Wow, David. When you messaged me to let me know you were including me in a post, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it’d be gracious and humbling, but I had no idea my comment had the impact it did.
I loved reading through your own reflection on the entire experience and how the comment threaded in. It honestly left me in awe of how God orchestrates every little detail of things and can use even the smallest things for His purposes. It’s a humbling reminder that everything we do has eternal value if we submit ourselves to His purposes.
I hadn’t used notes over here until earlier this year when I felt God nudging me to be more public and use my voice to share more about my personal reflections on scripture and Him. I’d gone back and forth with Him because I’m not in formal ministry and it didn’t seem to fit the familiar zone of LinkedIn. I honestly didn’t know where He was pushing me. In true form, He led me to stumble across notes and here we are today.
I’m thankful for the community here and for opportunities like this. Keep doing the awesome work you’re doing!
Its really interesting to read your thoughts. I wrote something bombastic the other day and I didn’t realize until I saw the comments - lots of agreement and lots of disagreement. I could really feel the temptation to come up with more short bombastic notes to have the same effect. With all the attention I got many new subscribers.
But I also realized that my note did lack nuance as I had to explain myself a lot in the comments.
Reading this has convicted me further to try not to give into that temptation. Thanks so much for being a guided light here on Substack.
I checked the Cambridge dictionary definition of 'bombastic':
"Bombastic means forceful and confident in a way that is intended to be very powerful and impressive, but may not have much real meaning or effect."
I don't think that's true of your original notes post.. it did have meaning and it did have an effect... it wasn't bombastic, it was your plain speaking observation. We learn the value of short & to the point statements in Proverbs.. we have 31 chapters of them.
If we're trying to write with integrity, I think the intent of our posts in notes is what is important.
Before hitting 'publish', we might consider if the note:
a) informs people of a truth
b) makes people stop and consider differing points of view therefore encouraging dialogue
When I read, "I checked the definition of bombastic," I immediately thought, "Uh-oh. I didn't." The part of the definition that has stuck in my head (now several weeks after the original post) is "may not have much real meaning or effect." I think this is a good test to put our writing to.
Also, I really appreciate the three things you said are worth considering before we publish. I just put them on a sticky note on my computer! Take care.
1) your re-worded version of the statement is certainly more nuanced - and also doesn't communicate the point nearly so effectively as the original note.
2) our motivations are (basically) always mixed. While in this body of death, we are less than perfectly sanctified. So, fair game to question yourself on that.
3) one could characterize essentially the whole book of Proverbs, the majority of what the prophets wrote, much of Paul's writing, and a large portion of Jesus' own teaching as bombastic, if we take "highly controversial and not seemingly nuanced" as a definition for that term. When poking a cultural idol (We're So Holy Because We Value Women) with the truth (porn is bigger than all of the major sports in terms of money...so, really?), it's going to be controversial. People might even be violently upset. And that's kind of the point.
4) I totally agree, there is no path forward toward legally banning porn in our society. That said, the desire is both right - and something to advocate for. Personal piety is good on these matters; vital, even. But the law is a teacher, and we should want it to teach the truth. It was once inconceivable that slavery would be outlawed, as well.
Wow, David. When you messaged me to let me know you were including me in a post, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it’d be gracious and humbling, but I had no idea my comment had the impact it did.
I loved reading through your own reflection on the entire experience and how the comment threaded in. It honestly left me in awe of how God orchestrates every little detail of things and can use even the smallest things for His purposes. It’s a humbling reminder that everything we do has eternal value if we submit ourselves to His purposes.
I hadn’t used notes over here until earlier this year when I felt God nudging me to be more public and use my voice to share more about my personal reflections on scripture and Him. I’d gone back and forth with Him because I’m not in formal ministry and it didn’t seem to fit the familiar zone of LinkedIn. I honestly didn’t know where He was pushing me. In true form, He led me to stumble across notes and here we are today.
I’m thankful for the community here and for opportunities like this. Keep doing the awesome work you’re doing!
Its really interesting to read your thoughts. I wrote something bombastic the other day and I didn’t realize until I saw the comments - lots of agreement and lots of disagreement. I could really feel the temptation to come up with more short bombastic notes to have the same effect. With all the attention I got many new subscribers.
But I also realized that my note did lack nuance as I had to explain myself a lot in the comments.
Reading this has convicted me further to try not to give into that temptation. Thanks so much for being a guided light here on Substack.
I checked the Cambridge dictionary definition of 'bombastic':
"Bombastic means forceful and confident in a way that is intended to be very powerful and impressive, but may not have much real meaning or effect."
I don't think that's true of your original notes post.. it did have meaning and it did have an effect... it wasn't bombastic, it was your plain speaking observation. We learn the value of short & to the point statements in Proverbs.. we have 31 chapters of them.
If we're trying to write with integrity, I think the intent of our posts in notes is what is important.
Before hitting 'publish', we might consider if the note:
a) informs people of a truth
b) makes people stop and consider differing points of view therefore encouraging dialogue
c) helps people to make continual improvements
I think your original note did this
When I read, "I checked the definition of bombastic," I immediately thought, "Uh-oh. I didn't." The part of the definition that has stuck in my head (now several weeks after the original post) is "may not have much real meaning or effect." I think this is a good test to put our writing to.
Also, I really appreciate the three things you said are worth considering before we publish. I just put them on a sticky note on my computer! Take care.
Ah that's amazing!
Four thoughts:
1) your re-worded version of the statement is certainly more nuanced - and also doesn't communicate the point nearly so effectively as the original note.
2) our motivations are (basically) always mixed. While in this body of death, we are less than perfectly sanctified. So, fair game to question yourself on that.
3) one could characterize essentially the whole book of Proverbs, the majority of what the prophets wrote, much of Paul's writing, and a large portion of Jesus' own teaching as bombastic, if we take "highly controversial and not seemingly nuanced" as a definition for that term. When poking a cultural idol (We're So Holy Because We Value Women) with the truth (porn is bigger than all of the major sports in terms of money...so, really?), it's going to be controversial. People might even be violently upset. And that's kind of the point.
4) I totally agree, there is no path forward toward legally banning porn in our society. That said, the desire is both right - and something to advocate for. Personal piety is good on these matters; vital, even. But the law is a teacher, and we should want it to teach the truth. It was once inconceivable that slavery would be outlawed, as well.