I know nothing about starting a church reform blog, but I do know a little about starting an unconventional business.

1. Ask for help. Based on some of the articles and comments, my guess is that you reach a number of smart, knowledgeable, and passionate readers who might be willing to help you with some of your load. I expect the challenge would not be finding people willing to help; the challenge would be finding people willing to share your vision for the blog without excessively focusing on their personal hobby horses.

Maybe start by sending upcoming articles to friends, colleagues, and contacts for editing. Maybe one of those people will help bring out the best in your writing and storytelling.

Maybe you could find someone to handle the mechanics of the blog. They could keep the software up to date, format the posts, manage the comments section, maybe even help keep you on schedule, etc. Being “ON” 24/7 is exhausting.

2. Find a mentor. Expanding from a one-person shop to a group effort is hard. Having someone to lean on when you feel like you don’t have the slightest idea what you are doing, but need to give a client an answer by tomorrow… is invaluable.

Ask around. There are probably tens, if not hundreds, of people willing to help. Everyone likes talking about themselves. Through trial and error, you can hopefully find a good fit.

3. Find and do a hobby every day. Expanding a endevor, especially one around an emotionally loaded subject like church abuse and reform can suck the life out of you.

For me, walking the dog through the bluffs and going to the gym help keep me sane. Maybe try doing something every day at about the same time. At first, it might be just to clear your mind and remind you that there is more to life than your expanding blog. Over time, it can evolve into an extended thinking session… for me, it is like moving meditation. I seem to do my best thinking while watching my dog chase squirrels 🙂

4. Talk to and lean on your spouse. They are going to be the one who picks up takeout when you are busy trying to meet a deadline. They are the one who is going to hold your hand, look you in the eye, and tell you it is going to be OK when the subject matter seems like it is going to eat you alive. But most of all, they are going to be the first one you are going to want to tell when one of your articles makes a difference in someone’s life.

1 ~ Words of the week ideas: egregious people are ones who have a deleterious effect!

2 ~ Another idea – supplement the worst level of narcissism concept (people who embraced evil who one needs to utterly cut off from) with that of codependency (need to disengage, maybe noticeably assertively) (need to spot in ourselves also *) and hypomania which inflicts many under stress especially those of personality deemed suited to music minister / youth minister.

Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III wrote about how to “forgive” in the latter three cases.

* Original sin is continual codependency damage that affected our epigenetics (trauma and slowness to adapt); this is why dual action Holy Spirit is given us, since Ascension, and why the real Gospel is that thereby, everyone can – person by person – join Heavenly Father’s team.

(I’m not an evangeliser, I’m just saying some of the things.)

Spiritual truth aids logical perspective which leads us to our right stances vis-a-vis situations. Once we become free, our prayers will help those who think they don’t need help.

{ Above, I was probably thinking of a Driscoll – D-surnamed – but anyhow they sadly, however nice, have their analogues, in England too, and influence through their writings }

Some culprit pastors are codependent on their elders (string pullers).

Afterburne,

I agree. I see TWW as a necessary mission of the church, that probably reaches more people than you can know. While some faith traditions might be featured here more often, I think this can be a valuable resource for leaders of any group seeking to promote a safe church environment. I know you don’t take donations, but people can still support you in prayer as you figure out where God is leading you. It might be a good idea to have a list of prayer points, but even what you’ve shared here is helpful in knowing some things to pray for.

Thank you for your honesty and transparency in your current situation. Every one of us who lives in the service of our creator can emphasize with your struggles. You know yourself best; do what you can as best as you can, while maintaining a healthy, balanced life, and trust God with the rest. Don’t feel the need to apologise for what you can’t do. Your family, friends and health are all important as well. We all need downtime to rest, relax, and be refreshed.

I will continue praying for you; for peace, wisdom, guidance, and for success in shining light in dark places in the church. I pray that God will continue to use you to train up many others to continue this work, which will be necessary so long as we are in this fallen world, and to send those people into your life to partner with you. I have been recently relearning myself how to let go and have complete peace, in the midst of the messiness of life and chaos that is all outside of our control.

dee,

What John P. said, Dee. What you do is important, and the Lord knows and will help you figure it all out.

D.

Max,

Who knows, there might be some good suggestions in that book.

However, would it be worth violating any personal ethics by having to pay money to him? There is also the lost time to wade through who knows what to get to the nugget(s)?

They do say that God works in mysterious ways, though.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

😉

After years of quietly following TWW, may I offer some suggestions?
-It seems like you have forgotten how to play. Always prioritize down time over all other activities and commitments. Planning for down time is NOT to be done as an afterthought. You are already good at getting away on cruises and such. Consider blocking out days every quarter to “get out of Dodge”, to do what gives you pleasure and allows you to relax. It seems contrarian, but it isn’t. You are setting yourself up to live with clarity. I learned this years ago from the no-strings-attached webinar and free resources offered by Wayne Cotton at http://www.nobrowndays.com. His method for keeping focused on a general theme for the day using color-coding works for me.
-Two easy and to-the-point reads for establishing clarity and focus are: “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown, and “The One Thing” by Gary Keller

—

Headless Unicorn Guy: That’s what happened to Wondering Eagle. He had spent so much time & energy on investigative journalism of church corruption that he ended up unable to see a church as anything BUT a cesspit of corruption.

Yes, burnout is a significant issue for many caregivers and advocates. There is always someone who needs more help.

Best wishes, Dee. The fact that you recognize the need to establish some limits and parameters is a good indication that you will succeed in finding in ways to balance your needs with others’ needs. I hope you find the right collaborators to build with you.

Cynthia W.: “A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.” Henry David Thoreau

I agree. From my porch, I watch lizards cavort about on the fence, and hummingbirds sip at the feeder. It is soooo good to be alive!

Jack:
Headless Unicorn Guy,
Sorry to hear that.

Especially because Eagle was covering the Political angle of church corruption. In a way his blog complemented this one; if you wanted the Politicization of American Christianity (and these days it’s as politicized as anything in the old USSR), you’d go to his blog.

And he must have been hitting a nerve, because he kept getting hidden and blocked (effect of Reputation Management algorithms) on a lot of search algorithms.

Muff Potter,

My was not that this is not good, but rather, that it is not necessarily “worth more” than, say, a statistical analysis of bat migration patterns.

davewis: I wish I had known about Wondering Eagle. That sounds like it might have been more up my alley. The older articles looked interesting.

Eagle used to be a regular on this blog, but years ago he had some sort of falling-out with Dee. Don’t know any details, but he sounded hostile to this blog afterwards; maybe that was an early indicator of meltdown. There wasn’t just one “someone who needs more help” but an ever-growing army of them; add that to a high-stress, high-hours job and eventually he just got overwhelmed.

Dee,

You wrote in your OP:

I ask for your thoughts and prayers in the coming few months. Ultimately, I think the results will be good, but it will be busy. I was able to emphasize the needs of some victims, which may help them achieve a modicum of justice. That is the intent of my advocacy, which was why I decided to participate in some things the readers will soon be able to see.

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. 🙂

linda: where is your heart?

Exactly. When it comes to knowing God’s purpose for your life, you need to know the real desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). What stirs your passion? … what flows naturally with your gifts and talents? … what can you give yourself to 100%? Above all, listen for the inner witness of the Holy Spirit … you are going to need Him to lead and direct, to stay on course, for the days ahead.

Max: Exactly. When it comes to knowing God’s purpose for your life, you need to know the real desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). What stirs your passion? … what flows naturally with your gifts and talents? … what can you give yourself to 100%?

And whatever it is, God will DEMAND you Give It All Up — OR ELSE!
THAT is the message creatives like me have always gotten.
Kill all our 100% passions in exchange for becoming a SCRIPTURE-reciting worship bot, with Christianese Counterfeits as a consolation/booby prize.

linda,

Seconded.

Rain Girl: I was floored, and could not unsee the things you were talking about.

Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Once it’s in your knower, you can’t unknow it.

Rain Girl: you translate all the theo bro speak into plain understandable words

The New Calvinist theo-bros operate primarily by stealth and deception. It’s their modus operandi to keep the pew just confused enough to depend only upon them for “biblical truth.” TWW helps to unravel that nonsense.