How I handle conflict...

These pictures have nothing to do with the post but they are tooo cute not to post...

So some of you wondered how I handled that last situation. I put up on the status bar of my IM a notification that all conversations that take place with me on that program will be logged into my computer's history. That way no one is surprised. I also chose to delete my history with that person, just because like my dear hubby said , a soft answer turns away wrath, so I felt it was a nice gester, however I did inform that person that from this time on I would be recording all conversations...

So... conflict anyone?

So I got a question for ya…
I try to embrace critique. It isn’t always easy, and it is sometimes a real fight with my pride. However, I think the benefits outweigh the cost, so I choose to open myself to criticism so that I can continue to grow and change.
When I feel like I am forced into a decision I don’t quite agree with, I want to pull that situation back out and examine it and see if I reacted correctly. This is nothing personal against anyone, I want to see and judge my actions. The bible says judge not lest ye be judged. I don’t want to judge, I WANT to be judged… Please judge me!
So if any of you are up for a good clock cleaning, BRING IT ON! I keep telling yall to be brutal, and no one will… Rip me to shreds… in love.
Please note, you are welcome to disagree with me, but that doesn’t’ mean I will change my mind, it will just mean we disagree. We can still be friends.
Ok here is the situation I was talking to a friend on MSN IM the other day, and she asked me if I save my conversation history. I said yes. As a security measure I have my im set to save all conversations. Mainly because I can be slow sometimes, some things take a day or two to sink in. If I have my conversations saved I can go back to them and look at what I said a few days later and see if I still agree with myself, or if I need to change my stance on that.
She got very upset, and promptly asked me to delete them. When I said no, she said I was being childish immature and disrespectful.
I said she simply needed to trust me that no one would ever see them, they are my conversations too, and are stored on a secure password protected laptop, that only I ever use.
Here is my question. Since my computer is secure and they were my conversations, was it my right to refuse to delete?
OR
Was it her right to DEMAND I delete them? (She said she was asking but she asked repeatedly and badgered me until I felt bullied into doing it, saying such things as “Well you are being selfish and immature if you don’t delete them, that is just childish.”
Oh, an interesting note, On MSN IM you can set it to save, but on Yahoo, it just saves them, and you can’t delete them…
Please vote and tell me what you would have done. I really want to know.

Futile attempts at a self portrait...

I was trying to accomplish two things, keep my right eye open inspite of the flash while smiling, (when I smile my right eye closes) and hide my double chin... How do you think I did? Be brutal, I can take it! (and I promise not to take it personal)

Ha! go Ruth!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x6618596


Franklin Graham, who now runs the Samaritan’s Purse international relief organization, admitted in his book “Rebel With a Cause” that he could be a real handful as a boy - but his mother was equal to the task at hand.He tells a story about pestering his sisters on a trip to eat at an Asheville drive-in, a big treat in those days. He was out of range of his mother’s “quick backhand,” and even her shoe tree - a piece of spring metal with a wooden toe on one end and a heel on the other, which she would use to “extend her reach.”Ruth Graham threatened to lock her son in the trunk if he didn’t desist, a threat that didn’t deter him at all. Exasperated, she pulled over and locked him in the trunk, checking first to make sure he could breathe.Franklin Graham thought he would be freed when they got to the restaurant, but she kept him in the trunk even after the food arrived.LOL! Today, she'd been hauled off to jail and her children taken away. Bless you Ruth Graham. The world will miss you.

Precious and Tym

Precious is so precious...(aka snot wad... she sneaks into the house and will still things and take them outside to chew on them... lol)
I admit I feel like a hick posting a pic of my kid without a shirt on... but this was so cute, Tym was helping Spann out. He was saying that where the reds and greens meet, winds are blowing in opposite directions, and they fight, that is how tornadoes are formed.

Are you a terrorist?

All of these girls must be terrorist. They are against abortion.
If you oppose taxes, or the bail out, or abortion, you are. Yes, according to the federal homeland security... You are. You can read about that here, and here.
What do you think about this?

Prayer All Call!

Second attempt... slightly better. Still, Tym?

My Sister made these cool Resurrection rolls... you wrap a biscuit around a marshmallow, and then cook it, and the marshmallow melts and leaves and empty tomb...

I liked Deanna's Easter egg pic so I took one of my own.


Here are some Easter pics. I wanted so badly to get a picture of all of us dressed up and looking nice... Well noboy would cooperate... Well Q did, but he isn't a boy he's a man... Matt did pretty good. Tym... Could someone please tell me what he is thinking? And Sam... hiding... Chick... Oh well it is what it is... I'll have to do some photo shopping.

Ok I need to send out an "all call" (you know, on the cop shows, "Calling all cars, Calling all cars...") My friend Deanna needs some prayer... she is fighting a fight. So call out the troops and let's pray for her miracle. Thanks guys.


Oh, and this is my 300th post! Pretty cool huh?

Rachel's Tears a book review

For this review, I read Rachel’s Tears, a book about Rachel Scott who was killed in the Columbine shootings. Where do I begin? I think I would like to rate it a two out of 5 swirls… (Swirls because this blog is Microbursts). I started out to read this review very excited, I was very interested to know more about Columbine. I was riveted, I devoured the beginning. By page 6 as they described how Rachel’s brother Craig had played dead lying in the blood of his friends. How awful. He was only 16.
I also found it very interesting that they included actual excerpts from Rachel’s diaries. I enjoyed getting to know more about her… That was about it. No not the end of the book, I was only on page24 out of 191.
I continued to read, but really lost my interest at about page 54 where Rachel’s parents started justifying being pastors with 5 kids, and getting a divorce. I am sorry, there is never a reason for two Christians to get a divorce, especially a pastor. Yes I hold a pastor to a higher standard, I am a pastor’s spouse, so I can. I only hold them to a standard as high as what I hold myself. Yes divorce happens. Yes it is needed in the case of abuse, especially physical. However, if they were both living for God as they should, problems come, but divorce is not an option. One of them stepped away from God, just admit it! Quit trying to justify it.
The final blow that killed the book for me was a section on page 90 entitled “Who said yes?” They made a big deal that it was never really confirmed that Cassie said yes (when asked if she believed in God before she was shot). They went on to say this guy said once that Rachel had been asked and said yes, but that the guy later recanted his story. However to them the second story of Rachel’s yes they claim is more valid than Cassie’s. They basically said Cassie’s wasn’t real, and that Rachel was the true hero. This is just sour grapes to me. Why try to trash Cassie? Just hold Rachel up with Cassie and say they both said yes.
Sorry, I wouldn’t waste my time reading it again.

Me and My Shadow... (singing)

If you don't know that song, ask your mom... or go archive Brady Bunch episodes, I think Carol and Marsha did it for a talent show once... I digress... My point is I love my Hubby! We love to be together and do things together. Our marriage has to be our first priority, right after God. We are just getting to that "built in babysitter" phase, our two oldest (bio) are 13, and 12 and they will keep our two youngest 8, and 7 for us to get away. The other day our 8 year old said, "Do you two (speaking of me and my hubby) always have to go everywhere together?" We said, no, but we want to. Que is absolutely my best friend.

My friend Deanna wrote an article about this same thing on the site "Take Root and Write" it is specifically for pastor's wives, but anyone can learn a lot from this article.

Childlike Faith

Tymothie with my dad at Christmas time.

The economy, the economy, the economy. That seams to be all the we hear lately. With the newly elected president, people are especially worried about the economy.

Some of you think that just because you are reading this book (blog) that I am well off , that just ain't so! As a matter of fact, the other day Tymothie (8) said "Why don't we get food stamps anymore? We need em."

I said, "Well , when I got a job (20 hrs a week) they think we make too much money now."

He said, "Well, we don't! Especially with daddys job going to cut back to three days a week."

I said, "Are you worried?"

He said, "No, it's probably part of God's plan some how...."

Wow the faith of a child. I need some of that!

Mark 9:24 "Lord, I believe! Help my lack of faith."

April fools apology...

It is rare for me to copy and paste an entire blog post like this but this it toooooooooo funny.

I got this from the blog Stuff Christians Like. It is long but will make you laugh.


Apologizing after an April Fool's Day Prank - The Terror Level Color Coded Apology System
Pranks aren't by nature unique to Christianity. That I'm aware of, there's no recorded history of C.S. Lewis pantsing J.R.R. Tolkien. Pranks by themselves don't really fit the formula of this site, but apologizing after? Serving penance for a church-related prank that went horribly wrong or even horribly right? That's us through and through. But the truth is, you don't need this post today. You should file it away for Thursday, the day after April Fool's Day. If you're going to pull some shenanigans or tom foolery or perhaps even get in a donnybrook, this Wednesday is your day. Live it up.But after, when your youth minister or Senior Pastor or local reporter stumbles upon the prank you have perpetuated, when like Richard Marx* you realize "you should have known better" than to fit that many bees into so small a sleeping bag, you'll be glad this post so clearly laid out the categories of prank apologies based on the terror level color coded system the United States uses.

Category 1: Green - Low Risk Prank

Hey look at that, you stuck some forks in someone's yard, but you didn't break them off because that felt too mean and unChristlike. And you called a few people from church and hung up on them when they answered the phone. That's adorable. This barely requires an apology.

Apology Required: Facebook Status Change

Change your facebook status to something like, "Sorry about the prank. Hope nobody's feelings got hurt." Or "Kids will be kids."

Category 2: Blue - General Risk Prank

That's not going to grow back. I'm just saying, when you put that much on at once, and mix it with that other thing, wow, you're leaving a permanent impression. I mean it's not that big, but neighbors are going to see it for at least the next six months.

Apology Required: Email

You better send the victim an email. Nothing long, just a few lines about your deep regret for your actions and how your immaturity sometimes gets the better of you and at the end of the day you both love Jesus, so no hard feelings.

Category 3: Yellow – Significant Risk Prank

Prank Elders are kind of like elephants, they never forget and I'm pretty sure that guy isn't going to. Where do you even get those? They’re just so fast and jumpy. I'm assuming you know a guy that knows a guy, but is there any chance that guy knows a guy that can get them out of the elder's house? It's not going to be easy because they seem so motivated and reproductive but maybe we could smoke them out?

Apology Required: Phone Call

Forget the Internet, you've entered into real apology time now. Pick up the phone and be ready to outline what you did as well as the three things you learned from this tragic mistake of a prank you pulled. (If you can't think of three things, feel free to use one of my go to lines when I’ve bombed, "Turns out I'm dumb." I keep learning that lesson and it's always a nice way to round out a list.)

Category 4: Orange – High Risk Prank

Yeah, but you knew it was the Senior Pastor's house right? I've got to assume you did because even the youth minister was in on this one. On a positive note, at least we know the fire department can find his house. And their response time, wow! Very impressive. I told you that was highly flammable, but to hear the fire chief use the phrase "river of lava," wow. You're going to need to get a paper route to pay this one back or raise money online or hold a car wash at Chick-fil-A.

Apology Required: Face to Face

This goes beyond a simple phone call. You might need to hand write a note, call ahead to set up the official apology and then bring over some sort of casserole. This apology is going to be as complicated as the prank was. The general rule for a face to face apology is that you have to spend three minutes apologizing for every one minute you spent pulling off the prank. So if it took you 30 minutes to do the prank, expect 90 minutes of "sorry" in your future.

Category 5: Red – Severe Risk Prank

The community will heal. I mean we're a very resilient group of people. We've faced hardship before and this, that thing you did to all of us in one fell swoop, we'll get through that. And the cats will come back someday. They are a proud animal and probably left out of embarrassment more than anything else. They’ll come back. I know they will.

Apology Required: Speech to the Church Congregation

May God have mercy on your soul if you ever have to apologize to the whole congregation from the pulpit. I've never had to do this, but if you find yourself in this position, whatever you do, don't take questions from the crowd. Don't open the meeting up to Q&A. You are going to come out on the losing end of this one. And I'm not telling you to fake cry, but you might want to fake cry.

Hopefully this list will make April 2nd easier for all of us that decide to pull a prank on April 1st.What's the best prank you ever took part in?What’s the best prank someone pulled on you?