Thursday, September 18, 2008

Wilson!

It's been a while since I posted. I got a little depressed with my kids all leaving home. The last one left just Sunday.

Also, I saw a story on the news the other night where a blogger like myself was fined thousands of dollars for using copy-righted images. That was another blow. I need to come back and take down all the images that I don't have the rights to . . . which is a lot. I can't afford to buy the rights. I could take my own photos but that will add a lot of time and effort.

So, once again I'm at a cross-roads of what to do with this blog. I have such a busy life, or at least it has been. Many people write better than me, design blog pages better than me and have more interesting topics. I only decided to do this blog when I felt that there was a niche.

Mike Spencer had a posting on his blog on "Why I Don't Read Your Blog." I responded that I really am not writing for others, although they are welcome to come and read and comment. But this blog is my Wilson (from the movie Castaway). I wanted to use an image of the bloody volleyball but again it was a copyrighted image.

But there are many days that I feel like pulling my hair out. I feel like the entire Evangelical world is freaken insane and I have to go somewhere to talk.

So I will decide if I continue or not.

Mike

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Mike-
found you through your comment on iMonk. I'm 52 as well, am a medical transcriptionist, live in N. California and have three children- who all well and truly moved out within this past year, instead of gradually, like it says in the script... It still brings tears to my eyes sometimes.

I appreciate your thoughts on fate, superstition, etc. The stupidity (no other word for it) of some evangelicals about this is one of the things that drove me into "the wilderness" about ten years ago. Thank God I found Dallas Willard's "Divine Conspiracy" and the writings of NT Wright.

Long story short, my search for a seamless view of life, the universe and everything :) led me to a very surprising place: Eastern Orthodoxy. I am not yet a catechumen but am moving toward that. My husband doesn't understand and won't even talk to me about it, but he's not trying to prevent me, either.

You might find value in Fr. Stephen Freeman's blog:
www.fatherstephen.wordpress.com. He has a great deal of insight in writing about what he calls "a one-storey universe", and I think you would resonate with that. (I'm not trying to convert you- zealous converts give me the Willis! I've been churched all my life and I don't have time for that business, or any illusions of any kind about church life...)

May God grant you joy however you are involved in the life of your grandchild, and continuing to be involved in the lives of your children. The sadness and joy do coexist- that's how life is. It's ok.

Dana Ames

MJ said...

Thanks for your comments.
I've had other friends go to the Orthodox Church. I was around LAbri and I know that Franky Schaeffer has become part of the church.

I agree. Joy and grief can co-exist in the same nano-second.

Renee said...

Hello. I've been going back and reading your previous blogs today. I had some extra time and i'm always interested in what you write. That leads to why i'm commenting. you mentioned not writing anymore and which doesn't seem to be the case because i have been reading your current posts too. I hope you continue to decide to write, because Bryan and i really enjoy reading your blog.

MJ said...

Thank you Renee. I'm grieving for your loss and may you heal soon.

Anonymous said...

But there are many days that I feel like pulling my hair out. I feel like the entire Evangelical world is freaken insane and I have to go somewhere to talk.

Back when years AD were in the low three digits, there were these eccentric hermit monks in North Africa called the Desert Fathers.

My writing partner (a burned-out preacher-man from rural PA) has a favorite quote from one of them for times like this:

"There will come a time when men will go mad. And they will lay hands on the sane among them, saying 'You are not like Us! You must be Mad!'"

-- Headless Unicorn Guy

MJ said...

H.U.G., thanks for all your comments today. When you have an overview of the entire thing, I would be grateful for a thumbs up or thumbs down if I should make the effort to polish it up (fix the typos, rewrite part etc) and seek publication of my story.

You've made some really great insights an I appreciate them. I won't go back and comment on each one.