This whole blog thing is not in my job description. I truly enjoy writing. I have often said that I feel I can express myself better with the written word than with the spoken word. All it took back at the end of 2016 was for a couple of the ladies to ask me to write something on a regular basis, and I was ready to go. With the kind help of Miss Mary Earle I learned how to post my writings onto a web page and off I went. It has been fun. There have been 317 posts of the blog, just over 28.000 reads in 80 different countries. I would have never thought that one day all those little errant thoughts that cruise through my mind would find homes.

          In spite of who reads the blog in some distant place, it is written for the folks at Urbana Yoke Parish. This is my place of ministry, a precious place, a people I spend a great deal of time praying for and planning for and seeking to meet as many needs as I can physically meet. The feeling a pastor has, or should have, for the congregation cannot be explained unless you are yourself another pastor. There is someone in Cambodia who reads this blog from time to time. That is nice. But it is written for the Yoke.

          Almost from the beginning I have rubbed people the wrong way. I had written a blog at the time the decision was made to have just one place of worship. I never said it was my idea, nor did I say it was about time it happened or anything like that. A woman in the area called me and proceeded to rip me apart. EVERY THING WAS FINE UNTIL YOU SHOWED UP! THIS IS YOUR DOING! I WILL NEVER DARKEN THAT DOOR AGAIN! I had never heard of her before, so I asked around and found out that she had left the church years before. She was just the first of many in the area who called or e-mailed or did the Facebook thing. I was asked several times to reconsider my decision. If they had been in church in the first place, they would have known it was not my decision. But I listened and I replied and the only time I ever got angry was when the congregation was attacked.

          When you preach or write or do both, and you speak your heart, people will get angry. I mentioned that I didn’t think it was right for religious leaders to endorse Trump when there was an equally conservative candidate who was also a dedicated and practicing Christian. (For the record, I think religious leaders should devote their time to preaching and teaching the Gospel and shut up about politics.) I got ripped for that. I have had people scold me for using personal events in my own life (even though I don’t build myself up with them) and others who tell me that the personal stories explain the point very well. I have talked about Bible versions that water down the Word, and I have been hammered for that. The list goes on. Almost anything mentioned that can have two sides has brought out the ire of the other side.

          And that is awesome! In America we used to call that an exchange of ideas. It is what we are supposed to do. But there are always those who get more upset than they should. Where the desire to exchange ideas is lost in anger. There is such a clamor from the political left to shut down independent thought that it has carried over to those on the right. Over the last couple of months I have managed to anger several. And not just in the ‘you tell me your side and I will tell you mine’ way, but in a way that ends in a hang up or someone not responding to an e-mail or text. I haven’t thought I was being offensive, but my own continuing physical issues have been really taking it out of me. Maybe it has been affecting me mentally! This last blog where I talk about cross jewelry being offensive to me really set some folks off. I wasn’t attacking anyone, just stating something that is in my heart. As I say, people have gotten upset with me before. But if I started talking about all the things I find offensive, I would probably get burned at the stake. It is all just differences of opinions.

          However, I write for the Yoke folk. I understand I have angered some of you. I am sorry. I won’t change my preaching, but I am putting an end to the blog. Maybe there will be something around the holidays or something like that, but I have been writing for five years straight. Physical issues, marriage issues, changes in the church, the pandemic, painful personal loss….it is likely I am just out of gas. It is not now, nor has it ever been, my desire to hurt anyone. Not everyone thinks like me and I certainly do not think like everyone else thinks. For now I believe it is best to fold my proverbial blog tent and cease and desist. Thank you all for being faithful readers and I really appreciate those of you who have come in and sat down and talked things through without anger or rancor. I will continue to post the link for Miss Mary’s blog. I know the link helps a lot of you.

          Thanks again and God bless.