How do you decide what picture to place on your media accounts? Are they all the same photo - or maybe you have different photos for different media networks (like one for Facebook and one for your blog).
When I was hiring employees a few years ago, I would go and check out their media accounts. And, sure, some had on their security settings to not allow me, an outsider, access into their full profile, but I still could see the main profile picture.
Result? Well, regrettably, most profile photos were not job applicant appropriate.
These photos were taken at really fun times - complete with the drunken smiles, the lip locking of the applicant with who knows who, and the classic, smooshed rock star face with a admirable middle finger showing.
Thankfully I am no longer in the hiring business, but I still look at people's profile pictures.
The most recent was when I decided to look up a new family into our church on Facebook.
That was a mistake.
All of the classic "applicant" poses that I mentioned above were present on both of these sweet good Christian profiles.
Good friends, your media accounts, whether you think so or not, reflect you as an individual, at this current stage of your life.
Sure, you may have taken those drunken one night stand pictures five years ago, but they are still active memories on your account. And furthermore, you may know that those were taken five years ago during the "good old days" but when I look at them, I assume those were taken last weekend.
WWJT?
Not, WWJD (what would Jesus do) but instead, what would Jesus think?
What would Jesus think if he looked at your media accounts right now?
Is all the information present, all things that you are willing to take to the grave and explain at the pearly gates?
Could you imagine that? You get up to Saint Peter and after you sign in and do the intake interview, pages of your online media accounts are laid before you to explain to the panel.
Ha.
How you reflect your character online is a statement of your actual character. Like or not.
So, please, for all of us, go and look at your media accounts, specifically your photos and ask yourself, WWJT?
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Whoa - That is a Big Word
When I was a child, I did not look forward to spelling tests. I struggled with spelling, all of my other friends were so good at spelling, and I felt left in the dust.
So, when I reached 6th grade, I was excited to learn that I would never, ever, have to take another spelling test in my educational career.
Nope. Not a one.
What I didn't know, was that instead of spelling tests, the new test was vocabulary.
And not only did you have to spell the word correctly, you had to know what it meant!
Whew! Overload!
I spent the remainder of my primary education learning really big words. Big words that meant exactly the same as smaller, more common words, but these bigger words were suppose to make me sounds more impressive, smarter, like I knew what I was talking about.
Move forward to college, and in the College of Education - big, beautiful words were frowned upon.
Why?
Because as a teacher you are to instruct your students and also efficiently communicate with their parents, which more than likely are at the same reading levels as their children.
I remember one horror story that said that a teacher was written up and almost terminated for using a "big" word to a caregiver.
The word you ask?
Adamant.
To use it in the sentence used by the teacher, "I am sorry, you are not authorized to pick up this child from school, his mother was adamant."
Result?
The caregiver reported the teacher for cussing at her. Teacher called wolf. However, it was their own words against each others, and ultimately the teacher was punished.
Lesson?
Big words don't make you sound smarter, or more qualified to speak on a certain topic.
And in some cases, it may get you canned.
A large vocabulary is admirable. Good for you!
But it should be used carefully.
Often times than none when large vocabulary is used, it is used to make the opponent sound inferior, or less qualified to make their statements of belief.
That's just not cool.
If you are so smart and can prove your point against another, then you do not even need to pull out the big guns in your speech. Large vocabulary words shouldn't even be needed.
The key to communication is to communicate. (Duh!)
And sometimes when you use large vocabulary words in your speech, you are accomplishing the opposite.
So, when I reached 6th grade, I was excited to learn that I would never, ever, have to take another spelling test in my educational career.
Nope. Not a one.
What I didn't know, was that instead of spelling tests, the new test was vocabulary.
And not only did you have to spell the word correctly, you had to know what it meant!
Whew! Overload!
I spent the remainder of my primary education learning really big words. Big words that meant exactly the same as smaller, more common words, but these bigger words were suppose to make me sounds more impressive, smarter, like I knew what I was talking about.
Move forward to college, and in the College of Education - big, beautiful words were frowned upon.
Why?
Because as a teacher you are to instruct your students and also efficiently communicate with their parents, which more than likely are at the same reading levels as their children.
I remember one horror story that said that a teacher was written up and almost terminated for using a "big" word to a caregiver.
The word you ask?
Adamant.
To use it in the sentence used by the teacher, "I am sorry, you are not authorized to pick up this child from school, his mother was adamant."
Result?
The caregiver reported the teacher for cussing at her. Teacher called wolf. However, it was their own words against each others, and ultimately the teacher was punished.
Lesson?
Big words don't make you sound smarter, or more qualified to speak on a certain topic.
And in some cases, it may get you canned.
A large vocabulary is admirable. Good for you!
But it should be used carefully.
Often times than none when large vocabulary is used, it is used to make the opponent sound inferior, or less qualified to make their statements of belief.
That's just not cool.
If you are so smart and can prove your point against another, then you do not even need to pull out the big guns in your speech. Large vocabulary words shouldn't even be needed.
The key to communication is to communicate. (Duh!)
And sometimes when you use large vocabulary words in your speech, you are accomplishing the opposite.
Feedback
It always amazes me how many people actually read this blog.
It truly is amazing!
I mean, this whole idea of starting up a blog was to journal about my life, about the things in my life, about ideas and things that I think about.
An internal dialog if you will, that is posted for the whole world to see - but not necessarily for them to read.
I don't publish my new posts on my media accounts letting my friends know there is yet another brilliant read waiting for them (like many of my friends...God bless them), because I don't write these blogs for them to read, or for them to know where I stand on these things, I write these blogs, for me.
But there are times when I am reminded that I am not "alone."
LOL - funny when I put it like that...
Anyway,
The last post regarding some of my thoughts on tithing must have hit a cord with lots of you. And I knew going in, that some of you would like to combat what I stated.
I mean, what is a more touchy subject than to really address what the Bible says about giving? Giving of your own hard earned money, might I add.
So here I was, first thing this morning after a nice weekend, and BAM! I have lots of emails to read through regarding the post, and one even commented directly to the post.
God bless you all.
Thank you for taking the time to exercise your freedom of sharing and letting me read through your thoughts regarding the topic.
I appreciate each of you who emailed.
And even though I will keep with the purpose of this blog to only express my own dialog, if you feel so inclined, please, blog about your thoughts regarding the last post on your own blogs.
I look forward to reading them.
It truly is amazing!
I mean, this whole idea of starting up a blog was to journal about my life, about the things in my life, about ideas and things that I think about.
An internal dialog if you will, that is posted for the whole world to see - but not necessarily for them to read.
I don't publish my new posts on my media accounts letting my friends know there is yet another brilliant read waiting for them (like many of my friends...God bless them), because I don't write these blogs for them to read, or for them to know where I stand on these things, I write these blogs, for me.
But there are times when I am reminded that I am not "alone."
LOL - funny when I put it like that...
Anyway,
The last post regarding some of my thoughts on tithing must have hit a cord with lots of you. And I knew going in, that some of you would like to combat what I stated.
I mean, what is a more touchy subject than to really address what the Bible says about giving? Giving of your own hard earned money, might I add.
So here I was, first thing this morning after a nice weekend, and BAM! I have lots of emails to read through regarding the post, and one even commented directly to the post.
God bless you all.
Thank you for taking the time to exercise your freedom of sharing and letting me read through your thoughts regarding the topic.
I appreciate each of you who emailed.
And even though I will keep with the purpose of this blog to only express my own dialog, if you feel so inclined, please, blog about your thoughts regarding the last post on your own blogs.
I look forward to reading them.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Number 10 and What It Means to the Church
Why is it that people are so put off when someone tells you how you should spend your money? Especially in regards to charity, missional giving, or giving to a church.
I mean, yes, sure, there is a tax benefit for those who give to charities throughout the year. And the Lord only knows that I would rather gift my monies to the animal shelter than straight to Uncle Sam's pockets.
But in relation to the church - Christians can be told what to wear, how to act, what to say, but again, there seems to be this resistance in some, when they are told how to spend.
Ever heard the rule about giving 10 percent of your income to the church?
Well, sure you have, everyone has. This is called tithing. You are to tithe 10% of your income.
And maybe that is what puts some people off to belonging to a church...the knowing that the membership fee into this "club" is 10% of your income each year. Ouch!
(And here I was thinking the $100 yearly Daughter of the American Revolution membership fees were high...)
Actually, the official ruling in the Bible to give 10% off of the TOP of your entire income comes from Deuteronomy 14:22-23. Yes, you read my all caps right, you are to take that 10% from the very top. You are not to take that 10% out of "what is left" after all of your bills are paid. (And here you thought it couldn't get any worse!)
Now I am a New Testament kind of believer. Once Jesus hit the scene, the history of the church from that point backward, is important, but not as important of what came from Jesus' ministry and beyond.
And interesting enough, Jesus never mentions this 10% rule during his lifetime. Jesus does mention in Luke 6:38 to give and it will be given to you. Guessing this "giving" means money. And also the famous, it is more blessed to give than to receive, is a line from Jesus. But nowadays people just see that scripture in relation to bad Christmas gifts.
Ha.
Anyway, furthermore - my man Paul, the Apostle Paul, speaks further about giving in his letter to Corinth -
1 Corinthians 16:2
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
Now, as you can see, Paul doesn't mention a certain amount of your money that you need to give, he just says that it needs to be in keeping with your income. However, he does say that it needs to be given on the first day of the week, before you have had a chance to pay your bills. Similar to the old school thought of the 10% comes from the very top of your funds before bills.
Interesting.
Now if you have read the Bible, or even some parts of it, you may have noticed that numbers play an important role in the stories. The number 3 and 7 are "good" numbers that relate to God, royalty, luck. (Where do you think "777" came from? It uses the #7 - 3 times). In fact, the #7 is mentioned 700 times in the Bible. Another coincidence??
The number coding game is not just a Biblical thing. Other groups use numbers for coded meanings or specific tones, too. The masons for example, use number coding.
So, knowing that numbers play a significant role in the reading of the Bible - 10(%) is a number, so what does the number 10 mean in the Bible?
Well, after much research, 10 is a powerful number used throughout the Bible.
The first one that you may think of right off the bat is the Ten Commandments. The rule for life directly from God's mouth into Moses' hands because the people of the land were not living up to God's expectations, and therefore he implemented laws.
Then we see that Noah was survived from the great floods during the tenth generation - great for Noah, but bad for all the others who weren't allowed on the boat. There were ten plagues in Exodus. The ten rebellions in Numbers. And fire came down from heaven ten times throughout the Bible.
So now the question really is, is the scripture concerning a 10 percent tithing a true mathematical calculation for giving, or is it simply a figure of speech, a number code if you will in relation to human failure and the attempt to make things right with God?
I know what I think it is.
But, I will let you decide what you believe on your own....
I mean, yes, sure, there is a tax benefit for those who give to charities throughout the year. And the Lord only knows that I would rather gift my monies to the animal shelter than straight to Uncle Sam's pockets.
But in relation to the church - Christians can be told what to wear, how to act, what to say, but again, there seems to be this resistance in some, when they are told how to spend.
Ever heard the rule about giving 10 percent of your income to the church?
Well, sure you have, everyone has. This is called tithing. You are to tithe 10% of your income.
And maybe that is what puts some people off to belonging to a church...the knowing that the membership fee into this "club" is 10% of your income each year. Ouch!
(And here I was thinking the $100 yearly Daughter of the American Revolution membership fees were high...)
Actually, the official ruling in the Bible to give 10% off of the TOP of your entire income comes from Deuteronomy 14:22-23. Yes, you read my all caps right, you are to take that 10% from the very top. You are not to take that 10% out of "what is left" after all of your bills are paid. (And here you thought it couldn't get any worse!)
Now I am a New Testament kind of believer. Once Jesus hit the scene, the history of the church from that point backward, is important, but not as important of what came from Jesus' ministry and beyond.
And interesting enough, Jesus never mentions this 10% rule during his lifetime. Jesus does mention in Luke 6:38 to give and it will be given to you. Guessing this "giving" means money. And also the famous, it is more blessed to give than to receive, is a line from Jesus. But nowadays people just see that scripture in relation to bad Christmas gifts.
Ha.
Anyway, furthermore - my man Paul, the Apostle Paul, speaks further about giving in his letter to Corinth -
1 Corinthians 16:2
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
Now, as you can see, Paul doesn't mention a certain amount of your money that you need to give, he just says that it needs to be in keeping with your income. However, he does say that it needs to be given on the first day of the week, before you have had a chance to pay your bills. Similar to the old school thought of the 10% comes from the very top of your funds before bills.
Interesting.
Now if you have read the Bible, or even some parts of it, you may have noticed that numbers play an important role in the stories. The number 3 and 7 are "good" numbers that relate to God, royalty, luck. (Where do you think "777" came from? It uses the #7 - 3 times). In fact, the #7 is mentioned 700 times in the Bible. Another coincidence??
The number coding game is not just a Biblical thing. Other groups use numbers for coded meanings or specific tones, too. The masons for example, use number coding.
So, knowing that numbers play a significant role in the reading of the Bible - 10(%) is a number, so what does the number 10 mean in the Bible?
Well, after much research, 10 is a powerful number used throughout the Bible.
The first one that you may think of right off the bat is the Ten Commandments. The rule for life directly from God's mouth into Moses' hands because the people of the land were not living up to God's expectations, and therefore he implemented laws.
Then we see that Noah was survived from the great floods during the tenth generation - great for Noah, but bad for all the others who weren't allowed on the boat. There were ten plagues in Exodus. The ten rebellions in Numbers. And fire came down from heaven ten times throughout the Bible.
So now the question really is, is the scripture concerning a 10 percent tithing a true mathematical calculation for giving, or is it simply a figure of speech, a number code if you will in relation to human failure and the attempt to make things right with God?
I know what I think it is.
But, I will let you decide what you believe on your own....
Monday, May 16, 2011
A Word From Our Sponsors
In the ongoing effort to show support for my cousin and her husband fighting over in Iraq, I stumbled across a great pro-troop support company called buildasign.com.
I encourage EVERYONE who supports the troops like I do, go check out this site.
They offer free vinyl banners welcoming our troops home (along with other stuff). The one I ordered was 3 feet by 6 feet.
Did you read the part about FREE?!
I shopped around and no other company was offering this great of a promotion with such high quality materials.
Usually banners like this cost over $50.
I got to personalize it to how I wanted it to read and even got to include my own color photo!
I paid a little extra for some hanging materials (my cousin is not blond but she acts it, so all the help we can give...haha) and also paid a little extra to get the banner to her sooner rather than later.
But, still, not a bad price at all! Even with all the extras I included.
I really hope that my cousin loves the banner when it gets to her in a few weeks and hopefully she can use it over and over again when welcoming her honey home.
Thank you buildasign.com for supporting our soldiers!
I encourage EVERYONE who supports the troops like I do, go check out this site.
They offer free vinyl banners welcoming our troops home (along with other stuff). The one I ordered was 3 feet by 6 feet.
Did you read the part about FREE?!
I shopped around and no other company was offering this great of a promotion with such high quality materials.
Usually banners like this cost over $50.
I got to personalize it to how I wanted it to read and even got to include my own color photo!
I paid a little extra for some hanging materials (my cousin is not blond but she acts it, so all the help we can give...haha) and also paid a little extra to get the banner to her sooner rather than later.
But, still, not a bad price at all! Even with all the extras I included.
I really hope that my cousin loves the banner when it gets to her in a few weeks and hopefully she can use it over and over again when welcoming her honey home.
Thank you buildasign.com for supporting our soldiers!
Praise God
Mondays are always hard days to get going and off to work.
And this is now getting into two and a half months of my husband being unemployed. After applying for over 67 jobs, in three different cities, he still doesn't have a new job. And it has been weeks since he was asked for a follow up interview.
It amazes me how applying for jobs has changed over the years. 100% of my husband's applications have been online. And probably 80% of those, you have no way to follow up with someone at HR regarding your application.
The only way you know that your application has gone through is because you get those "DO NOT REPLY" emails, thanking him for his application and if his qualifications are high, they will contact him for further information.
What crap, huh?
I would even go so far to say that most of those "jobs" that he has been applying for, aren't even real jobs. And what I mean by that, is HR probably isn't really looking for someone to fill that position listed.
It can't be.
My husband was more than qualified for all of the jobs that he applied for, and almost got no calls back.
That's just impossible.
I think that it is some kind of conspiracy acting as if these companies (all big names, too) are really trying to engage the economic situation by hiring employees - but aren't really...
Anyway, back to this morning,
Last week we applied for six new jobs. Five in another state. And one here in our own town.
I was firing up the internet to check his email for any news on these new six applications, and without thinking, without even knowing I was really doing it actually, I said aloud,
"Please God, let there be something."
I logged into his email, and through the mess of DO NOT REPLYs, I saw an email for a request for a follow-up interview.
And, wouldn't you know it, it was for the one job in our town.
Oh, how amazing. Praise be God!
There really was something!
And, yes, I know that this is just a follow up interview, not an actual job proposal, yet.
But at this point, I will take anything. It has been weeks.
Thank you God for letting there be something, just one thing, for us to hold onto hope for.
You came through for us, yet again.
And this is now getting into two and a half months of my husband being unemployed. After applying for over 67 jobs, in three different cities, he still doesn't have a new job. And it has been weeks since he was asked for a follow up interview.
It amazes me how applying for jobs has changed over the years. 100% of my husband's applications have been online. And probably 80% of those, you have no way to follow up with someone at HR regarding your application.
The only way you know that your application has gone through is because you get those "DO NOT REPLY" emails, thanking him for his application and if his qualifications are high, they will contact him for further information.
What crap, huh?
I would even go so far to say that most of those "jobs" that he has been applying for, aren't even real jobs. And what I mean by that, is HR probably isn't really looking for someone to fill that position listed.
It can't be.
My husband was more than qualified for all of the jobs that he applied for, and almost got no calls back.
That's just impossible.
I think that it is some kind of conspiracy acting as if these companies (all big names, too) are really trying to engage the economic situation by hiring employees - but aren't really...
Anyway, back to this morning,
Last week we applied for six new jobs. Five in another state. And one here in our own town.
I was firing up the internet to check his email for any news on these new six applications, and without thinking, without even knowing I was really doing it actually, I said aloud,
"Please God, let there be something."
I logged into his email, and through the mess of DO NOT REPLYs, I saw an email for a request for a follow-up interview.
And, wouldn't you know it, it was for the one job in our town.
Oh, how amazing. Praise be God!
There really was something!
And, yes, I know that this is just a follow up interview, not an actual job proposal, yet.
But at this point, I will take anything. It has been weeks.
Thank you God for letting there be something, just one thing, for us to hold onto hope for.
You came through for us, yet again.
Unplanned Joy
Well, if you know me, you know that I am not one who likes surprises. Or unexpected outcomes. Or last minute changes to plans that could have been made before hand. Or being rushed.
Maybe that's the reason why I stopped watching those stupid reality dating shows on tv. You can NEVER predict the winners. Believe me, I have tried!
Yesterday was just like any other day. Had to work. Had a blast with all the teenagers at youth groups. (My boss was gone.)
Then my husband gets a call two hours before I am finished with work (he goes with me to youth groups) from his brother saying that he, his wife, his 4-year old daughter, and my mother-in-law where in route to our house.
ETA, half an hour.
Now, this probably wouldn't bug an ordinary person. But I went into freak out mode!
My niece has some pretty bad allergies to food and her parents are germ freaks.
So, here we are - peanut eating, milk drinking people with five pets who all live inside the house not outside - we have a problem.
Needless to say, when we know they are coming, we spend at least two days prepping for their arrival. You know, washing plates that my niece will use, preparing food for her to eat without getting a reaction, leaving our three cats in the sun room outside so we can vacuum their hair off the couches, etc.
And, on top of all of that, I HATE surprises - and I had no time to do a "dry run" cleaning before they arrived because I was at work.
And they had a house key.
So instead of waiting for us somewhere, they were going to wait for us, at our house. The way I left it in a mad dash before work that morning.
Oh, please, good Lord above, let this be the one time I actually put my undies in the hamper....
Needless to say, after my husband got the news, I was pissed.
Not how I wanted to spend my night after working all day. And my house was a disaster. I wasn't expecting company...especially not THIS company!
Well, fast forward two hours and we drive home from church.
We get inside the house and we find my husband's family, all five of them, all crowded in my sister-in-laws bedroom eating chicken.
Why you ask?
Because they felt that that was the cleanest place in my house to eat.
Ya.
My level of pissed-off-ness, went off the charts.
How embarrassing.
I am the hostess with the mostest, and this is not acceptable in my house with company.
So, my husband and I do a quick clean of the kitchen (and really the kitchen is the cleanest room in my house at all times anyway) and we move the crowd to the appropriate room for eating after much tempting.
So, where if this "unplanned joy" you ask?
Well, I am slowly getting there...
But, after I calmed down from this experience, and the shock, and the frustration, and the embarrassment, I actually started having a great time.
I love my niece.
And being able to spend time with her is great.
After dinner we got the dogs out and she started playing with them. And our three-legged dog Trinity, our niece has never met before, so that was really fun to watch them two interact with each other. And boy does our niece LOVE Trinity. (But, I mean, who wouldn't, she is my kid!)
The original plan from my mother-in-law was that they all were going to spend the night at my house before heading back home the next morning. (Which added fuel to my fire - I wasn't ready for overnight guests!!) But thankfully, they decided to head home that night.
What I learned from this experience was
1) Always expect the unexpected in regards to my husband's family, regardless if I like it or not,
2) I should relax when things don't shape up the way I want them too, there's no harm in a little cat hair on the couches, we live like that everyday,
And, 3) Don't let your frustrations hinder you from finding joy in the pissiest of situations. (Few four year olds can do that, might I add!)
Maybe that's the reason why I stopped watching those stupid reality dating shows on tv. You can NEVER predict the winners. Believe me, I have tried!
Yesterday was just like any other day. Had to work. Had a blast with all the teenagers at youth groups. (My boss was gone.)
Then my husband gets a call two hours before I am finished with work (he goes with me to youth groups) from his brother saying that he, his wife, his 4-year old daughter, and my mother-in-law where in route to our house.
ETA, half an hour.
Now, this probably wouldn't bug an ordinary person. But I went into freak out mode!
My niece has some pretty bad allergies to food and her parents are germ freaks.
So, here we are - peanut eating, milk drinking people with five pets who all live inside the house not outside - we have a problem.
Needless to say, when we know they are coming, we spend at least two days prepping for their arrival. You know, washing plates that my niece will use, preparing food for her to eat without getting a reaction, leaving our three cats in the sun room outside so we can vacuum their hair off the couches, etc.
And, on top of all of that, I HATE surprises - and I had no time to do a "dry run" cleaning before they arrived because I was at work.
And they had a house key.
So instead of waiting for us somewhere, they were going to wait for us, at our house. The way I left it in a mad dash before work that morning.
Oh, please, good Lord above, let this be the one time I actually put my undies in the hamper....
Needless to say, after my husband got the news, I was pissed.
Not how I wanted to spend my night after working all day. And my house was a disaster. I wasn't expecting company...especially not THIS company!
Well, fast forward two hours and we drive home from church.
We get inside the house and we find my husband's family, all five of them, all crowded in my sister-in-laws bedroom eating chicken.
Why you ask?
Because they felt that that was the cleanest place in my house to eat.
Ya.
My level of pissed-off-ness, went off the charts.
How embarrassing.
I am the hostess with the mostest, and this is not acceptable in my house with company.
So, my husband and I do a quick clean of the kitchen (and really the kitchen is the cleanest room in my house at all times anyway) and we move the crowd to the appropriate room for eating after much tempting.
So, where if this "unplanned joy" you ask?
Well, I am slowly getting there...
But, after I calmed down from this experience, and the shock, and the frustration, and the embarrassment, I actually started having a great time.
I love my niece.
And being able to spend time with her is great.
After dinner we got the dogs out and she started playing with them. And our three-legged dog Trinity, our niece has never met before, so that was really fun to watch them two interact with each other. And boy does our niece LOVE Trinity. (But, I mean, who wouldn't, she is my kid!)
The original plan from my mother-in-law was that they all were going to spend the night at my house before heading back home the next morning. (Which added fuel to my fire - I wasn't ready for overnight guests!!) But thankfully, they decided to head home that night.
What I learned from this experience was
1) Always expect the unexpected in regards to my husband's family, regardless if I like it or not,
2) I should relax when things don't shape up the way I want them too, there's no harm in a little cat hair on the couches, we live like that everyday,
And, 3) Don't let your frustrations hinder you from finding joy in the pissiest of situations. (Few four year olds can do that, might I add!)
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