tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post3248226722138489242..comments2023-08-16T03:41:06.575-04:00Comments on Seeking Authentic Voice: At the Pace of Life....Terrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15667178624061122421noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-19576773185425742532012-09-06T14:50:11.460-04:002012-09-06T14:50:11.460-04:00Lisa, when people critcize my sermons it usually b... Lisa, when people critcize my sermons it usually because they are boring, or they didn't understand what I was trying to say or it was too long. Never have I had someone say that what I said in my sermon was inappropriate. That's the piece that is startling. <br /><br />Mary Beth, of course, thank you for that reminder. I release do them in love. At this point the journey is theirs to pursue. But it is also mine, how do I reconcile this within me? Although the nerve hit was their nerve, what I said hit it. And so I have some accountability here - even if that is just taking the time to reflect on what I said and why. Terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15667178624061122421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-5287125003808784302012-09-06T13:45:07.812-04:002012-09-06T13:45:07.812-04:00It's often hard to find a more difficult situa...It's often hard to find a more difficult situation when you think you have communicated one thing only to be stunned by someone who sees something in it you can't fathom, never meant, and can't relate to. But it only goes to show that we are so all different, that it is bound to happen. You have reflected, you have bounced it off a cross section of your parishioners and that is all you can now do, but as you say, let it go. I'm sure it will happen again, as we all have found out. The fact that it bothers you, is all that needs be known frankly. Blessings Terri. Sherry Peytonhttp://afeatheradrift.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-83111583238671982342012-09-06T12:59:37.158-04:002012-09-06T12:59:37.158-04:00And I came over to say what they said: It's n...And I came over to say what they said: It's not about you. It's about them. <br /><br />Also, it's possible that they were looking for a reason to leave. Again, their story. <br /><br />Praying for you and hoping that you will be able to open your hands and heart to bless them on their own personal path. I often hold onto, "I love you. I bless you. I release you to your own indwelling power of the Spirit." <br /><br />love to you. Mary Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02970052534402740820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-40946301586821042242012-09-06T12:12:42.770-04:002012-09-06T12:12:42.770-04:00It's good to see I'm not the only one who ...It's good to see I'm not the only one who "paces" about one critical comment while positive comments and praise swirl around me. <br /><br />I find it hard to believe this is the first time you've ever had a parishioner criticize a sermon. Or is it that because of the personal nature of this sermon, you feel personally chastened? Either way, it stinks that this person was so miffed that he/she left the church. Obviously this person understands, on some level, that his/her reaction was inappropriate, since he/she refuses to engage with you further on the subject. Most often, people refuse further engagement because they don't want to be proven mistaken. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has said this is obviously more his/her problem than yours... Lisa :-]https://www.blogger.com/profile/02237889098638895390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-23845396708838534412012-09-06T11:58:11.216-04:002012-09-06T11:58:11.216-04:00thanks, Hot Cup. Like others here, I trust your pe...thanks, Hot Cup. Like others here, I trust your perspective - you've been honest with me along the way. I think this is less about beating myself up (so there is progress!) and more about how hard it is for me to speak and stand in my truth when it has impacted someone else in way that feels critical. Goodness, how do some people manage the criticism? Terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15667178624061122421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-54538537103231714642012-09-06T11:53:54.425-04:002012-09-06T11:53:54.425-04:00tears and exhaustion were precisely because the se...tears and exhaustion were precisely because the sermon was deeply personal. i read it and found it honest, balanced.<br /><br />i agree with altar ego - something is at work in the person who left. it is nearly impossible to know what associations folks have with words... it could have been a single word in your sermon, maybe even the word "mormon" that this person associated with something in their heart/mind/experience... hard to tell since they've cut off the lines of communication.<br /><br />my friend, exploration of this is good, but please don't beat yourself up.Hot Cup Lutheranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00125425492709186198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-89071082761134556472012-09-06T11:46:56.442-04:002012-09-06T11:46:56.442-04:00Martha, that word affirms to me that it was someth...Martha, that word affirms to me that it was something about the Mormon church, perhaps that I was speaking well of it? Since the Mormons are reknowned proselytizers.....? Regardless, a peculiar word choice, even as it is a clue into the mindset of this person....Terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15667178624061122421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-36448499970898715552012-09-06T11:01:29.582-04:002012-09-06T11:01:29.582-04:00You have to wonder what the person meant by prosel...You have to wonder what the person meant by proselytizing. It's not a word I would have associated with your sermon at all. Glad you have a place to pace toward with this. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08235049965406944684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-37326684535666072142012-09-06T10:47:11.027-04:002012-09-06T10:47:11.027-04:00Anne, one can hope that this may become a catalyst...Anne, one can hope that this may become a catalyst...sadly it sometimes becomes the fuel that tightens rather than opens one's self. sigh....<br /><br />I am looking forward to discussing this with my spritual director - I think that will be useful fodder for my own formation.Terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15667178624061122421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2678482213828648107.post-37522695651726164462012-09-06T10:44:20.884-04:002012-09-06T10:44:20.884-04:00I've been thinking about you since this has ha...I've been thinking about you since this has happened, and wondered if you were still feeling the sting of the the parishioner's words and subsequent action. <br /><br />I know that you know that the reaction is not about you, but instead is a manifestation of something at work in the other person's life. That knowledge can take the edge off of the discomfort causing you to pace, but you are still left with that sense of disequilibrium that you feel. I've been there and know the feeling.<br /><br />Is it presumptuous to suggest that God may well use this moment in that person's life to catalyze some kind of transformation? You may never know. <br /><br />I have no wisdom to offer, only prayers for you and the individual involved, and the hope that God will grant you serenity and peace as you move forward. altar egohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11564052536173244610noreply@blogger.com