WHAT'LL YA HAVE?

“Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.” (Acts 6:3)

I chose the title for this posting before I actually wrote the posting. Being a teetotaler, when I wrote, “What’ll ya have?” I was thinking of FOOD; picturing some short order cook saying something like, “You want the BISCUITS ‘n GRAVY, or you want the EGGS ‘n HASH? What’ll ya have?” I realize it also sounds like the question a bartender would ask in a “gin mill”!

“What’ll ya have?” is about, “What do you want?” “What CHOICE will you make?”

A friend did me a great favor this week, but has also caused me to once again rethink what I do with this blog.

I’ve never been a conventional pastor and so this has never been a conventional pastor’s blog. I’ve mentioned in the past that I HAVE gotten some criticism of this blog. Most of the criticism has come from highly committed evangelical Protestant Christians who thought I demeaned myself and my position by writing about how I really think and feel. Stuff that I like to relax and watch, “Malcolm in the Middle”. Or even worse, “The Three Stooges”. That I listen to talk radio and get a big kick out of Howie Carr. That I get mad when somebody cuts me off in traffic. That I don’t like Christians who are super-spiritual phonies any more than most agnostics like them. That I’m a fan of the T.V. show, “Lost”...though not as big a fan of “Lost” as my son is! That I love the New England Patriots.

“Pastors,” say my critics, and there have been enough of ‘em, “are not supposed to write things like that on their blogs.”

A pastor’s blog, in the mind of many devout Christians, is supposed to be a combination of an “Our Daily Bread” devotional piece and an inspirational story such as you’d read in “Guideposts” magazine. Now, SOME of my postings ARE like that. I’d say about one out of every eight or so is in that category. But there’s more to me than JUST writing devotional or inspirational pieces.

Interestingly enough, I’ve heard many POSITIVE comments about my blog from just average Joes and Janes who find my honesty and humanity refreshing.

My friend who did me the great favor is a Missionary named Kathy who is “home on furlough” to use a very Protestant missionary term. She’s REALLY good with website design and she took our church’s mediocre (well, AWFUL) website and made some MAJOR improvements in it. She did a great job. It’s found at www.agframingham.org

One feature she added was a link to click on entitled “The Pastor’s Blog”.

“Wow,” I thought, “is that GOOD or BAD?” Now that there’s a LINK to this blog from the CHURCH website, IS it appropriate if I complain that ABC ran a rerun of my favorite show or that my razor is not as good as it’s advertised to be?
IS it OK if I say I had a lousy day? Does each posting HAVE to be an inspiring devotional piece?

Some of you know that in this blog’s previous incarnation (on the old AOL Journals) I used to describe myself as “eccentric”. I really AM “eccentric” but I got so much heat for that description that I toned it down to “unconventional”. Now, I’m wondering again. Do I leave this as it is, or do I tailor it to make it more pleasing and acceptable to certain sensitive and easily offended Christians?

How about this blog? Do you like it? Do you dislike it? Do you think I should make changes with it? You can post a comment here or you can e-mail me at revrbaril@aol.com

What’ll ya have?