Thursday, January 25, 2007
An Ethical Dilemma - What Would You Do?
I received the following in an email this morning. Thought it was something to think about. Enjoy!
You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:
1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.
Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?
Think before you continue reading.
This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.
However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.
The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. I love this, I may actually use it sometime for an interview situation.
WHAT DID HE SAY?
He simply answered: ""I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams.""
Never forget to ""Think Outside of the Box."
You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for the bus:
1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect man (or) woman you have been dreaming about.
Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?
Think before you continue reading.
This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first; or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.
However, you may never be able to find your perfect dream lover again.
The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. I love this, I may actually use it sometime for an interview situation.
WHAT DID HE SAY?
He simply answered: ""I would give the car keys to my old friend, and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the woman of my dreams.""
Never forget to ""Think Outside of the Box."
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Uranus Stinks!
I was getting something out of Evan’s drawer the other day and happened to knock off one of the planets on his solar system model. Of course I had no idea which one it was. He was standing there watching me. I apologized to him for knocking it off and quickly put it back together. He told me it was okay and then said “Uranus stinks!” followed by some giggles. I’m thinking to myself - why is this funny? He continues to laugh so I immediately think he is thinking of “Your anus stinks!”. I’m not sure at this point what to say because of course I should believe he is all innocent and just leave it at that.
But no – I couldn’t let it go. I asked him what he meant by that and he just repeated it and laughed again. I asked him if he was talking about the planet Uranus and he said yes – why? Well I just had to explain to him that I thought he was being silly by saying “Your anus stinks!” instead of “Uranus Stinks!”. Well come to find out he didn’t even know what an anus was. So after I explained it to him he came up to me and said “Mom – your anus stinks but don’t worry – everyone’s does”. He followed this by laughing of course.
At this point Todd comes in and gives me a look like “What in the world are you doing woman?”. He then hears Evan use his new word over and over again. Yep – we had to tell him not to use that word. Especially at school. What was I thinking?
Never a dull moment at our house.
But no – I couldn’t let it go. I asked him what he meant by that and he just repeated it and laughed again. I asked him if he was talking about the planet Uranus and he said yes – why? Well I just had to explain to him that I thought he was being silly by saying “Your anus stinks!” instead of “Uranus Stinks!”. Well come to find out he didn’t even know what an anus was. So after I explained it to him he came up to me and said “Mom – your anus stinks but don’t worry – everyone’s does”. He followed this by laughing of course.
At this point Todd comes in and gives me a look like “What in the world are you doing woman?”. He then hears Evan use his new word over and over again. Yep – we had to tell him not to use that word. Especially at school. What was I thinking?
Never a dull moment at our house.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Mayonnaise Jar and Coffee
I had a copy of this on my PC because I thought it was neat. I do play well with others so I thought I'd share it with you...
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked again if the jar was full. The students agreed that it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous YES.
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – God, family, your health, friends, your favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter, your job, your house, your car, your activities.
The sand is everything else – the small stuff.
‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your kids, take time to get a medical check-up, take your spouse out for dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend.’
When we put God first, He blesses us in wonderful ways. With God first in our life, we are not as overwhelmed by the sand that blows around us. When God is first in our life, we are better equipped to keep challenges in perspective and truly count and enjoy the blessings of life.
~Author Unknown
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large, empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked again if the jar was full. The students agreed that it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous YES.
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things – God, family, your health, friends, your favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter, your job, your house, your car, your activities.
The sand is everything else – the small stuff.
‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your kids, take time to get a medical check-up, take your spouse out for dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend.’
When we put God first, He blesses us in wonderful ways. With God first in our life, we are not as overwhelmed by the sand that blows around us. When God is first in our life, we are better equipped to keep challenges in perspective and truly count and enjoy the blessings of life.
~Author Unknown
Thursday, January 18, 2007
American Idol
I’m a reality TV fan but have never watched American Idol. I’ve had friends and family mention that they love to watch American Idol so I thought I’d check it out. So I pulled up the programming guide and set the DVR to record the entire series of Season 6.
Todd and I have so far watched 2 days of auditions. I guess I should say that I’ve watched it while Todd has glanced at it while working on his laptop.
Of course I knew a little bit about the show. I had known that Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson were the judges and that Ryan Seacrest was the host.
Over 100,000 people audition in 7 cities. I’m wondering why there are so many really bad people that they show on TV. Seriously – I have an average voice but could do so much better than the people they say no to. Anybody that can carry a tune could. It doesn’t take long to realize that the people that are really bad are just there for the show’s entertainment purposes. Simon is terribly mean with his comments, Randy spends most of his time laughing at them, and Paula either covers her face or turns around completely in her chair when they are bad. Obviously if they audition that many people and only show 25 or so per show then they just want to make fun of the people who are bad. Even the ones that I consider good get negative comments made to them by Simon. Very few escape his wrath.
I feel bad for these people that get on national TV and are made fun of. I also wonder why they are there? Who told them they could sing? Who encouraged them to go on the show? I would hope and pray that if I decided to go on American Idol and couldn’t sing that someone that loved me would tell me before I went on national TV and made a fool of myself. Maybe people just want to go on to be “famous”?
Well after watching it for 2 nights now I’m still not sure what I think of the show. Yes – at times I did laugh at the people that were bad. It was entertaining to a point. But I also felt like it was so cruel and mean spirited. I felt bad about laughing at times. I just hope the people that got rejected will not be scarred for life. LOL! Who knows – maybe they will become “famous”.
Todd and I have so far watched 2 days of auditions. I guess I should say that I’ve watched it while Todd has glanced at it while working on his laptop.
Of course I knew a little bit about the show. I had known that Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson were the judges and that Ryan Seacrest was the host.
Over 100,000 people audition in 7 cities. I’m wondering why there are so many really bad people that they show on TV. Seriously – I have an average voice but could do so much better than the people they say no to. Anybody that can carry a tune could. It doesn’t take long to realize that the people that are really bad are just there for the show’s entertainment purposes. Simon is terribly mean with his comments, Randy spends most of his time laughing at them, and Paula either covers her face or turns around completely in her chair when they are bad. Obviously if they audition that many people and only show 25 or so per show then they just want to make fun of the people who are bad. Even the ones that I consider good get negative comments made to them by Simon. Very few escape his wrath.
I feel bad for these people that get on national TV and are made fun of. I also wonder why they are there? Who told them they could sing? Who encouraged them to go on the show? I would hope and pray that if I decided to go on American Idol and couldn’t sing that someone that loved me would tell me before I went on national TV and made a fool of myself. Maybe people just want to go on to be “famous”?
Well after watching it for 2 nights now I’m still not sure what I think of the show. Yes – at times I did laugh at the people that were bad. It was entertaining to a point. But I also felt like it was so cruel and mean spirited. I felt bad about laughing at times. I just hope the people that got rejected will not be scarred for life. LOL! Who knows – maybe they will become “famous”.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Only Jesus Saves
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Book “The Purpose Driven Life”. Well I signed up to get the Purpose Driven Life devotional by email each day. If you are interested in subscribing to it you can go to their website www.purposedrivenlife.com to sign up. Sometimes the devotional really speaks to me and sometimes it doesn’t. Well last week I got the one shown below and I really felt like I should share it.
Some of my friends are active Christ followers and some aren’t. I am always beating myself up for times when I don’t reach out to my friends and take an active role in leading them to Christ. After reading this devotional I felt a sense of relief. When I read the words “We don’t save anyone. Only Jesus saves.” I realized that in order to reach my friends maybe I just need to have them see me live my life for Christ and to show them the love that Christ shows to me. Can it honestly be that simple? I think I know the answer to that question now. Yes – because only Jesus saves.
"Jesus Saves" by John Fischer
Having a mission in life is what being purpose driven is all about. Being someone’s mission in life is something else entirely. It’s an important distinction.
Have you ever been someone’s mission in life? Maybe it was to get you to do something or go somewhere, or make some change in your life. The only way you can accept something like this is if you know, deep down, the person on a mission really loves you and wants the best for you even though you think he or she might be wrong about what that is. If you are uncertain about how the person on a mission feels about you, you will undoubtedly be devalued by this experience. You will feel that it isn’t you the person cares about as much as his or her mission for you that is paramount. You will feel like an agenda on the person’s “to-do” list or a target of the person’s hunt.
I know of good relationships between believers and unbelievers, and I know of bad. The good ones are the result of a genuine loving and accepting of each other that goes both ways. These relationships can last a long time (a lifetime, for that matter) without any change in either one’s position. For that to happen, does the believer have to keep his or her beliefs secret or in the background? Not at all. The deciding factor will be not that these two are working toward agreement, but that they love and respect each other regardless. If the love and respect is strong, the believer can relate anything about personal faith to the other.
This is the model Christians need to follow for relationships with those who are not Christians – even those who are strongly anti-Christian. This is especially true for long-term relationships with neighbors, co-workers, and family members who share differing beliefs. Sometimes I wonder if our primary motive for evangelism is to get people on our side, or to love them into the Kingdom of eternal life.
This is when a sense of mission for Christians sometimes has a tendency to go somewhat awry. When it becomes our mission to save people, people can easily become targets, projects, assignments, or serve a host of other utilitarian purposes. The problem with this is that people become a means to an end. The end is to save everyone, to preach to everyone, to warn everyone, or in some way fulfill an obligation.
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: We don’t save anyone. Only Jesus saves. Our calling is to love God and our neighbors. In the process of loving our neighbors, we will inevitably introduce them to Jesus. (There’s no way you can love someone and not tell them about the most important thing in your life.) What happens then is God’s business, but we will be a witness to what we know of God to those who are compelled to ask. In the meantime, our mission is to keep on loving our neighbors, regardless.
Love is truly our highest calling. It relates to all people saved or unsaved, regardless of religion, race, or gender. Love as God loves and you will not go wrong. When love is the goal, everything else gets done in the process.
Some of my friends are active Christ followers and some aren’t. I am always beating myself up for times when I don’t reach out to my friends and take an active role in leading them to Christ. After reading this devotional I felt a sense of relief. When I read the words “We don’t save anyone. Only Jesus saves.” I realized that in order to reach my friends maybe I just need to have them see me live my life for Christ and to show them the love that Christ shows to me. Can it honestly be that simple? I think I know the answer to that question now. Yes – because only Jesus saves.
"Jesus Saves" by John Fischer
Having a mission in life is what being purpose driven is all about. Being someone’s mission in life is something else entirely. It’s an important distinction.
Have you ever been someone’s mission in life? Maybe it was to get you to do something or go somewhere, or make some change in your life. The only way you can accept something like this is if you know, deep down, the person on a mission really loves you and wants the best for you even though you think he or she might be wrong about what that is. If you are uncertain about how the person on a mission feels about you, you will undoubtedly be devalued by this experience. You will feel that it isn’t you the person cares about as much as his or her mission for you that is paramount. You will feel like an agenda on the person’s “to-do” list or a target of the person’s hunt.
I know of good relationships between believers and unbelievers, and I know of bad. The good ones are the result of a genuine loving and accepting of each other that goes both ways. These relationships can last a long time (a lifetime, for that matter) without any change in either one’s position. For that to happen, does the believer have to keep his or her beliefs secret or in the background? Not at all. The deciding factor will be not that these two are working toward agreement, but that they love and respect each other regardless. If the love and respect is strong, the believer can relate anything about personal faith to the other.
This is the model Christians need to follow for relationships with those who are not Christians – even those who are strongly anti-Christian. This is especially true for long-term relationships with neighbors, co-workers, and family members who share differing beliefs. Sometimes I wonder if our primary motive for evangelism is to get people on our side, or to love them into the Kingdom of eternal life.
This is when a sense of mission for Christians sometimes has a tendency to go somewhat awry. When it becomes our mission to save people, people can easily become targets, projects, assignments, or serve a host of other utilitarian purposes. The problem with this is that people become a means to an end. The end is to save everyone, to preach to everyone, to warn everyone, or in some way fulfill an obligation.
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: We don’t save anyone. Only Jesus saves. Our calling is to love God and our neighbors. In the process of loving our neighbors, we will inevitably introduce them to Jesus. (There’s no way you can love someone and not tell them about the most important thing in your life.) What happens then is God’s business, but we will be a witness to what we know of God to those who are compelled to ask. In the meantime, our mission is to keep on loving our neighbors, regardless.
Love is truly our highest calling. It relates to all people saved or unsaved, regardless of religion, race, or gender. Love as God loves and you will not go wrong. When love is the goal, everything else gets done in the process.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Overachievers
I have really liked to use the word overachiever lately. An overachiever is someone who performs better or achieves more than expected. I think I have primarily used the word in a comical way to make myself feel better about being an underachiever.
Here are some recent uses of the word for me:
- The people that you run into that have their Christmas shopping done in October.
- People that have their Christmas decorations out the day after Thanksgiving.
- People that we receive a Christmas card from the day after Thanksgiving.
- People that have their discarded Christmas trees out at the curb the day after Christmas.
- Mothers that have 7 kids and their house is completely organized and have well balanced meals prepared for their family every day.
- People that write a well written, entertaining, thought provoking blog entry every day.
- People that I'm doing a virtual walk across the country with that log twice as many miles as I do each week.
You see – we were lucky to get our Christmas tree up before Christmas and get the gifts purchased and wrapped. We were rushed to get our cards out on time and yes – our tree is still up. I do need to report, however, that there are no longer any lights or ornaments on it. The outdoor luminaries that our neighbors had put away over a week ago – well ours finally were taken down yesterday.
We have one child and yet I feel so disorganized all the time. I have to-do lists scattered about and sometimes getting good meals prepared daily is an issue.
I also am wondering how people get so many inspirational ideas for their blogs? I struggle to think of something even half way interesting to blog about once a week.
I think that all of the busyness of life is just overwhelming sometimes. I guess being an overachiever should not be all that important to me. God just wants me to be myself and to have a strong relationship with Him. He doesn’t really care when we get our Christmas tree up or how organized I am. He just wants my best for Him.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Will you walk across the country with me?
Yes - I know it sounds like a long way to walk but I'm going to do it. I'm going to walk from Yorkstown, VA all the way to Florence, OR.
However, I'm not walking alone and I can walk on my treadmill or outside. I'm walking with several fellow bloggers and I can go at whatever pace I want.
Click here if you'd like to join in on some exercise and some fun.
However, I'm not walking alone and I can walk on my treadmill or outside. I'm walking with several fellow bloggers and I can go at whatever pace I want.
Click here if you'd like to join in on some exercise and some fun.
Name:
