The weirdest thing just happened. I was scrolling through my list of bookmarked blogs saved in my browser. When I got to my blog, I noticed that my church denomination's God Is Still Speaking logo (the one you see next to the web address when you click here) was next to my blog name. I clicked away, then looked again and the blogger symbol had returned.
Weird, right?
I know that computers can act up sometimes and most of us don't understand why, but why that particular logo? And why only next to my blog?
Could it be God's way of telling me that he/she is still speaking to me? Or maybe through me? Or in general? Or is my imagination making too much of this?
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
And speaking of peace. . .
Coincidentally, my devotion for today was on peace. Again. Is God trying to tell me something?
This message resonates with me at the very core of my being, even if I don't always live it out.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Home for the HolidaysBible Excerpt from Zephaniah 3:14-20
I will bring you home.
Reflection by Ron Buford
It's almost Christmas Eve and I ask you, "What exile are you bringing home for Christmas?"
Is it easier to talk about making peace between Israel and Palestine, about international cease-fires, about bringing full marriage rights to same-gender loving people, about freeing Tibet and illegal aliens than it is to forgive someone who betrayed you, or a family member or friend who hurt, violated, embarrassed you or let you down?
You think making peace is easy. So, what exile are you bringing home for Christmas?
It's time.
Bring an exile home. Make peace without conditions.
Think you cannot do it?
Oh! Are you the exile? You can't forgive yourself for something? God says, "It's time to bring the exile home."
If this nation can put a Black man in the White House, with a mix of northern and southern states, then you and I can make peace--with ourselves, with others, with the world.
It's time.
God has taken away judgments against us. We have escaped disasters' worst. Those who aimed to hurt us have not totally overcome us. Our fortunes are beginning to be restored . . . and you and I can make peace.
Prayer
Gracious God, Help me do the thing I really do not think I can do. Help me make peace. I do not have the power or the will to do it. Please give me the strength, the courage, the wisdom, and opportunity to make a healthy and lasting peace with some exile in my life this holiday. Amen.About the Author
Ron Buford is Director of Development, Northern California Nevada Conference, United Church of Christ.
MERRY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
PEACE ON EARTH AND GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Instrument of Peace
My church denomination sends me a devotional each day via email. I wish I could say that I read those devotionals every day no matter what because I got it for God like that, but I can't. Honestly, I read about half of them. And about half of those I read very quickly without taking much time for reflection or life application. However, I came across a devotional the other day that captured my attention. I actually spent more than the usual 30 seconds reading it. The devotional featured a prayer by St. Francis (I'm assuming of Assisi) that read:
To which God responded, "Yeah, right."
Nevertheless, the very next day, I was handed an opportunity to be that instrument of peace.
One of the sales reps from another office called me to complain that one of the reps in my office had called on one of her accounts. I could tell that she was trying to be nice about the whole situation so I calmly explained to her that our rep received a list of inactive accounts and was asked (by our boss at the time) to call on them. The offended rep mentioned that she had talked to the client several months ago and they had expressed an interest in running an ad for the same dates that our rep had scheduled them for. She then added, "But I guess if she called them, then that's okay," signaling her willingness to drop the matter.
But her co-worker, someone who has a reputation in the company for being greedy and not a little bit unscrupulous, didn't want her to give up so easily. I could hear the heifer. . .I mean, the poor, desperate soul. . .in the background saying, "No, no, no, no, no!"
To my peace-making credit, I told the rep that if she had an issue she should probably take it to our boss. She agreed and we pleasantly ended our conversation.
But my diplomatic efforts ended there. The second I hung up the phone I moved from an being an instrument of peace to being an instrument of dissension.
I can't believe her! I could hear [unscrupulous sales rep] in the background going "No, no, no, no, no." [Offended sales rep] inherited that account from me. The only commissions she's collected are for ads that I sold! She hasn't even worked that account and now she's complaining when someone else does?!?
Oh, I was Miss Mouthy, and my co-workers were my captive audience. Instead of contributing to a harmonious environment, I was giving my co-workers (most of them new to the company) negative impressions of other employees. I caused them to be as mad at the other reps as I was, creating offense where there previously was none. I'm guessing this is not what St. Francis meant by "instrument of peace".
I was so moved by the prayer that I folded my hands, closed my eyes tight and, in the most pious voice I could muster, said "Oh, dearest Lord. Lettest me be an instrument of thy peace too, especially to the poor, desperate, hell-bound souls at work."Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy
To which God responded, "Yeah, right."
Nevertheless, the very next day, I was handed an opportunity to be that instrument of peace.
One of the sales reps from another office called me to complain that one of the reps in my office had called on one of her accounts. I could tell that she was trying to be nice about the whole situation so I calmly explained to her that our rep received a list of inactive accounts and was asked (by our boss at the time) to call on them. The offended rep mentioned that she had talked to the client several months ago and they had expressed an interest in running an ad for the same dates that our rep had scheduled them for. She then added, "But I guess if she called them, then that's okay," signaling her willingness to drop the matter.
But her co-worker, someone who has a reputation in the company for being greedy and not a little bit unscrupulous, didn't want her to give up so easily. I could hear the heifer. . .I mean, the poor, desperate soul. . .in the background saying, "No, no, no, no, no!"
To my peace-making credit, I told the rep that if she had an issue she should probably take it to our boss. She agreed and we pleasantly ended our conversation.
But my diplomatic efforts ended there. The second I hung up the phone I moved from an being an instrument of peace to being an instrument of dissension.
I can't believe her! I could hear [unscrupulous sales rep] in the background going "No, no, no, no, no." [Offended sales rep] inherited that account from me. The only commissions she's collected are for ads that I sold! She hasn't even worked that account and now she's complaining when someone else does?!?
Oh, I was Miss Mouthy, and my co-workers were my captive audience. Instead of contributing to a harmonious environment, I was giving my co-workers (most of them new to the company) negative impressions of other employees. I caused them to be as mad at the other reps as I was, creating offense where there previously was none. I'm guessing this is not what St. Francis meant by "instrument of peace".
Friday, December 12, 2008
Off from Work and Feeling Like Shit
I'm at home today recovering from something that feels like the bubonic plague and trying to set a world record for blowing goop out my nose. I have no idea what I have but I'm certain I caught it from one of my co-workers. (That reminds me. Note to self: Send out a memo on Monday banning breathing in the office.)
Normally, when I have to interact with one of my sick co-workers, I demand that they stand at least 4 feet away from me while I engulf them in a cloud of disinfectant. Then they are allowed to approach my desk area as long as they agree to wear an oxygen mask. Unfortunately, I didn't take my usual precautions in this latest incident and now I am paying the price for it.
One of my co-workers has had an ear infection for months. She finally went to the doctor last week and was prescribed antibiotics. After taking the medication for a few days, her sinuses started to clog. We both assumed it was the antibiotics working and draining the fluid out of her ears. We were wrong. What we now think happened is, when she went to the doctor, she picked up a virus from some germ infested person in the waiting room who had the audacity to seek treatment for their ailment. (Note to self: Write local congressman encouraging him to sponsor legislation banning all sick people from doctor's offices.)
So here I sit at home, in front of my computer, sneezing, coughing and blowing loogies into tissues. Hopefully this bug won't turn into a sinus infection or else I'll have to venture to the doctor's office myself to get my own antibiotic prescription, infecting who knows how many people in the process. It'll serve them right.
Normally, when I have to interact with one of my sick co-workers, I demand that they stand at least 4 feet away from me while I engulf them in a cloud of disinfectant. Then they are allowed to approach my desk area as long as they agree to wear an oxygen mask. Unfortunately, I didn't take my usual precautions in this latest incident and now I am paying the price for it.
One of my co-workers has had an ear infection for months. She finally went to the doctor last week and was prescribed antibiotics. After taking the medication for a few days, her sinuses started to clog. We both assumed it was the antibiotics working and draining the fluid out of her ears. We were wrong. What we now think happened is, when she went to the doctor, she picked up a virus from some germ infested person in the waiting room who had the audacity to seek treatment for their ailment. (Note to self: Write local congressman encouraging him to sponsor legislation banning all sick people from doctor's offices.)
So here I sit at home, in front of my computer, sneezing, coughing and blowing loogies into tissues. Hopefully this bug won't turn into a sinus infection or else I'll have to venture to the doctor's office myself to get my own antibiotic prescription, infecting who knows how many people in the process. It'll serve them right.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Marriage and Finances
The Boyfriend and I have been discussing how we are going to manage our finances once we've jumped the broom. We've come to the conclusion (or maybe I came to the conclusion) that we are going to keep our finances separate. Kind of like roommates. We'll split household expenses 50-50. When rent is due, we'll write two separate checks from two separate bank accounts and hand them to our landlord, which, at the moment, would be his aunt. Utilities will be handled the same way as well as the phone, satellite and Internet bills.
I think this will help ease the transition into the whole marriage and money thing. Besides, I'm not ready to give up my independence yet. I'm not quite ready for the challenges that putting all of our money into one pot will bring. I know at some point merging our finances together will make practical sense but, for now, I'm willing to be slightly impractical for the sake of the relationship. And my own peace of mind.
The Boyfriend's preferred method of handling the finances would be to maintain separate bank accounts but to also have a joint account for those expenses we share. I'm not really crazy about this idea mainly because it makes me feel like I'm giving up too much control. (Silly, I know, but it's the way I feel.) Plus, I read somewhere that if you don't want to be liable for your spouse's debt (and The Boyfriend and I both have considerable debt) you have to: 1. stay married to them, and 2. keep your finances completely separate.
To be honest, what I'd really like to do is not be bothered with finances at all. I'm horrible with money and thinking about it gives me a headache. I would love to handover over my financial future to a husband who would manage our money like a business. In my ideal world, after seeking my insight, my spouse would develop a plan to reach our financial goals and then take the necessary steps to ensure that we meet those goals. The only problem is I'm not marrying one of those men. I'm marrying a man who appears to be, judging from his debts, as bad a financial manager as I am and I don't trust him with my money yet.
I'd rather take a wait-and-see approach. I'll spend a year watching The Boyfriend handle his own financial affairs. If it seems safe to do so, I would be willing to have a joint account for shared expenses only. If that goes okay, I may be up for pooling all of our money together into one account. If having one account becomes a source of too much dissension, we'll go back to doing what keeps the relationship healthy.
Does this sound like a plan or a recipe for disaster? What do you guys think is the best way for newlyweds to handle money?
I think this will help ease the transition into the whole marriage and money thing. Besides, I'm not ready to give up my independence yet. I'm not quite ready for the challenges that putting all of our money into one pot will bring. I know at some point merging our finances together will make practical sense but, for now, I'm willing to be slightly impractical for the sake of the relationship. And my own peace of mind.
The Boyfriend's preferred method of handling the finances would be to maintain separate bank accounts but to also have a joint account for those expenses we share. I'm not really crazy about this idea mainly because it makes me feel like I'm giving up too much control. (Silly, I know, but it's the way I feel.) Plus, I read somewhere that if you don't want to be liable for your spouse's debt (and The Boyfriend and I both have considerable debt) you have to: 1. stay married to them, and 2. keep your finances completely separate.
To be honest, what I'd really like to do is not be bothered with finances at all. I'm horrible with money and thinking about it gives me a headache. I would love to handover over my financial future to a husband who would manage our money like a business. In my ideal world, after seeking my insight, my spouse would develop a plan to reach our financial goals and then take the necessary steps to ensure that we meet those goals. The only problem is I'm not marrying one of those men. I'm marrying a man who appears to be, judging from his debts, as bad a financial manager as I am and I don't trust him with my money yet.
I'd rather take a wait-and-see approach. I'll spend a year watching The Boyfriend handle his own financial affairs. If it seems safe to do so, I would be willing to have a joint account for shared expenses only. If that goes okay, I may be up for pooling all of our money together into one account. If having one account becomes a source of too much dissension, we'll go back to doing what keeps the relationship healthy.
Does this sound like a plan or a recipe for disaster? What do you guys think is the best way for newlyweds to handle money?
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