes to pick them up? What if your kids aren't even at school? I encourage you to help answer your childrens' what ifs.
My heart goes out to the people of Japan and the aid workers that are rushing over there to help with the recovery. May God bless your broken lands and repair your broken hearts.
Unexpected Resolution
Having lost his job at the early part of last week, my husband and I unintentionally went into the Lenten season with unemployment as our "sacrifice" for Christ. Usually I just give up soda.
Huh.
So, Amy, what do you decide to give up for Lent?
Half our income.
(What a GREAT Christian I am! Really taking this "giving-up" stuff to heart!)
Now, I'm not too great at making New Year's resolutions, but I did make one this year that I have kept, and here it is almost April. Every day, when I arrive work, the first thing I do is read a short daily devotional from Our Daily Bread, a freebie pamphlet that the church gives out.
The daily devotionals are not always thought provoking, I admit. But for the last week, the chosen daily scriptures have really spoken to me and have kept my mind and heart on Christ not only during this time of Lent, but also on this time of unemployment.
Here's an example, last Thursday's post, Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God (Isaiah 41:10).
January 1, 2011 I had no clue that making such a resolution as I did would aide me down the line like it has. Nor did I fully understand the importance of reading scripture daily.
Isn't it amazing of God's amazing grace?
Huh.
So, Amy, what do you decide to give up for Lent?
Half our income.
(What a GREAT Christian I am! Really taking this "giving-up" stuff to heart!)
Now, I'm not too great at making New Year's resolutions, but I did make one this year that I have kept, and here it is almost April. Every day, when I arrive work, the first thing I do is read a short daily devotional from Our Daily Bread, a freebie pamphlet that the church gives out.
The daily devotionals are not always thought provoking, I admit. But for the last week, the chosen daily scriptures have really spoken to me and have kept my mind and heart on Christ not only during this time of Lent, but also on this time of unemployment.
Here's an example, last Thursday's post, Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God (Isaiah 41:10).
January 1, 2011 I had no clue that making such a resolution as I did would aide me down the line like it has. Nor did I fully understand the importance of reading scripture daily.
Isn't it amazing of God's amazing grace?
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Shoes on the Pavement
Well, here it is. Day four of my husband being out of work. We both have been super busy the past week in dealing with unemployment paperwork, looking for new work, and exploring our options.
It seems as if my husband really wants to go and finish his degree. Which is great! But we have to figure out now how we are going to afford that.
One option is of course student loans. But I already have student loans out for my schooling, and if we tack his on to mine, we will probably have our last loan payment when we are in our eighties!
Another option of course is him joining the military. There are great benefits right now for completing your degree with the GI Bill and such. So, is the military in our future?
He did go and speak to a navy recruiter the other day. I guess he tested so high on the application test that the recruiter was pushing him into joining as a nuclear power engineer.
Wow.
Nuclear power? Those dudes are crazy! They enter the military for basic training, then go to a three-year program to learn about nuclear power and then serve three to five more years on a nuclear submarine.
A submarine?
I don't think I am ready for that type of life! But, the recruiter was doing his job well, because my husband came home all ready to be one. So, I took a big gulp. And told him that we will read through the material together that the recruiter sent home.
And thank goodness! He decided that nuclear power wasn't for him. Whew!
So now we are looking into other military options. One of course is to join as a reservist. In the reserves you go and complete your basic training and then also go to military schooling to complete the training for your individual job. After graduating from "A" school you then return home and maintain a schedule of attending on a near by base a weekend a month, every month, and two full weeks once a year. Possibilities for deployment and extended stays are also in the cards, but you have the option to pick and choose those as they come.
This might be the better option for us, and at the perfect timing too. Since my husband is out of a job, he could easily be shipped off to boot camp and "A" school for up to eight months, and then return home and start looking for work once again (and hopefully by that time the job market will be so much better!).
But only time will tell what comes of this.
Of course first he has to lose some weight and take a physical exam to see if he is healthy enough for service.
In my daily devotion this morning it read, "We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance." (Romans 5:3)
How true that is!
It seems as if my husband really wants to go and finish his degree. Which is great! But we have to figure out now how we are going to afford that.
One option is of course student loans. But I already have student loans out for my schooling, and if we tack his on to mine, we will probably have our last loan payment when we are in our eighties!
Another option of course is him joining the military. There are great benefits right now for completing your degree with the GI Bill and such. So, is the military in our future?
He did go and speak to a navy recruiter the other day. I guess he tested so high on the application test that the recruiter was pushing him into joining as a nuclear power engineer.
Wow.
Nuclear power? Those dudes are crazy! They enter the military for basic training, then go to a three-year program to learn about nuclear power and then serve three to five more years on a nuclear submarine.
A submarine?
I don't think I am ready for that type of life! But, the recruiter was doing his job well, because my husband came home all ready to be one. So, I took a big gulp. And told him that we will read through the material together that the recruiter sent home.
And thank goodness! He decided that nuclear power wasn't for him. Whew!
So now we are looking into other military options. One of course is to join as a reservist. In the reserves you go and complete your basic training and then also go to military schooling to complete the training for your individual job. After graduating from "A" school you then return home and maintain a schedule of attending on a near by base a weekend a month, every month, and two full weeks once a year. Possibilities for deployment and extended stays are also in the cards, but you have the option to pick and choose those as they come.
This might be the better option for us, and at the perfect timing too. Since my husband is out of a job, he could easily be shipped off to boot camp and "A" school for up to eight months, and then return home and start looking for work once again (and hopefully by that time the job market will be so much better!).
But only time will tell what comes of this.
Of course first he has to lose some weight and take a physical exam to see if he is healthy enough for service.
In my daily devotion this morning it read, "We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance." (Romans 5:3)
How true that is!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Refuel Ahead
The last four days have been the weirdest four days of my life. Ok. Exaggeration. The weirdest four days of my married life.
Saturday I took my honey to the pinnacles which is close to our hometown. We brought along our two dogs and a bunch of water (this is the desert!). We finally got out there and hiked up and down all the pinnacles, walked around the caves, saw all the lizards, and started home.
It was wonderful weather, and really a great experience all around. Our marriage "love" tanks were both on full after that day as we sailed into Sunday where my husband actually did some home improvements without me even asking! (My love tank was now OVER full.)
Then Monday morning hit.
Where we learned that my husband's position was being terminated after four years of working for the same company, effective, immediately.
...
...
Ya. I didn't believe it was happening at first either.
And learning that he got fired for something so stupid, something that should have been just written-up in his permanent record and forgotten about, made it just that much more worse.
I really wanted my mean face to come out and lash out against my husband. How could he put his job in such jeopardy like that? How could he have acted so unprofessionally? We have a mortgage to pay!
I wanted to slam doors in his face, over-salt his dinner, and stain his favorite shirt.
But the truth of the matter is. That would be toxic of me. Harmful. Terrible! I mean, the poor dude was already beat up enough and for me to add fuel to the fire would have put him over the edge.
So, only by God's amazing grace, I was reminded of God's promise to always provide and I put my worries and concerns and fears and tears all on God's shoulders. I had God take all of the anxiety away from me.
And then I was able to focus on recovery. Yes, this horrible thing has happened to us. Yes, it shouldn't have happened. Yes, God is always in control.
This is the first hour of the rest of our lives.
So, we celebrated.
I cooked us a great dinner, we clinked our wine glasses to the road ahead, and sealed it with a kiss.
And you know, that was a lot better reaction than the alternative.
God knew what he was doing when he created those two perfect days before this storm hit. My husband and I are so lucky to have had our "love" tanks full for each other before the unexpected happened to us.
I am pretty sure that if our tanks weren't full when Monday came around, that I wouldn't have thought twice about causing my husband harm. I would want nothing more than to hurt him because he unintentionally hurt me.
It's pretty funny how God works, huh?
We didn't see unemployment in our future. But you know. God did. God knew this was coming and he didn't let us down. He prepared us for it.
And now we are onto a new chapter in our lives with God by our sides. I know God will provide my husband with a career that he is excited to go to everyday unlike his old one.
Honestly, this was the push he truly needed.
I am excited for the road ahead! And I am grateful that our tanks are still full.
Saturday I took my honey to the pinnacles which is close to our hometown. We brought along our two dogs and a bunch of water (this is the desert!). We finally got out there and hiked up and down all the pinnacles, walked around the caves, saw all the lizards, and started home.
It was wonderful weather, and really a great experience all around. Our marriage "love" tanks were both on full after that day as we sailed into Sunday where my husband actually did some home improvements without me even asking! (My love tank was now OVER full.)
Then Monday morning hit.
Where we learned that my husband's position was being terminated after four years of working for the same company, effective, immediately.
...
...
Ya. I didn't believe it was happening at first either.
And learning that he got fired for something so stupid, something that should have been just written-up in his permanent record and forgotten about, made it just that much more worse.
I really wanted my mean face to come out and lash out against my husband. How could he put his job in such jeopardy like that? How could he have acted so unprofessionally? We have a mortgage to pay!
I wanted to slam doors in his face, over-salt his dinner, and stain his favorite shirt.
But the truth of the matter is. That would be toxic of me. Harmful. Terrible! I mean, the poor dude was already beat up enough and for me to add fuel to the fire would have put him over the edge.
So, only by God's amazing grace, I was reminded of God's promise to always provide and I put my worries and concerns and fears and tears all on God's shoulders. I had God take all of the anxiety away from me.
And then I was able to focus on recovery. Yes, this horrible thing has happened to us. Yes, it shouldn't have happened. Yes, God is always in control.
This is the first hour of the rest of our lives.
So, we celebrated.
I cooked us a great dinner, we clinked our wine glasses to the road ahead, and sealed it with a kiss.
And you know, that was a lot better reaction than the alternative.
God knew what he was doing when he created those two perfect days before this storm hit. My husband and I are so lucky to have had our "love" tanks full for each other before the unexpected happened to us.
I am pretty sure that if our tanks weren't full when Monday came around, that I wouldn't have thought twice about causing my husband harm. I would want nothing more than to hurt him because he unintentionally hurt me.
It's pretty funny how God works, huh?
We didn't see unemployment in our future. But you know. God did. God knew this was coming and he didn't let us down. He prepared us for it.
And now we are onto a new chapter in our lives with God by our sides. I know God will provide my husband with a career that he is excited to go to everyday unlike his old one.
Honestly, this was the push he truly needed.
I am excited for the road ahead! And I am grateful that our tanks are still full.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
5 Pieces of Fruit
A fellow church member gave me a book that was written by a Bishop within the United Methodist Conference entitled, 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations. I was intrigued because Bishops usually have really interesting ideas for UM growth.
The book focuses on the new UM philosophy of "opened hearts, opened minds, opened doors."
This slogan is to mean that the people of the United Methodist Church are opened to all peoples, all races, both genders, and more specially, all sexual preferences.
My take on this? Well. I am all for it! Of course a church should be a welcoming place where EVERYONE feels welcomed and at home.
The debate over homosexuality and the like, in my opinion, does not belong in church.
Now, before you stone me, let me explain...
I learned from the very start of my faith walk that a sin, is a sin, is a sin, is a, you guessed it, sin.
No one sin is worse than another to God.
John Wesley, the founder of the United Methodist movement, came out and said that he believes that a sin is anything that does not directly affect God and His kingdom. So, if you are reading a textbook for a class (ok, maybe if your a religion scholar you get a pass) - you are sinning. If you are shopping for yourself and not for the needy, you are sinning. If you sing secular songs, you are sinning!
So, by that standard, I sin ALL the time! Needless to count all the times I think I am actually sinning.
So for people to come out and say that homosexuals have no place in the church, then I say to them, then neither do you!
I can't stand those "Christians" who think that they can pick and choose areas of the Bible to follow. You know, Jesus openly condemned divorce, and yet, people who have gotten divorced, and, gasp, even remarried, are openly welcomed to worship.
Ugh! This frustrates me.
But I digress...back to the book...
The five practices that every congregation should, well, practice to welcome new people into their congregations are (1) show radical hospitality (2) Offer passionate worship (3) Provide intentional faith development (4) Host risk taking mission and service and (5) Be extravagant givers.
What a list, huh?
Ok, first fruit, let's call it the apple.
The apple of any eye is radical hospitality. Hospitality meaning of course to serve others. Radical meaning of course to go all out when serving others. In the book this refers to showing radical hospitality to first-time/new worshippers. How do you make them feel especially welcomed? Good question.
Second fruit.
Offering passionate worship for any church should be a top priority. Worship hour should be like a roller coaster of emotions. You get on the roller coaster ride kind of tired because you have been standing in line for hours, then you get excited because the release bell rings, the ride starts off really fast, then goes through a tunnel, down a curve, up to the highest drop, and then down the shoot, back to the loading zone. Worship should be an experience, something you want to always come back and do. And offering passionate worship will achieve just that.
Third fruit.
A church that has intentional faith development is a healthy church. Understanding that church is suppose to act more like a community instead of a place to go once a week is key. By offering lots Bible studies, faith groups, small groups, play groups, date groups, whatever groups, ensures that your congregation will develop strong relationships outside of Sunday worship and will grow deeper in faith through this process. The most important thing to remember about a healthy church is that is offers relationships, not just programs. And I would argue that relationships cannot be built just on quietly sitting in a pew for an hour a week.
Fourth fruit.
Risk taking mission and service. Well. This stumped me at first. What is this? Going to Iraq to smuggle Bibles to the natives? Is that risky enough? Thankfully, I learned that it isn't just that. Risk taking mission and service in this regard means putting all your faith in Christ Jesus to achieve a goal. For instance, say a church wishes to help build a local Habitat for Humanity house. It costs $80,000 to build a house. They set a goal to raise $3,000. Well, according to this fruit. $3,000 isn't enough. That's a safe number. At my church at RUMC we could easily raise that in just one Sunday if we really tried. So, if we are a risk taking church in mission, then we will set our goal to $80,000 and trust in the Lord that he will supply. (And, actually, this worked! My church set a "God sized" goal to fully fund a Habitat house and only by God's amazing grace did we accomplish it, and ahead of schedule!)
Fifth and final fruit.
Extravagant Generosity. Similar to the fourth fruit, but only if you achieve your fundraising goals! You see, RUMC extravagantly gave to Habitat by donating the funds to build one whole house. Giving one piece of pie is nothing compared to giving the whole pie.
I was pleased by reading this book. Because I knew that yes, indeed, these are the practices that healthy churches need to be doing in order to grow and raise awareness for God's kingdom.
And I can confidently say that my church is currently practicing all five of these fruits. Maybe we could do more, but that's a good thing! More is always a good goal to have.
But, after I closed the book and was proud at my church for our accomplishments, I thought...sure my church is doing this, but am I practicing these in my personal life?
No, I'm not.
But, this wake up call has helped me to start!
The book focuses on the new UM philosophy of "opened hearts, opened minds, opened doors."
This slogan is to mean that the people of the United Methodist Church are opened to all peoples, all races, both genders, and more specially, all sexual preferences.
My take on this? Well. I am all for it! Of course a church should be a welcoming place where EVERYONE feels welcomed and at home.
The debate over homosexuality and the like, in my opinion, does not belong in church.
Now, before you stone me, let me explain...
I learned from the very start of my faith walk that a sin, is a sin, is a sin, is a, you guessed it, sin.
No one sin is worse than another to God.
John Wesley, the founder of the United Methodist movement, came out and said that he believes that a sin is anything that does not directly affect God and His kingdom. So, if you are reading a textbook for a class (ok, maybe if your a religion scholar you get a pass) - you are sinning. If you are shopping for yourself and not for the needy, you are sinning. If you sing secular songs, you are sinning!
So, by that standard, I sin ALL the time! Needless to count all the times I think I am actually sinning.
So for people to come out and say that homosexuals have no place in the church, then I say to them, then neither do you!
I can't stand those "Christians" who think that they can pick and choose areas of the Bible to follow. You know, Jesus openly condemned divorce, and yet, people who have gotten divorced, and, gasp, even remarried, are openly welcomed to worship.
Ugh! This frustrates me.
But I digress...back to the book...
The five practices that every congregation should, well, practice to welcome new people into their congregations are (1) show radical hospitality (2) Offer passionate worship (3) Provide intentional faith development (4) Host risk taking mission and service and (5) Be extravagant givers.
What a list, huh?
Ok, first fruit, let's call it the apple.
The apple of any eye is radical hospitality. Hospitality meaning of course to serve others. Radical meaning of course to go all out when serving others. In the book this refers to showing radical hospitality to first-time/new worshippers. How do you make them feel especially welcomed? Good question.
Second fruit.
Offering passionate worship for any church should be a top priority. Worship hour should be like a roller coaster of emotions. You get on the roller coaster ride kind of tired because you have been standing in line for hours, then you get excited because the release bell rings, the ride starts off really fast, then goes through a tunnel, down a curve, up to the highest drop, and then down the shoot, back to the loading zone. Worship should be an experience, something you want to always come back and do. And offering passionate worship will achieve just that.
Third fruit.
A church that has intentional faith development is a healthy church. Understanding that church is suppose to act more like a community instead of a place to go once a week is key. By offering lots Bible studies, faith groups, small groups, play groups, date groups, whatever groups, ensures that your congregation will develop strong relationships outside of Sunday worship and will grow deeper in faith through this process. The most important thing to remember about a healthy church is that is offers relationships, not just programs. And I would argue that relationships cannot be built just on quietly sitting in a pew for an hour a week.
Fourth fruit.
Risk taking mission and service. Well. This stumped me at first. What is this? Going to Iraq to smuggle Bibles to the natives? Is that risky enough? Thankfully, I learned that it isn't just that. Risk taking mission and service in this regard means putting all your faith in Christ Jesus to achieve a goal. For instance, say a church wishes to help build a local Habitat for Humanity house. It costs $80,000 to build a house. They set a goal to raise $3,000. Well, according to this fruit. $3,000 isn't enough. That's a safe number. At my church at RUMC we could easily raise that in just one Sunday if we really tried. So, if we are a risk taking church in mission, then we will set our goal to $80,000 and trust in the Lord that he will supply. (And, actually, this worked! My church set a "God sized" goal to fully fund a Habitat house and only by God's amazing grace did we accomplish it, and ahead of schedule!)
Fifth and final fruit.
Extravagant Generosity. Similar to the fourth fruit, but only if you achieve your fundraising goals! You see, RUMC extravagantly gave to Habitat by donating the funds to build one whole house. Giving one piece of pie is nothing compared to giving the whole pie.
I was pleased by reading this book. Because I knew that yes, indeed, these are the practices that healthy churches need to be doing in order to grow and raise awareness for God's kingdom.
And I can confidently say that my church is currently practicing all five of these fruits. Maybe we could do more, but that's a good thing! More is always a good goal to have.
But, after I closed the book and was proud at my church for our accomplishments, I thought...sure my church is doing this, but am I practicing these in my personal life?
No, I'm not.
But, this wake up call has helped me to start!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Only When Online
Something has been bothering me for a while now and I think I just need to exercise my God-given blogging right and blog it out!
I understand that more and more people these days refer to the internet for social networking, fast communication, and so on. But this is just getting ridiculous!
I seem to find myself in the middle of arguments between friends. And I don't know why, but all of these arguments are occuring online!
I was forwarded an email that says, "Can you believe this girl!?" and it's a nasty email from someone regarding, what I think to be, a very simple issue.
And this happens so many times!
Finally I asked one person to instead of typing their anger to actually go old-school and speak their anger in person.
No such luck.
I mean, yes, I am a sucker for written communication. If my husband and I are in a huge disagreement, I write out my complaints, use specific examples, insert crafty language, hint of threats to come, hand it to him, and run away.
Not a fair fight if you know my husband. The only thing he seems to write down are his work hours.
But, nonetheless, I come out the winner! At least I like to think so.
But, I think that fighting with a spouse is far more different than fighting with a friend.
We shouldn't misuse our technology by implementing hurt. So often the language in an email can be misunderstood and taken completely wrong, whereas it would not be that way talking in person. And it is so much easier getting all worked up when facing a computer screen than actually facing the person.
Friendships don't just happen.
And in most cases they don't start online. So why end them online?
We should all take a stand against arguing online. Let's commit to fight fair ladies. And that starts with taking our fingers off the key board.
I understand that more and more people these days refer to the internet for social networking, fast communication, and so on. But this is just getting ridiculous!
I seem to find myself in the middle of arguments between friends. And I don't know why, but all of these arguments are occuring online!
I was forwarded an email that says, "Can you believe this girl!?" and it's a nasty email from someone regarding, what I think to be, a very simple issue.
And this happens so many times!
Finally I asked one person to instead of typing their anger to actually go old-school and speak their anger in person.
No such luck.
I mean, yes, I am a sucker for written communication. If my husband and I are in a huge disagreement, I write out my complaints, use specific examples, insert crafty language, hint of threats to come, hand it to him, and run away.
Not a fair fight if you know my husband. The only thing he seems to write down are his work hours.
But, nonetheless, I come out the winner! At least I like to think so.
But, I think that fighting with a spouse is far more different than fighting with a friend.
We shouldn't misuse our technology by implementing hurt. So often the language in an email can be misunderstood and taken completely wrong, whereas it would not be that way talking in person. And it is so much easier getting all worked up when facing a computer screen than actually facing the person.
Friendships don't just happen.
And in most cases they don't start online. So why end them online?
We should all take a stand against arguing online. Let's commit to fight fair ladies. And that starts with taking our fingers off the key board.
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