Yeah, its a sermon I guess

I believe that if I wrote all happy and cheerful thoughts and poems on my blogsite that no one would read them.
Everyone would know I was full of s&%t.
I was told once that the reason we read is so we can relate.
Same reason we talk to one another, I surmize.
So how much could you get from someone who was always sweetness and light and everything is just honky dory.
I don't want to talk to those people.
I know they are full of s&%t.
They are hiding for the sake of appearance.
Or they have been hurt in the past or have been trained from childhood not to
talk about feelings. Whatever the reason, they are useless to me because I have a need to know that my suffering and my pain is something that is "common to man".
Albeit, I may feel some satisfaction in the others downfall so I don't feel so bad about myself. Yes, we do too!!!!! :-)

The thing I am trying to say is that if we hide ourselves from others we do ourselves and others no favor in life.
The most loving thing you can do for another is be real.
Brutally real.
Tell the truth.
Of course, propriety and discretion is called for at times.
But we use this as an excuse far too often.
The intense need for relating that people have is very rarely met.
We are a lonely people.
The busy internet proves it.
But the internet is a poor place to relate because it allows too much anonymity and we are tempted to be false.

A pastor once told me that he needed to not let his congregation know about his struggles and dared not try to be transparent with them.
Why? The congregation would lose trust in him and trust in God.
Oh brother.
Church is the first place you would expect to find honesty and transparency put forth as a worthy example.
It is quite rare to find in any church.
Even the pastors who say they are being transparent and preach about it are still not doing it themselves.
I love my 12 step groups for how opposite they are from church.
"Hi, I am Becky and I'm a recovering compulsive overeater"
Admission of who we are right off the get go automatically puts us equal with eachother and judgement kind of floats out the window.
We all know why we are there.
To overcome what we all know lurks behind every corner in our daily lives.
Its called sin and failure.
Who goes to church to learn how to overcome sin and failure?
No one that I know does.
Most people say they just want to learn more about God.
Since I was 28 years old I have not stepped foot in a church that was not bound for signs and wonders and "feel good" sentiments from God.
Very little was said about character;
That God was powerful enough to set us free truly from addictions and emotional pain.
There was always this magical Holy Spirt experience that you could have that would somehow transform you without you having to lift a finger or a pen or open your mouth for confession of sin.
Well, there is a how and a why of it.
There is a logical spelled out way of freedom from bondage.
In large part, it requires what I have begun saying in my blog.....
Getting real;
Throwing fear away and telling someone who you really are.
And of course there is so much more than what I could write here but.....
I fear I may be preaching or harping.
But if I preach.....maybe that is why I like to blog.
Afterall, when will anyone else get a chance if there is only one man hogging the pulpit of every church.