I am a Penn State alum (BA History 1973), and my wife Gale and Son Greg are also Penn Staters. Only daughter Hannah went off the reservation -- and she has a better job than all of us! She is a Senior Fashion Designer at Ralph Lauren And I love the Penn State Nittany Lions. Until recently my ring tone on my cell phone was the Penn State Fight Song-- Roar, Lions, Roar! I am saddened disgusted, angry and flabbergasted at the recent events that have come to light at my alma mater. I am almost ashamed to say I attended PSU.
That being said, it has forced me to do some soul searching. I have to question how I spend my time for Christ. Does my blogging edify Him and build His Kingdom? Would my time be better spent building up my parish and raising up new leaders and evangelists? The answer to me is a no-brainer. I will be mothballing the blog at least for the foreseeable future. Thanks to all who have posted.
Wrong answer. For the past two years I have been going to a church with a small ASA. During that time, I've heard wonderful sermons from several preachers. And very few others got to hear them. What a loss!!
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have a lot to offer in building disciples. And you have a soap box. Why limit the people who can gain from your own spirituality to only those who happen to cross your narthex.
Abandoning your blog is the wrong answer. If you look at it's direction, you might see/say a change in direction is called for. That's what you would counsel anyone who came to you in desolation from a harsh divorce. Get over it - don't look back - walk on. Sounds to me like a good policy for your blog.
Fighting the good fight with TEC is not fighting the good fight. Get over it - don't look back - walk on. Let your blog reflect consolation and faith. Or some of that other stuff that you know about and a lot of people like me don't know.
Your blog has served God, David, because even if it it has only brought together a handful of people across a painful division, it has been an instrument of reconciliation, which is one of God's purposes. You may not know all the good it has done; it's certainly done me a lot of good, probably more than you know. I would miss it a lot. I agree with the above comment: don't mothball it till you've seen how a different emphasis might work.
ReplyDeleteDude - I'm not sure I'm making the connection unless you're so devastated by the scandal that you can't concentrate on this stuff. It's tragic no doubt but I hope you won't be gone for long. I agree with Philip, you've served God well with this blog. Blessings
ReplyDeletePut me down with Phil, Joe, and "OlDave," Dave. This is a good work for the life of the Church, and I would be sorry to see you step away from it. I don't know how you drew the line of connection exactly between the Penn State situation and your blog, but I will pray for your good discernment and for continued blessing upon your ministry . . . .
ReplyDeleteSusy and I and the kids lived for a couple of years in State College in the mid-1980's, when I was Curate of St. Andrew's over on Fraser Street. It was a great community, and we have many dear friends from that time of our lives and many wonderful memories. Since then we've always felt like "Honorary Lions," and cheering for the football team has been a way to stay in touch with that part of our lives.
There is just something agonizing about what has gone on. The criminal perversion of Sandusky and the almost sociopathic cover-up that seems to have gone on for many years. People who looked away. How that grad assistant, now assistant coach, could walk into a shower room and see what he saw and then walk out again without screaming or throwing something or at the least grabbing a phone and calling 911 is just beyond imagination.
I agree entirely with what the Trustees have done. I knew Sue Paterno slightly and liked her very much-- and for many years I have had nothing but the highest respect for Joe. And that definitely has fallen all to dust since I read the Grand Jury report. There is just this deep moral human imperative, that adults will help children who are endangered, and the fact that these leaders could act in the way that they did is just beyond any mitigation. Though certainly we would pray for their eyes to open and for their hearts with sincerity to seek the forgiveness and amendment of life that is possible in Christ. Again, though, I think the Trustees got this right, despite the reactivity of the students. I hope the courts get it right too, and that those children and their families are supported in what must be a life-time of work to find healing.
BruceR
I concur with the above.
ReplyDeleteNot all blogs are the same because the people who write them each have their own personality and Anglican Yinzer is decidedly you.
Change has to be subtle to be authentic, so, as OlDave suggests, let your tone moderate and none of us will view it as a loss of conviction.
First, my sympathy to you as a Penn State alumnus. Penn State has done much good, and the current scandal is a taint on that legacy. Too bad.
ReplyDeleteAs for your blog, I would tell you that most people would do well to pursue multiple enterprises rather than becoming monomaniacal about one, no matter how intrinsically noble that one might be. One never knows when one’s trivial pursuit might become the instrument that changes another’s life.
In short, keep blogging.
Since "Dude" isn't talkin', I'll take a shot at illuminating the connection. Being presumptuous. And recognizing that I may be all wet. Be the first time since twelve minutes ago.
ReplyDeleteThe situation at Penn State seems like a clear example of people who have gotten their priorities askew. Because of that, children were harmed. I think it gave Fr. Dave cause to review his priorities. And he is expressing the thought that he should tend to his knitting at home and set the blog aside. He's feeling that they can not co-exist.
My thought is that if the blog becomes a continuation of his ministry at St. David's, it spreads that ministry, allowing people he can't see and doesn't know to benefit from his work at home.
Let someone else take shots at TEC.
I think OlDave comes pretty close to my feelings. Blogging has been enjoyable for me but it hasn't always brought out the best in me. So I am going to wait until some of the stuff between the TEC-Pgh diocese and our diocese and parish gets resolved and there is peace in the land before I crank it up again. I suppose I could simply repost stuff like T-19 or 3 Rivers and never roil the waters but that's so not me.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a sermon there somewhere about checking your priorities once in a while.
ReplyDeleteProbably another one about "if it costs you your humanity, don't do it." "Or your Christianity." OOOPS There I go, picking on TEC again.
David,
ReplyDeleteShortly after we finalized "the split" (tm) I was at Nashotah House, where I was in class with a mix of TEC and ACNA friends and GC09 was taking place at the same time, wherever it was. And everyone was talking about what was going on. And I realized that I couldn't follow the stories without imperriling my own soul. I just couldn't go there.
A few weeks later I came to a place where I could read the news out of a lens of compassion for my friends in TEC, not triumphalism. Then I could go back and see what was going on. I found I checked the Episcopal news less; triumphalism is far more fun.
I'm not perfect... I still sometimes look for the wrong reasons, but I try to remember that I have friends there. For a long while I blogged a lot less, though. And I'm still sorting it all out. I'm glad some of our TEC friends read our blogs. Even when we want to behave badly, knowing our friends in TEC are watching does serve as a reminder to check the baser instincts that should be checked anyway.
Anyway, I'm glad you blog. You are a good reporter and a good friend. But pray about it, because my opinion and Jesus' opinion have been known to differ at times, and try as I might, I'm not the ruler of the universe.
Say it ain't so, David. The world of religious blogs needs your passion, your wide range of commenters, and most of all, your sense of humor. If we can no longer meet monthly at Penn's Brewery, we can at least raise a beer whenever you grace us with your words.
ReplyDelete