While doing a little blog housekeeping, I installed a widget that displays my five most popular posts of all times. I'm disappointed in what I learned.
I mean, really? Why not one of my posts about how amazing grace is? why not one of my humorous posts? why not one that brags about how incredible my offspring are?
But, instead, we have the ones about wacky teachers. That's what I'm known for? Controversy?
[said somewhat in jest...but I was surprised...]
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Remembering and reflecting: where I've been
It's been quite a while since I blogged semi-regularly. It's been so long that Blogger has come up with all sorts of cool new features since I last did anything but a quick post. It's also been a long time since I was active in the world of blogs. There are a few I keep up with sporadically, but I rarely comment. I have no idea what new controversy has everyone's knickers in a twist in what used to be my corner of the blogosphere. I am utterly and completely out of the loop. For all I know, some new wacky teacher may have arisen and convinced the gullible that patriarchy -- true, Biblical patriarchy!!! -- requires living in tents or that the reason men don't have concubines today is all the result of some vast feminist conspiracy.
I miss some of the people in that world, but I don't miss that world. It feels good to be free of it.
A lot has happened in my life and in the life of my family since those days. Life and death stuff, or I should say, near-death stuff. Crises. Heartbreak the likes of which no one should ever have to suffer. Anguish. Dark nights of the soul. But also incredible joy in the midst of that sorrow.
In other words, real life. Real nitty, gritty life.
When life gets that in-your-face overwhelmingly real, despite all the chaos and confusion that might ensue for a season, some things become really clear. You re-examine a lot when you're treading through deep waters. You begin to realize what and whom -- and Whom -- you can grab onto for safety and what and whom will only pull you down further. You realize who you can go to with your burdens...those who will weep with you and rejoice with you...those who will hold your darkest secret heartaches as sacred trusts...those who will walk with you through the darkest valleys.
There aren't many of those sorts of people.
Years ago, back in the day, I remember an online discussion of homeschooling mothers during which one brave soul dared mention a minor issue she was having with her teenage daughter. This girl was no longer content to play "Little House on the Prairie" and read Elsie Dinsmore for the 20th time; she wanted more out of life; she longed to do something that made a difference and was exciting at the same time. A number of the other moms, who only had young children, tore into this mother and her daughter. You would have thought this girl had announced, "I want to be a harlot" and that the mother had answered, "Whatever you want, dear, is fine with me; let me buy you some harlot clothes" -- that's how these other moms carried on. They gave advice that this girl's "rebellious spirit" needed to be rebuked and punished, that the mother shouldn't listen to her nonsense, that both were in sin, etc., etc.
Needless to say, these are not the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
A few years went by, but it was still back in the day, when the son of a homeschooling family died under unfortunate and disturbing circumstances. The parents decided to alert other families to what had happened, so that others might be spared their tragedy. I was horrified at the lack of empathy, at the other callousness, in which some in the online world responded. There was much holier-than-thou shooting of the wounded.
Needless to say, these are not the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
More than one mother, way back in my days of writing about my concerns regarding the Ezzos' teachings, insisted that they had the whole parenting thing down and would never have to deal with any problems because their one-year-old was already "characterized by first-time obedience".
Needless to say, these are not the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
Also, back in the day, there were certain online teachers, some of them leaders in their own churches, who thrived on controversy, who loved to declare their authority over anyone who commented on their blogs, who sounded convinced that they held a special corner on doctrinal correctness, and who loved to argue until they didn't have the upper hand, in which case they banned people from their blogs.
Needless to say, these are not the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
In May of this year, I went to a retreat. It was my second year going. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. When my mother heard of my plans, she asked with some trepidation, "Is this the same retreat you went to last year? the one with the...troubled people?"
It's always after the fact that I think of what I should have said. In this case, I should have said, "Yes, that one...because I am one of those troubled people."
Jesus said, "In this world, you will have trouble..." Some people are just more honest and open about their trouble than others. Some people know what it is like to be broken, wounded, and lost. Some people know what it means to find joy after sorrow. Some people aren't afraid of messes. Some people will let you grieve in ways that wouldn't look pretty in a movie, and they will sit with you in your pain, without condemnation. Some people know the joy of finding hope after despair, and they share it with you. Some people will walk with you as you try to find your way out of the darkness, out of the deep waters, and they will carry you when you are tired. Some people are like beacons in the night. Some people will give you permission to fall apart if need be. Some people will let you be real, as real as real can be, without any pretense, without any self-protection, and their complete and total loving acceptance of you will be like a healing balm to your soul. Some people will love you so much and so obviously that they earn the right to speak painful truth into your life, and they will do it with tears in their eyes. Some people will, with a hug and some whispered words, give you hope to sustain and encourage you for another year.
There aren't very many of those people, but I've been blessed beyond words to have found some.
Needless to say, those are the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
And they are also the sort of people you turn to during times of joy and laughter, because they will celebrate with you like no one else will. They totally get the "rejoice with those who rejoice" part because they already have the weeping part down.
When I grow up, I want to be that sort of person.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
I miss some of the people in that world, but I don't miss that world. It feels good to be free of it.
A lot has happened in my life and in the life of my family since those days. Life and death stuff, or I should say, near-death stuff. Crises. Heartbreak the likes of which no one should ever have to suffer. Anguish. Dark nights of the soul. But also incredible joy in the midst of that sorrow.
In other words, real life. Real nitty, gritty life.
When life gets that in-your-face overwhelmingly real, despite all the chaos and confusion that might ensue for a season, some things become really clear. You re-examine a lot when you're treading through deep waters. You begin to realize what and whom -- and Whom -- you can grab onto for safety and what and whom will only pull you down further. You realize who you can go to with your burdens...those who will weep with you and rejoice with you...those who will hold your darkest secret heartaches as sacred trusts...those who will walk with you through the darkest valleys.
There aren't many of those sorts of people.
Years ago, back in the day, I remember an online discussion of homeschooling mothers during which one brave soul dared mention a minor issue she was having with her teenage daughter. This girl was no longer content to play "Little House on the Prairie" and read Elsie Dinsmore for the 20th time; she wanted more out of life; she longed to do something that made a difference and was exciting at the same time. A number of the other moms, who only had young children, tore into this mother and her daughter. You would have thought this girl had announced, "I want to be a harlot" and that the mother had answered, "Whatever you want, dear, is fine with me; let me buy you some harlot clothes" -- that's how these other moms carried on. They gave advice that this girl's "rebellious spirit" needed to be rebuked and punished, that the mother shouldn't listen to her nonsense, that both were in sin, etc., etc.
Needless to say, these are not the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
A few years went by, but it was still back in the day, when the son of a homeschooling family died under unfortunate and disturbing circumstances. The parents decided to alert other families to what had happened, so that others might be spared their tragedy. I was horrified at the lack of empathy, at the other callousness, in which some in the online world responded. There was much holier-than-thou shooting of the wounded.
Needless to say, these are not the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
More than one mother, way back in my days of writing about my concerns regarding the Ezzos' teachings, insisted that they had the whole parenting thing down and would never have to deal with any problems because their one-year-old was already "characterized by first-time obedience".
Needless to say, these are not the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
Also, back in the day, there were certain online teachers, some of them leaders in their own churches, who thrived on controversy, who loved to declare their authority over anyone who commented on their blogs, who sounded convinced that they held a special corner on doctrinal correctness, and who loved to argue until they didn't have the upper hand, in which case they banned people from their blogs.
Needless to say, these are not the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
In May of this year, I went to a retreat. It was my second year going. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. When my mother heard of my plans, she asked with some trepidation, "Is this the same retreat you went to last year? the one with the...troubled people?"
It's always after the fact that I think of what I should have said. In this case, I should have said, "Yes, that one...because I am one of those troubled people."
Jesus said, "In this world, you will have trouble..." Some people are just more honest and open about their trouble than others. Some people know what it is like to be broken, wounded, and lost. Some people know what it means to find joy after sorrow. Some people aren't afraid of messes. Some people will let you grieve in ways that wouldn't look pretty in a movie, and they will sit with you in your pain, without condemnation. Some people know the joy of finding hope after despair, and they share it with you. Some people will walk with you as you try to find your way out of the darkness, out of the deep waters, and they will carry you when you are tired. Some people are like beacons in the night. Some people will give you permission to fall apart if need be. Some people will let you be real, as real as real can be, without any pretense, without any self-protection, and their complete and total loving acceptance of you will be like a healing balm to your soul. Some people will love you so much and so obviously that they earn the right to speak painful truth into your life, and they will do it with tears in their eyes. Some people will, with a hug and some whispered words, give you hope to sustain and encourage you for another year.
There aren't very many of those people, but I've been blessed beyond words to have found some.
Needless to say, those are the sort of people you turn to in a crisis.
And they are also the sort of people you turn to during times of joy and laughter, because they will celebrate with you like no one else will. They totally get the "rejoice with those who rejoice" part because they already have the weeping part down.
When I grow up, I want to be that sort of person.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
She lives to post again
Sometimes real life has a way of interfering with life on the internet. There's been a lot of that going around lately.
And sometimes it seems as if there is nothing much to say. And there's been a lot of that lately too.
I'm hoping that, on the other side of all this stuff going on, that maybe I'll have a whole slew of posts about how, yes, His grip on me really was way, way stronger and more sure than my grip on Him. And maybe I'll even be able to share a little bit of what that looked like.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
And sometimes it seems as if there is nothing much to say. And there's been a lot of that lately too.
I'm hoping that, on the other side of all this stuff going on, that maybe I'll have a whole slew of posts about how, yes, His grip on me really was way, way stronger and more sure than my grip on Him. And maybe I'll even be able to share a little bit of what that looked like.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sometimes it's best to leave well enough along
I'm beginning to regret the blog tweaks. Playing with my template and trying to use an outside comment service messed things up. Now let's see how this new attempt works...
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
Blog Play
I'm playing around with some modifications to comments here on the blog. Not that I get lots of comments...
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Unbelievable
Call me naive. Call me idealistic. But I actually think that people who claim to be Christians would, at the very least, make an attempt to be ethical and to obey simple laws. Oh, like for instance, copyright laws.
I am now officially tired and impatient. You see, I just decided to cut short my latest wearying internet search for my copyrighted articles that have been posted without my permission. There is at least one person that simply has refused to remove my article. Refuses. Will not do it. Doesn't think he/she has to. Doesn't care. Tries to argue that posting the copyright notice gives him/her unlimited permission to take my words and reprint them anywhere. Seems to think he/she owns my copyright now.
And this person --- along with the vast majority of those who have taken my words without my permission --- claims to be a Christian.
Maybe what I need to do, on my next sweep, is to make a list of the offending websites and post them here. Call out the violators of copyright laws. Perhaps it will stir their consciences.
This entire blog is copyrighted. Really. I mean it. You can link to it; you can even quote from it. [NOTE: taking all or most of a post and putting it on your blog is NOT "quoting".] But you didn't write it, so don't lift stuff from it without permission. Otherwise I will get highly annoyed. Besides, it's illegal and dishonest and not nice.
Note to professing Christians: you are not above the copyright laws. If you are one of those people who think you are, please repent. I'm serious. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but you do not own my words. Please, in the name of all that is decent and holy, stop stealing.
Same goes for my old website. Stop stealing. Please.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
I am now officially tired and impatient. You see, I just decided to cut short my latest wearying internet search for my copyrighted articles that have been posted without my permission. There is at least one person that simply has refused to remove my article. Refuses. Will not do it. Doesn't think he/she has to. Doesn't care. Tries to argue that posting the copyright notice gives him/her unlimited permission to take my words and reprint them anywhere. Seems to think he/she owns my copyright now.
And this person --- along with the vast majority of those who have taken my words without my permission --- claims to be a Christian.
Maybe what I need to do, on my next sweep, is to make a list of the offending websites and post them here. Call out the violators of copyright laws. Perhaps it will stir their consciences.
This entire blog is copyrighted. Really. I mean it. You can link to it; you can even quote from it. [NOTE: taking all or most of a post and putting it on your blog is NOT "quoting".] But you didn't write it, so don't lift stuff from it without permission. Otherwise I will get highly annoyed. Besides, it's illegal and dishonest and not nice.
Note to professing Christians: you are not above the copyright laws. If you are one of those people who think you are, please repent. I'm serious. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but you do not own my words. Please, in the name of all that is decent and holy, stop stealing.
Same goes for my old website. Stop stealing. Please.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
Monday, June 30, 2008
The coffee cup
Here's the promised story, abbreviated and somewhat boring, about the coffee cup graphic in my blog title.
Sometimes, when I dream the seemingly impossible for long enough, I add details to the dream that can range from meaningful to downright silly. "Someday, if I ever have a bunch of kids, I'll get a big white van and we'll go off on adventures together..." "Someday, if I ever live in a two story house, I'll get one of those nifty basket thingies for the bottom of the stairs..."
And so it was with the dreams of "our own dojo". We dreamed a lot together about how we would teach and what sorts of extra classes we would offer and how we would organize the curriculum. But there were some silly things that attached themselves, ever so slightly, to what I was dreaming, insignificant things really...things I never dared mention because they were so trivial.
But then, after five years of teaching at our church, and after moving three times until we finally settled into our current wonderful location, we turned not just the big dreams into reality --- a reality even better than the dreams --- but we also turned some of the silly, trivial semi-dreams into reality as well.
And one of those was coffee in the dojo. We don't just have a coffee maker, a clone of the Bunn single serve coffee maker I have at home, but we also have an esspresso maker. And you know what? I can't imagine a dojo without one. At least not my dojo.
So I have my little rituals. Often I reward myself for my 6:00 a.m. private workout or my 6:00 a.m. women's fitness class with a nice cappuccino afterwards. That's also my drink of choice during belt tests; as I joke, the testing panel should be comfortable and enjoying themselves while the students aren't.
So one morning, I found myself taking pictures of my delicious cappuccino on the "sensei bench" next to my black belt. (There was a particular purpose I had in mind for this picture, but this story is already long and tedious enough.)
Yesterday, as I was looking for images for my blog header, it seemed that this particular picture, edited a bit, was exactly right. If you look closely, you can see a bit of my black belt in the shadows to the right of the cup.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
Sometimes, when I dream the seemingly impossible for long enough, I add details to the dream that can range from meaningful to downright silly. "Someday, if I ever have a bunch of kids, I'll get a big white van and we'll go off on adventures together..." "Someday, if I ever live in a two story house, I'll get one of those nifty basket thingies for the bottom of the stairs..."
And so it was with the dreams of "our own dojo". We dreamed a lot together about how we would teach and what sorts of extra classes we would offer and how we would organize the curriculum. But there were some silly things that attached themselves, ever so slightly, to what I was dreaming, insignificant things really...things I never dared mention because they were so trivial.
But then, after five years of teaching at our church, and after moving three times until we finally settled into our current wonderful location, we turned not just the big dreams into reality --- a reality even better than the dreams --- but we also turned some of the silly, trivial semi-dreams into reality as well.
And one of those was coffee in the dojo. We don't just have a coffee maker, a clone of the Bunn single serve coffee maker I have at home, but we also have an esspresso maker. And you know what? I can't imagine a dojo without one. At least not my dojo.
So I have my little rituals. Often I reward myself for my 6:00 a.m. private workout or my 6:00 a.m. women's fitness class with a nice cappuccino afterwards. That's also my drink of choice during belt tests; as I joke, the testing panel should be comfortable and enjoying themselves while the students aren't.
So one morning, I found myself taking pictures of my delicious cappuccino on the "sensei bench" next to my black belt. (There was a particular purpose I had in mind for this picture, but this story is already long and tedious enough.)
Yesterday, as I was looking for images for my blog header, it seemed that this particular picture, edited a bit, was exactly right. If you look closely, you can see a bit of my black belt in the shadows to the right of the cup.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Oh, the scandal! Call the hyper-modesty police!
Sometimes the best way to handle legalism is to laugh at it. Well, maybe not. But a sense of humor can help keep you from going crazy.
It dawned on me this morning when I was showing my new blog look to my daughter: I never would have done a blog like this before my fall to grace. For one thing, even though I would enjoy coffee when I wasn't pregnant or nursing a tiny little one (which meant coffee became a semi-rare treat!) I didn't really ENJOY coffee like I do now. In fact, I didn't think it quite right to do too much enjoying of anything, other than my husband and children and a clean house, lest my enjoyment become excessive, fleshly, or smack of idolatry.
But the real scandal is my profile picture. I'm sure some visitors to my blog will be offended, while others will no doubt exclaim, "AHA! I knew it!"
As you can tell, I'm not wearing a skirt. What you may not be able to tell is that I'm wearing a sleeveless top. To add insult to injury, I'm punching a bag. How unfeminine of me.
Actually I would beg to differ. I think it's quite feminine of me. I've done enough teaching of and training with both men and women to notice that women seem especially appreciative of punching the bags, especially the new heavy bags we've installed in our dojo. They derive actual pleasure from kicking and smacking those hard, 100 pound bags around. They tend to do it with far more gusto than the typical man.
In fact, I've noticed that my women students take their martial arts training more seriously, while at the same time having far more fun with it, than my male students. This might be because the men have a harder time identifying with me as their role model. But I think what plays a bigger role is that my women students take self-defense more seriously while taking themselves less seriously. The women also seem far more empowered by the whole training experience; for some of them, it's the first time in their adult lives that they have felt physically capable.
Women will encourage each other when their technique becomes more effective and powerful. "Wow, that kick would have stopped anyone trying to attack you!" they'll say. Or, "No one's going to mess with your kids once they know you can do that!" Some of these women have already tasted violence very up close and personal. If not, they have friends who have been attacked and assaulted. To them, martial arts seem a most fittingly feminine solution to the violence they are all too aware exists.
But that doesn't mean you get to train in skirts. Some years back, when I was helping to teach a class for homeschoolers, one family got very upset that I wouldn't let their daughters wear dresses in class. "We are concerned about modesty!" fussed the mother.
"So am I," was my answer, "and that's why I won't let your daughters kick, learn how to fall correctly, and do judo rolls in dresses. It's way too immodest, and unsafe besides."
Somehow our baggy karate uniforms were not modest enough for this woman. She would rather have her daughters expose their legs and more while their dresses flapped around and hindered their safe movements. She decided that if we were going to be so hard-nosed about it, she was going to find a "more modest and godly" martial arts school. I doubt that she did.
So, yes...I'm wearing baggy workout pants in my profile picture. I happen to be wearing a workout top rather than my usual uniform top. I'm punching a bag. Some may find this a cause for great alarm. It doesn't fit their narrow constricted view of how a godly woman should dress and act.
So...sound the alarm, ladies! Gossip amongst yourselves! Post to your blogs and to your closed forums about the scandal of it all!
In the meantime, I'll be doing what my hands find to do, with all my might, for the Lord. I'll relish my freedom in Christ. And I'll continue to allow Him to use me to impact the lives He has sent my way, those students who want to learn what I am blessed to teach. And I'll dress appropriately while doing so. After all, it's the modest thing to do.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
It dawned on me this morning when I was showing my new blog look to my daughter: I never would have done a blog like this before my fall to grace. For one thing, even though I would enjoy coffee when I wasn't pregnant or nursing a tiny little one (which meant coffee became a semi-rare treat!) I didn't really ENJOY coffee like I do now. In fact, I didn't think it quite right to do too much enjoying of anything, other than my husband and children and a clean house, lest my enjoyment become excessive, fleshly, or smack of idolatry.
But the real scandal is my profile picture. I'm sure some visitors to my blog will be offended, while others will no doubt exclaim, "AHA! I knew it!"
As you can tell, I'm not wearing a skirt. What you may not be able to tell is that I'm wearing a sleeveless top. To add insult to injury, I'm punching a bag. How unfeminine of me.
Actually I would beg to differ. I think it's quite feminine of me. I've done enough teaching of and training with both men and women to notice that women seem especially appreciative of punching the bags, especially the new heavy bags we've installed in our dojo. They derive actual pleasure from kicking and smacking those hard, 100 pound bags around. They tend to do it with far more gusto than the typical man.
In fact, I've noticed that my women students take their martial arts training more seriously, while at the same time having far more fun with it, than my male students. This might be because the men have a harder time identifying with me as their role model. But I think what plays a bigger role is that my women students take self-defense more seriously while taking themselves less seriously. The women also seem far more empowered by the whole training experience; for some of them, it's the first time in their adult lives that they have felt physically capable.
Women will encourage each other when their technique becomes more effective and powerful. "Wow, that kick would have stopped anyone trying to attack you!" they'll say. Or, "No one's going to mess with your kids once they know you can do that!" Some of these women have already tasted violence very up close and personal. If not, they have friends who have been attacked and assaulted. To them, martial arts seem a most fittingly feminine solution to the violence they are all too aware exists.
But that doesn't mean you get to train in skirts. Some years back, when I was helping to teach a class for homeschoolers, one family got very upset that I wouldn't let their daughters wear dresses in class. "We are concerned about modesty!" fussed the mother.
"So am I," was my answer, "and that's why I won't let your daughters kick, learn how to fall correctly, and do judo rolls in dresses. It's way too immodest, and unsafe besides."
Somehow our baggy karate uniforms were not modest enough for this woman. She would rather have her daughters expose their legs and more while their dresses flapped around and hindered their safe movements. She decided that if we were going to be so hard-nosed about it, she was going to find a "more modest and godly" martial arts school. I doubt that she did.
So, yes...I'm wearing baggy workout pants in my profile picture. I happen to be wearing a workout top rather than my usual uniform top. I'm punching a bag. Some may find this a cause for great alarm. It doesn't fit their narrow constricted view of how a godly woman should dress and act.
So...sound the alarm, ladies! Gossip amongst yourselves! Post to your blogs and to your closed forums about the scandal of it all!
In the meantime, I'll be doing what my hands find to do, with all my might, for the Lord. I'll relish my freedom in Christ. And I'll continue to allow Him to use me to impact the lives He has sent my way, those students who want to learn what I am blessed to teach. And I'll dress appropriately while doing so. After all, it's the modest thing to do.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice at the bottom of the sidebar. Thank you.
Profile pic
Due to popular demand (uh...maybe one or two people asked) I've decided to add a profile pic. It really is a picture of me.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Oh, and yeah...
The whole look of the blog changed too...
By the way, there is a story behind the picture in the header, and maybe I'll tell it someday.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice on the bottom of this page. Thank you.
By the way, there is a story behind the picture in the header, and maybe I'll tell it someday.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice on the bottom of this page. Thank you.
Yes...
I've updated my sidebar. I decided to use Blogger's blogroll feature, and I also cleaned up links to blogs that I rarely, if ever, read any more. In addition, blogs that are updated most recently will go to the top of the list. It's kinda cool.
In other news, I've been battling a flu/cold/sinus thingie and sounding somewhat like a cross between a frog and a puppy. Not fun for me, but it's been amusing for those around me.
And, on top of that, I've been insanely busy the past two weeks, when all I wanted to do was lounge in bed, read, and drink hot tea.
But of course, I've kept my sunny disposition the entire time, and have not resorted to whininess or self-pity. Right.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice on the bottom of this page. Thank you.
In other news, I've been battling a flu/cold/sinus thingie and sounding somewhat like a cross between a frog and a puppy. Not fun for me, but it's been amusing for those around me.
And, on top of that, I've been insanely busy the past two weeks, when all I wanted to do was lounge in bed, read, and drink hot tea.
But of course, I've kept my sunny disposition the entire time, and have not resorted to whininess or self-pity. Right.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice on the bottom of this page. Thank you.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Warning to parents
Please, please, please monitor what your children are doing online. Read their blogs, their MySpace pages, their Facebooks pages, etc. Watch the videos they want to post on YouTube --- before they post them.
Do not let your children post their email addresses publicly. Do not let them email or instant message or chat with people they do not know, especially adults.
Be careful about what personal information your children post. Is it really wise for them to be posting pictures of themselves, their families, their church, their home, etc. for all the world to see? Do you really want to give potential online predators or con artists ammunition to use against your children or your family?
Please protect your children. Please.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice on the bottom of this page. Thank you.
Do not let your children post their email addresses publicly. Do not let them email or instant message or chat with people they do not know, especially adults.
Be careful about what personal information your children post. Is it really wise for them to be posting pictures of themselves, their families, their church, their home, etc. for all the world to see? Do you really want to give potential online predators or con artists ammunition to use against your children or your family?
Please protect your children. Please.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice on the bottom of this page. Thank you.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Blog games
As far as I know, there are no blog police, nor are there some universal regulations of blogging set down in some law book somewhere. Different blog hosts may have their own rules, such as whether their platform can be used for commercial blogs, for porn, etc. but other than that, we are pretty much free to do what we want, as long as we obey the laws of the land about speech in general.
And, of course, those of us who profess to follow Christ would do best to heed His Word regarding what we write.
It is my desire to live a life of integrity. I would hope my blog reflects that, even in its silliest and most mundane of posts. So, for me, I've established a few "rules" that I've observed being followed by some of the bloggers that I respect most:
1. I try to be very careful about honoring copyright laws. I may quote from someone else, but I make clear that the quote is just that. I don't take credit for something I haven't written. I don't repost entire articles written by someone else; instead, I link to them.
2. Since beginning my blog in May 2004, I don't think I've deleted a single post. I let my words stand. Usually I try to choose them carefully for just that reason. Sometimes I've had to edit a post after the fact --- either because I've let a host of typos slip by or because I've written something in a way that is not as understandable as I'd hoped. When I do an edit, I include a comment at the bottom of the post, explaining that the post was edited and why.
3. I've only moderated comments once, and that was when I was posting about kinism. I didn't want racists to use my blog as a platform for their vile filth. I do delete comments --- either those that are ads or those that are obscene. Also, I would never knowingly allow someone to use my blog for illegal, immoral, or truly hateful purposes. I would probably remove a comment at the author's own request but would indicate that I had done so. Oh...and I've deleted duplicate comments. Since I'm a big girl, I realize that not every comment will agree with me. Some of my controversial posts may even generate heated replies. That's OK.
4. I would never use a blog hosting platform that would allow me to edit the comments of others. I would not want my readers to wonder if I were doing so. I want everyone to know that their words are their own. I would certainly never alter them in any way. To do so seems quite dishonest to me.
5. If I were to adopt a "no comment" policy, I would be sure that I would never post anything that would frustrate people for not being allowed to comment. In other words, I wouldn't post things of a controversial nature. I certainly wouldn't mention anyone else without being decent enough to give them a chance to reply, on my blog, about what I'd written.
6. I don't ban people from my blog. Anyone may freely comment, as long as they are not trying to use my blog for free advertising or for spreading obscenity and hate, or for anything illegal or immoral.
7. I don't play blog games. Apparently some people do. For example, I've heard of "swarming" recently; although I have no idea what that is. But I don't use my blog, or anyone's blog, as a means of engaging in the sort of petty conflicts that we should have all outgrown back in our junior high days. I'd like to say that I take the high road on my blog, and that I hope my blog reflects the sort of maturity one would expect at my age, but then I'm sure someone would search the archives and come up with one of my silliest posts to use against me. After all, what is so mature about a picture of a boy with a kitchen towel over his head?
8. I realize that I have chosen to make my blog public, and that anyone with internet access can read it. So I don't search my stats to try to find out which ten or so of you visit frequently and then accuse you of "stalking" me. In fact, I'd rather flatter myself by thinking that all sorts of people wake up every morning thinking, "Oh, how I hope that there is a new post up on Random Musings! I must check immediately!" The stuff that I don't want the public to read? That's the stuff that never even makes it onto my computer, let alone onto the internet.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice on the bottom of this page. Thank you.
And, of course, those of us who profess to follow Christ would do best to heed His Word regarding what we write.
It is my desire to live a life of integrity. I would hope my blog reflects that, even in its silliest and most mundane of posts. So, for me, I've established a few "rules" that I've observed being followed by some of the bloggers that I respect most:
1. I try to be very careful about honoring copyright laws. I may quote from someone else, but I make clear that the quote is just that. I don't take credit for something I haven't written. I don't repost entire articles written by someone else; instead, I link to them.
2. Since beginning my blog in May 2004, I don't think I've deleted a single post. I let my words stand. Usually I try to choose them carefully for just that reason. Sometimes I've had to edit a post after the fact --- either because I've let a host of typos slip by or because I've written something in a way that is not as understandable as I'd hoped. When I do an edit, I include a comment at the bottom of the post, explaining that the post was edited and why.
3. I've only moderated comments once, and that was when I was posting about kinism. I didn't want racists to use my blog as a platform for their vile filth. I do delete comments --- either those that are ads or those that are obscene. Also, I would never knowingly allow someone to use my blog for illegal, immoral, or truly hateful purposes. I would probably remove a comment at the author's own request but would indicate that I had done so. Oh...and I've deleted duplicate comments. Since I'm a big girl, I realize that not every comment will agree with me. Some of my controversial posts may even generate heated replies. That's OK.
4. I would never use a blog hosting platform that would allow me to edit the comments of others. I would not want my readers to wonder if I were doing so. I want everyone to know that their words are their own. I would certainly never alter them in any way. To do so seems quite dishonest to me.
5. If I were to adopt a "no comment" policy, I would be sure that I would never post anything that would frustrate people for not being allowed to comment. In other words, I wouldn't post things of a controversial nature. I certainly wouldn't mention anyone else without being decent enough to give them a chance to reply, on my blog, about what I'd written.
6. I don't ban people from my blog. Anyone may freely comment, as long as they are not trying to use my blog for free advertising or for spreading obscenity and hate, or for anything illegal or immoral.
7. I don't play blog games. Apparently some people do. For example, I've heard of "swarming" recently; although I have no idea what that is. But I don't use my blog, or anyone's blog, as a means of engaging in the sort of petty conflicts that we should have all outgrown back in our junior high days. I'd like to say that I take the high road on my blog, and that I hope my blog reflects the sort of maturity one would expect at my age, but then I'm sure someone would search the archives and come up with one of my silliest posts to use against me. After all, what is so mature about a picture of a boy with a kitchen towel over his head?
8. I realize that I have chosen to make my blog public, and that anyone with internet access can read it. So I don't search my stats to try to find out which ten or so of you visit frequently and then accuse you of "stalking" me. In fact, I'd rather flatter myself by thinking that all sorts of people wake up every morning thinking, "Oh, how I hope that there is a new post up on Random Musings! I must check immediately!" The stuff that I don't want the public to read? That's the stuff that never even makes it onto my computer, let alone onto the internet.
This post, along with my entire blog, is copyrighted. Please read and honor the copyright notice on the bottom of this page. Thank you.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
A little blog housekeeping
The new version of Blogger, now out of beta, definitely counts as Cool Stuff. I just finished doing a few more blog tweaks here and there, nothing real major, just a little light housekeeping and decorating. It's really nifty how easy it is to edite the format of the blog.
If you're on Blogger and you've been hesitant to change over to the new version --- don't be. The whole process was relatively painless, and well worth it.
If you're on Blogger and you've been hesitant to change over to the new version --- don't be. The whole process was relatively painless, and well worth it.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Slightly updated look
You may have noticed that the blog looks slightly tweaked. That's because I finally have been able to switch over to the new updated beta version of blogger. So far, I like it. In fact, I'm debating doing a much more extensive change to the way my blog looks.
One of the cool new features is the "labels" feature, which I've long coveted from other people's blogs. I haven't gone back and made labels or tags for every blog post, but I have done so for a few of the more recent ones. Check the sidebar if you are interested in specific topic-related posts.
One of the cool new features is the "labels" feature, which I've long coveted from other people's blogs. I haven't gone back and made labels or tags for every blog post, but I have done so for a few of the more recent ones. Check the sidebar if you are interested in specific topic-related posts.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Milestone
My little blog has now passed the 10,000 hits mark since I started counting. Woo-hoo! I stumbled upon another blog recently that celebrated this milestone with a scandalous picture of the authoress in a skimpy outfit.
Don't worry. My only wild revelry at achieving this apparently important goal in blogdom will consist of going downstairs and having another cup of coffee.
Don't worry. My only wild revelry at achieving this apparently important goal in blogdom will consist of going downstairs and having another cup of coffee.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Why I haven't blogged
I have been too busy...thinking. Yes, that's my excuse. True confession time: I am a problem thinker. Follow the link; you may recognize yourself in this testimony as well.
By the way, I recommend reading more than just that post on the Stand to Reason blog. Good resource; lots of thought-provoking stuff.
Uh, oh...there goes that problem thinking again...
By the way, I recommend reading more than just that post on the Stand to Reason blog. Good resource; lots of thought-provoking stuff.
Uh, oh...there goes that problem thinking again...
Friday, October 07, 2005
Hate to do this
While I am all for encouraging people to comment on my blog, and don't want to complicate the process, I have had it with my blog being used as free advertising. So I'm adding one tiny step to the commenting procedure, with the hopes that it will cut down on the spam.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Informative blog
This blog has all sorts of information and updates: Hurricane Watch: Katrina
Scroll down for the pictures of church services. Very moving.
Scroll down for the pictures of church services. Very moving.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Putting human voices to the tragedy
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