Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Things I’ve Learned in the past year, part one.

The empty nest is wonderful. Both sleep and conversation are interrupted less often. I still worry about my kids, but whatever I don’t know about, I can’t worry about.
It is easier to let go when there is distance.

When the offspring come back to the nest, it is still too easy for them to become children and for me to become “parent” again. Need to pray on this one.

It is a shock to have to check the age range on forms that officially says that I am a senior citizen. Suddenly senior citizen doesn’t seem all that old and retirement doesn’t seem all that far away. Besides, I’m already tired; what could “re-tired” mean?

Arthritis doesn’t necessarily get worse with age, but sitting at the computer guarantees I’ll be stiffer than I am when I’m active.

Blogging is more personal than I thought it would be.
I’ve come to care about the writers of some of the blogs I read regularly, especially because they’ve shared their family situations and struggles. I have prayed for LP, LZ, LC, SO, and the other PS, for example, and some bloggers have told me that they prayed for me. Thank you.

There is a “small world” aspect to blogging. The other PS, EL and I are familiar with the same locations. LZ knows one branch of my family. I may yet get to meet SO, as she lives near several of my relatives.

Blogging about faith issues is more political than I thought it would be. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, since Jesus said many things that, if followed, could upset the worldly culture (his day and ours.) I’m just surprised at how “ungraceful” some of the conservative Christian bloggers are.

Does Christ’s Church need to be defended with such meanness? Are the people who proclaim Christ as Lord, but who worship in a “new” style, really dangerous? Would it be Satan or God who defends the meanness?

7 comments:

  1. << I'm surprised at how "ungraceful" some of the conservative Christian bloggers are. >>

    ** The subject is painful. Ungraceful Christian bloggers are on my list of things to blog about this month; you could probably tell I'd been working up to it by starting with problems on the home front and whether I can love my enemies better there, moving to politics, next stop is the church.

    I'll mention that I've seen liberal Christians call conservative Christians morons, imbeciles, demon-possessed, fleas/ticks/assorted blood-sucking parasites, inbred/genetically defective, and say that young earthers should be considered heretics and not even considered "Christian". So I can't say I could agree with the view that it's a one-sided problem and all the conservatives' fault.

    Now, if you'd said it was all the liberals' fault (which, you seem fairly liberal so I wouldn't have to tell you about it) but there are some conservatives out there who play nasty.

    Take care & God bless
    Anne

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  2. I can't say I've been to every faith corner of the web, so I really don't know what the really "liberal" Christian bloggers say. I have tried to look at some of the blogs that are conservative within my general tradition and I've also looked at some of the blogs that are against the "new" trends in the American church. I'm just trying to see why people don't accept other ideas.

    Within my own tradition, I was told, basically, that I couldn't express my own opinion, didn't have a right to do certain jobs within my church, and that something I said was heresay. I'm guessing that these pastor/bloggers are on the really conservative end of the spectrum, but, I also think I wouldn't be welcome in their churches.

    The other thing I've found, and this relates to one of your last posts, is that there seems to be a lack of critical thinking skills with some of the conservative bloggers. There is name calling, overgeneralization, etc. I posted about this twice before. And even though one popular blog is supposedly open to comments, as soon as any writer posts something slightly in disagreement, that writer is banned. Interestingly, the blogger is a woman, but she is against women teaching, etc. in the church. I'm rising overgeneralizing here, but I'm declining to write her name.

    Anyway, I still would like to see a well written, reasoned reference to a conservative Christian blog where I could become well acquainted to another point of view.

    And interesting that you would say that I am "fairly liberal." I suppose I am on the spectrum toward the liberal side, but in my own eyes, I'm trying to be really Biblical, etc. And my lifestyle is about as far from liberal as you can get. I don't see the preaching of "faith gets you wealth and success" or "pro-death penalty" as conservative because it is far from what Jesus preached.

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  3. << The other thing I've found, and this relates to one of your last posts, is that there seems to be a lack of critical thinking skills with some of the conservative bloggers. >>

    I'm curious what you had in mind.

    << And interesting that you would say that I am "fairly liberal." >>

    Well, I just can't figure out why else you'd criticize "conservatives" again and again, y'know. Both sides have enough faults to go around.

    Take care & God bless

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  4. I haven't criticized any conservatives who conduct a dialog or who explain their conservative viewpoints. Perhaps I should be more careful in my choice of words. I'm open to learning from someone more conservative (or liberal) than I am, but I want to read a good argument for that viewpoint. It is hard to learn something concrete when when the writer uses name calling and such (I posted on this at least twice.) Name calling isn't an argument. Why is the conservative writer against something? Why is the liberal writer against something? What are the writers for, not just against?

    I'm reluctant to post the name of a notorious conservative blogger (who has a number of people posting to her blog) who had raked just about every tradition except hers over the coals. I could respond to an email about this if you wish. I found many references to her at blogs about Bible translation, emergent, praise songs, mega-churches, Rick Warren, or anything that isn't straight traditional. That caused me to do a lot of link-hopping, etc.

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  5. As a third "PS" (or should I say, "Ps."), I often pray for you as well. I truly appreciate your presence and wisdom. Thank you particularly for your recent visit to my little blog home, and for making it through my rather long rant. Good advice, and I plan to take it!

    Blessings to you!

    "Ps."

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  6. Interesting post. I find that some blogs I started reading thinking they would be interesting turned into being much more like arguing over doctrine and protecting boundary lines. I quickly tired of that and enjoy those that either have a variety of different types of posts or especially those that write about how they are walking with the Lord, what is he teaching them, what is he saying to them, how is he bringing freedom, or healing, peace, or joy to their lives.
    I think in general I am a conservative Christian blogger but I am mostly not interested in protecting turf but sharing how I am trying to live with Jesus. Hopefully I am "graceful" about it...thanks for the reminder :)

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  7. I liked your bit about how personal blogging becomes. One blogger I follow mentioned starting a round of chemo the next day and then was silent for weeks and weeks. I worried about her! All I could do was pray for her and of course I did. But it is interesting how attached we can become to each other our here in blogland . . . .

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And what do you think?