In Truer Ink: Niki Turner: Shopping

Don't Look a Free Book In the Mouth

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

I have a Kindle e-book reader. It's convenient, practical, and wonderfully easy to use. But this post isn't about the Kindle. It's about people who are complaining about free books.

Yes, I said FREE. Forgive me if this seems out of line, but who is rude enough to complain about FREE things? I mean, if you go to a free luncheon and don't like the entree offered, do you write a nasty letter to the editor about it? If someone gives you a free gift you don't like, do you send them an anti-thank you note, letting them know you hate everything cardigan sweaters, or jigsaw puzzles, or scented candles, stand for? If you rummage through the free box at a yard sale, do you march up to the homeowner and lodge a complaint about the stained shirt or chipped mirror? I hope not!

At any given time, Kindle offers free downloads for its clientele. I'm a freebie lover. I've downloaded any number of these free books from Amazon, read most of them, and deleted a few once I realized they didn't fit my personal reading parameters.

Many Christian fiction authors and/or publishers have made use of Amazon's free Kindle book program as a marketing tool - a way to introduce that author or genre to the Kindle user audience. It's a blessing for many of us with a penchant for fiction that doesn't match our personal reading budget!

In the past few weeks, folks who've taken advantage of these free books have posted very negative reviews on a number of Christian releases. Not about the books per se, but complaining they've been "duped" into reading evangelistic literature.

Some of the reviews posted on Amazon are titled "Christian manifesto tripe disguised as secular escapist reading" or "Should have come with a warning label." The reviewers claim they did not realize the FREE book was Christian fiction, and therefore it was a terrible book. Can I just say, for the record: NOT FAIR.

If something is free to you, and includes a description of the item, where it came from (in this case, the publisher), and takes no more than a couple of clicks to get it out of your system if you find it unacceptable, why are you so disturbed by it? Disturbed enough to take the time to gripe and gritch online in what is supposed to be a book review, not your personal opinion about Christianity? PUH-LEEEEZE.

As a fellow beneficiary of Amazon's free Kindle books, I've downloaded more than one book that turned out to be "not my type." Some were secular, some were Christian. Some were poorly written, some just did not interest me. Did I feel the need to post a review about the dangers of erotica to modern marriage? No. I kicked myself for failing to pay better attention to the publisher/author of that free book, and deleted it from my Kindle. Duh. Did I need to disparage the author, or the genre? No.

It's probable no one who is in the habit of posting these snarly reviews will even read this post, but just in case... if you can't review the book because you are so ~~distracted~~ convicted by the Christian content, then forgo a review altogether. In other words, either review the BOOK - character, plot, quality or writing, etc. - or keep your busy little fingers to yourselves.

The Christmas Pressure Cooker

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Even after my own reminder to stay in peace and not get all discombobulated about the traditions of the season I fell in the Christmas pressure cooker yesterday.

I spent most of the day doing my Christmas shopping online, trying to squeeze the kids' lists into our budget restrictions and feeling guilty about not getting presents for every extended family member and neighbor and church member and pet, and the mailman, and the trash man. And all my co-workers, and my husband's co-workers. You know, the endless list of people we feel obligated to buy things for because if we don't, how will they know that we care about them; that we aren't grinchy, stingy, tightwads; that we appreciate them? At least for one day out of the year. Who makes up that list, anyway? Marketing people?

By the time my hubby got home from work I was stressed out, still in my pajamas, and distraught over whether or not the gifts will get here on time, if the kids will be disappointed by the limited number of items under the tree this year, if people will be offended because we don't have presents for them, and so forth.

After almost 18 years of marriage, I should know better than to dump all my day's distresses on my spouse before he has a chance to put down his lunchbox. However, knowledge and wisdom (the application of knowledge) are two different things, and I failed the wisdom test.

My darling husband's wise response to my deluge of stress? Well, it ended up in his blog today, and I thought I'd share it here. It helped me put things back in perspective. I may just have to print it and post it around the house for a daily reminder the rest of the month!

IRONY OF THE SEASON

(author's note: edited from original post)

Should we stress out over the celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace? He came “...to guide our feet into the way of peace." (Luke 1:79b) Are we following His lead?

He said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”( John 14:27) So who feels overburdened and worried about Christmas? 'Tis the season to freak out and be fearful if you’re not careful.

What really is “the reason for the season?” The angel knew and declared, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14) So, it's a wonderful time to praise and rejoice, but if for any reason in the season you lose your peace, you missed the point. And if you miss the point you’ll end up disappointed.

December can be highly stressful, especially if money is tight, but Jesus said “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matt 6:24 NIV) Should we go out and acquire more debt, and become “the servant of the lender” to celebrate the birth of the One who came to set us free? It’s not that we really want to be the lender's slave and serve money, we just don’t want anyone to be disappointed. We want them to know we love them, and love is easier to express with gifts than honest words. Our whole life is supposed to be a reflection of love and giving, so why would we only focus on it once a year?

People are also afraid of what someone might think about them or not think about them, but the Savior came to set us free from fear. Many gifts are given more for the sake of the giver than the “givee.” Because it makes the giver feel good because the giver wants to give, but many times the person receiving could care less. Giving because of fear, or to make yourself feel better, is selfish.

Jesus wants to “pour out His love into our hearts,” yet how many people actually receive it and “walk in it,” especially while they are Christmas shopping?

He came to reconcile us to God the Heavenly Father so we could be FULfilled by relationship, not UNfulfilled by seeking stuff. How many people are stressed out right now seeking stuff and not focusing on the Father and the Son?

I like Christmas just fine, I just don’t like all the stress and pressure that goes with it. I’m not being a Scrooge, but many people really don’t enjoy this time of year. And there’s even religious pressure as many people try to make up some kind of meaning to go with all the decorations. Decking the halls can be delightful, but a heavy heart just sees a bunch of stuff. “Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief.” (Prov 14:13)

The condition of people’s hearts is more important than the condition of their houses. Are there any “decorations” on the inside or are they filled with sorrow? Don’t miss the real message of Christmas and end up acting ironic, moronic, and demonic.

Jesus came to give us love, joy and peace - with God and toward each other and that is what we celebrate - right? So I say celebrate and enjoy and don’t get caught in the trap. Don’t worry about all the “stuff,” but focus on loving God and loving people. And if you have lots of money, by all means buy lots of stuff, as long as it has some meaning. And if your budget is tight, then don’t worry about it. You can always find a way to express your love. Bake or make something, or simply and sincerely say “I love you!”

Give your heart, love, and loyalty as your gift to show that you value your relationships. God gave Himself! What will you give?

You can say "amen" or "oh me."

I'll be reconstituting my Christmas list today. And then I'm going to check it--and myself--twice. Not to see who's naughty or nice, but to see if my motives and methods are love, and nothing else. Stay in peace today!

Filters, filters, everywhere

Friday, August 14, 2009

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Seriously, there are filters all around us but we rarely think about them until they malfunction. Coffee makers need a filter. Vacuums now have filters. Furnaces require filters, as do air conditioners and water purifiers. A clogged filter will shut down your automobile right in the middle of the street. Last week a friend found out her car was gasping for air because of a dirty air filter. Filtering face masks let air through but keep out chemicals, pollutants, even germs.
But the one place we really NEED a filter and rarely make use of one is on our souls. The human soul is made of of the mind, will, and emotions. Together with your spirit and body, we use the soul to express ourselves.
Proverbs chapter 4 says we are to guard our hearts, for from the heart (soul) spring the issues of life. Do you have "issues" you'd rather not have? Maybe you've got a filter problem.
You might call your filters a paradigm, a worldview, or just the way you perceive life on this big blue marble. Filters are a compilation of experience and information, and they affect our present circumstances and our future. Bad information, or experiences, leave us with fouled filters.
Let's say as a child you were frequently condemned as "stupid" and and that negative input was reinforced by say, difficulty in school. Now, as an adult, barring some experience plus information that changed your paradigm, you probably have a "stupid" filter. You might be the next Einstein, but you refuse to crack open a textbook because your "stupid" filter blocks all possibilities that you might be smart enough to understand it. Conversely, any information that verifies your "stupid" belief will pass right through your "stupid" filter, into your life, and affect your future behavior and choices.
The soul's motto could be put like this: "I think, I want, I feel." You need a filter on your thinker, which comes from receiving accurate information. In today's world, we have to dig for accurate information. Don't just mentally download everything that comes along as truth! Some truth is obvious. Other truth is hidden under piles of misinformation and human opinion.
Your willpower filter can be difficult to change if you don't change the thinking filter first. Why? Because what you think about has a direct effect on what you want. If you think about something long enough, you're probably going to end up wanting and pursuing that thing. Don't believe me? Start thinking about donuts. Keep thinking about them. Think about how they smell, how they feel in your fingers, the taste of them melting in your mouth. Close your eyes and imagine the best donut you ever ate... It was probably a Krispy Kreme, huh? OK, so now you probably want a donut. At the very least, your mouth is probably watering! (Your body follows your thoughts, too!) Sometimes I'm glad I live many miles and several hours from the nearest Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts!
The "feelings" filter is also directly affected by the thinking filter. It irritates me when people say, "I just can't change how I feel." That's a lie. They change how they feel all the time! What they MEAN to say is, "I don't WANT to change how I feel." But in most cases, it would sound incredibly rude and selfish to say such a thing, so we say, "I can't" instead. Here's a classic: Watch soap operas about lying, cheating, fickle husbands all day. Think about how wretched and horrid they are. Play it over in your mind how you would react in your favorite character's shoes. Keep this up until your poor, unsuspecting spouse wanders through the door after work, five minutes late and without the milk you asked him to pick up at the store. Guess where your feelings are? Not where they are supposed to be! They followed your thoughts!
Right now I'm struggling with other people's filters. It seems someone is always wanting to stick their filter on my life. And then they wonder why it doesn't fit, and I wonder why I have weird "issues" (see above note on Prov. 4).
Instead of running around testing out other people's filters, I need to go directly to my Manufacturer - God - when I start to feel sluggish and clogged up, or confused and distressed, or angry and discouraged. And when I get those thinking, wanting, and feeling filters switched out for new ones that aren't tainted by offense, fear, or self-pity, it's like a breath of fresh air. A new way of thinking, whether on the job, with my family, or personally, will give me a new lease on life and improve my performance in every area!
Here's to fresh filters today!