Jesus and Social Media

Jesus doesn't have an official facebook or twitter account, yet there are many of them that use His name. I always think it interesting when one of my friend's like Jesus' status. Or the Bible's status - that one always stands out as well when it goes rolling by on the ticker.

I do like the video on what it would have been like if Mary and Joseph had Facebook. If you haven't seen it, you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMS9zTTH6fI
Watching it again this week reminded me how different things might have been if social media had been around all those years. I wonder if Moses would have been as receptive had God sent a tweet instead of a burning bush? If they had GPS and google maps, would they have wandered 40 years in the desert? If they had had Urban Spoon, would they have needed manna? I We could look back in a lot of the familiar Bible stories and wonder what would have been different had they had an app for that.

Are we becoming too dependent on apps and social media? I don't mean just the fact that we have to check in so many times a day. Are we actually experiencing life of are we using an app and missing out on some of the adventure, some of the challenge, some of the fun, maybe even some of the blessings?


I think we miss so many opportunities when it comes to social media and ministry. Everyday so many prayer requests come across my facebook. Are we following up and actually utilizing this network to be prayer warriors and intercessors? Along with the few friends I follow on Twitter, I follow several pastors and writers. I try to pay attention to what they post, but sometimes, I just sort of pass them by to see what my friends are actually up to.

Today, I have paid more attention to the tweets and the messages that are speaking to me. My day didn't start out the best - crazy morning at my house- and I was not in the best frame of mind. I really just wanted to sit down and cry. I know it doesn't help. Sometimes, I do it anyway. A tweet came across my phone: God's plans for you life far exceed the circumstances of your day. Thank you, Louis Giglio. I needed to hear that. A little later in the day, a message was on the television. The television was on mute, and this was just text on the screen - about not worrying about what you cannot change - it was a slight variation of the serenity prayer - and was something I needed to be reminded of today.

Maybe the way we use the information we gain by social media needs to change. Any suggestions?

Delivering Gifts

Our church has a ministry called Sidewalk Sunday School. There is a very small community near us. I would guess the entire zip code lives below the poverty level. The last Saturday before Christmas we provide shoebox gifts for all of the children. It is always the highest attended session of the year.

This year, we provided 195 gifts. When the distribution was over, we had 6 boy gifts left and were short 17 girl gifts. Dean, Nancy and I spent the rest of Saturday shopping for those 17 girls. This afternoon, we went out to Westway to deliver the gifts.

We  had 13 stops to make. Many of the houses were not necessarily liveable. I think the saddest for us was a family that had at least three daughters - we delivered gifts for all three. There could be more children as so many other children received gifts yesterday. The house they lived in was a very small, very old mobile home. I grew up in a 14x80. Dean and I lived in a 12x60. This one was probably smaller than the one Dean and I lived in. There was a lean-to attached. That was where the Christmas tree was. The girls were so very excited to get their gifts. We were excited to give them to them, too.

an odd job interview and a good turn out on my van

Right before Thanksgiving, Dean and I bought a used van. I had been looking for a while, but I had not found 'the one.' I know I don't have little kids or grand kids to haul in a mini van, but man it sure is nice for hauling lights, props, and backdrops for photography! When I found this Honda at a local dealer, Shamaley GMC,we really liked it. We went in to look and came home with a van. We were super excited. It looked wonderful. As we looked a little closer, we noticed some issues with the exterior. The ad had said there was no damage to exterior, so of course we were pretty disappointed. I responded to the email survey with our disappointment. The next morning I received an email from Mr. Shamaley and a phone call from the general manager. They were going to make it right! I was so excited. Now, my van looks amazing! Just as it had been advertised. Thanks so much Shamaley GMC for making me a very satisfied customer!

Dean had a phone interview yesterday. The job would have been interesting for him and the location would have been a new experience for us. They had agreed to do a phone interview. It started badly when they called him 55 minutes early. He was not in the best location for cell service. Dean goes by his middle name - usually not a problem. He had emailed the HR person several times - each time the gentleman addressed him as Dean. He started the interview off by asking for Bill. Just because your name is William, do you have to be called Bill? Dean politely told him he uses Dean. He kept calling him Bill. A little while in, he asked if he went by Bill or William. Again, Dean told him Dean. Probably God's way of saying I am not calling 'Dean' to this location. Back to the drawing board - or job boards if you will.

Supposedly the first round of layoffs is being moved to January. He feels he will be safe until at least April when his division ends. Praying for the best situation at the best time!

Making a List (or twelve)

And checking it twice, three times . . .

My current list (and all the sub-lists) is super long. I like lists - I like the sense of accomplishment I feel when I mark things off. I have been using the post it notes on my computer- not sure I like them. There is no way to mark things off. I want a real list- with a highlighter, so I can see how much I have done.

Over the next three weeks, so many things will be added onto the list and marked off the list.

In two weeks time, we will be at our hotel in TN. So much to do in two weeks!

My list for photos is really, really long - trying to get everyone's last minute orders is making me last minute, too. Not complaining - rejoicing in the fact that I have business. I still have a photo session tomorrow, three more sessions to finish editing and order. Two more re-orders. A senior session for the 19th. Being a photographer is really busy at Christmas time!

Then there are the lists of things to pack. I am pretty well set to start packing all my things - once I figure what all I need to pack - there are lots and lots of events to go to - and then there is the time Dean and I have on our own after the wedding. Will we be going to Maryland for the interview? Will we just hang out in NC and visit with my dad and sister before going on to Eric & Ashley's to deliver their stuff and Ranger? Hmm, my list is not quite so positive as to what to pack at the moment. I need to work on that sub-list :)

I have a list of things to take for Eric.

We are not doing much gift exchanging for Christmas this year, so that list is really short.

There is the list of things I am selling on Craigslist.

Then there is another wedding to start making lists for.



Maybe I should invest in a 6 pack of notebooks.




Off to work on my lists . . . .
 

Job Hunting

We go weeks and weeks and hear nothing - then we get lots of hope - only to have it dashed again. And then the cycle begins again.

This week has been one of those with lots of hope - it started with an 8 am interview on Monday and ended with an invitation for an interview next week - 2000 miles away. He thought the interview went well. They want to put him on a proposal for a job on the east coast. Great. But who knows when that would happen. April is coming soon - very soon.

Last night we sent in 5 applications for the same company. Today we got back 2 that said no thank you - but there were 3 we didn't hear from. Does that mean that he is being considered for the other three?

And then, there was the email scheduling him for an interview. We applied for the job a month ago and had heard nothing since. Then, today an email telling him he has an interview Thursday at 3:45. Do we spend 500 to send him there? Is the job actually worth it? Can they wait until the first week of January when we are already on the east coast? Does even the top of their pay scale justify a move there? Are moving expenses covered? So many questions - and of course - they didn't send the email until it was too late to respond and have some of our questions answered. 

Prayers would be appreciated! 

Fortune Cookie Anyone?

Fortune cookies are a fun part of eating Chinese. I must say that I do not believe in fortune telling, psychics, etc. For me, fortune cookies are just fun. I know most of us add "in bed" to the end of the fortune making it even more daring and fun. I am just getting the "I don't believe in Fortune Cookies" out of the way :)

Dean has been job hunting for quite a while. In May he turned down a job with a company that has two words in the name - both of these words could be considered nautical. Last week, there were more jobs in other locations listed on their site. Because the company is a reputable company, he reapplied for the new positions. On Monday, he received a phone call from this company - they wanted to meet with him next week about a position in the same location he had turned down before. That would not be our first preference, but April is coming fast and a job is going to be necessary. After a phone call and a couple of emails, he was informed that he would be getting a phone call that evening to schedule an interview this coming Monday.

The email didn't come.

We went to dinner.

 Ate Chines.

Talked about this company with the two word nautical name as well as other potential opportunities to look into.

Broke our fortune cookies. Dean said, "hmmm."  Mine was rather ho-hum even adding "in bed" to it. Instead of reading his, Dean handed it to me. I read, "Boats and Water are in your future." We started laughing. In bed really didn't fit, but a two word nautical phrase did.

The next day there was not contact either. Finally, early Friday morning, he got an email asking him to call on Sunday at 5pm to set up an appointment to meet.

Again, I don't believe in fortunes, but it did strike us as funny. Prayers for the interview would be greatly appreciated. We don't even have any idea where the position would be or if they even have one currently. He just took the opportunity, knowing they would be here in town, to ask for an interview.

Thanksgiving Memories

The night before Thanksgiving, I was making cornbread for dressing. Something about that, really made me miss my friend Gina. We met about Thanksgiving time, but it was really more the cornbread and dressing as we made it the same way.  We were working at the Christmas store in the Tyler mall. Gina and her sister were hired after I was. When Gina and I met we clicked. It was almost like we had been friends for life. I remember sitting in the back room talking over lunches and getting to know one another.  So, so many memories from the 1989 until she went home to be with Jesus in 2006. Sweet memories of a very good friend.

I woke up sick on Thanksgiving morning. Not the best way to start a day of thankfulness. Killer sore throat. Not good. Despite that, we still had a good day. We missed Eric, even though he hasn't been with us the last couple of Thanksgivings. Jeremy was here with us for the day. Dean cooked a ham. I made the dressing. Joy Anna and Jeremy made apple pies. Joy Anna and I made dumplings. I asked her how they looked as we were rolling them out. She said they were okay, but they would be better if Nanny was there with us while we were making them. Of course, I agreed.

That stirred up a lot of Thanksgiving memories over the years.  The last time I saw Nanny was Thanksgiving week in 2008. We had only been here a few months, and Dean took off a week to take us home to visit. Many times when we left her, I would think that it would be the last time I saw her. That time, I just knew. Even that year, we continued the tradition of putting up her Christmas tree for her on Thanksgiving day. It just doesn't seem like Thanksgiving without doing that.

There were all the family gatherings, trips to the woods, football - and Uncle Ed always being anti- football. There were lots of Black Friday shopping trips - I can actually remember things bought on Black Friday trips over the years. Dean and I bought our first VCR. Aunt Nell bought me a sweater I still wear. I remember getting up really early one year to get Eric a code for something on his handheld game system at Toys R Us.  This Black Friday, I slept all day.

I really am thankful for all the memories. They shaped me into who I am today.

A Do-Over: A New Blog for Pam

Hello,
I decided a while back my current blog was just too depressing - it even depressed me! And so, I started over. Don't you wish do-overs were as easy in real life?

Some times, we do get do-overs, but they are not usually easy. This week was one of those do-over type weeks for me. It all started last Monday. Or maybe it started on Sunday with a family session down town. I had a blast with a family with 4 kiddos. We took fun photos of the whole family and some really cute (if I do say so myself) photos of the kids. Notice little Miss E's eyes.

 

The mom works at a local jewelry store. She and I met when I took my ring into be repaired. She was showing off her photos the next day when they decided I should take photos of the jewelry. I did some research, but mainly to figure out how to price. This is where the do-over became a necessity. 

I went in to take the photos and Michelle was not there. Another employee helped me by choosing the jewelry. It didn't go great. I was disappointed that the tags couldn't be removed because it made it very difficult to get a good photo. If you know me, you know how much I enjoyed doing props for church productions and setting the scene. In a way, that is a contradiction to the way I usually think of photography. I am one of those odd photographers who prefers the person to be the main part of the photo - not the prop. I wanted to set up scenes, but I was told to just take individual pics of the jewelry - it was sort of like jewelry mug shots- even the labels. Just like mug shots, the tag really didn't help the photo. 

I was not overly pleased, but the photos were crisp and in focus. I had done the best I knew and the best under the circumstances. I had other fish to fry - or people to photograph, anyway.

Over the weekend, I did the Day of Glitz and Glamour at Bellezza Salon. I set up on Friday night after doing a Senior Session with Maggie.

I didn't get a lot of sleep, because I was too excited. I had really hoped for 30 ladies. We didn't get it. We worked so hard on Saturday and had a lot of fun. It was very tiring. I thought things went very well with the ladies. We were supposed to have a session on Sunday and one on Monday, but the one on Sunday rescheduled. I must say I was glad for the day off.

Monday afternoon I heard from the jewelry store. They didn't like the photos. I was pretty upset. It seems that every time, I get on what I think is a roll, I crash into a boulder and stop. I asked about the possibility of redoing them - using props, setting the scene. She said she would check, so I was in a holding pattern with them.  Monday evening we did the session that had rescheduled, but the other one never showed up. After the session, I sat down with the owner of the salon. after that meeting, I was about ready to just quit photography. We had worked together to come up with fair pricing. We required a deposit, but they were supposed to pay for their session at the time of the session. She didn't charge that! I was devastated. I had worked all of that time for free. Because we spent more than I intended for advertising, our profit was reduced, but not to collect anything except as the deposit, was devastating. She says that they are good for it and we will get it, but I am really not sure that will happen. I have put them online, but no one has ordered or responded. I am hoping it will happen tomorrow. I sent reminders tonight. We are going to do a do-over on December 8. This time, all fees will be paid in advance!

Monday night was not a good night. I got no sleep. I spent a few hours researching how to take jewelry photography just in case they gave me the opportunity to try again. Thankfully, they did! I got my do-over. Now, to make it right. I spent Tuesday out looking for more salons and studying jewelry photography. I also purchased a light tent and lights. I spent Tuesday night studying some more - until about 2 am. 

Wednesday came and it was time to try again. We had talked about it and decided to try props and setting the scene. We had a much more productive day. 

On Thursday, they called again. They liked the photos, but they wanted some close ups and some more scenes as well. :) This do-over did much better, but it was not easy. I went back on Friday. 

Thankfully, there are times we get a do-over, but do we always make the best out of it? I hope I do.