Change, Consistency & Accountability: Blog

by Randy on May 1, 2008

***UPDATE: At the end of the post***

When it comes to my blog you can reasonably expect that I will consistently change things.  Some say I am “erratic” and “unaccountable” for pruning my blog posts and taking blog sabbaticals that just don’t quite last as long as initially expected :).

Erratic?  Well, the biggest erratic thing I would admit to right now is announcing blog sabbaticals.  I confess to that … please forgive me.  I won’t announce them any more…I’ll just do what I got to do and not do what I don’t need to do :).  As for being “unaccountable”…that’s just … an odd thing to say.  I am accountable every day to a lot of people.  A lot of people who are personal friends, mentors, co-workers, legitimate media …  A lot of people who are thoughtful enough (from all kinds of perspectives) to contact me privately.  I am constantly receiving  valuable feedback and accountability.

I have been blogging for five years now and I have pruned my blog three times.  I have all the posts ever written here backed up.  I prune my blog because I like to do so from time to time. Simple enough.

I know that search engines  permanently cache every page and there are all kinds of screenshot plugins to capture pages (I use Screengrab for Firefox a lot.)  I assume my critics and friends do all that kind of stuff.  I am not hiding anything… I just do what many long term hobby (not professional) bloggers do… prune their blogs of inactive posts.  I do like to keep a recent history but it’s my blog… I will edit the content as I see fit (including comments).  Not a big deal.  I wrestled with whether to prune or not prune the first time I did it but once technology caught up with “permanent” options outside of my blog (In eaaassy ways to access) … I haven’t batted an eye since.

If you have a favorite post contact me and I will take a look at restoring or reposting it.

What do you think of pruning?  Agree? Disagree?  If you disagree please feel free to try and change my mind by leaving a comment or contacting me through the contact link above.

… also …

I apologize for any confusion from last weeks announcement.  Forget the sabbatical part but hold on to the part that I will probably be posting more about art, photograph, creative “things”, music and reposting articles or linking to articles.  Creating new content about current affairs or homosexual issues is probably going to be rare to nill over the summer.  I genuinely do have some serious writing projects on those issues for other venues.   Those projects need that blogging “energy” to be freed up.  Sooo… I think that’s it for this post. :)  Lemmee know what you think.

***

UPDATE: Friday 10:35 AM May 2nd, 2008 -  A friend wrote me via facebook a very nice and thoughful message which included the following:

“The times you have referred to the leading of the Lord towards a sabbatical and then were blogging again not long after, are times when I wondered if people could perceive the Lord as inconsistent.”

Ouch!  I think you are right and that grieves me.  I know from many other trials by fire that I can often pick up things and just run run run with them.  In this situation, I know the Lord consistently calls me to re-evaluate what I am doing but it is I who is inconsistent in drawing absolute boundaries on how that is implemented.  Instead of waiting for the step by step instruction of the Lord, I just run with it.  I imagine it being like a parent who gives a kid crayons and paper.  But the self-willed kid wants to draw on the paper … the walls, the car, the dog, the bath tub and anything else that the parent may not be aware of during those five minutes on the phone.

Now the Lord is not distracted by phone calls but the Lord tells me to realign my writing energy. I do that but add to it paremeters that are unnecessary and not helpful.  I am convicted about this and will specifically ask for forgiveness in that area.  I thank you, my facebook friend, for mentioning this in such a gracious manner.

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Tagged as: art, blogging, comments, Current Affairs, Friends, Music, People, Personal, Time, Writing

Viewing 15 Comments

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    • v
    You strike me as someone who is well organized, tidy, and works hard to keep your life free from unnecessary clutter. If pruning your blog is part of keeping your life free of clutter than you must prune! If it was my blog, I'd do want I wanted and what was in keeping with my personality and honoring to God. You don't owe any explanations when you prune or move your blog or change the background or...
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    • v
    Randy,
    It's unfortunate that God has allowed you to be in such a place where you could do so much good in His name, yet you repeatedly waste those talents and miss those multitudes of opportunities you have to demonstrate genuine love, grace, committment, and most of all humility in His name. All this "pruning" and "preening" doesn't give anyone, let alone YOU, a true picture of what it looks like to grapple on a daily basis with living a faithful, Godly life. It's making it all "look" just so, not allowing God to do what He will, come what may. I imagine the Moses, King David, Rahab, and all the others in the line of Christ would have liked to have done some "pruning" on their stories now and then as well...yet those stories stand as a testament to God's infinite grace within desperate circumstances. If you have to "prune" it later, then what good is any of it, really?

    That's just my heartfelt take on the matter. I know you don't agree...and I stand the good chance of getting "pruned" right out of these comments. So be it.

    I wish you well as you continue to do as you see fit. What we see as "fit" just happens to be entirely different approaches to a life of faith in Christ.

    much love and grace,
    pam
    • ^
    • v
    p.s. I don't believe there's any such thing as a "hobby" when you live a life in Christ. It's all significant.
    • ^
    • v
    ::: laugh ::: well thanks!
    • ^
    • v
    Hi Pam,

    I am far removed from the level of prominence any of those people you mentioned have. Even so, when Israel was "murmuring" against Moses, the scriptures only quote them a few times while alluding to the overwhelming criticism Moses received. And Rahab, you know she was a prostitute and you know of one event and a few details in her life.... but you don't have her diary. Are you seriously comparing her amazing story to an ongoing blog?

    I am definitely not a Moses but every murmur against me has and can be recorded all over the blogosphere ... just not all of them on my blog.

    The recorded quotes and scrutiny of my life is and will continue to be very well documented. I humbly state that I am quoted/reported on in magazines, other blogs, audio recordings, videos, books, photos ... all over the world. The controversial topics are well recorded (rightly or wrongly) in other venues.

    I think if God wants something permanently recorded in the annals of eternity... He is quite capable of making sure it is documented. He isn't shaking a righteous fist of frustration over the delete button in Wordpress.

    Again, there is a permanent record of every post in search engine caches and backed up on my hard drive.

    Love and Grace? I used to see that from you. Your actions toward me, of late, don't see to be along those lines.
    • ^
    • v
    I never said a hobby wasn't significant. It's a manifestation of one's gifts. I just have a view of my blog as a hobby, not something I am worried about making a living off of or gaining notoriety through.
    • ^
    • v
    I just added the following as an update to the original post.

    ***

    UPDATE: Friday 10:35 AM May 2nd, 2008 - A friend wrote me via facebook a very nice and thoughful message which included the following:

    "The times you have referred to the leading of the Lord towards a sabbatical and then were blogging again not long after, are times when I wondered if people could perceive the Lord as inconsistent."


    Ouch! I think you are right and that grieves me. I know from many other trials by fire that I can often pick up things and just run run run with them. In this situation, I know the Lord consistently calls me to re-evaluate what I am doing but it is I who is inconsistent in drawing absolute boundaries on how that is implemented. Instead of waiting for the step by step instruction of the Lord, I just run with it. I imagine it being like a parent who gives a kid crayons and paper. But the self-willed kid wants to draw on the paper ... the walls, the car, the dog, the bath tub and anything else that the parent may not be aware of during those five minutes on the phone.

    Now the Lord is not distracted by phone calls but the Lord tells me to realign my writing energy. I do that but add to it paremeters that are unnecessary and not helpful. I am convicted about this and will specifically ask for forgiveness in that area. I thank you, my facebook friend, for mentioning this in such a gracious manner.
    • ^
    • v
    Randy,
    I appreciate your willingness to leave my comments (supposing you do leave them permanently) and discuss this with me. Things like that begin to build bridges. And yes, I seriously believe that each and every one of us are to consider our witness and our time here (every bitty minute of it) as significant as that of Moses and the others. That's the reason we have those stories and the reason God chose over and over again to work through people who struggled in various ways. They were ordinary folks just like us. And we, are now in their place. And while I fail miserably at using ever bitty bit of my time (or even a majority of it) being purposeful about his kingdom...well...I do honestly believe I'm to take every breath with a thankful heart and a gracious spirit because it comes from Him and I need to be using it for Him. I see no difference between your significance and that of Moses in the grand scheme of things...what is one soul worth? We all know that Christ would have died for even just one of us. That's pretty darn significant! ;)

    I apologize for any offense you've taken at my critique of your article. I do believe that we all set ourselves up for that sort of thing when we put things out there. I've taken my share of "knocks"...it's just part of the way it works.

    You've actually had some very nice comments of support over at XGW. I hope you've noticed that. ;) I don't think God is indignant about the delete button in Wordpress either. I wasn't ever judging you as a Christian...just as a witness to your "target audience". In my assessment, you've screwed up some major opportunities you've had to be transparent, open, and graceful toward others by all the pruning and lack of dissent you allow over here. It's also not helpful that you come over and comment a few times at XGW and then appear (maybe it's just a perception) to leave off in a huff each time. I'm just being real with you, Randy. I want to maintain a friendship and live in peace with you. I would like to think our Christian brotherhood can allow for some honest dialouge and disagreement now and then.

    You know...I've made it very clear at my own blog that I still don't have a bunch of stuff figured out about all this mess. But...hey....the stuff I DO have a better handle on....I'm working with and doing what I believe to be what God intends for me to do. That's pretty much all any of us can do at any given point. I guess I'd just like to see you do that with more transparency.

    But...if you don't....well...life goes on. It's not like we can't still be friends. I hope.

    love and grace,(really)
    pam
    • ^
    • v
    Hmmm... well... I am thinking that your friends have assumed that they are my target audience. They are not. and just because I don't react to them doesn't mean I am not being transparent.

    But thank you for your comments.
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    Randy,
    How can you allow yourself to just talk right past everything that I just said?

    I called them your target audience. I honestly don't think they consider themselves to be your target audience audience and some would probably be offended that I called them such. but...I'll take those lumps as they come to me. I was/am trying to have a conversation with you. And you do that thing you do yet again....just blowing someone completely off. It's so difficult to comprehend how you think that's a graceful way to treat a sister. It's sad.

    And yeah...you DO react to them. Because of your position, everything you do or don't do is seen as a reaction. And yet, you don't engage in the conversation...at what risk? Just because you know you'll never be understood correctly and your words might get twisted around? So what? Continue to be graceful and disagree.

    I'll leave you alone now. It's apparent you are done "discussing" with me.

    ::heavy sigh::

    love and grace,
    pam
    • ^
    • v
    I didn't talk past anything but I do choose what I will address. Jesus is my role model on that (He didn't say much during His trial.) I have made my points... you have made yours. Thanks.
    • ^
    • v
    Pam,

    Your comments "love and grace" and "it's not like we cannot be friends" just exude insincerity. That has become your style recently though. Are you that desperate for attention and recognition that you resort to aligning yourself with those that think they can say whatever they want but it cannot be said to them? It might be filling an empty place for you now but you are losing credibility fast.
    • ^
    • v
    I always learn from you, Randy. Thanks.
    • ^
    • v
    No...thank *you* :)
    • ^
    • v
    Leah,

    I was waiting to see if Pam was going to come back and be as "transparent" as she expects me to be by replying to you. But I am taking her, as of this comment, five day silence to be revealing. I think it is further proof of my assertion that a person can and should choose when, where, why, how, what and who they respond too... IF they choose to respond.

    Even so, Leah, while I find it ironic Pam has chosen to be silent (so far) ... I can understand if she chooses not to engage you in conversation. You go after her, in public, on a personal level by implying negative motivations and alluding to "..an empty place ...". You were rough.

    I do like the last part of your question though ... (emphasis mine)

    ...aligning yourself with those that think they can say whatever they want but it cannot be said to them?"


    ... very true. Their blog is derived from negatively spinning, abusing truth and parsing other's lives and actions. Regardless, most of the people I know do not respond in kind and move on.
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