Let me share the types of comments that I won’t approve going forward. They are the types of comments that present themselves in some sort of editorial role that I never asked for. They might come across as passive-aggressive, but their sheen remains that superficial. I’m not interested in being grammar policed by essentially anonymous people (this particular commenter left his name, but I won’t be sharing that here) who seem to be using their “policing” as a mechanism to give themselves a sense of intellectual superiority vis-à-vis me (but who am I?). It is functioning like a rhetorical device with an aim of positioning oneself in a certain way in the (potential) forthcoming dialogue. This has always been a pet peeve of mine, particularly, online. I am not offering up my blog posts in search of editors who will approve or disapprove of my grammar, per se. I clearly have typos, certain grammatical errors at times, and other like mistakes in some of my blog posts. But in a way that is the nature of writing quickly for blogs, and other social media outlets. Even so, I would venture to say that much of what I write still has acceptable grammatical quality; that is, as they are typically rough rough rough drafts for what, at times, might have the potential for further development and grammatical finish work.

So, the following comment was posted on my last post. I approved it at first, and replied back. But as I reflected on it further, I began to think that in fact the intention behind it was just as I have sketched above. Even if that wasn’t the author’s intention, I almost always assume that when the grammar police show up their intentions aren’t as pure as they would make them appear to be. Now, did my last post have some awkward phrasings, and maybe a run-on sentence here or there? Yes; which I realized even as I posted it. I was particularly pressed for time when I put that post together. Not to mention, the heft of that post was made up by me sharing posts I had written for X/Twitter and Facebook. When I post on such websites I surely am not worried about my grammar, or how polished it might come across. Beyond that, as you will see with this comment, the commenter attempts to offer a psychoanalysis upon my state of mind as I composed that post; which is sort of strange. Here’s the comment:

Actually, while I believe in the vicarious humanity of Jesus, and as I watched the ADS during the game, I thought too that the “He Gets US” was clearly missing the point. Your blog, and very much unlike you, had lots of grammar and typing issues, which seem to point to your “anger” or “frustration” where you mind was working faster than your hands. I am not sure it upset me as much as made me sad that some christians simply do not truly have an “incarnational” understanding of who Jesus is pro nobis. But that is where teaching and conversation comes in. After Jesus says to the disciples “Do You Not Yet Understand,” even in his frustration, he teaches them. Better sermons and clearly biblical articulation of the vicarious atonement are needed. Thanks for put this out there.

Ironically, his comment has some grammatical errors and typos itself. I don’t think my blog post had lots of grammatical etc. errors, it had some (which I was aware of when I posted it). Anyway, don’t be the grammar police 😊; for me, it immediately shuts down any meaningful discourse we might have had otherwise.

When I first started blogging years ago (circa 2005) many of my posts were pretty short; I’d say approximately 500 words or less. As the years have progressed they have gotten longer, and thus take a little more time and work to write. What would you all prefer. Shorter more frequent posts, or longer less frequent? I’m just curious. It will probably remain the same either way 😉 , but I am always interested in what my readers think on such things.

Just a brief word on commenting here at the blog: I won’t normally approve anonymous comments, particularly if they are providing pushback or being negative (or trollish). If there are good words provided, congratulations, commendation, positive notes, even though I don’t prefer anonymous commenting, I will often approve such comments. I just approved a comment that is anonymous and is providing some sort of passive-aggressive pushback, without explanation, and without owning it by using their real name. Going forward such comments will not be approved. Thank you brothers and sisters.

PS. If I know you, or recognize your ip address, I have no problem approving anonymous comments (i.e. Richard, Duane et al. LOL). It is just folks I don’t recognize, and who essentially “drive-by” and leave critical or aggressive comments; these are the folks I want to use their full names (price of admission for “debate,” exchange).

So, I am going to cross-post from my primary and long time blog here at Athanasian Reformed, to my substack here. I will treat this blog of old as my primary blog, but it seems as if there might be an audience internal to substack that I might be able to attract beyond my wordpress blog here. It is easy enough to cross-post (thanks, copy and paste), and I will be doing that as I post at my wordpress blog over to substack. Thanks oh faithful readers; the Lord uses you to encourage me to continue to bear witness to the risen Christ, here on the interweb.

I am posting back here now. Substack wasn’t working out, which I explained here. But it wasn’t a total loss as I now have a “patreon” type setup through my substack account which you can read about here.

I have decided to migrate over to Substack, as I was contemplating in my last post. I will leave this blog up, of course!, with all of its archives intact. I have exported all of my posts, and I believe comments, over to my Substack (I think it is still in the process of processing all of that). I hope all of my readers and subscribers will follow me over to my new online writing home. It will still be the same type of material as I’ve engaged with here over the years, just on a different platform (with I think better networking possibilities, among other things). See you there: Click Here bobbygrow.substack.com

(As you link over please become a subscriber to my Substack, much appreicated!)

I am contemplating making the jump to a different host for my online writing. WordPress, my current host, has become more focused on commercial websites than on blogging these days. My concern is that WordPress may discontinue support for blogging all together someday, and I’ll be out to lunch. Substack seems to offer the best alternative. It’s services are free (here I pay a minimal amount for ad free posting), and it offers a built in network and community. It also operates off of a newsletter premise, so when you subscribe you receive my post directly as newsletter recipients (I understand my subscribers here at WP get the same). As I look at Substack it is much more streamlined than WordPress is these days. And it is set up in a way that makes posting easier, and more user friendly in certain ways. If I do make this move I will of course always keep this site here; I have too much work embedded here to lose. But I’m hopeful that if I do make this move that you, my subscribers and readers, will follow me over there. Selah

My frequency of posting has clearly dropped off. Years ago I would write a blog post every single day. As life’s demands became greater that slowed to a few posts a week. At the moment it seems as if I’m generally down to one post a week. My work schedule, once again, has changed (to being on-call 24/7) which is why my pace of posts has slowed to nearly a trickle. It isn’t because I want to write less, it is simply because I am physically exhausted all of the time. Pray that the Lord might open other doors for me, as far as employment, that might allow me to do what I really love to do; i.e., write and read for the Church.

I just noticed that my blog just went over a million hits. Thank you to all my readers and lurkers for making this blog what it is. I started blogging full time in 2005, and in the first four years of my blogging I foolishly moved around from url to url, to this new blog and that one. I eventually stuck with this one starting in 2009, and it has remained a place of refuge for me; in regard to being able to unload my thoughts in written form. I plan on blogging until the Lord returns, or He takes me home. I’m only 49 years old, so as the Lord tarries I should have many more years to come here. I have had someone recently approach me suggesting that I should make my blog a 501c3 ministry. To raise support for the work I do here, and to treat it as a ministry. Based on the feedback I’ve received over the years, often from many pastors out there, it does seem that it has a ministerial role; I’ve come to think of it that way in lieu of being able to do other ministry. So, we’ll see if that works out, as far as the 501c3; I’ll keep you, the reader, informed on that front in days to come. Anyway, thanks for being a reader here, and for making my time here feel useful for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

I’m on vacation for the next almost couple of weeks. I won’t be posting during that time, or at least not till the tail-end. May you stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. I’ll see you all on the flip side.