*Enters quietly and gazes earnestly at the community of Holy Worlds*

My friends, my brothers, my sisters, so much has happened lately that causes me great sorrow. As I come before you now, I remember how we all drew closer to each other after Jay's arrest. How we knew that Satan would try to use this for harm, and how we were in constant prayer about things. Well, I hate to tell you this, but the devil has not laid off attacking Holy Worlds. He is still trying to divide us, and with sadness I begin to see that he is perhaps succeeding. This is a dangerous hour, and I fear for my people. If it were not so, I would not be standing before you now. But I am. Because I care about every one of you. I care about the spirit that has always distinguished Holy Worlds from any other online community I've seen. Because I care, I have come with an exhortation.

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. Or maybe I should rephrase that. Whether you stay or leave, or whatever you post, do it all to the glory of God. We are here as God's people, gathered to hone our skills as writers, but also to spur each other on towards love and good deeds. We are called to forgive one another as completely and willingly as Christ forgave us. We are called to love each other no matter what. We are called to pray.

I am not implying anything about anybody. I am not judging anyone for what they have said. I just want to remind you - we are called to love. No matter what happens to Holy Worlds, we must glorify God. And it starts with our attitudes and actions towards our fellow members. Let's not let anyone feel unloved here. Let's not let anyone feel judged for their opinions and actions. Let's encourage each other, and build each other up, even when we don't agree about everything. Let's pray for each other, and the future of Holy Worlds. Let's seek God's guidance, and not merely what we want Holy Worlds to be or do. Let us always keep Christ on the throne, and there will be no room left for the devil and his plots. If we honestly seek to glorify God in everything that we are, say, and do, then we need not fear for Holy Worlds' future.

One last word. People seem to be talking quite a lot about the Holy Worlds leadership, and quite honestly making things sound like everything will fall apart because of it. It's not for me to judge, and that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is that the leadership doesn't make Holy Worlds. You do. Every single member plays a part in what Holy Worlds is. Every single member affects what Holy Worlds is becoming. We aren't supposed sit around and wait for the leadership to 'fix things'. While they can indeed do much good, We the People can do more. You can influence the direction that Holy Worlds goes merely by your attitude towards everyone. And if We the People of Holy Worlds unite in love and forgiveness, well, that is a power to be reckoned with. So if you believe that Holy Worlds has gone downhill, don't expect new leadership to fix everything. It is our job as the members to do what we can to help make the forum a better place. Don't be afraid to speak out; just remember to speak the truth in love.

God bless you all, my friends, and may we never forget His grace. May we be ever a light in this dark and crooked world, and may Holy Worlds continue to serve as that light for many a year to come.

*Smiles warmly, and vanishes as silently as she came*

This.

You got it, girl. While leadership does make a difference, the attitudes and actions of all the members are what really impact the forum. And it's not just love and forgiveness; those will help to get you out of this current mess, but you need more if you want the forum going strong again. Renew your vision. What are your big personal writing goals? Are you willing to work to make this a place of vibrant, productive writing? Focus on quality in your posts, not merely posting a lot. Seek and welcome criticism on your work. Take the time to thoughtfully discuss someone else's ideas. Reach up, work side-to-side, reach down.

Everyone here is intelligent, talented, and has a unique perspective. Take advantage of this! You can gain so much valuable input on your writing and ideas by just asking for it. Seek and provide deep feedback. It is this rich dialogue that encourages and betters others. Calista is right, no one should sit around and wait for others to fix things.

So, think. Write a lot. Write well. Always strive to get better. Encourage others with thoughtful feedback. Realize that you are part of the culture of Holy Worlds, and you have the power to guide the forum back to success.

Amen.

I've taken far longer than I would have liked to respond to this; I blame it on schoolwork, though I know that's a rather pathetic excuse I use much too often.

However, I don't really have all that much to add; one reason I posted was just to get this back to the front page so others would say it. Something else I just wanted to say is that I agree wholeheartedly with every single wise word Calista said. She made very good points. Thank you for posting it, Calista.

All I really want to say besides that, related or not, is that the members of HW are a family. And as far as I can tell, they always have been; they've been a family since I've joined at any rate. Everyone cares about everyone else, and treat each other like brothers and sisters.

And anyone who is or has been part of a family knows that families quarrel, they disagree, and sometimes they hurt each other on purpose, lashing out because of anger.

But they almost always forgive each other in the end. They go back to standing by one another's side and caring and protecting and helping the same way they did before. Even when the time comes for a member of a family to move out or leave... they don't forfeit family status. They will always be a member of that family.

Just a bit of food for thought, put forth as well as I can from my muddled mind. *smiles a bit*

God bless you all.

Those were very good thoughts on the family, Teddy. Thank you for sharing.