Handling Horrible Happenings

 

Ever experience one of these horrible happenings? 

1.      You try a new restaurant in town. The food tastes marvelous, but both you and your dining companion end up sick afterwards. Do you give the restaurant a second chance, or decide never to return?

2.      You send your assistant to a local hardware store for supplies. When your assistant returns, she tells you that the entire time she was checking out, the young sales girl chatted on the phone with her boyfriend. Do you call the store manager and apprise her of her rude employee, or let it slide?

3.      Your mother’s best friend criticizes you for not taking better care of your mom, quoting the Bible verse that says, “The person who doesn’t care for their aging parent is worse than an infidel.” Do you forget the comment, knowing in your heart that you’re doing your best? Or do you decide never to speak to Mom’s friend again?

Horrible Happenings abound in every life. They are different for each of us. But we must decide how to handle them in ways that please the Lord, and give us peace of mind.

I pray that whatever horrible happenings you must handle today, Jesus will give you grace, wisdom, and strength to overcome.

 

BTW, how would you handle one or more of the horrible happenings listed above?

 

 

How do you Respond to Hate Mail?

I received my first hate mail from a reader. A lady read a press release from the Eureka, Ca. Times Standard newspaper, and took issue to my chapter excerpt about Culture Shock. She messaged me on Facebook to give me a piece of her mind about my "elitist Californian" attitude.

I deleted it before I reached the end. I got her message without reading the whole thing.

Knowing that I'd get more riled up than I was hurt by tellling my husband or anyone else, I just kept quiet about it 'til now. YOU are the first to know about my hate mail.

Another item I never expected as a newly publishd author. I'll add it to my list of firsts, along with the email scam asking for free books. I'm long over being hurt by this lady's hateful words, but I guess I need to expect the unexpected in this crazy world, huh?

Have you ever received hate mail? How did you respond?

Is This a Scam?

When I published my first book this Spring, I never expected this. Take a look at the email below and tell me if you think it's real:

"I just finished reading Two Scoops of Grace. Thanks so much helping me grow in my faith. Yes, I grew in my faith but I also laugh constantly.
I am the facilitator of a small (9) senior citizen Bible Study. The women are "mature" not only in their ages but also in their faith. I would love for us to enjoy Two Scoops of Grace as a group but I am facing a problem. 1) We are all on limited incomes (social security), and often find our money is gone before the end of the month. Please forgive me for being rude but since it is impossible on our incomes I am hoping that you could donate 11 copies.

I ask that you consider our request and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to call me at ***-***-****. I also ask that you include us in your prayers and I thank you in advance for your continued prayers."

At first I was touched and wanted to pack up 11 Two Scoops of Grace--which I'd purchased from my publisher (I don't get free copies)
--and ship them off to this needy lady and her class of senior citizens. Then I wondered about the legitimacy of the lady's story, so I emailed my publisher and asked his advice. He sent me an identical email another of his authors had recently received from the same lady!

Hmm...

My agent verified that the person listed did live at the address she put in the email. She also tried to call her, and got an answer machine. She thought that perhaps the lady was a real person who was just needy. But I thought it unlikely that:

A. Every member of her study was on Social Security, and not one could afford to buy a $15 book;
B. The church they attend does not supply Bible study materials for the classes, and
C. She would have need of so many books at the same time from two different authors.

So... I'm asking you what you think? And what would you do if you received an email like this?