It’s a catchy title for a blog, isn’t it? I thought the same thing when it appeared in my email inbox a couple of weeks ago. I subscribe to a Christian leadership blogger named Carey Nieuwhof who delivers daily thoughts to my inbox. Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don’t, but the title of this particular blog drew me in. It spoke to me so much, that I wanted to share it all with you.
Let me prepare you though… Carey’s blog posts are sometimes hard to read. There are some pop-ups, paragraphs are sometimes disrupted by invitations to tweet something or buy a leadership course, the blog seems longer than it really is because of the line spacing, and like ALWAYS, never read the comments on a blog! Despite all of that, in this time of increased aggression within our world, I encourage you to read all the way to the end.
One of the key messages of the blog is about how we speak to one another, online and in person. Neiuwhof says, “Critique is different than criticism. A critique aims to build up, not to tear down. So it’s not like you can never say anything negative. But what you have to say should help people get better and feel better. If you can’t figure out how to do that, you’re not ready to post.” I am challenging myself, and you as well, to begin running our thoughts through this filter before posting content online. As Christians we are called to care for one another and it is easier to do that when we come alongside and offer advice and help, rather than tearing one another down.
Here is the article: https://bit.ly/2PNNJ1Q
Happy reading!
Pastor Corey