Despite all the goodies, a blog still mostly consists of writing.

TheNorEaster’s last blog post…Living Water: The Well of Life

darla’s last blog post…Yesterday, Today, and Forever…

Darla, you make me smile

D, thank you for your well thought/prayed through response, ideas and encouragement. Vulnerability is huge and is a crucial element of authenticity. I will continue to learn to be more and more vulnerable, so that I can be more and more authentic. I am assuming your questions are meant to be reflective for me, so I will treat them as that, but I will take them to heart. And, you might want to read my new post.

I do appreciate your opening this up to receiving our input as well as your desire to ‘engage’ us as readers.

To answer your main question:
This (blog) can become more ‘valuable’ to me by seeing how it is becoming more valuable to you.

‘Authenticity’(revealing ‘who you presently ARE’) can be good or bad, but I think ‘vulnerability’ (toward helping you ‘grow’ into who you want to BECOME) is more valuable.

For instance, what do you see as the reasons why you blog?:
- as an outlet for your personal thoughts/experiences?
- to receive input affirming ‘who you are’?
- to be ‘challenged’ to become more?
- to open your life up to non-believers as a witness?
- to grow in the knowledge of Christ?
- accountability to all who read (cyber- & ‘real-life’ friends alike)?

These are good reasons, and you might say ‘yes’ to all (with even more to add), but I think the most valuable thing to me would be to see how it is changing us both (all) into the image of Christ by the interactions it provides.

It’s great to be deep and vulnerable in posts such as “Why Are We Moving” or “Do What You Will” (8/15/07), but I don’t read a lot about your ‘follow up’ on those pivotal points in your life experiences. How has God changed you as a result?

This relational ‘format’ is definitely a ‘controlled environment’ in that you can delete comments (though I don’t think you do – maybe just obscenities, so I’ll try to watch myself on that =), and come back with rebuttals, or just distract attention away from comments by posting something else (not to say you do that either, but you could).

Whatever you/we do here, God isn’t ‘controlled’ by us, so that’s what I mean by becoming more vulnerable (to Him and each other).
What are your deepest struggles in real life that we can identify with/learn from/ and help you through?

That kind of vulnerablilty definitely starts with God since He’s the one who ‘knows us better than we know ourselves’ and is able to transform/renew our minds directly or via others He chooses to use. For me, that process happens most through cirucumstances (and yes, people too) that we CAN’T ‘control’, as desperately as we might want to.

Alot said, and more than enough most likely, but hopefully it’s understandable and relevant to your questions.

You asked for it =},
D-

darla’s last blog post…Yesterday, Today, and Forever…

JudiFree.com’s last blog post…Even If…

Fred, length can be an issue for me. I tend to talk a lot so, I tend to type a lot. I am aware of it and doing my best. Breaking things up is a great idea. I do believe ministry will be a part of this blog more.

janowen, Agreed! I need to show how the two interact more. My life is not being a Pastor, it is being a follower of Christ, but it would be valuable to me to introspect how those two collide at times.

A, the biggest reason I’ve never done a confessional or posted set lists has been because I’ve always felt that what we do at Table Rock is very personal to our church. It may completely be unrelated to another local church’s journey. I don’t want to encourage copying, but I do want to resource, so I am working on how to balance those two ideas.

Heidi, thank you. thank you for faithfully hanging out and getting involved. I truly appreciate it!

Joel! I have always encouraged the relationships and community here, but I have not done well at handing back to you guys things that I have to offer or give. I don’t want to teach, so to speak, but I do want to offer what I am learning and do that together. So I will work on that.

Brad, thanks for your thoughts. I agree with your take on “what’s on the heart”. I’ve always taken that approach. I don’t plan ahead, I don’t schedule what I’ll talk about. if it’s on my mind, that’s what we talk about. As I continue to make this blog a big part of what I do and who I am, I want to keep that heart. while at the same time show responsibility to you and myself on adding value. There are just sometimes, people don’t want to see hair on a shower wall But you all are teaching me those balances and I’m having a blast doing it.