Please, tell me what you think!
I’m intensely interested in your opinions!
I’m especially keen to read your views on controversial subjects.
I promise, if I disagree, I won’t say anything.
Cool?
If I respond, it will be with a combination of the following comments:
- “Great point!”
- “Yesssss!”
- “Brilliant!”
- “You’re my hero!”
But if I have a contrary opinion…
…I’ll shut up.
I won’t pollute your Facebook page with my negative tone.
Say whatever you want.
Doesn’t matter whether you’re speaking truth.
Doesn’t matter if you know what you’re talking about.
You’re entitled to your opinion.
It’s not nice to argue.
Jesus wouldn’t do that.
You’re just stating your opinion.
It doesn’t become an argument until I state mine.
The dictionary defines an argument as ‘hate’!
(Well, it SHOULD define it that way.)
God forbid I start an argument!
Your feelings would get hurt!
I would lose sleep if I hurt your feelings.
The shame!
The more I think about it, the more my palms sweat.
I can’t live with this anxiety.
Exchanging ideas with you is too hazardous to risk.
My toxicity makes it impossible for us to be friends.
So, for the sake of goodness…un-friend me.
Cut me from your cloistered group of tolerance.
Then post about how you’ve boldly stood for love!
If I were still in the group, I’d respond:
“You’re my hero!”
—— Below is the most recent inspiration for this post——-
20 Responses
haha, for some reason I thought your blog always got hijacked. Ya know, it’s funny, before I started reading your blog and listening to your podcast, I never paid attention to all the opportunities I was missing standing up for truth. I just didn’t care. Now, I know and am realizing that it’s important, and with the Holy Spirit, I can help discern and lead people to the truth. So, thanks John, for helping me be salty!
I like to think of us as the salt and vinegar of the earth. Sure – vinegar is bitter – but its health benefits are innumerable.
~CQW
Vinegar is smelly. But it makes a great fabric softener! I buy it by the gallon!
Of course, you can’t do the job with vinegar alone. I think all the Vinegar People need some Febreeze People in their lives, for balance.
#AnecdotesWithAmanda
*Bu duh duh ch* 🙂
Amen! a little honey is very good for your health as well haha
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones 🙂
I love each of those Australian phrases and INXS, Men at Work, and Hillsong. But I must admit that the “don’t throw a barney” phrase immediately made me think of beating up Barney the Dinosaur. I would like throw a Barney.
Jasmine – From one hypocrite to another – your latest blog entry is beautiful and inspiring. It’s now on the list of things to share with my Sunday school class. Keep fighting the good fight.
~CQW
Ha! I actually did think that would be the first thought to come to mind when I said Barney. XD Gotta say though, I’m probably a bigger fan of the artists you have in the US over ours.
And thankyou very much for your kind comment. It’s always such a blessing to hear my blog has been an encouragement in some way. I appreciate you reading.
Yes, thank you! I have noticed how hypercritical and judgemental I can be. My brother’s girlfriend…she gets me every time! I feel so bad for being a bully of sorts, and she doesn’t know the Lord, and she reminds me so much of myself before I was saved…I need to love her but I can’t! Lord Help me. well, thank you, Jasmine! and John Branyan and Amanda, haha
We all have our tough people to love, but knowing how much God loves us even when we least deserve it is helpful to remember in those situations. Thankyou for your comment, but we’d better stop hijacking John’s blog. 😉
Ha! You guys are going to have to go MUCH further to reach hijacker status.
Pfft. Good thing some of my debates with friends aren’t public. They get pretty vehement at times, but we’re usually still friends by the end of it. I honestly can’t understand feeling threatened by a different opinion. If you believe what you believe is true, then believe it and let it prove itself! You don’t have to get off your bike if someone differs to you. Maybe if people weren’t so quick to hit the panic button they’d learn something new. That’s my vent.
“You don’t have to get off your bike if someone differs to you.”
That’s Australian for, “Don’t get your panties in a knot”, right?
Or
“Don’t get your bloomers in a wad.”
Basically. Or, “don’t get off your horse”, or “don’t go off the deep end”, or “don’t chuck a wobbly”, or “keep your hair on”, or “don’t throw a barney”. Whatever creative phrase floats your boat.
Chuck a wobbly!!! Hahahaha!!!
Oh, man, I need to get down under, ASAP.
Come visit me! It’d be a blast.
Yeah – I’ll be using that one soon.
~
But you’re salty! Matt. 5:13 Lord help me be salty too!
I’m starting a blog again. This post has stirred up some long needed venting and I assure you, the tone would be unbearable for some so I wont add it here.
We are tone deaf here.
To be fair, the person I was talking with originally (who disagreed strongly about the voucher system for public education, which was the topic of debate) eventually came to my defense by saying he didn’t think the tone was wrong and believed no apology was necessary. He said: “How will we ever hear different opinions, if we delete things when we disagree?”
So–let that be a lesson to the bystanders who fancy themselves referees. Just because YOU are uncomfortable with the “tone” doesn’t mean the people who are having the discussion need you to jump in.