The Ministry of Blogging
The Happy Feminist asked me if I would be linking to my church podcast with my sermons and preacher's commentary. I replied that I would be happy to provide the link to regular reader/commenters, at my discretion. They just need to contact me at lunadiva at msn.com and we can decide together.
I would say that I blog not anonymously, but "anonymously." It doesn't concern me if people know who I am, but I keep my PeaceBang work separate from my parish ministry work for a few reasons:
1. PeaceBang is not a person, but a persona. She is myself on a tear. In my real life, although a feisty wench for sure, I am not so often on a tear. PeaceBang allows me to get as big and hyperbolic and passionate as I want; qualities I do not think are always attractive or appropriate in "real" time.
2. PeaceBang is a pastoral ministry to me. I am hyper-verbal and tend towards mental mania. When I suffer an excess of thought, blogging is a productive outlet. I used to either race around in my head, e-mail my friends and family probably far more often than they appreciated, or talk to myself until my throat was hoarse, processing ideas and impressions ("She crazy!" you say. Well, yea). Now that all goes into PeaceBang. Works for me! And if it works for you, too, then that's wonderful. I make the assumption that many of the things I blog about are of no interest to my congregation. That's one of the main reasons I keep my real name off of it. The way I see it, they are subject to my reflections, rantings, blatherings and blusterings enough as it is.
3. Blogging seems to be emerging as a kind of large small-group ministry among Unitarian Universalists. It's not the sharing-and-caring-in-silent understanding kind of ministry, but rather a ministry of evangelizing, witnessing to our own faith journeys, inspiring one another through conversation, debate and camaraderie. All online without the need to coordinate our schedules. I call that well nigh miraculous! In the process, we have interested some non-UUs in our faith tradition.
My blogging ministry is a distinct entity from my parish ministry. Blogging as PeaceBang helps me retain that distinction.
I curtsey to the Divine in you today.
I would say that I blog not anonymously, but "anonymously." It doesn't concern me if people know who I am, but I keep my PeaceBang work separate from my parish ministry work for a few reasons:
1. PeaceBang is not a person, but a persona. She is myself on a tear. In my real life, although a feisty wench for sure, I am not so often on a tear. PeaceBang allows me to get as big and hyperbolic and passionate as I want; qualities I do not think are always attractive or appropriate in "real" time.
2. PeaceBang is a pastoral ministry to me. I am hyper-verbal and tend towards mental mania. When I suffer an excess of thought, blogging is a productive outlet. I used to either race around in my head, e-mail my friends and family probably far more often than they appreciated, or talk to myself until my throat was hoarse, processing ideas and impressions ("She crazy!" you say. Well, yea). Now that all goes into PeaceBang. Works for me! And if it works for you, too, then that's wonderful. I make the assumption that many of the things I blog about are of no interest to my congregation. That's one of the main reasons I keep my real name off of it. The way I see it, they are subject to my reflections, rantings, blatherings and blusterings enough as it is.
3. Blogging seems to be emerging as a kind of large small-group ministry among Unitarian Universalists. It's not the sharing-and-caring-in-silent understanding kind of ministry, but rather a ministry of evangelizing, witnessing to our own faith journeys, inspiring one another through conversation, debate and camaraderie. All online without the need to coordinate our schedules. I call that well nigh miraculous! In the process, we have interested some non-UUs in our faith tradition.
My blogging ministry is a distinct entity from my parish ministry. Blogging as PeaceBang helps me retain that distinction.
I curtsey to the Divine in you today.
posted by PeaceBang at 10:01 AM
1 Comments:
I'm struck by what you said about blogging being a small groups ministry. It is exactly that for me... the small group I physically attend, plus reading you and CC and HF are 90% of the spiritual portion of my UU experience.
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