COMPLAINING Nancy Singer and her sister, who did not want to be identified, say they have been loyal customers of Filene’s Basement for years but recently received a letter from the chain of stores asking them not to return. They acknowledge they have returned many items and occasionally complained about…

A Post Office worker, at the main sorting office, finds an unstamped, poorly hand-written envelope, addressed to God. He opens it and discovers it is from an elderly lady, distressed because all her savings - $200 - have been stolen. She will be cold and hungry this Christmas. He organizes the postal…

CRITICISM DEFINED Given the less than stellar models of criticism prevailing in society, we need a healthy definition of criticism along with practical guidance for giving and receiving it. In an April 1st article for BusinessWeek, Dr. Bruce Weinstein gives us exactly that. Here's how he describes the…

Crazy Rich Asians is a romantic comedy that reached the top of the Box Office list. It is a fun comedy with all the elements that make up the genre. One thing that is not so funny is the criticism the characters receive. Some criticize them for not being American enough. Others criticize them for not…

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic say they have cracked the code to being happy. They have been studying this for decades, working with tens of thousands of patients. Now they think they have found it. They key parts of the code are 1) focus on the right things. 2) Learn to compartmentalize your life and…

In The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen writes, "Complaining is self-perpetuating and counterproductive. Whenever I express my complaints in the hope of evoking pity and receiving the satisfaction I so much desire, the result is always the opposite of what I tried to get. A complainer is hard…

John Bunyan beautifully portrays Christiana and Mercy coming up out of the bath of the interpreter’s house. They have had jewels put upon them, and when they are both washed, Mercy says to Christiana, “How comely and beautiful you look!” “No,” Christiana said, “My sister, I see no beauty in myself, but…

You may have more in common with Priscilla Presley, who married Elvis in 1967 than you think. As she reflected on her marriage to the King, she said “I was hated for marrying him, hated for getting a divorce,” she said. “Having people being critical but not knowing what your life was and not knowing…

Your critics have information that your friends are withholding. Mark DeMoss, The Little Red Book of Wisdom, Reader’s Digest, July 2007, page 81

Have you ever heard of people critisizing one another? Do you remember feeling uncomfortable - or did you want to hear more? Critisizism can be a healthy thing if it done to actually help another person. But there is a kind of critisism that stings and bites. I suppose the master of this was Sir Winston…

Before you criticize someone, make sure you've walked a mile in their shoes. That way, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes! Mikey's Funnies 5-27-08

by John C. Maxwell Americans have a warped view of criticism. Unfortunately, most of us see criticism almost exclusively in a negative light. We dish it out tactlessly, use it to tear down rivals, and attack others with it even when we have no authority to do so. It certainly doesn't help that we are…

Paul only gave a two star TripAdvisor review for his stay at the four-star Beech Hill Hotel, which overlooks Lake Windermere in Cumbria, UK. He wasn’t happy. As it turns out, his room didn’t have the view he thought it should have. Fair enough. Vacationers staying at a nice lakeside hotel want a room…

When a Pennsylvania town was forced to use a backup Christmas tree for the civic lighting ceremony, resident complained, demanding the city replace the tree. The city had planned to use a Christmas tree from a tree farm for the tree in the town center, but when crews went to get it, the owners would…

You may have more in common with Priscilla Presley, who married Elvis in 1967 than you think. As she reflected on her marriage to the King, she said “I was hated for marrying him, hated for getting a divorce,” she said. “Having people being critical but not knowing what your life was and not knowing…

Attitude Adjustment "Here you go, son. Here's the fries you wanted." The father handed his son a super sized container of french fries and a coke. He sat across the table from his son to sip his coffee and read his newspaper. His son was becoming quite the young man. It seems like just yesterday that…

English evangelist George Whitefield knew that what he was doing was honoring to the Lord, which kept him from discouragement when his enemies falsely accused him. At one point in his ministry, Whitefield received a vicious letter accusing him of wrongdoing. His reply was brief and courteous: “I thank…

It is amazing to look back over the course of American history and see that with every conflict, there have existed heroes and scoffers simultaneously. On one hand, there are those who courageously lay their lives on the line to fight against tyranny. And on the other hand, there are those who mock the…

CRITICISM Rotten Reviews, a book edited by Bill Henderson, contains some negative reviews some works of art including Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Henderson reports that “Children’s Books” called Alice in Wonderland…

It is no good passing this over with some vague, general admission such as “Of course, I know I have my faults.” It is important to realize that there is some really fatal flaw in you: something which gives the others just that same feeling of despair which their flaws give you. And it is almost certainly…

You can measure a man by the opposition it takes to discourage him. - Robert C. Savage, Life Lessons Reader’s Digest, December 1995, page 193

Two college presidents were discussing what they’d like to do when they retired. 1st President: I’d like to be superintendent of an orphan’s home, so I’d never get any letters from parents.” 2nd President: “Well, I’ve much more ambition. I want to be a warden of a penitentiary. The alumni never come…

After a year on the job, our band teacher asked for the unvarnished truth: “How’d I do?” The response was favorable, but one student did suggest, “You shouldn’t always compare us with your other classes.” Our teacher was stung. “The other band class never complained about that.” – Charlotte Chang, Cupertino,…

Resident of the Dutch village of Jelsum said the idea of using a rumble strips in the highway to sound out the anthem of the Friesland region sounded like a good idea at first, but it quickly became an annoyance. As a novelty, authorities had strips placed in the road, so that when a vehicle drove over…

Rumblings "But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. . ." (Acts 6:1a NLT) After the church I was pastoring completed a building program in 1985, our attendance began to pick up and we became effective at reaching people in our community. That didn't surprise me. I knew…