On love and blogging Lionel Windsor

Thanks Lionel.  I am about to go to a meeting with Leichardt Council and some people opposed to what we are doing as a church.  And it’s very clear how I should apply the principles you have spoken about in this meeting.  Yours, Dominic

“Secondly, a godly comment is one which is clothed in prayer for the other person.”

Crikey, do we really have to clothe every comment in prayer? I thought blogging was already time-consuming enough as is…

Ben, OTOH, <i>life</i> is time consuming.

wink

Well, at least, <i>my</i> life seems to be just at the moment. :-(

Dianne Howard04/06/2008 10:07 AM

‘A comment that fails to understand what I’ve said, but instead just ends up talking about something else that exists in the mind of the commenter, is unloving.’

‘And feel free, of course, to disagree with me, or to pick holes in my argument—provided you’ve heard what I’ve said’.


Lionel.
I have really tried to appreciate what you have said. And yes I feel nervous responding with a comment!! I suggest that you may have failed to take into account the limitations that some of us may have.

There can be all sorts of reasons a person may not understand such as having a different intellectual ability to the writer, reading difficulties, inability to hold together a range of ideas. They may, such as myself, think they have understood sufficiently when they might not have and so respond inappropriately’ (unlovingly?) in relation to the comment.

In our churches this can also be an issue that can be overlooked but leads to people being unwittingly silenced because of their limitations.

I suggest love (patience) will be needed from both sides because of the nature of communication between fallible and cognitively limited people.

Di

Hi Lionel,
Great Blog mate.
In my job I receive a bit of . . . well let’s call it . . . “constructive criticism”. If people followed your advice I reckon I’d spend far more time talking with disgruntled people ABOUT THE ACTUAL ISSUES rather than about HOW the issues were raised. Love covers a multitude of sins. Your wisdom is much appreciated.
benny

STOP SHOUTING, BEN. GODLY PEOPLE DON’T SHOUT.

Oh—you were discussing substance, not style? I missed what you said, sorry.

wink

Roger Gallagher05/06/2008 05:12 PM

Hi Lionel,

On the odd occasion when (probably unwisely) I’ve been given the chance to preach at church, one of the things that’s struck me is the difference between what I thought was the main point of my talk, and what other people thought I was saying. Now this could merely be a symptom of how bad my talk was, but I’m certain that others have encountered it.

Post-modernists make a big thing about how the reader’s interpretation is as valid as the writer’s. How do we overcome this to ensure that when people “listen” to us, what they hear is what we’re actually saying.

Commenting rules

If you would like your comment to be considered for publication, please observe the following rules:

  1. Please use your FULL NAME (your real name, not an alias).
  2. Stay on topic.
  3. Be godly.

Failure to adhere to these rules will result in your comment being quietly deleted.

If you want to give us feedback but don't want your comments to appear on the blog, DON'T use the form below. Instead, please send us an email or click on the button below.

Your Comment

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
The Essential Jesus

Sponsors

Placeholder

Recent comments

RSS logo

Jean Williams on 10 in 2

Jean Williams on 10 in 2

Jean Williams on 10 in 2

Ben Pfahlert on 10 in 2

Nathan on 10 in 2

Current discussions

RSS logo

10 in 2 (6 comments)

Top 10 Tips for Sleep Deprived Prayer (4 comments)

Taking ‘crazy’ one step closer to ‘can do’ (2 comments)

Stress-throwers and stress-absorbers (0 comments)

Recent posts

RSS logo RSS logo

10 in 2 by Ben Pfahlert (6 comments). In January 2010 I set myself a goal that has transformed my diary, my thinking, my reading and the … more

Taking ‘crazy’ one step closer to ‘can do’ by Guest blogger (2 comments). Guest blogger Mikey Lynch, one of the directors of The Geneva Push, talks about the network's approach to … more

Top 10 Tips for Sleep Deprived Prayer by Jennie Baddeley (4 comments). There are so many reasons for losing sleep it's not really worth listing them. You're either getting enough sleep or you're … more

Stress-throwers and stress-absorbers by Jean Williams (0 comments). Are you a stress-thrower or a stress-absorber? A stress-thrower blames things on others and expresses stress in anger; a … more

‘Missional Lifestyle’: Education by Nicole Starling (11 comments). This is the fifth in Nicole's series on ‘missional lifestyle’. Read parts 1, 2, 3 … more

Why do we pray for others? by Scott Newling (1 comment). Learning to pray for others is one of the first things we learn as Christians: we see it commended … more

Forgiveness and repentance (part 8): Does God only forgive us when we repent? (ii) by Mark Baddeley (17 comments). (Read parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.) Does … more

The power of example by Peter Sholl (3 comments). Mexico in the 1940s was a country trying to come to grips with the 20th century. While discoveries of oil and … more

Forgiveness and repentance (part 7): Does God only forgive us when we repent? (i) by Mark Baddeley (29 comments). (Read parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.) We have been … more

The gospel to Greeks by Karen Beilharz (0 comments). For the past three Saturdays, we've been looking at contributions to the old Briefing ‘People in Ministry’ column, … more

Ministry partners