So I ended up cutting some stuff from the first third of Patheos.com: Why I Turned Them Down, But Guess Others Won’t, one of my two posts from yesterday. (The other post — the better one — is What Jesus Really Meant by the Story of Lazarus). I was ultimately sort of basically too shy to publish what I cut; plus, I felt it sort of rendered the post too bifurcated. (That’s right: I roll with the big words that sound like … a sexually ambiguous person with gas.)
But … anyway, here’s the part I cut:
Here’s the bottom line, for me: What matters to me like my heart matters to me is my relationship with my readers: that’s what I work to build and be worthy of. And my primary, driving, informing attitude toward my readers is respect. I respect my readers’ time; I respect their minds; I respect the fact that out of the infinite number of places they could go to read online, they’ve chosen my blog.
I cannot have the relationship between my readers and me [bad word]ed with. The reason I’ve thus far refused to put ads on my blog is because I want to keep my relationship with my online companions and visitors as clean as possible. My blog is about my mind and soul connecting with the minds and souls of my readers — period. I can’t have anything, no matter how minimal, interfering with that.
So … that’s about that.
The reason I’m sharing this now is because my wife Catherine said, “Hey! You cut that stuff from your Patheos post about you and your readers.”
“I know,” I said. “I don’t know. That stuff seemed maybe too … sentimental. Plus, I felt it too much bifurc-”
Cat held up her hand. “Stop. Don’t use that word. Just .. don’t.”
“Plus, I thought the post was too long.”
“I think you should put that stuff back in.”
“Really? I mean … why? Who cares?”
“I think your readers should know why you don’t run ads.”
“Well, it’s too late anyway. Nobody reads old posts.”
“It was yesterday’s.”
“Hey, we’re talking the blogosphere, where yesterday was last year.”
“Then just put it the part you cut about why you and your readers. I think people would like to read it. Plus, it was really sweet.”
So. If you hate this post, please let me know ASAP, so that I can use that input to try to guilt my wife into giving me a foot rub. Thanks!
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