(NOTE: I’m actually going on a fun little road trip Monday and Tuesday to see some friends and some of the beautiful fall colors so I won’t be responding to questions on this post or on Twitter until mid-week. I’m not even taking my computer with me on my trip. Thanks for the patience & grace. I’ve been traveling a lot recently and have had a bit of a family crisis thrown in the mix too…so I need a little break from it all!) :)
Five years is not a bad run.
I’ve been blogging on FlowerDust.net for about five years now.
And it’s time for me to stop.
In fact, it’s time for me to make several changes in regard to how I approach this ever-evolving world of social media.
Over the last six months, I’ve had three people significantly influence my decision to change directions as far as “who” I am online. And please note the quotation marks on “who,” as I truly believe there is only a certain level of intimacy one can share via pixels. There really is no “who” I am online.
There is just me. And this is what I’ve got to do.
Why share all this? Because you are important and you have supported me throughout the years. Also, I think there are other people out there that may want to take some steps and re-evaluate how they participate in social networking, and maybe this can help them process.
___________
THE INFLUENCERS:
Consistency to Your Design: One of these people has a very similar life to mine. A writer. A speaker. A person who spends maybe more time on planes and in hotels than I do. He wants to invest more time in his private life, in the relationships he has in flesh and blood. He wants to live like this more than he cares about his public perception. It’s not to say the people he interacts with online aren’t flesh and blood, or that they are any less real or important; there simply is a limit to how much you can share and with whom and time and space.
This person has followed through with his good intentions, carefully guarding how he spends his time. At times, it’s been difficult. He’s not neglecting opportunities to help others…he’s living true to his design (as one who gets energy from solitude – much like me) and that is allowing him to probably have a more pure influence in the world than juggling a public perception while trying to be holistically who he is.
—
Your “Identity”: Another one of these people is someone I’ve recently met. A musician. A talented singer and songwriter. Over gallons of hot tea and closing down Nashville’s Fido coffeehouse several times, he’s helped me dig into what identity is and isn’t. He’s helped me see why one of the reasons I get anxious or worried or feel guilty or angry is because the identities “Anne the author” or “Anne the blogger” or “Anne the speaker” have something opposing them.
There will always be opposing forces in life, but when I take them on as “Anne the _______” it will always cause more stress.
Why?
Because I am Anne. Simply Anne.
This doesn’t mean I don’t have talents or a career or relationships, but to allow anything related to ego or self-importance to influence the way I make decisions actually hurts me.
“Anne the Social Media Girl” has been trying to make everyone happy and it’s impossible. The guilt complex tells me I have to keep the boat afloat but the rest of my body tells me to stop it or I’m going to end up jumping off a cliff.
—
Courage: The third and final person that’s helped me arrive at this decision is someone who has simply spoken words that have given me courage.
“Just do what you need to do. You know what it is. Don’t be afraid. I need you to be courageous. The world needs you to be courageous. There are going to be so many people that may not understand or agree with you, but you can’t let that stop you from doing what you need to do.”
And so, I’m doing what I need to do.
___________
Since there have been relationships formed on this blog or on Twitter in a variety of ways, I thought it would be best to tell you what I’m changing and why. I hope you can respect it whether or not you agree with it and trust me when I say I know I’m doing what’s best for me, my faith, my family, my health, and my closest community.
**BLOGGING
GOING AWAY: I will no longer be blogging at FlowerDust.net. There are a lot of really good conversations on here, and it has some important topics that are indexed well in search engines, so I think it’s important to keep the information available. However, all the comment sections will be closed and essentially, this blog will remain up for archival purposes only.
I will keep the comments on this post open for a couple of weeks and will answer any questions that may need answering. But I am not going to defend my decision if you disagree with me. Again, I just ask that you respect it.
WHAT’S NEW: *I will continue writing online. I’ll be writing an essay once every Tuesday and a poem once every Thursday each week on my new site AnneJacksonWrites.com.
It’s simple.
It’s just writing.
No more giveaways.
No more promotions.
No more random tidbits of information.
I love to write.
I love to write essays and poetry.
I am not a blogger.
Blogging is a form of writing and many writers blog well and many bloggers write well. I am not one. Not anymore. I just want to improve my writing skills so I am going to focus on how I write best. It will be consistent, still interactive, and hopefully thoughtful and present.
RSS READERS: Fear not. No need to re-subscribe to anything. Technology is magical like that.
**TWITTER:
GOING AWAY: Twitter.com/FlowerDust
I’m declaring bankruptcy. At some point in time today (Monday, 11/15) I’m deleting the account.
WHAT’S NEW: Twitter.com/AnneJackson
Whew…I’m so glad I name squatted my own name back before Twitter became popular.
To answer some of the FAQ’s I’ve gotten already:
Q: Why not just change usernames and keep your followers?
A: Two main reasons: I doubt 12,300 people really follow me and I really don’t follow 4,300 people.
Q: Will you be following everyone who follows you?
A: No.
I will not be following many people. It has nothing to do with whether I like you or think your tweets are valuable or not. There are people I know in person that I see almost every day that I won’t follow.
Here’s the thing: *I* have allowed Twitter to become another distraction to what I feel I need to become – a better writer. I’m going to keep using it, but it’s going to be much more personal and less about my “platform.”
If people interact with me, I’ll interact, but it’s not wise for me to follow everyone. To have several thousand people be able to send you a direct message and assume you can reply is very overwhelming for me.
Some people handle it with grace. I can’t. I am an introvert – online and off – and being “on” all the time drains me of who I need to be and what I need to do.
I realize this is a “controversial” move on Twitter (the fact there are such things to me seems a little ridiculous, to be honest. It’s just Twitter…) and because I already have received some — let’s just say “passionate” – messages about not following everyone, please hear me: If I don’t follow you, don’t take it personally.
Simply, it’s just not healthy or smart for me to follow everyone.
Something I do that is a good middle ground is create lists. I can follow people on lists without opening the DM floodgates. So know that I will still engage with people, I will still catch up with people, it just won’t be through the means of “following” in typical Twitter fashion.
**OTHER THINGS:
My Facebook page will still exist and I will still interact on it at Facebook.com/FlowerDust. Facebook doesn’t allow name changes on Pages yet, but as soon as I can, I’ll try.
Privately, I’ve shut off all my Google Alerts for my name and my book and my websites. I’d love to keep up with all that, but again, I simply need to focus on a handful of things I truly care about. My reputation is not one of them. It will hopefully speak for itself if I consistently seek after a more pure, noble, true, lovely and admirable life. And by making these changes in my online world, those characteristics will flow more consistently out of everything I do.
___________
Is this a poor career choice? I don’t know. It’s debatable. The “experts” say every author needs a platform. Experts have their place, but they don’t run the world. I think I need to be a better writer before I have a platform.
The bottom line is this: I think faith and love and character can and will supersede any social media campaign anyone can dream up. It’s not about being famous or selling books or promoting myself.
I need to work on the character things first and foremost, and then out of that I trust my best writing is yet to come.
___________
THANK YOU.
No matter how long or how short you’ve been a part of FlowerDust.net, or any extension of, I say thanks. I hope we can continue our relationship even if it looks a little differently.
It’s been a great five years.
Be well,
Anne Jackson
Comments
88 responses to “The End of FlowerDust.net (Goodbye…)”
I’ll miss your blog. You wrote some truly inspirational stories. Good luck!
Thanks, Anne. I’ve enjoyed the last 5 years, and I look forward to your new work. See you around.
Good luck, Anne! It’s a brave move, but not one I’m surprised by…it seems blogging and the online world has lacked joy for you for quite awhile. I hope your new way of seeking balance and working on your writing is successful and gives you peace.
Bravo Anne. I have a hard time defining who I am both online and off. I struggle to combine the two and be who I really am on a regular basis. I admire you for the steps you are taking to be true to yourself.
I am grateful for the wonderful things I’ve learned over the past year or so from reading your blog and interacting with you on Twitter. I’ve learned a lot about myself, and a lot about how God sees me. I appreciate your honesty. I appreciate your writing. I appreciate your willingness to be used by God.
Thank you. Best of luck to you on your journey!
I’ve enjoyed reading FlowerDust, but I can see where it’s overwhelming… so I’m excited for your new writing adventure! I admire you for doing what’s best for yourself. It makes me sad how social media, something that’s supposed to be fun and, well, social, has been consumed by the marketing machine. I salute you for standing against it!
I can’t wait to read your pure, free writings on your new site. It’s an inspiration to me as a staunchly anti-platform writer who can’t seem to get her blog to stick to one idea. :)
I haven’t been reading long, but I’ll miss your blog, and will certainly be following the new spot for your writing.
Looking forward to reading your future work!
I’ve only been at this for a year… and i gotta say – I’m jealous. I see where you’re coming from, and I sort of understand why you’d conclude that it’s time for a change.
I LOVE that you ACT on your inclinations!! That is an admirable quality, indeed.
Grace and Peace to you. You are one cool chica, Anne Jackson!
Your blog provided hope, courage and inspiration to me during a difficult time and season of ministry.
And it is through the blog that I found Mad Church Disease and have really seen a shift in the way I do ministry – thank you.
I respect your decision 100%.
I do disagree with:
“There simply is a limit to how much you can share and with whom and time and space.”
The early church was started and we are Christians today because of letters – a simple technology that pales in comparison to today. I feel that blogging may not be for you but that doesn’t mean that people can’t form meaningful relationships with others through blogging or social media. In fact, it is possible to form stronger and closer ones through pixels than flesh, I would argue.
Be it as it may, I will always look up to you.
thanks Anne for your words here and in print. love your honesty!
enjoy your new chapter!
Well done Anne. Clearly this is something that has convicted you for a while. Glad you are honoring those convictions instead of ignoring them. Blessings to you.
Thank-you for your graciousness to me and my wife this past weekend. Thank-you for praying. Thank-you for not treating me like one more person who needed something from you, and for responding when I reached out. As an introvert myself, I understand what this costs, and why you can’t continue. As regards the email I just sent requesting an “interview”–I’ll understand if you don’t reply. Many blessings! Be well.
Anne:
WAY TO GO! Way to remember that you should do for you and not for your popularity. I am so glad to have read your blog while you have been blogging however, I am glad that you do things for you to and not just for the public. I LOVE your writings (or at least what you have do so far) and will continue to read your writings. I will miss post like the ones on human trafficing ect but girl you have to do what you have to do and no reasons are needed. Enjoy your new freedom.
FW
Anne – I love hearing about this sort of thing – I love when people do the things they love! I’m truly thrilled for you. I recently resigned from a staff position at my church and as difficult as that was I knew it was right for me and my family and I know it was a great decision. The relief and peace that I have now is just fantastic. I’m glad you are making a decision that is right for you and your family. I’m glad you’re going to feel that same relief and peace.
I hate that people have already given you grief about it – that’s terrible! As much as we appreciate your blog we should be proud of you for taking this step and grateful for the time we’ve had with “you”. Being on this end of the blog, we do feel like we know you and sometimes it’s hard to remember that we really don’t. And, since we don’t, we can’t say what’s best for you.
I totally respect and admire your courage and wish you much peace and fantastic writing!
Chrystal
PS – I replied to your tweet earlier with congrats on the new site and also an invite for coffee. After I sent it I wished I could “undo”. As much as I’d love to grab coffee I know you just finished the tour and probably need time and space right now. So, I’m turning the “grab coffee invite” over to you. If you’re sitting around bored one day and think “you know I’d like to have a chat and maybe some peppermint hot chocolate with that girl from Chattanooga” then give me a shout…or a tweet. :) My brother’s a freshman so I’ll be back and forth to Nash for the next few years. Or if you ever head east, coffee’s my treat.
Nothing but respect coming from me, Anne — beautiful, brave, bold… BRAVO!
yay, anne!
Anne, i definitely admire your decision. And you are right, deep down, we are more than our labels, whether it’s “social media girl”, or “blogger”. And you are also right in saying communication is very limited online. Real communication often happens in the flesh – face to face.
I have only read a little bit of your blog, but have enjoyed the honesty immensely. However, I am so glad that you are doing what’s right for you. I hope the Permission to Speak Freely tour comes to Toronto sometime, because if it does, I’ll be there! :)
This is probably the main reason that I never really want to be “famous.” At this point, it’s “expected” that famous people will tweet (with wit and/or passion and/or profound insight) and that they’ll blog regularly, even if they’re not writers and that they’ll expose themselves and their families to such an extent that you feel like you know them – even though you’ve maybe met once.
It’s overwhelming for an introvert.
I hope this new direction is freeing for you!
Anne,
have a super cool time on your journey. You are true authentic example of what does it mean to follow own heart.
Thank you that you are “just” Anne!
Hug
Hi Anne,
I was introduced to you via your book Mad Church Disease from a friend of mine. I really like you because you are REAL with the things you write, and that kind of “realness” is hard to find in the Christian circles. I have struggled with some of the things you’ve struggled with. I could definitely relate to you. Thanks for doing what you feel is right to do. The bottom line is we live to please God and not man. Best wishes!
You’re wise and courageous! And I applaud you! How good to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit and humble enough to listen to wise counsel, which led you to making some big decisions.
Most of us hate doing that.
Bottom line? Relationships matter – the flesh and blood ones, and the spiritual one you have with Christ. All this technological stuff has shifted those important things, often putting them in the back seat instead of front and center where they belong.
You’re choosing well.
Be blessed as you move ahead …
Thanks so much for all your blog posts over the last few years. I am so glad they gave me an introduction to your books which have been a huge help along my spiritual journey. I look forward to reading your further books and essays as you follow your own unique God shaped path.
Dear Anne-Today is my 31st birthday, and like you I have felt the pains of growing and stretching this year. I’m excited to leave this year behind, but I know I, too, need to make some major life changes this year in order to see what God has in store for me. Your post truly resonates with me, and I wish you nothing but the best! I’ll be praying for us both during this time of growth, stretch, and change. May God bless you in all you do!
Thank you!!!
Jennifer
I get where your coming from because I’m backing away from some online things myself to actually do more writing, reading, and living in general. Bless you as you embark on a new phase. Stay true to you.
I like your move…but the ‘why’ has me wowed. Seems like Jesus is stirring your soul. I’ve been in the same mode for some time now…the ‘ being stirred’ part. I pray that u become more and more the masterpiece u have been created to be. Genesis 12:2
Keep learning searching and blessing,
ed
Way to go girl! I’ve enjoyed reading your blog on and off over the past few years. I appreciate the resources and love that I’ve been able to refer people back to specific pieces or books you have written. As an introvert learning to be a speaker and wanting to be a better writer myself, I totally get what you are doing. I wish you the best. ((Hugs)) Deana
Good for you, Anne!! Thanks for taking us a long the last few years. I’ll look forward to reading your essays and poems. I’ve enjoyed watching you grow and change…and this is just one more step on your journey!
We’ll continue to pray for you and are excited about what God has next for you! Know that we’ll be here cheering you on! Wishing you much joy and peace as you passionately follow Jesus. Don’t doubt yourself…just keep moving forward!
All the best!
Mel
Anne,
Praying as you begin this new journey. I understand the need for less noise.
I am sure by the end of this you will have a million and two responses, but let me be one more congratulated you for uniquely following Jesus, in your own beautifully wild story. It’s stepping out in faith. It’s living for an Audience of One. It’s wisdom and abandon, all at the glorious same time.
Social media is a strangely addictive thing, isn’t it? We are currently in Thailand, and I struggled against the isolation–the slower internet, no IPhone, tweeting in my day (which is everyone else’s night), inconsistent power . . . but now I am realizing that perhaps the quiet is a gift more than I realized at first. Because its a wildly difficult balance between authentically writing from a heart that wants to serve Jesus and others, and doing the “necessary” promotion of yourself via social media. It’s a game that must be just maddening to try to play.
I have been reading here about a year, and I have appreciated your honesty, your humor, your words that have spoken truth and hope and redemption.
And we are all so grateful for that.
Again, thanks for stepping out.
Kudos to you anne. I’ve often questioned my own blogging motives, especially because I think there is a limit to what kind of writer Ivan become as a blogger. I may be good at 300 word one-thought ideas, but is that the best way, especially if I become a slave to my own platform, “reputation” or “voice”. Thanks again for pioneering in this area. I have great respect for you.
Thank you for sharing that.
I’ve been reading you for about two years now, and will miss the blog but how awesome that you are able to turn away from the pull of social media to be “just” Anne the writer. I look forward to what the Spirit brings through you.
in the spirit of simplicity: well done, friend. :) i hope we’ll stay connected…
Thanks for all that you have shared in this post and blog.
I appreciate your transparency. I’m also an introvert wrestling with these issues as I start my blog.
Way to stay true to your self. I’m sure it will bear fruit and sharpen your writing that you want to do and not compelled to do.
Anne,
I have enjoyed reading your blog and your realism about life.
I think it is awesome that you are “going against the stream” to make sure your relationship with God does not get distracted by media.
Blessings,
Hi Anne
Sit at Jesus’ feet for a while and listen to him, it’s a much better place to be than busy in the kitchen.
Happy is the one who makes the Lord his trust (Psalm 40:4)
Go well
Neil
Bravo!
Writing rocks! I applaud your decision to focus on one thing.
I definitely agree with the need to find your own identity away from ___the___. I do that to myself too, and find it usually just puts more and more pressure on me. People label me as getting good grades so I become VA the good student then I am labelled as the MediaShout expert and each of these labels comes with another thing to live up to and a harder fall with every mistake I make. I admire the courage it must take to step away from these labels and take control of your life. As to your decisions on twitter: brace yourself. I try to do that on facebook and people have gotten really mad about it and I have gotten messages about how I don’t even deserve to have a facebook if I am not going to friend this person…good luck keeping with your plan…I know that I am so much of a people pleaser that I have given in and friended people on facebook I really was not going to and I always hate myself for it later. I hope you have more success than I have with ths change :)
That being said, I will miss your blog.
In the words of Captain Hook, “Good form.”
Congrats, Anne, on an awesome run.
There are new things that God has for you that you could never discover if you didn’t let go of this season. New dreams, new freedoms, new heights.
But first, rest. Enjoy your vacation. Thanks for pouring out yourself over and over.
Simply Anne, I pray that God continues to bless you as I know he will. Ephesians 1:3
I have seen this stirring in your heart for a while. God is at work in you and I rejoice in that stirring. Who knows what God is preparing you for?!
I will miss flowerdust.net because – as many have mentioned – it has been a place of refuge and comfort to me during some hard years of ministry. You’ve inspired me and challenged me in more ways than you’ll know. Thanks for the conversations as well. Your talk at Recreate a couple of years ago was pivotal in planting some seeds of huge change in my life.
Onward to a new vista and trail on the journey! There’s beauty in all the stages – so I wish you a beautiful peace in the days ahead.
God bless you Anne.
Be blessed!
Hi Anne, I applaud you for having the courage to follow through on this difficult decision. A lot of people – especially authors – feel like they have to have a blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. And a lot of people who start blogging, twittering, etc feel they have an obligation to their readers, and can’t stop.
I hope in the essays you post on annejacksonwrites.com that you’ll consider writing more about where we invest our time, energy, relationships online and offline.
Awesome. Thanks for being that writer that wants to write -not blog and twitter and facebook and debate and comment and be a social superstar, then write!
I’ll miss the only interfaces to the whopping three lines of interaction we had–which probably meant far more to me than they did to you, and no, that is not a complaint.
Jesus withdrew to a solitary place to pray. The crowds followed him anyway.
I wonder sometimes if he was an INFP.
But I digress. Which I do far too often. Which means it’s probably my fault that you’re doing this, and everyone will blame me, and…
:)
Best to you, Anne. You’re an inspiration and you give great hope, regardless of the mechanism. Thank you!
You’ve gotta do what you feel led to do. From my experience, and I’m a “marketing” guy who helps authors build platforms, there is no one size fits all path to success. We have to find our own groove and what works for us as individuals since that’s what makes us… well, individual. :)
Your path might look different than others and just like you, each of us needs to find the way and the tools that help us do what we need to do… not necessarily what everyone else is doing. Trying to keep up with others is a sure way to never reach our own destination.
Anne, you did a phenomenal blog with the precious FlowerDust!!!!! I will follow you on AnneJacksonWrites.com for sure!!!! I know you will be so happy writing because you are moving on to bigger and better goals!!! I will sadly miss your blogs (tissue please)…but send our love and congrats!!!!!!
Pastor Jim & Carol
Anne, thanks for what you’ve shared with us, and I look forward to what you’ll be sharing with us in the future.
Congratulations on your decision to be “you”.
Best wishes and blessings for whatever you do.
You go, Girl! Walk in blessings!
There goes that gutsy Anne again. Fear – then do the opposite of it. You go girl. I’ve enjoyed watching you grow and stretch here. Sounds like this wineskin is old and used up and time for a new one. I pray His anointing on your next one too. I don’t view it as an ending but as a new beginning.
Thank you for your blog. I’ve loved it. But I love the work God is so obviously doing in you, and your willingness to follow Him even more. Our time on this earth is sooooo short and so precious. May God abundantly bless you and your desire to spend that time on the things that really count in your life. I can hardly wait to see what comes out of this new season of your life. I’ll be praying for you. Thanks again for everything. :)
It’s been great learning from you and watching God do what he does in your life. Thanks for the honesty, passion for your work, and the encouragement over the past couple years.
I’ll miss FlowerDust, but I’m definitely looking forward to all the awesome stuff that happens next!
i will miss you.
i will miss your writing here, but look forward to your essays and poems.
Looking forward to your new stuff Anne. I can relate to yearning for simplicity, focus and clarity. God bless you on your adventure Anne!
May God bless you richly Anne as you begin this journey in your life.
Wow! Anne, I want to congratulate you on your decision. This made me think of my mum. She never told me : “Be careful what you do, people might talk.” No,she told me:
“Just do what you want to do, what you need to do, no matter what, people will talk anyway”.
I always read your blog but not always replied. But now I do because I think it’s amazing what you are doing now. And that first person, I would love to have met him/her. I’m so into meeting people in flesh and blood, I love the people online but it’s not the same talking face to face. I’m not online myself. I don’t blog, I don’t twitter, I’m nowhere actually. I only read blogs and reply and interact that way with the few friends I met on internet. But internet it’s just so time consuming. I had to prioritize my life a few months ago and decided to be on the internet less. And it’s been a blessing to me. Now I read about your decision maybe I will tell the people online I will be offline forever. We’ll see.
Bye bye.
I’ll miss the free stuff…uh, I mean I’ll miss you, the blogger. But I welcome you, the not-blogger-but-writer!
annejacksonwrites bookmarked.
amen to real relationships and not virtual ones. pulses and not punctuation.
i was about to go to bed (actually in bed) and went…wait! what did anne announce? my gut was right. courageous girl! i pray the Lord opens you up and expands your heart all the more to His goodness and his gifts. bless you anne!
It has been a joy to share a bit of your journey over these past few years. And, like your friends commenting above, I’m here cheering you on as you take this next step.
You have what it takes to make a huge impact. I admire that you are making the tough decisions to, as John Maxwell puts it, “Give up so you can go up.”
I look forward to your writings on the new site.
Surprise and some sadness. Started following your blog after you came to our church in Knoxville and borrowed a baptismal pool. You spoke to us also. Love your honesty and humor. Thanks. It has been a bright part to my days.
Just recently “found you” and fully support you in this … I am a person who recharges with solitude as well, and I have a love/hate relationship with social networking all the time. Wanting to be influential and to have a voice in important discussions, wanting to be “left alone” at the same time :)
Appreciate your courage!
Amen sister! Way to chase after that which brings life… I’m convinced you’ll bring more to the Body this way.
Thank you for sharing this. I recently had a professional website created and have been debating too long about moving my personal blog to my more professional site. I was spending too much time worrying about what I would “look” like if I posted my personal stuff on this site. After reading your post, my conclusion is that I am who I am! Thank you for helping me to see that!
Jessica
Anne, I really respect you.
I pray this change brings nothing but good to you.
Hope we stay connected,
–Terrace Crawford
http://www.terracecrawford.com
http://www.twitter.com/terracecrawford
Good luck with everything.
You have made a difference! Because of you we have ‘our little boy’ from Compassion and have bought CS Lewis for poor pastors.
H
Anne,
No one is more important than the people that God has given you to personally love and care. Your decision is courageous and outrageous. It is courageous in that it takes guts and conviction to tell thousands of people who have followed you, that they will have to adjust to your new view and lifestyle. It is outrageous in a good way, it sends the message that you do not need to be heard; the crowd (even your own crowd) does not control you and it does not define who you are and how you live.
May God grant you many blessings and great peace as you seek to follow him with all of your heart. I am sure that your husband, your family, and the people closest to you will look back on this day and admire you the more for it.
Grace and Peace
Willie Mac
Wouldn’t you know, I find a good blogger on the week she quits. As a social media pastor I know how hard it is to keep up with posting on Twitter and Facebook. I respect your choice and I’m grateful you will keep up your old post for me to look through. Enjoy your trip!
Thank you. Thank you for being brutally honest…
I feel the same convictions… almost like I’m having an identity crisis. I’ve been so conflicted… should I try harder and form a platform? Or should I not try at all and embrace my life that is not online. I am an introvert as well… and I am a blogger who isn’t (but wants to… would rather be) a writer. I am a labor nurse who secretly would rather be a writer… an author… but really, I’m only good… only great at being a labor nurse.
So goodbye to Flower Dust. I have enjoyed your blogged (written) words… I have been convicted and touched by this post more than any other (I hope that is okay). May God bless you on your journey away from internet. I may join you very, very soon.
~Taking Heart
(Erin)
If I may proffer some advice: Please don’t delete your twitter account.
There are unscrupulous people that watch almost every username for activity and upon deletion will automatically sign up using the name and either start spamming or start spouting a message you do not agree with. Whilst they’ll have to build followers up from scratch there are people that may come across that as your twitter handle through other means and may not realise it’s changed hands.
I would not wish to see your good name tarnished in such a way. Just leave the account alone, make the last tweet something appropriate, maybe a point to this blog, and leave the account to sit and do nothing.
I already reclaimed my old Twitter username after deleting it. :)
Anne,
Congratulations! Good for you! Way to go!
I applaud your decision as what you believe to be the best thing for you at this time in your life. May you continue to make wise and courageous decisions in the months and years ahead. It was a joy to meet you and hear your story at Biola in ’09. Your written and spoken word continues to minister to many. Take this time to be Anne and fill your spiritual and emotional well. Wishing you all of God’s best!
Joe
This is my first time on your site. Ironic, isn’t it? So, all I have to say is…you have an awesome writing name. I love it! Your name just sounds like you should be a writer and I have never had that thought before about a person’s name. A cheesy thought, but I shared it just the same. Looking forward to those essays. =)
Wow. Thanks Anne. I actually followed some tweets to get to this post, and even though you’re changing formats, this post helped me alot. I like to write (sometimes), and I like to blog (sometimes), but I wonder what that should look like for me as well, because I find it’s not something I can commit to daily and keep my sanity. Your reasons for changing were insightful, so thank you, and I’ll be following your writing at your new site.
Seriously? I will be honest to say this post saddens me, but not for the reasons many others have expressed. You, Anne, are enough just because God created you. I sense such an overwhelming need for affirmation and praise. God has used you richly in the lives of others, but for some to call the end of a blog courageous? Courage is pointing the light on others, not ourselves. Perhaps your greatest challenge in your quest for “who” would be to just write for yourself-not publicly– in a journal, quietly and privately, allowing God to reveal to you that your value and worth comes because He created you, not in the addiction and ultimate emptiness of the praises and accolades of others that this post seems to cry out for.
I deleted the comment I originally wrote here because I realize I said I wasn’t going to defend my decision. So, disagree. That’s fine.
Anne,I actually read this post several days ago, and it resonated with me… So much so that I took my own break from the Internet for several days! :) As an introvert who recently left a very worthwhile job that had begun to drain me, I applaud your honesty and transparency. My prayers are with you as you make this transition…
Dear Anne Jackson,
Your blog has been an inspiration- from design to words. I understand the time stipulations involved with a growing blog such as yourself. I admire your bravery and courage, Jesus is right to go and make disciples among nations but he said that he would also be with you in the process. I have connected the things that I was doing to the identity I am to be…
When my identity is in titles instead of relationship what I does falters and fails. Without Jesus all things are in vain; but you know these things well. My greatest concern as a reader should be your relationship with God.
It does not mean I dissect your faults, it means you have life from the edification of your readers and we are edified by your ministry.
I look forward to reading your newest book.
My Christ go with you and lead the way.
Your Brother in Christ Jesus,
Michael Wilkinson
Dear Anne Jackson,
Your blog has been an inspiration- from design to words. I understand the time stipulations involved with a growing blog such as yourself. I admire your bravery and courage, Jesus is right to go and make disciples among nations but he said that he would also be with you in the process. I have connected the things that I was doing to the identity I am to be…
When my identity is in titles instead of relationship what I does falters and fails. Without Jesus all things are in vain; but you know these things well. My greatest concern as a reader should be your relationship with God.
It does not mean I dissect your faults, it means you have life from the edification of your readers and we are edified by your ministry.
I look forward to reading your newest book.
May Christ go with you and lead the way.
Your Brother in Christ Jesus,
Michael Wilkinson
That blog on the link, isn’t my blog. I don’t know why it connected that me. I don’t speak Russian…
But for the sake of your readers. My blog is
http://www.Freeencouragement.org.
I apologize.
I’ve always admired your courage and beautiful transparency. You’ve given me some things to ponder and pray about as one who’s not lived up to what experts have said I should be as a blogger. I just do the best I can and trust it’s good enough for Jesus. Can’t wait to read your essays.
thanks for all the great discussion and insight. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next. :)
Anne, wasn’t your return trip to Haiti supposed to be this month? Does the end of your blog mean it will go undocumented?
Due to a family emergency I was unable to go. The team returns tomorrow. All of the funds designated to me went 100% to the project.
I hesitate to say “Anne2.0”, but I’m looking forward to seeing where God takes you next. Way to be brave.