Today I had a pastor point out to me the dangers of blogging, especially when there is little to no context given behind certain posts. He brought to my attention a couple of posts I had written several months back and revealed to me a little bit about the attitude it seems I was portraying, or maybe the underlying messages I was giving off hidden beneath my words. I am fortunate this pastor wants to talk about it in a couple of weeks when I get back from California.
To be honest before I even speak with this pastor, I went back and read two of the posts he referenced to me and I have to say, they were pretty bad. I allowed some things that were happening in my life, along with some discontentment to mold my thinking and corrupt my heart towards God’s most precious creation, people. I also allowed those things to produce a critical attitude of views and practices within the church just because I choose to do differently. I am always promoting the church working together and being ONE, putting aside petty differences to see the lost brought to Christ, and while I was shouting from the roof tops that the church should be acting in this manner, I was being hypocritcal. I personally find this humbling, but in a sad way humerous, since my pastor just asked me to preach on October 19th with a theme of loving the hypocrite. I guess I should be asking how people are able to love me, it may just make the perfect message. On top of the areas where I personally strayed, there were some things that had no context or understanding for the reader and so it was easily misunderstood by the reader. Blogs can be very good and healthy, but when things like this happen, it makes them bad and really ugly in many ways.
To those who have read my blog, if you read this post, I apologize if I wrote some things that were misunderstood, but also some things that were completely wrong from my end. I desire to live a transparent life and in doing so, your going to catch me mess up and sin, but I am thankful for people such as this pastor who will step into my life and point me in a healthier and more productive direction for my life. My desire is to shine Jesus to the world, and if there is anything in my life that dulls that light, I want to get rid of it. I deleted the posts that were brought up to save any additional issues in the future after I am able to grow from this experience. I am very aware of one thing; I am 27 years old and though I would like to think I have some things figured out, I know that I am far from it! I am thankful for men, such as this pastor, who do not mind getting their hands dirty and helping a yound man such as I, because God knows I need it.
So today, I am thankful for grace, people who know how to love a hypocrite, and people who want to see me become all that God wants me to be. Its good to have people in my life who are living Christianity out. I look forward to growing from here in the next several weeks.
Humbly,
Nick
Join the Conversation: Have you ever said or did anything where you looked back months later and regreted or changed and thought “How Stupid of Me?”
Absolutely. I couldn’t erase those things though, I just had to learn from them and move on.
It’s so amazing that you have a pastor that would take the time to point these things out to you in love. that’s just the coolest. Everyone needs someone like him in their lives.
We all get off track sometimes in things we do and say. But it’s good to have someone that’s got your back.
Wow. this post has been re-evaluating if maybe I’ve ever done that in some of my blogs not realizing it. I’m sure I have. But oh the task of going through them all to find out does not sound exciting at all. 🙂
<<<< —– hypocrite.
I have found myself in the past few weeks, constantly focusing on the bad in the church. at my frustrations with it. at our failures. I need to stop condemning the body and how much we have failed — and start having mercy, working on me and let GOd work on everybody else. I need to keep loving and seeking out the good in everybody/everything & encouraging that.
thanks 🙂
that arrows was supposed to point this way
—————————————->>>>>>>>>
grrr I can’t figure out how to point to myself…
I was just trying to say how much I disgust myself too and how hypocritical & critical I can be sometimes
Hey there. I happened to stumble on your blog! I’m so glad I did! 🙂
For the last 2 1/2 years, I had been running from the Lord. On my blog, you can read the posts titled “Listening to a Still, Small Voice” and “The Journey” to get the whole saga.
When I came back to the Lord, I decided that my posts until that point should stay. It’s a part of my past. However, God has been laying messages on my heart, and then people would read the cynical, hateful, and shameful posts from before. I deleted everything from the past 2 1/2 years!
Thanks for an honest blog. I hope you swing by my blog sometime. 🙂 I’m blogrolling you mine.
Wow, Nick!
You are a bigger man than I will ever be.
I would have told him to – never mind. Point is, that is exactly what I would have regretted moments later.
I may be somewhere between 40 and dead, but I have a lot to learn from guys like you.
Makes me think the future is in good hands.
All the time! Keep up the authentic posting. The good the bad and the honest.
Great blog nick. I know we’ve seen the lets get dressed for church and be proud that we never make mistakes crowd. Everyday I try to walk the walk but everyday something stupid comes out of my mouth that shouldn’t. We all need to be honest and acknowledge our short comings …… way to set the standard ….
Yes, yes! We are SO human and will always speak/write the craziest things…I think , in the end, we just have to look beyond the surface…great post nick!
one of the hardest things I had to learn to do was take correction in love, our sinful self wants to go on the offensive and push back and give excuses for why we did what we did. Its so easy to get offended or upset with someone for pointing out that something you have done is wrong, even if it was not your intent. Good on ya Nick, and good on that pastor for wanting to correct you in love, it is a fool that hates discipline.
I struggle with this too. There’s a fine line between being honest and letting your honesty hurt other people.
For what it’s worth I haven’t been the least bit offended by your blog. Maybe you need to try harder to tick me off?
Great post. Thanks for being honest.
It’s funny, I was looking through some old lesson plans I wrote years ago and I thought, how arrogant I was to have written some of those things.
Strange how God has a way of reminding us.
Thanks again, Nick.
WHAT!?………you leave yourself open and I have nothing smart to say….!