Breaking Rules and Stretching Limits
By Janice Price
At eight months of age, Buddy is thirty-five pounds of lean muscle, selectively “untrainable.” In other words, he learns exactly what he has an incentive to learn, no more and no less, and he does his own thing, regardless.
Food is the primary love of his life. He can learn anything necessary to reach food. He learned to climb the chair bed/stairstep I made for my oldest cat to climb onto the washing machine. She used it to reach her food; so did he. She moved to the dryer and the shared food bowl was moved to a cabinet between the washer and dryer. He learned his way around the stool blocking his path and onto the cabinet, where food for six cats tempted him. He would crawl, climb, squeeze through — whatever it took to reach his favorite crunchy snack This was temporarily resolved with a two-pound weight in the cats’ food bowl to keep it from tipping, as much as possible, and a two-pound weight on the tray beneath it.
He is tall enough now to stand on his hind legs, lean against the stool and snag Jenny’s bowl on the dryer. I turn my back for two seconds while fixing a sandwich and he filches bread or toast from my plate on the kitchen table or steals my dinner when I carry a plate in to eat at my desk. Catsup, mustard or peanut butter already spread? That’s the slice he will steal first. And when I stare at my plate, thinking, I know I had two slices of bread, Buddy will stare at the plate, as if he, too, can’t imagine how the other slice disappeared. I can see the little wheels in his head turning: I thought you still had a few bites of hamburger left. Those cat critters must have taken it again.
I already know he is a lot smarter than he wants me to know he is. But the other day he took the prize for canine ingenuity. The large dry cat food bowl, with its tray and two-pound weights, now sits on the highest cabinet in the kitchen. Buddy can almost, but not quite tip the bowl over to steal food.
I walked into the kitchen and stopped dead. A kitchen chair that was supposed to be at the kitchen table was across the room in front of the cabinet. Buddy’s two hind feet were firmly planted on the seat. His two front paws were resting solidly on top of the cabinet. His head was deep in the bowl, with mouth wide open, about to scoop up as much dry cat food as he could fit in his mouth at one time without including the two-pound weight.
“B!U!D!D!Y!,” I yelled.
Now, Buddy knows when my voice has that many decibels (!!!), he is in b-i-i-i-g trouble. Did it bother him? No, he calmly backed down from the counter, turned on the chair seat, jumped lightly to the floor, and then ran like the blazes to crawl under the couch.
How can a dog that can’t remember where he left my half-eaten sneaker figure out how to access the unattainable?
I have learned a lot of lessons from my pets. In some respects, dealing with them is much like dealing with children. They need rules and limits set to keep them safe, healthy and happy. And then they expend a lot of energy finding ways and means to break those rules and stretch those limits.
People seem to do the same with God. Ever since Adam and Eve, God —like a good parent who cares about his children — has given rules and limits to keep men safe, healthy and happy, while men have expended a lot of energy finding ways and means to break those rules and stretch those limits. People also can be selectively “untrainable.”
It’s all right. We have to change with the times. Today, homophobia is out and homosexuality is in.
According to the law, I don’t need any reason to divorce my spouse, other than irreconcilable differences. But if you want to be technical about it and quote the Bible, divorce is permissible for reason of sexual immorality. I’m already involved in an affair with another person, so it’s okay to divorce my mate.
I have never stolen anything in my life! Well, maybe a paperclip or two - Well, yes, I have eaten an apple or three, and maybe some grapes, and I guess I should count the candy bars I ate occasionally while shopping.
So I copy and paste stories to send to all my friends to forward to all their friends. And, no, I don’t bother to ask if it’s all right with the author. I just delete the name and other information with it and – well, what’s the harm in that? The Internet wasn’t even a gleam in God’s eye when the Bible was written.
I don’t read the Bible. I can’t understand it. Besides, all these folks who write books about the Bible know what they’re talking about or their books wouldn’t sell.
It doesn’t matter what I believe.
I’ve never told a lie in my life. What do you mean, I just told one?
What’s the matter with being a Christian on Sunday and an aggressive business shark the rest of the week?
Why should I forgive him? After what he did to me, God would never expect me to forgive. Yes, I know Jesus is supposed to have died so I could be forgiven of my sins, but I’ve never done anything that bad to anyone.
Buddy will continue to test new ways to break the rules and stretch the limits, but he really is not “untrainable.” Patience, correction and love, along with age and maturity, will gradually change him into a more obedient pet.
Christians are not “untrainable” either. God exhibits greater patience than I will ever have with Buddy, and because he loves us, he administers correction when necessary.
We all sin and fall short of God’s perfection, but, still, we must age and mature in Christ. Jesus never made excuses, broke the rules or stretched the limits.
© 2005 Janice Price
mercyandpercy@yahoo.com
www.mercyandpercy.com
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO BAIL
Sometimes You Have To Bail
by Janice Price
There’s something about determination that sets the blood pumping and the neighbors wondering, What is that strange woman doing?
In this incident, “that strange woman” used a crowbar to lift the heavy cover over the water meter, only to find the deep hole three-quarters full of water. The uncovered meter could not be read through the water and mud, so I traipsed into the house several times. First I returned with a large measuring cup — the one used for kitty litter, not the one used for food! — to bail water. It must have been a sight for passing motorists to see a not-so-young woman on hands and knees, bailing water out of the hole almost as fast as it was running back into the hole. (We have had some heavy rains recently.)
On subsequent trips to the house, I returned with a flashlight, pen and paper, a paper towel to wipe mud from the face of the meter, reading glasses and — finally — a magnifying glass. I bailed water after each trip.
Whew! The city’s utility bill was wrong. They did bill me for an extra thousand gallons of water and sewer usage.
In case this sounds petty, let me explain there was a stagnant water pool on the city’s side of the meter that they fixed earlier in the month. I went through the same procedure when I discovered the leak — minus the multi-bailing task — checking the meter reading against the last bill, hoping it would not show there was a leak on my side of the meter also. When the new bill arrived, either the city was in error or I had a slow water leak.
Today is Saturday. My choices were to either worry all weekend about the possibility of a leak or entertain the neighborhood. I chose to grab a crowbar and try to find an answer.
The first time I was billed for extra gallons of water was after a hot water pipe burst. It was caught early. I paid the bill without complaint, aware it could have been much higher.
The second time I was billed for a few thousand gallons over and above my normal usage. I called the city and was told they would not re-read the meter, but not to worry because if it was wrong, it would be corrected on the next bill. The problem was that my budget didn’t include “not-to-worry” water and sewage, and the metal cover was too heavy for me to move to check the reading to prove my point. I know; I tried.
So I worried; then I prayed. Martha stopped by and popped the cover for me. I called the city back and gave the correct reading. The meter was re-read and the bill adjusted.
The budget wasn’t quite so tight the next time I was overbilled. I did nothing and the proper adjustment came through the following month, without any effort on my part. If there wasn’t the concern about a water leak, I wouldn’t have bothered crawling around in the mud and wet grass bailing water today. The error should be corrected next month.
Some things in life are like that. If you leave them alone, they are resolved without any effort on your part. Other times you need to speak up and let people know there is a problem that needs attention. And then there are those times when you need to take action, to do something to help yourself, even if it entertains the neighborhood.
Yes, we can and should give our problems to God. Sometimes we have no means to resolve them. We do not see the whole picture or have all the facts, nor can we change another person’s mind or heart Some things we have to just leave with God and trust him to work them out.
But the fact is that in many cases we have to trust God to lead us and guide us through the problem. He is not coming tomorrow morning to wake me gently, brush my teeth, fix my breakfast, shower and dress me for the day. Nor will he phone the city office to notify them there is an error in my bill, or bail water out of the hole so I can read the meter. Some things I have to do for myself.
The first time there was a problem I needed physical help to remove and replace the cover and God sent someone to assist me. No action was required the next time, but if the city had not sent a corrected bill the following month, I would have notified the city their meter reader needed to send his equipment back to meter reading school. By the third time, I was physically stronger, able to use a crowbar to remove the lid and to turn the lid over into place when I finished. Action was required.
Head knowledge is what we learn in the physical realm; it is stored in the brain. I was going to use the term “Spiritual knowledge” here, as knowledge that comes from God — usually through his word but also through the “still, small voice within or wise Spiritual counsel — but I ran the term through Google and discovered that is not necessarily a Christian term today. So I will call it heart knowledge instead.
Wisdom is what we do with knowledge. Part of Spiritual wisdom is discerning when to act and when to wait on God, which direction to take back to him when we have wandered off the path, and which voice to listen to when indecision clouds our thinking.
Wisdom isn’t a crash course, especially not Spiritual wisdom. This is acquired through a deepening relationship with God. We learn to listen, to hear and to heed. I’m not an expert on the subject. I’m still taking the course with the rest of God’s children. Some days God’s direction is rest and I plow full-steam ahead into danger. Other days I’m dragging and complaining. The good days are when a lesson is learned because I was alert and responsive.
This was a good day.
© 2005 Janice Price
www.mercyandpercy.com
mercyandpercy@yahoo.com
by Janice Price
There’s something about determination that sets the blood pumping and the neighbors wondering, What is that strange woman doing?
In this incident, “that strange woman” used a crowbar to lift the heavy cover over the water meter, only to find the deep hole three-quarters full of water. The uncovered meter could not be read through the water and mud, so I traipsed into the house several times. First I returned with a large measuring cup — the one used for kitty litter, not the one used for food! — to bail water. It must have been a sight for passing motorists to see a not-so-young woman on hands and knees, bailing water out of the hole almost as fast as it was running back into the hole. (We have had some heavy rains recently.)
On subsequent trips to the house, I returned with a flashlight, pen and paper, a paper towel to wipe mud from the face of the meter, reading glasses and — finally — a magnifying glass. I bailed water after each trip.
Whew! The city’s utility bill was wrong. They did bill me for an extra thousand gallons of water and sewer usage.
In case this sounds petty, let me explain there was a stagnant water pool on the city’s side of the meter that they fixed earlier in the month. I went through the same procedure when I discovered the leak — minus the multi-bailing task — checking the meter reading against the last bill, hoping it would not show there was a leak on my side of the meter also. When the new bill arrived, either the city was in error or I had a slow water leak.
Today is Saturday. My choices were to either worry all weekend about the possibility of a leak or entertain the neighborhood. I chose to grab a crowbar and try to find an answer.
The first time I was billed for extra gallons of water was after a hot water pipe burst. It was caught early. I paid the bill without complaint, aware it could have been much higher.
The second time I was billed for a few thousand gallons over and above my normal usage. I called the city and was told they would not re-read the meter, but not to worry because if it was wrong, it would be corrected on the next bill. The problem was that my budget didn’t include “not-to-worry” water and sewage, and the metal cover was too heavy for me to move to check the reading to prove my point. I know; I tried.
So I worried; then I prayed. Martha stopped by and popped the cover for me. I called the city back and gave the correct reading. The meter was re-read and the bill adjusted.
The budget wasn’t quite so tight the next time I was overbilled. I did nothing and the proper adjustment came through the following month, without any effort on my part. If there wasn’t the concern about a water leak, I wouldn’t have bothered crawling around in the mud and wet grass bailing water today. The error should be corrected next month.
Some things in life are like that. If you leave them alone, they are resolved without any effort on your part. Other times you need to speak up and let people know there is a problem that needs attention. And then there are those times when you need to take action, to do something to help yourself, even if it entertains the neighborhood.
Yes, we can and should give our problems to God. Sometimes we have no means to resolve them. We do not see the whole picture or have all the facts, nor can we change another person’s mind or heart Some things we have to just leave with God and trust him to work them out.
But the fact is that in many cases we have to trust God to lead us and guide us through the problem. He is not coming tomorrow morning to wake me gently, brush my teeth, fix my breakfast, shower and dress me for the day. Nor will he phone the city office to notify them there is an error in my bill, or bail water out of the hole so I can read the meter. Some things I have to do for myself.
The first time there was a problem I needed physical help to remove and replace the cover and God sent someone to assist me. No action was required the next time, but if the city had not sent a corrected bill the following month, I would have notified the city their meter reader needed to send his equipment back to meter reading school. By the third time, I was physically stronger, able to use a crowbar to remove the lid and to turn the lid over into place when I finished. Action was required.
Head knowledge is what we learn in the physical realm; it is stored in the brain. I was going to use the term “Spiritual knowledge” here, as knowledge that comes from God — usually through his word but also through the “still, small voice within or wise Spiritual counsel — but I ran the term through Google and discovered that is not necessarily a Christian term today. So I will call it heart knowledge instead.
Wisdom is what we do with knowledge. Part of Spiritual wisdom is discerning when to act and when to wait on God, which direction to take back to him when we have wandered off the path, and which voice to listen to when indecision clouds our thinking.
Wisdom isn’t a crash course, especially not Spiritual wisdom. This is acquired through a deepening relationship with God. We learn to listen, to hear and to heed. I’m not an expert on the subject. I’m still taking the course with the rest of God’s children. Some days God’s direction is rest and I plow full-steam ahead into danger. Other days I’m dragging and complaining. The good days are when a lesson is learned because I was alert and responsive.
This was a good day.
© 2005 Janice Price
www.mercyandpercy.com
mercyandpercy@yahoo.com
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
A MAN'S WORD
A Man's Word
By Janice Price
There was a time when a man’s word was his bond, and one new writer can remember that time. At age seventy he began to write stories. Recently, he self-published a book and has been learning the ups and downs of self-marketing. The book market is a tough world today. Anyone can self-publish a book, but not every book, self-published or otherwise, will be a raving success story for the author.
One successful author, J.K. Rowling, refused to publish an e-book version of her latest Harry Potter book, but within eleven hours of its release, it was posted on the Internet in its entirety. The United States used to have gangs like the Ma Barker Gang, the Jesse James Gang, or the Al Capone Mob -- which was hunted by legendary lawman Eliot Ness. Today we have the Have Scanner Will Copy Gang. Yes, it took a group of thieves to copy and post one book. Rowling’s sales will barely be affected; the book sold over ten million copies in one day.
Rowling is a famous author and undoubtedly has her pick of publishing houses to choose from, any one of which would gladly promote her book. An unknown, self-published writer, particularly one without means, stands alone. Unless he has good friends and encouragers who will knock on doors, tap on windows, speak to the purchasing agents of various stores, write to air shows to volunteer him as a prospective airplane wing tip walker, and just generally do whatever is needed to help promote the book. The self-published author – let’s call him F.T.P. (short for Feisty, Tenacious Perseverance) – has been blessed with such friends, one in particular.
I have never been interested in reading the Harry Potter series, but I am in process of reading the book by F.T.P. His book is “cute” and family friendly. (It has a hook, but I won’t give it away here) Storytelling is an art, not necessarily a punctuating spellfest. (Yes, I know there is no such word as “spellfest” in your dictionary.) F.T.P. was raised in an era when success was measured in hard work, not in perfect spelling and punctuation.
His style is open, honest and down to earth. I have never met him, but I can almost imagine him laboring over his keyboard to keep his stories uniquely F.T.P. It puts a person in mind of the days when people sat (or “set,” as he would undoubtedly say) on the front porch, spinning stories in a leisurely drawl.
I was surprised to learn this man of seventy-five, with little financial means but lots of F.T.P., traveled to a big city in his state to make the rounds of bookstores. That’s a daunting task for a younger person. He met with some honest refusals, but some bookstores did agree to display his book. Then they put it under the counter, either telling customers who inquired about the book they didn’t have it, or they didn’t have it but could special order it– for a fee, over and above what they would collect from the publisher.
When I read that, there was a red flag waving and I just had to “charge.” Whatever happened to the days when a man’s word was his bond? When a handshake was as good as a legal document? Today, we have attorneys writing ironclad prenuptial contracts, after-I’ve-kicked-the-bucket wills, in-case-I-keel-over-at-the-cell-phone-bill waivers, and the ever popular what-one-man-considers-porn-is-actually-art legislation.
When did Mister My-word-is-my-bond get off the train and disappear into the crowd? We need to find him, lure him back onto the train, and send him visiting these bookstores – for a start. Then we need to set up an itinerary for him, being sure to include each and every broken word or promise to adults or children, every broken contract, every overcharge, every deceitful practice, every outright or “subtle” theft, every dishonest business and employee, every cheating married partner -
Oh, my, it can’t be done! The history of man is littered with a trail of broken contracts, promises and relationships, too numerous to even list. We even break our solemn contract with God - breaking his commandments, making promises we know we can’t keep and allowing life to interfere in our relationship.
We are so blessed to have a Savior. Without Christ, we have no hope. We would have a lifetime of contracts, commitments and words without intent, and then we would die. But, unlike mankind in general, and the bookstore owners mentioned here, God is faithful; what he promises, he will perform. God will not break his word.
© 2005 Janice Price
mercyandpercy@yahoo.com
www.mercyandpercy.com
By Janice Price
There was a time when a man’s word was his bond, and one new writer can remember that time. At age seventy he began to write stories. Recently, he self-published a book and has been learning the ups and downs of self-marketing. The book market is a tough world today. Anyone can self-publish a book, but not every book, self-published or otherwise, will be a raving success story for the author.
One successful author, J.K. Rowling, refused to publish an e-book version of her latest Harry Potter book, but within eleven hours of its release, it was posted on the Internet in its entirety. The United States used to have gangs like the Ma Barker Gang, the Jesse James Gang, or the Al Capone Mob -- which was hunted by legendary lawman Eliot Ness. Today we have the Have Scanner Will Copy Gang. Yes, it took a group of thieves to copy and post one book. Rowling’s sales will barely be affected; the book sold over ten million copies in one day.
Rowling is a famous author and undoubtedly has her pick of publishing houses to choose from, any one of which would gladly promote her book. An unknown, self-published writer, particularly one without means, stands alone. Unless he has good friends and encouragers who will knock on doors, tap on windows, speak to the purchasing agents of various stores, write to air shows to volunteer him as a prospective airplane wing tip walker, and just generally do whatever is needed to help promote the book. The self-published author – let’s call him F.T.P. (short for Feisty, Tenacious Perseverance) – has been blessed with such friends, one in particular.
I have never been interested in reading the Harry Potter series, but I am in process of reading the book by F.T.P. His book is “cute” and family friendly. (It has a hook, but I won’t give it away here) Storytelling is an art, not necessarily a punctuating spellfest. (Yes, I know there is no such word as “spellfest” in your dictionary.) F.T.P. was raised in an era when success was measured in hard work, not in perfect spelling and punctuation.
His style is open, honest and down to earth. I have never met him, but I can almost imagine him laboring over his keyboard to keep his stories uniquely F.T.P. It puts a person in mind of the days when people sat (or “set,” as he would undoubtedly say) on the front porch, spinning stories in a leisurely drawl.
I was surprised to learn this man of seventy-five, with little financial means but lots of F.T.P., traveled to a big city in his state to make the rounds of bookstores. That’s a daunting task for a younger person. He met with some honest refusals, but some bookstores did agree to display his book. Then they put it under the counter, either telling customers who inquired about the book they didn’t have it, or they didn’t have it but could special order it– for a fee, over and above what they would collect from the publisher.
When I read that, there was a red flag waving and I just had to “charge.” Whatever happened to the days when a man’s word was his bond? When a handshake was as good as a legal document? Today, we have attorneys writing ironclad prenuptial contracts, after-I’ve-kicked-the-bucket wills, in-case-I-keel-over-at-the-cell-phone-bill waivers, and the ever popular what-one-man-considers-porn-is-actually-art legislation.
When did Mister My-word-is-my-bond get off the train and disappear into the crowd? We need to find him, lure him back onto the train, and send him visiting these bookstores – for a start. Then we need to set up an itinerary for him, being sure to include each and every broken word or promise to adults or children, every broken contract, every overcharge, every deceitful practice, every outright or “subtle” theft, every dishonest business and employee, every cheating married partner -
Oh, my, it can’t be done! The history of man is littered with a trail of broken contracts, promises and relationships, too numerous to even list. We even break our solemn contract with God - breaking his commandments, making promises we know we can’t keep and allowing life to interfere in our relationship.
We are so blessed to have a Savior. Without Christ, we have no hope. We would have a lifetime of contracts, commitments and words without intent, and then we would die. But, unlike mankind in general, and the bookstore owners mentioned here, God is faithful; what he promises, he will perform. God will not break his word.
© 2005 Janice Price
mercyandpercy@yahoo.com
www.mercyandpercy.com
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
STEALING PIECES OF MY HEART
Stealing Pieces of My Heart
by Janice Price
“But, Officer,” Gerry whines as he is handcuffed by a police officer, “I didn’t do anything. Why am I being arrested?”
“For breaking and entering, stealing a car to take your friends joyriding, destruction of private property, driving at an excessive rate of speed while going the wrong way on the Interstate, and for causing a thirty car accident,” the officer tells him.
Gerry protests, utterly convinced he didn’t do anything wrong. “I didn’t steal the car! It was public property - just waiting for someone to drive it. I wanted to impress my friends and I figured the owner wouldn’t mind if I put it to a good use. Besides, none of those charges will stick. The owner is a Christian. He’ll forgive me.”
“Public property? Uh-huh. That’s why you broke into a home, hot-wired the car in the garage, and drove over a bicycle, a vegetable garden, and a mailbox while leaving the scene at a high rate of speed.. Forgiveness isn’t the point here. You broke the law and have to pay the consequences. Tell it to a judge and jury.”
The above is fiction, used as an illustration of how adept people can become at twisting facts to appear innocent of wrongdoing, even if caught red-handed. And if it sounds far-fetched, you might want to read some real life honest-I’m-innocent criminal stories.
Some try to excuse wrong actions because “it’s for a good cause.” Christians might try to appear as righteous by using the excuse, “I’m doing God’s work.” An unconverted heart is truly deceitful above all things, but the Christian heart is not yet perfect. Until and unless the Holy Spirit leads you to see any of the sludge you are harboring in your heart, you are oblivious to what you are doing wrong. Or, in some cases, you are aware of what you are doing wrong, but try to appease your conscience by blowing it off as inconsequential, I’m-not-hurting-anyone mis-reasoning.
One of my pet peeves is the casual way Christians and non-Christians alike appropriate others’ words, artwork, photographs, graphics – any type of creative work. Appropriate means to take or make use of without authority or right. In plain English, to steal. God did not give any such command as: “You shall steal in My name or for a good cause.” No, God specifically commands us to not steal, but our human minds reason around it.
The Internet puts so much at our fingertips. There are countless web sites where we can find free software, free graphics, free e-books, and free music – lots of freebies. Are you discouraged? Unable to attend church? Click on this site or that one and pick out what you need to educate or uplift you.. You found that helpful? Well, copy and paste it into an e-mail and send it to all your friends, who will then send it to all their friends.
Whoa! Before you hit “Send,” stop for a moment and think about what you are doing.
Not everything on the Internet is free for your personal use. Some things have been created for a web page, a blog, an e-mail, or an e-zine, and although the originator offers to share it with you, it hasn’t been given to you. If you take it for your own use, with or without altering it, you are appropriating it – stealing it!
It isn’t community property, whether or not it was created by a Christian. It makes no difference whether there is a specific statement of copyright. Visit http://www.copyright.gov/ to learn how creative works are automatically covered under copyright law. And to ignore or remove copyright information, or any other identifying information, plainly says, I know I am stealing but if I cover it up by filing off the serial number, I can get away with it. (Filing off the serial number is an analogy. I’m not delusional.)
Most of my stories arise from personal experiences and this one is no exception. I’m not a computer nerd and I didn’t have the financing to handle a web site, so I opened a blog site, and began posting photographs and stories to encourage others. For the past year, I placed my name, copyright information, e-mail address and web address on every story posted. (None of the other serious blog or web page writers did this.) Copyright and reprinting only with permission information was prominently displayed on the web site.
A week ago I removed the excess ID information on each story, so it would look more professional and less like the site was being guarded by an overprotective parent. A few days later I “accidentally” (thank you, God!) learned that for several months, as fast as I have been posting the stories, someone has been appropriating them, stripping them of copyright and contact information and posting them to a forum. Then I found that at least three other writers I know personally are posted on there, without even a byline to identify the authors.
I located an email address for the forum administrator and sent an “educational” message the other day. I sent a copyright infringement message yesterday. Still no response – yet! Not even an insincere apology.
For three days I walked around with my stomach in my knees, so to speak. I felt violated, as if someone had disarmed my security system, broken into my house, rooted through everything and stolen whatever they wanted.
Other writers understand this feeling. My friend Joe summed it up well. “Jan, you have a perfect right to feel violated. Your MAP stories are wonderfully unique and they are a part of your innermost being. Those who stole your stories stole an important part of you, since you and your MAP stories are one.”
Yes, my MAP (Mercy And Percy) stories are an integral part of who I am. They are not cold, hard facts on paper; they are stories written from my heart, to be read on my Mercy And Percy site or elsewhere - with proper approval - but not to be appropriated.
Some writers state something like, it’s okay to share this, just don’t remove any of my copyright or personal contact information. Whatever the reason, this is their choice, and there is nothing wrong with it. But there is no law that says any written piece is public domain and it’s okay to grab it, strip it, add a Bible verse or inspirational quotation and call it “doing God’s work” or “helping others,” no matter how great the cause. Before you post someone else’s material, put it in a newsletter, or reprint it somewhere else, contact the writer and ask if it is okay to do so and what information that particular writer wants included with it.
When you come across something that inspires you or encourages you, encourage the author by sending even one line of thanks for time and effort invested in creating the piece. Every writer I know puts his or her heart into articles or personal experience stories. Every time you steal a piece of their work, you steal a part of their heart also.
Do you want to share the story with a friend? Blogs and many web sites have a means to recommend a story to your friend. On blogger.com it’s an envelope icon next to “comments” after each story. A link – not the story – would be e-mailed to your friend.
Anyone appropriating stories already knows how to copy and paste. But instead of the story, email the web address to your friends or to your forum. For example, http://www.mercyandpercy.com is where this story will be posted. Eventually it will be archived under July 20, 2005.
There are numerous family-friendly web sites and many good writers on the Internet. Not all of the authors have a web or blog site, but a variety of good writing can be found on Christian sites such as http://www.crossmap.com – just click on “columns.” There you will find articles by Moe Pujol, Joseph Perrello, Ed Price, Jimmy Cochran, Paul Dawn, Vicki Gaines, Donna Shepherd, and others.
I hope you will visit Mercy And Percy, be encouraged by the writing, and recommend it to your friends. My desire is to please and honor God, as well as to encourage, inspire and share lessons learned through personal experience.
© 2005 Janice Price
mercyandpercy@yahoo.com
www.mercyandpercy.com
by Janice Price
“But, Officer,” Gerry whines as he is handcuffed by a police officer, “I didn’t do anything. Why am I being arrested?”
“For breaking and entering, stealing a car to take your friends joyriding, destruction of private property, driving at an excessive rate of speed while going the wrong way on the Interstate, and for causing a thirty car accident,” the officer tells him.
Gerry protests, utterly convinced he didn’t do anything wrong. “I didn’t steal the car! It was public property - just waiting for someone to drive it. I wanted to impress my friends and I figured the owner wouldn’t mind if I put it to a good use. Besides, none of those charges will stick. The owner is a Christian. He’ll forgive me.”
“Public property? Uh-huh. That’s why you broke into a home, hot-wired the car in the garage, and drove over a bicycle, a vegetable garden, and a mailbox while leaving the scene at a high rate of speed.. Forgiveness isn’t the point here. You broke the law and have to pay the consequences. Tell it to a judge and jury.”
The above is fiction, used as an illustration of how adept people can become at twisting facts to appear innocent of wrongdoing, even if caught red-handed. And if it sounds far-fetched, you might want to read some real life honest-I’m-innocent criminal stories.
Some try to excuse wrong actions because “it’s for a good cause.” Christians might try to appear as righteous by using the excuse, “I’m doing God’s work.” An unconverted heart is truly deceitful above all things, but the Christian heart is not yet perfect. Until and unless the Holy Spirit leads you to see any of the sludge you are harboring in your heart, you are oblivious to what you are doing wrong. Or, in some cases, you are aware of what you are doing wrong, but try to appease your conscience by blowing it off as inconsequential, I’m-not-hurting-anyone mis-reasoning.
One of my pet peeves is the casual way Christians and non-Christians alike appropriate others’ words, artwork, photographs, graphics – any type of creative work. Appropriate means to take or make use of without authority or right. In plain English, to steal. God did not give any such command as: “You shall steal in My name or for a good cause.” No, God specifically commands us to not steal, but our human minds reason around it.
The Internet puts so much at our fingertips. There are countless web sites where we can find free software, free graphics, free e-books, and free music – lots of freebies. Are you discouraged? Unable to attend church? Click on this site or that one and pick out what you need to educate or uplift you.. You found that helpful? Well, copy and paste it into an e-mail and send it to all your friends, who will then send it to all their friends.
Whoa! Before you hit “Send,” stop for a moment and think about what you are doing.
Not everything on the Internet is free for your personal use. Some things have been created for a web page, a blog, an e-mail, or an e-zine, and although the originator offers to share it with you, it hasn’t been given to you. If you take it for your own use, with or without altering it, you are appropriating it – stealing it!
It isn’t community property, whether or not it was created by a Christian. It makes no difference whether there is a specific statement of copyright. Visit http://www.copyright.gov/ to learn how creative works are automatically covered under copyright law. And to ignore or remove copyright information, or any other identifying information, plainly says, I know I am stealing but if I cover it up by filing off the serial number, I can get away with it. (Filing off the serial number is an analogy. I’m not delusional.)
Most of my stories arise from personal experiences and this one is no exception. I’m not a computer nerd and I didn’t have the financing to handle a web site, so I opened a blog site, and began posting photographs and stories to encourage others. For the past year, I placed my name, copyright information, e-mail address and web address on every story posted. (None of the other serious blog or web page writers did this.) Copyright and reprinting only with permission information was prominently displayed on the web site.
A week ago I removed the excess ID information on each story, so it would look more professional and less like the site was being guarded by an overprotective parent. A few days later I “accidentally” (thank you, God!) learned that for several months, as fast as I have been posting the stories, someone has been appropriating them, stripping them of copyright and contact information and posting them to a forum. Then I found that at least three other writers I know personally are posted on there, without even a byline to identify the authors.
I located an email address for the forum administrator and sent an “educational” message the other day. I sent a copyright infringement message yesterday. Still no response – yet! Not even an insincere apology.
For three days I walked around with my stomach in my knees, so to speak. I felt violated, as if someone had disarmed my security system, broken into my house, rooted through everything and stolen whatever they wanted.
Other writers understand this feeling. My friend Joe summed it up well. “Jan, you have a perfect right to feel violated. Your MAP stories are wonderfully unique and they are a part of your innermost being. Those who stole your stories stole an important part of you, since you and your MAP stories are one.”
Yes, my MAP (Mercy And Percy) stories are an integral part of who I am. They are not cold, hard facts on paper; they are stories written from my heart, to be read on my Mercy And Percy site or elsewhere - with proper approval - but not to be appropriated.
Some writers state something like, it’s okay to share this, just don’t remove any of my copyright or personal contact information. Whatever the reason, this is their choice, and there is nothing wrong with it. But there is no law that says any written piece is public domain and it’s okay to grab it, strip it, add a Bible verse or inspirational quotation and call it “doing God’s work” or “helping others,” no matter how great the cause. Before you post someone else’s material, put it in a newsletter, or reprint it somewhere else, contact the writer and ask if it is okay to do so and what information that particular writer wants included with it.
When you come across something that inspires you or encourages you, encourage the author by sending even one line of thanks for time and effort invested in creating the piece. Every writer I know puts his or her heart into articles or personal experience stories. Every time you steal a piece of their work, you steal a part of their heart also.
Do you want to share the story with a friend? Blogs and many web sites have a means to recommend a story to your friend. On blogger.com it’s an envelope icon next to “comments” after each story. A link – not the story – would be e-mailed to your friend.
Anyone appropriating stories already knows how to copy and paste. But instead of the story, email the web address to your friends or to your forum. For example, http://www.mercyandpercy.com is where this story will be posted. Eventually it will be archived under July 20, 2005.
There are numerous family-friendly web sites and many good writers on the Internet. Not all of the authors have a web or blog site, but a variety of good writing can be found on Christian sites such as http://www.crossmap.com – just click on “columns.” There you will find articles by Moe Pujol, Joseph Perrello, Ed Price, Jimmy Cochran, Paul Dawn, Vicki Gaines, Donna Shepherd, and others.
I hope you will visit Mercy And Percy, be encouraged by the writing, and recommend it to your friends. My desire is to please and honor God, as well as to encourage, inspire and share lessons learned through personal experience.
© 2005 Janice Price
mercyandpercy@yahoo.com
www.mercyandpercy.com
Thursday, July 14, 2005
INDEPENDENT AND SELF-SUFFICIENT
Independent and Self-Sufficient
By Janice Price
“I’m coming back to work,” Curt said, grinning from ear to ear, as I came through the office door.
I was taken aback for a moment and then realized he was joking. Never again would he trot up the stairs, climb on the roof or rev up his motorcycle engine before he burned rubber out of the parking lot.
Curt was adept at taking things apart and fixing them. He enjoyed his job as maintenance man at an apartment complex. The tenants enjoyed his good humor. (One time he filled a tenant’s apartment with helium balloons while she was at work.)
Young women considered the lanky man good-looking. He had time for dating and for late night partying with his friends, but he put off allowing God into his life. After all, he was young, independent and self-sufficient. He shied away from people who mentioned Jesus or worshipped and prayed to a Creator.
Life was good.
Until the night he drank too much alcohol, climbed on his motorcycle and sped away with his mother sitting on the seat behind him. The motorcycle left the road at a high rate of speed and slammed into a tree. His mother suffered major injuries but she would live. Curt was not expected to survive.
It was touch and go for a while but Curt did survive. The word “miracle” was used. The only one who was unhappy about the news was Curt. When he was conscious and able to comprehend the extent of his injuries, he pulled out the needle to his IV line and disconnected everything within reach. His life, he believed at that moment, was over.
It was a long and painful recovery. His mother renovated her trailer to accommodate his new lifestyle. He was now a paraplegic, no longer totally independent and self-sufficient. He would never walk again.
The day he took his first solo bus ride, he maneuvered his wheelchair through the apartment complex and into the office for a leisurely visit. He had retained his wonderful sense of humor, but he had changed. He believed he survived for a purpose and he now had time for God in his life.
I never saw Curt again so I don’t know the end of his story, but God is able to change hearts and lives so I have always had hope that Curt learned to walk in the spirit when his physical legs could no longer hold him upright.
He (God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)
© 2005 Janice Price
mercyandpercy@yahoo.com
www.mercyandpercy.com
By Janice Price
“I’m coming back to work,” Curt said, grinning from ear to ear, as I came through the office door.
I was taken aback for a moment and then realized he was joking. Never again would he trot up the stairs, climb on the roof or rev up his motorcycle engine before he burned rubber out of the parking lot.
Curt was adept at taking things apart and fixing them. He enjoyed his job as maintenance man at an apartment complex. The tenants enjoyed his good humor. (One time he filled a tenant’s apartment with helium balloons while she was at work.)
Young women considered the lanky man good-looking. He had time for dating and for late night partying with his friends, but he put off allowing God into his life. After all, he was young, independent and self-sufficient. He shied away from people who mentioned Jesus or worshipped and prayed to a Creator.
Life was good.
Until the night he drank too much alcohol, climbed on his motorcycle and sped away with his mother sitting on the seat behind him. The motorcycle left the road at a high rate of speed and slammed into a tree. His mother suffered major injuries but she would live. Curt was not expected to survive.
It was touch and go for a while but Curt did survive. The word “miracle” was used. The only one who was unhappy about the news was Curt. When he was conscious and able to comprehend the extent of his injuries, he pulled out the needle to his IV line and disconnected everything within reach. His life, he believed at that moment, was over.
It was a long and painful recovery. His mother renovated her trailer to accommodate his new lifestyle. He was now a paraplegic, no longer totally independent and self-sufficient. He would never walk again.
The day he took his first solo bus ride, he maneuvered his wheelchair through the apartment complex and into the office for a leisurely visit. He had retained his wonderful sense of humor, but he had changed. He believed he survived for a purpose and he now had time for God in his life.
I never saw Curt again so I don’t know the end of his story, but God is able to change hearts and lives so I have always had hope that Curt learned to walk in the spirit when his physical legs could no longer hold him upright.
He (God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)
© 2005 Janice Price
mercyandpercy@yahoo.com
www.mercyandpercy.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)