If you are putting a comment on one of my posts simply to get a link out of it, don’t bother, it will be deleted.  If you make a valid comment about a post that provides some form of value and your link is related to the comments you’ve made which are in turn related to the post you are commenting on, no problem, I will approve your comments.  You provide my site with value and I will do that same for you in turn.

Popularity: 60% [?]

Some of our worst weather this season and the kids are in school today. 

Ok, when it was 44 degrees Fahrenheit outside kids were kept home right?  Of course!  There was “ice on the back roads”.  However, over the past couple of weeks, we’ve had some of the worst weather yet and below freezing temperatures, icy and snowy roads and the kids are still going to school in that crappy weather.  Let’s also not overlook that according to my son, the heaters on the buses either are non-existant or do not work at all.

Today is a perfect example!  We had a pretty bad snow storm yesterday and many of the back roads were either snow covered still, ice covered or both.  However, they had school today.  I would love someone from the school administration to explain why today does not qualify but the day we had 44 degree Fahrenheit temps, NO SNOW OR ICE and yet they closed the schools. 

Go figure, like I said, someone probably needed the day off and figured “what the heck”.  Personally, I do not understand why on that 44 degree day they did not simply start school LATER or on a DELAY like they do in other counties?  

Popularity: 62% [?]

The same guy who has been plaguing our church’s website by hacking it has been at it not again, but several more times!  What’s up with that?  The guy who runs it, Matt, is a really nice guy who doesn’t deserve the harrassment he is recieving at the hands of this moron.  Tip #1 for all web designers out there who host your own sites, don’t leave ANY FTP accounts open.  Doing so will simply invite disaster.  It is a shame that this person cannot find something more productive to do than to harrass innocent people and destroy their hard work.  Its a shame and I pray for this person that God will forgive him where we struggle to.

Popularity: 62% [?]

Are these terms at odds with one another?  It sure seems so, at least from this blogger’s life perspective.  These terms sure seem like they should work well together, but from my perspective, it doesn’t.

Religion for example.  We have been pretty happy with your church for some time.  I was drawn to the church because of our Pastor.  He helped me see religion in a new way.  Many of our current members came to the church because of him.  We love our Pastor, even though he has been somewhat dark lately and needs to lighten up some.  We recently found out that he and his family would be moving to Arizona, leaving another Pastor in charge of our church. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for the woman who would be taking over for our Pastor when he leaves.  I think she is extremely knowledgeable and very willing to give her new role 150%.  My commitment in me says I have a job to do (I handle the sound systems) and that I need to stay to continue my role in the church.  Although lately, my committment has felt more like an obligation than a committment.  I feel torn that my wife needs my assistance in order to even make it to church on time while I am already at church in the morning.  My feeling is that she needs me more than the church does right now.

My loyalty is at odds also because I am being strongly pulled in another direction to look at other churches and possibly moving on.  This factor tears at me the most.  Hearing that others are already looking for other options outside of our church doesn’t seem to help my decision to stay very much.  Additionally my fears include starting over at a new church, with new people and new expectations.

Finally, my faith says that maybe it was meant to be.  My wife and I had been questioning whether to stay at the church but stayed anyhow, long before it had been made known that the Pastor was leaving.  Does my need to be faithful mean I should listen to the signs and take this as a sign from God that it is time to move on?  Is this really a test from God and am I failing that test by leaving for another church?  I am not sure.  At this point, there is a stonger pull to move on and find a new church to call home, even if it is with a heavy heart and a feeling of guilt, but, time will tell.

Outside of religion, what do you do when you have given your utmost loyalty to someone or something and had faith that the loyalty would be rewarded.  When it is clear that the loyalty will not be rewarded and your faith has been crushed, do you still remain committed?  I just don’t know.  I have recently had many events happen in my life which are challenging these very principles and I do not have any sense of what I should do next.  I guess I will just have to place my faith in God that he will direct me the right way and down the right path.

Popularity: 43% [?]

Oakland County School Administration is a Joke in Michigan

Guess on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008, someone in the Oakland OR Oxford school administration, who had the power to close schools, decided that they needed the day off. Why else on a day when it was 44 degrees Fahrenheit outside and not a spot of ice anywhere to be seen would they close the schools for Oxford?

Ok, let’s move forward, it’s Wednesday, January 30th, it is (with wind chill) -11 degrees Fahrenheit outside! But wait! They have schools open that day! It was too cold for kids to even stand at bus stops, many kids didn’t make it in on time (including ours) and there were ice patches EVERYWHERE!

The freezing temperatures continued to occur the next day on the 31st! Still, school was in session! What are these school administrators thinking!?!?

It is obvious to me that someone is either not doing their job well or just damn well not paying attention to the genuine safety and well being of our children. How else can you explain this gross negligence? I for one, as a parent, hope whoever was responsible for this can essentially get their head out of their butt and start making better judgement calls.

Popularity: 47% [?]