In the past few days it’s become apparent that my once “private domain” where I could journal freely with only the private eyes of people whom I’ve invited has now been visited and commented on by people from the church.
Thanks to the power of Google, some people got bored and found this little place. So in breaking ranks I am changing my audience of All Blogs for just this one post. This post is directed at you kind folks who are visiting and searching this thing out of curiosity.
This note is for you… I’ll repost it every so often as a reminder.
When this came to my attention I had two initial reactions. First, I did move the blog. Back in early November I had an entry called anonymity in which I openly wondered if I should make the blog completely private so that no one would find it or if I should just make it public. I decided to just leave it as it was… But I had always meant to make it more private. Thus, I have now moved it to it’s new home and made it much harder to find. I’m sure it will be found by plenty… As the click counter continues to escalate, I have no doubt that the move to this URL was no big deal to those who want to find it. Second, I wanted to go all the way and privatize my blog, including all of it’s entries to another site altogether… Out of the public domain. (There are pay sites that have password protected blogs.
After some thought, I’ve chosen not to do this. In fact, for the last 9 months that this blog has been online I’ve written almost nothing about specific students. I have lamented and vented here about situations and frustrations, but not in a way to embarrass anyone. I’ve never mentioned names about situations… Perhaps assigned descriptive titles but nothing else.
So, moving forward there are a few guidelines I am requesting of visitors:
- Know that while this blog is in the public domain, it is my writing exercise and it belongs to me. As the subtitle says, “these are the thoughts, good bad and random….” They aren’t messages to anyone special, they aren’t secret thoughts, don’t check here to see what Adam really thinks of you… Before blogging I journaled offline. Journaling is the practice of free thought for all who write, speak, paint, etc. (In case you didn’t know, 90% of pastors don’t write their own stuff they just buy it or steal it… But I write everything myself!) Keeping an active journal helps me categorize my thoughts, get stupid thoughts out, etc… In other words my blogging helps me write stuff for public distribution that is clearer and more articulate than it would be if I didn’t do it.
- Unlike a lot of pastors, I refuse to keep two separate blogs. Scroll down my list of links and you will see some ministry friends who have nameless blogs. Even pastors whom I greatly respect have public blogs and private blogs. If you’re reading this one, that’s all there is. Don’t like what you read… Don’t come back.
- Yes, I occasionally use the word “ass” in my writing. If you were to scroll through my posts, you’ll recognize it as a word I use fairly often. I’m not a prune, I’m Adam. Some may call this crass or gross that “a pastor uses such language.” Give me a break, if you knew the vices of most believers, including pastors, out there you’d realize that this is no big deal. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t gamble, I don’t do a lot of things that are common and acceptable among clergy that I know… So excuse me if I use this very descriptive and fun word every once in a while. It’s funny that those who have commented on that, I’ve heard 10 times worse come out of their mouths!
- Keep things in context. It’s frustrating to me that some just scroll past the really good posts trying to find personal information. I know there is a lot of curiosity about me because to some I am the only “public figure” they know well. If you’re going to read my blog, please read the whole thing.
- I rant. Get over it. Sometimes I’ll come across something in my studies or in a conversation that sends me off on a rant. It doesn’t mean anything, it’s a rant. Remember, this isn’t meant for the public domain, you’re infringing on my private space.
- I’m a blunt person. Get over it. I’ve never been the type to sugar coat things. As I’ve matured I have learned to keep things to myself, but I tend to be pretty blunt here. If you read the whole of my comments you will notice that for every time I am harsh on a person I’ve been harsh on myself 10 times or more.
- An agreement with my readers. By reading this, you are agreeing that you will keep this blog in context and that you won’t try to use these words against me. If you desire to destroy me, get in line. It forms to the right. 🙂
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