sometimes
i just want to turn the comments off.
i wonder if
this space becomes a boxing ring
instead of a place where truth and love
(and truth in love)
is spoken.
where grace is demonstrated.
i love a healthy discussion,
but the unhealthy ones
break
my
heart.
and i just want to hit
[delete]
but backspacing isn’t always enough.
Comments
33 responses to “temptation and confession”
I’d say
Keep writing
And putting your thoughts out there
At least people are reading
And commenting
And sharing, discussing
It may hurt sometimes
But I bet it helps
A lot of the time
As long as you’re
Planting seeds of Truth
And the Word
It will be worth it.
*sigh*
Keep writing girl. People are going to criticize. They are going to say what they want, forgetting to speak the truth in Love. They forget whose blog it is that they are reading and feel they can act however they want. Those words are going to hurt, but I believe you encourage far more people than you think. Awhile ago I had a lot of negative comments on a post and I just let the internets know the next day that opinions are fine, yes, but negativity will be deleted. So if you feel something is hateful get rid of it.
People sometimes have to experience/give/receive hate to experience/give/receive love.
When you put your opinion out there, I think there has to be room to disagree, even STRONGLY disagree without the insinuation thatyou are a “hater” or that you are sitting in the seat of judgement.
I have a dear friend who went on the foriegn mission field then came out as a Lesbian, I told her I loved her, cared about her and then voiced my objection entirely from the perspective of God’s Word and was quickly labeled a bigot, a hater and was told that I judged her soul.
Now, who was being judgemental?
I don’t know Perry Noble, I surely don’t know His heart and I would not question his motives. But I do know that Jesus told us that no Servant is greater than his master. As the world despised Jesus they will us. The Bible is so clear that when the crowds found out what Jesus was really about they left him. When I see modern evangelists that the World is enchanted by I am suspicious. And I think that is TOTALLY healthy in light of the Book of Jude, and various other parts of the New Testament. We are to be like the Bereans sifting through ALL of the words of the teachers and prophets and holdig them up to the Light of God’s Word. Are they REALLY worthy of greater treatment than Jesus recieved?
amen
Your Joel Osteen post from several months ago (and the comments I read that followed) were a beautiful example of love and humility.
Having said that, if people can’t play nice, then they don’t get to play. I don’t see why the anonymity of the internet should allow ugliness. Delete away.
I’m reminded of this quote by Eugene Peterson regarding sinners:
“An understanding of people as sinners enables a pastoral ministry to function without anger.
Accumulated resentment (a constant threat to pastors) is dissolved when unreal- that is, un-theological- presuppositions are abandoned.
If people are sinners then pastors can concentrate on talking about God’s action in Jesus Christ instead of lamenting how bad the people are.
We already know they can’t make it.
We already have accepted their depravity.
We didn’t engage to be pastor to relax in their care or entrust ourselves to their saintly ways. ..
We have come among the people to talk about Jesus Christ.
Grace is the main subject of pastoral conversation and preaching.”
Eugene Peterson, “The Contemplative Pastor”
I understand Anne. Keep listening to the voice of God. Keep obeying and allowing Him to refine you. When you share that, it can be convicting and challenging and it can sting……..but it opens the door for God to work in our lives as well. I appreciate your openness about your own struggles, how you’ve repented, and how you are desiring to honor God with the totality of your life. Keep going girl!
It is tough isn’t it? To see people get so angry about a post, or to see that you like a certain person that they may disagree with.
Anger is a fear based emotion, so when people are angry – they are afraid. Why be afraid that someone likes a preacher, or anyone for that matter, that many disagree with? It really doesn’t make much sense to me. Either God is sovereign, or He’s not. Can he use people we disagree with to get His message out and accomplish His mission? Sure he can.
Last night on my little radio show, a truck driver called in because he is considering Christianity. We talked for 30 minutes off air after show was over, and I asked him what did he think was bringing him to this point. He said that he’s been reading Eckhart Tolle’s latest book.
Certainly, this is not a theological perspective that followers of Christ would agree to, but God is using that to draw this man into His kingdom.
Life get’s a whole lot easier, and a whole lot less angrier when we trust in His sovereignty. The angry tone of debate amongst believers does little to help draw in those outside the kingdom.
I think when we get to the kingdom one glorious day we are going to be stunned about how much crap we were wrong about. Speaking truth in love is a lost art form among believers. Let’s confess, repent, and ask God to make us more like Jesus in this arena.
Yes.
Hi. You know that thing that we did that one time we hung out together? I did that for you today…and most days because I said I would and really…I am pretty convinced that that is the only way any of this is going to change.
Anne
Everytime I read a blog you have wrote I am either touch or I learn something about myself. So keep writing and Thank you.
I’m just glad, with the scope of influence you have, that you are writing something worth fighting over…
i think I must be like that too. it’s amazing that no matter what people say good sometimes the bad things just overwhelm and overshadow. They break me much more than the good things build me up? what does that mean?
i agree with mandy above that it is cool that you write something worth fighting over.
Anne,
You make some conversations that are, by nature, messy possible. For that alone: Kudos.
Good on ya’
yup…
one of the unfortunate aspects of free will dwelling in the heart of believers.
Anne –
i don’t think i’ve commented on here before, but i really appreciated both your post on Joel and Perry. they showed a grace and humility that is often missing from the internet.
this is your place, and you are welcome to invite as much or as little discussion and disagreement into it as you want. some disagreement is healthy, but it often crosses a line on the internet – not because people have bad motives, but because you can’t convey tone of voice, facial expressions, etc in comment sections.
i think you have every right to delete and/or moderate comments that you don’t like the tone of – regardless of whether you disagree with it or not. if someone were in my home having a discussion the way that some of the comments have come across, i’d ask them to leave, and have.
this is your place, and you’ve got every right to protect it as an environment of grace and truth.
keep your voice strong, and don’t let the haters get to you.
I had marked “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail” on for that post but I had to turn them off cuz’ it became really pathetic.
Grace to all commenters.
This is a beautiful post, Anne. I loved the candidness of the previous one, but this is even better. As I read through your post on Perry Noble, I felt conviction…conviction of the same feelings toward other pastors. It’s wrong. God doesn’t like it. I felt the need to repent, and for that I thank you for your honesty. But what really made gut-wrenchingly sad was the “discussion” that followed. Tried to put my thoughts into words, but couldn’t. Then I saw yours in this post, and all I have left to say is one word.
AMEN!
Not that you have any mean people commenting on your blog…but I had some meanies going after me personally a while back. I left this on my blog for them.
To All The Mean People
Here are 10 things you can do so you won’t be so mean anymore:
1. Go for a walk in the park
2. Take some deep breaths
3. Draw on your driveway in sidewalk chalk
4. Watch an episode of the Brady Bunch
5. Go to Dairy Queen and eat a giant hot fudge sundae
6. Jump up and down 10 times
7. Let your dog lick your face
8. Make up 10 words that rhyme with your first name
9. Hug your kids
10.Pray to Jesus
To put things into perspective (if they aren’t already), consider how many people would love to have that many comments regularly show up on blogs. The discussion may not be the most edifying, but at least community – which is inevitably mess – is happening.
i gave up comments on my site a while back.
but allow people to e-mail me.
funny thing is, no one does.
i guess commenting is easy because you can do it behind a cloak of anonymity.
you’re an incredible influence on those of us out there dealing with real issues and i consider you an inspiration to me spiritually.
Anne,
Keep pressing on and in. Unfortunately people love to trash those they’ve most likely never met while sitting before a glowing screen in an anonymous location.
Don’t let it get you down. Remember Jesus did say to turn the other cheek.
I will pray for you this week that God will strengthen you in the midst of hardship. Thank you as well for what you do to encourage the body of Christ!
I have met Anne, face to face. No anonymity for me.
And I say you all suck.
(I just want to see if this gets deleted…)
I’ve never met you, and I feel like I know you, and that you’re a friend, and that makes me look forward to meeting you one day.
Smile.
PJ
No way! You cant turn them off. I agree with you though, I wish people would comment with love rather than hate/ judgment. There is a big difference between stating your opinion like a a$$ and stating it in love.
I said something along these same lines today to a pastor. My comment to him was how “religious white conservative mid aged people” think they have all the skinny on the gospel and “how to act, dress, think & talk”. He said White people always pull scripture out of context, black people over allegorize scripture and he threw something in about pentecostal tv preachers as well. Doesn’t sound like much if you are reading it here but what he said was so stinking true. We expect everyone to have our experience & culture in life and no-one had better deviate from my thought pattern…or your belief & walk will be questioned.
I’m a white, conservative, mid aged southerner and it makes me want to just bitch slap the other christian(s) when they bring in their (lack) of cultural experience and how we should all just be plain white bread if we are to represent christ.
Go ahead and cut off the comments – people will then just email you, and then snail mail you and then put up a FLOWERDUST WATCH web-site and talk about how nasty you are.
Sometimes people need to get boxed around and have their feelings hurt in order to see the light & truth. Perhaps you need to just a bit tougher skin when it comes to this site – you never know what is going to happen to you when you are 35 or 40 yrs old. You might be able to look back at how this site prepared you.
And really – we shouldn’t spend so much time in this small comment box anyway.
I enjoy your site.
here are two links.
1. http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2008/12/02/signs-of-a-lukewarm-pastor/
2. http://openapologies.org/?p=265
but like relient k sings the shadow proves the sunshine. without the bad, not sure if we would appreciate the good as much…
I want to hit delete a lot. I frequently have word vomit, but unfortunately can’t take it back once it’s out there. Keep pressing on. If you are doing God’s work you will be scrutinized. God is SO much bigger than that and so are you.
I would like to start the FLOWEDUST WATCH website. Is that url taken?
these sound like great things to shoot for!
Hey Anne – I want to thank you for trying to teach us through your transparency, and to say I’m sorry. Not really because of anything I’ve done or said to you, but I’m sorry that you shared an honest point of confession – done so to allow us all to peek into the Transformation process working in/through you – and then had to watch as your honest confession generated the very thing you were hoping we’d learn to avoid.
Keep writing. Keep pushing the causes that God is using to make a difference in the world. And keep being your honest self. Me, and many others, are better because of it.
Peace!