Skip to main content

Ask but don't tell.

As I continue on this journey of spirit/self I'm on, I find that I just don't have the energy to play games or to BS people. So when asked a question about my opinion I give it as it is. Today while sitting in a class the instructor asked about how things had gone with the preparing for the class my opinion was asked for specifically. I have worked with this instructor for 7 months. I value her opinion and she values mine because we have built that relationship that is honest and we both know we have the best interest of those we work with at heart. So after hearing other people complain about how they "couldn't" get the book read when they had more then a month to do so I gave my opinion. I stated that I was able to get the book read, review questions worked on and make flashcards for terms while still having a life and working my full time hours. My response was met with "that was blunt and mean" and with the look of "you need to take it back." My opinion counts just as much as anyone else. The whole class was asked so why should I be discounted or expected to retract my opinion? So you ask and don't want me to tell then why ask? I'm not going to "drink the company Kool-Aid" just because it sounds nice or pretty. I'm going to speak the truth to the power as I see it. You can disagree all you want but no one should be forced into not speaking their truth. How else do we learn or grow if people don't speak when asked?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Political vs. Partisan in Preaching

For years now, I have heard in preaching and clergy circles about being political in sermons; the good, the bad and those who state that church shouldn’t be political. There are workshops, books, and podcasts talking about politics in the church with a variety of opinions. What do people mean when they make the statement that the church shouldn’t be political? The IRS has the most say about the rules for the separation of church and state/politics. If your church wants to be tax exempt, there are rules: don’t endorse any candidate or party, if you allow one party to use your space, other political parties also must be allowed to use the space, etc. The UCC’s general counsel, Heather Kimmell, has a webinar on this topic if you’d like to hear a more detailed explanation which can be found on the UCC’s YouTube channel. Churches have gotten “creative” in how to get around this, often partnering with another non-profit group to give support to a particular group. The UCC is proud to claim...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Day in the Life: A Minister and Forgiveness

 I shared in one of my last blogs that I had complaints lodged against me by a small group in my congregation. Most seem to have moved on after our group meeting, where I apologized for a lot of things - probably more then I should have had too. But I'm the professional in those settings so I did it.  I'm not being told, second hand, that two of those in that meeting want a one on one apology from me because what I said in the meeting wasn't good enough. This is the couple who cursed in my church, have flat out lied about me and have repeatedly stated that the only outcome they're willing to accept is my termination.  Let me explain why I won't be having a one on one meeting with this couple and I won't be giving any more apologies. First, lets start with the apology part. I have apologized for my actions - maybe my misinterpretations is a better term. Based off of their actions and words, I communicated with the proper board/committee and asked for consensus ab...
Post a Comment
Read more

Priorities

A common statement I hear from church folk is if we had more programs people would come - the whole field of dreams philosophy. And while in theory this works people forget that's more to having programs in a congregation. It takes time, money and talent. And when I say time and talent I'm not just saying that it's the minister's responsibility. I've seen that the biggest complainers about lack of programming are the ones who don't show up to things most of the time. I've heard the excuses "they had soccer, band, ROTC" the list goes on and on. I'd hate to tell people this but with the rise of social media and when your whole family are my friends I know that you are not busy with those things every weekend. You just choose not to show up. And when you choose not to show up that's when the frustration kicks in. Think about it...most people don't like to work hard to create a program to not have people to show up. Why is it okay to think ...
Post a Comment
Read more