<A sudden and momentous crack startles the air, birthing a shock of wind that rips through the sky. The earth beneath Holy Worlds heaves like a great beast awakening from an undead sleep, and the rocks stand on end, horrent and bristling. A vacuous gash appears before the Citadel of the Kingdom, hurling the ground back from before its gate and opening a bottomless chasm glowing with a gilded silver light wreathed with auras of living verdancy. An unseen gong sounds, filling the gathering people's ears with an ebullient and joyous cacophony. A dark figure rises on the air through the streaming light, his cape and cloak whipping and blowing about him, set in a frenzy by the whirling winds. He glides from the depths and alights on the lip of the Abyss, a slight clink sounding from his concealed armour in the silence. He pauses - and lets his rich green cloak fall to reveal himself: clad in white armour cut and stained with blood; emblazoned on the breast with a Celtic Cross in a Star of David; armed with a two-edged sword at his side; bearded in copper red with laughing ~ ocean blue eyes that have seen pain and trial: the Founder. Jay Lauser. Sir Emeth Mimetes.>

Felicitous greetings and blessings be to you, my brothers and sisters in the family of our God and Saviour, and comrades in this community and ministry of Holy Worlds.

It has been too long since I have come to you in an official capacity as Admin of Holy Worlds. I've missed it. I've missed you. I've missed my Abyss. * grins * Sorry about the drama of the entrance, but I felt the momentous nature of the occasion would lend itself for an excuse for a bit of fun. I mean, what's Holy Worlds without fun? Besides, I prefer this kind of 'officialness' to reams of paperwork.

Many things have happened here since I was taken so suddenly and unexpectedly from you all. I like the additions and renovations! Most forums and communities would not do a quarter as well as all of you have done. I am exorbitantly proud of you. Both the leadership and the community alike have exceeded expectations. Every single one of you, new members and old, every shade and hue of ring, have brought glory to God and acquitted yourselves with Christ-likeness and godliness. Good job.

Nevertheless, we all know things cannot continue on indefinitely as they are. You have done well, but even before I left there were rumblings of issues and need of change. These problems have grown and multiplied and divided and proliferated, and you are looking to me for answers. I've been contemplating these problems since my arrest with great seriousness. Indeed, like I said, I've been considering ideas and plans for changing things since long before my arrest. I've been discussing my ideas with various ones of you, as well as with other people I go to for counsel and mentorship. I have listened to your ideas and subjected them to a great deal of analysis and prayer and study, along with my own brainstorms. I've counselled and discussed and debated them all ad infinitum ad nauseum with the Council, the Marcher Lords, and even regular members and non-members as well. There have been an exhausting number of strong, passionate, well thought-out, heart-felt views on how Holy Worlds should be ordered and maintained in the future. Unfortunately a great many of these have been in conflict with each other - even mutually exclusive. In the end I've tried to include elements of the strengths of each proposal. It isn't any one person's plan. It is all of ours. Not everyone will be completely happy with all of it, but that's the nature of pretty much everything. What I do believe we have, though, is something which will in the end (after much tweaking and experimentation once in place of course) serve Holy Worlds well and satisfy at least the majority of the needs and issues brought up to me. I am optimistic and excited about its success, and I am not alone in my jubilation. There have been several people who have been eager for its implementation for months now, but I did not want to neglect some serious concerns brought to my attention by some dear and respected friends. Thankfully after examining the source of their worries, I've been able to assure myself conclusively that there won't be the problems they foresaw. Thus, I am free in my conscience and mind and heart to present to you ...The New Leadership of the Holy Worlds Community!

First and most important, you will have a new Admin. It is hard for me to pass the reins on to another, and prior to me coming to prison I thought I might not have to go that far. Upon arriving, though, I found there was no chance or possibility of me leading you all directly or through any sort of proxy. The practicality of such a plan was non-existent. It would be a disservice to you were I to attempt to control the management and leadership and course of Holy Worlds whether directly or indirectly. I must entrust the vision and direction to another, someone who can guide, unite, protect, inspire, and lead you to new heights and joys in this ministry. Someone I can trust - because this is very like handing my daughter off to another man. He's gotta be just right for her. Someone I believe in and whom you will believe in. I hunted high and low for such a person, and praise God, I firmly believe that I have found her. Ladies, gentlemen, and characters of Holy Worlds, may I introduce you to you your new Admin: Elanor!

Stephanie Hodgson is a dear friend of mine and a trusted advisor and confidante. We've got to know each other pretty well since my incarceration, due to her consistent letter-writing. I'm honoured to be her friend, and honoured again to pronounce her my successor.In the past she and I have discussed the practical leadership of Holy Worlds, and entered together into trying to solve problems and innovate new opportunities. I have been nothing but impressed with her maturity, intelligence, spiritual integrity, humility, servant heart, and strength of character. All around I see in her a remarkable aptitude for becoming an exceptionally great leader. She did not seek this position with me, even while helping me evaluate others to find the future Admin. Over time as I saw more and more of her talent and strength, God seemed to be leading me to the realization that the answer to my enigma was right under my nose. At the same time He was preparing her to accept the position if I offered it.

Since that time, as I asked her advice and tested her and gave her lessons from what I've learned and been taught, I was only confirmed in my resolve that she would be my successor. Her vision and mine for Holy Worlds are completely compatible, and I have utter confidence in the direction she will take it in.

I was at first hesitant to create a Red Lady instead of another Big Red Guy. But upon contemplation, prayer, biblical study, and recognition of her superior ability to lead the site in a capable and godly way above and beyond all other candidates, my reservations fell away. The Adminship of Holy Worlds does not involve spiritual headship over the community, and the biblical injunctions against women in specific roles of headship have absolutely no bearing here. I take a rather hard-line stance on women in roles of authority, personally, but even I can find no issues with Elanor as Admin, or any other woman. If there was a significant majority of you who passionately felt different, I would of course not force a female Admin on you against your convictions. Therefore I was pleased to discover no such wide-spread animosity towards the idea, and the last barrier to the creation of the new Admin of Holy Worlds vanished.

I couldn't merely halt at the creation of a simple replacement for myself, however. I need to decide what role I will take in the new leadership. To attempt to hold the reins would be foolhardy, as I already mentioned, and so I opted to take an advisory role. I'll be in the loop on leadership decisions, and I'll be able to weigh in with my opinions and counsel, but I won't have any say in the decisions themselves. I recognize the uniqueness and independence of Elanor's leadership style and direction from my own, and I will not even attempt to fudge that to coincide with my own private preferences. My goal is to assist and advise, not manage, and so I will defer to her in all cases. In order to make this distinction clear there will be a new rank created specifically for my own use until I return: I will be merely the Founder, and will relinquish the Red Ring to Elanor.

Beyond this I and Elanor and the other leadership worked together to craft a plan for the reformation of the top leadership of Holy Worlds. Things had already begun to get messy before I left, and they only got worse in the subsequent year-and-a-half. Not all of the problems were visible to lower ranked members, though some of the effects were felt. Several people were desperate for change, and a few were willing to go to extreme measures to gain it. I besought them to wait until I had an opportunity to set up a new structure in an attempt to solve many problems at once, at the same time as inaugurating a new Admin. I know that sometimes it is easier to accept many new things all at once, especially if they are of a similar nature. It will also give Elanor an opening to instantiate her own procedures, since so much ground will be new anyway. Hopefully the changes will make sense and make things easier, not only for the leadership to move Holy Worlds forward productively and to lessen internal division, but for the general members at large to be able to get help, understand what's going on, and participate more in the future of the community.

The first big change is the addition of a new group: Captains. Five will progressively be appointed to specific positions. There will be one for each genre forum, in addition to one overseeing the future Holy Worlds Bookstore(s) and one overseeing the Holy Worlds Press. Yes, a bookstore chain and a publishing company are both in the future of Holy Worlds, and we will soon have two people dedicated to their creation and success. The other three will be equally dedicated to the genre forum allotted to them, working under the leadership and supervision of the Admin to guide and nurture their individual communities in growth and success. These five Captains will work in conjunction with each other, but will be individually accountable to the Admin and those under them for their unique responsibilities. They will help bear a part of the burden of the Admin's leadership, as they focus on orchestrating the leadership and community under them. Their exact roles and procedures of operation will be up to them, the new Admin, and the tweaking that results from trial and error and experience. What we definitely know about the role is that it will be hard, and will demand a lot of those to take the rank. We have a few who have already accepted the job, and a few more lined up but I won't be announcing their names until all the spots are filled. Be ready to cheer them on!

Now we come to the Council and the Marcher Lords, which are being jointly revised. The Marcher Lords were founded to act as extensions of the authority of the Admin, focused on and delegated to more specific regions of responsibility. Holy Worlds is too big to be run entirely by one person, which is why we have a hierarchy of delegation and coordination. The Marcher Lords were intended to act as support, to help hold things together when the Admin is busy or away, at least in lower-level decisions and issues. They are also closer to the action in some ways, and so they also act as counsel and advisors to the Admin when high- level decisions must be made that effect all their jurisdictions or when the Admin needs to guide their decisions in order to unify them towards the common goal. They work together.

The Council was originally created in order to act as a private thinktank of sorts, so I could get feedback on long-term plans by people who had a long-term commitment to Holy Worlds. We were even hesitant to give the group their own room because we didn't want it to seem like they had any practical authority or power. Gradually I came to rely on them for just that, however, as a sort of committee of Lords over the Marcher Lords. I added people who had disparate views and strong opinions in order to make sure I got a wide variety of input when big decisions had to be made. Over time this became a drawback, though, as they began to absorb more and more of the role of the Marcher Lords and even the role of the Admin. The Council became more like a bureaucratic committee rather than a group of counselors. I was already seeing problems with this and working on a solution to it when I was arrested. Since then, the Council has acted as the highest authority of Holy Worlds, and the awesome people in it have done a tremendous job of holding this place together. They are to be applauded and commended for their success.

Nevertheless, in the new leadership the services of the Council are no longer required, at least not in that rank and group. The people who made up the Council are the heroes, not the group, and they will still be able to wield their passion, influence, and wisdom here. The Marcher Lords will be reinstated to their elevated and authoritative role, taking over the majority of the duties and responsibilities the Council once held. In addition to them, the Captains and the Admin will raise up their banners to carry on the same charge. Until recently the Marcher Lords have been held back, and the Admin has been absent. And so in a very real sense we now get three unique, active, and focused groups in the place of one, which had become rather like butter spread over too much bread. Huzzah for the Marcher Lords!

A great many of the finer details will be hammered out and explained in the coming weeks. It will take a while to get used to these changes, and more will be coming, so I ask you to be patient and help out as much as possible. There have been a lot of politics and regrettable actions and words by many of us during the course of coming to these decisions. For all my part in these failures I sincerely apologize. I am working to amend those errors. During this next week or month I earnestly beg of all of you to take several steps back; drop all politics; spend extra time in prayer and the Word; and renew your relationships. Repent of gossip and damaged trust and friendships, apologize and make things right with those you have wronged. Build bridges and knit your hearts again. Realize that if things didn't go your way that doesn't mean it is the end of the world or of Holy Worlds. Choose to have faith and hope in the future of this ministry God has called us to. We are here for a reason, and that reason is to help each other grow more skillful and knowledgeable in our God-honouring craft of writing speculative fiction. We are here also to exhort and help each other grow in our walk with Christ, because that is the job of every Christian. Do those things and don't stop.

I deeply and dearly love all of you. As hard as it is for me to let go of your leadership, I know that I will be coming back in God's timing. And in the meantime I will still be among you as I help and counsel and write my stories with you all. I'm still a writer, and I'm still one of you. I still bleed the Holy Worlds rainbow. I can't wait to be fully back with you all * hugs *

The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. May He prosper your hands in whatsoever you put them to, and may He give each of you a full harvest.

In the name, love, peace, grace, joy, and service of our Saviour,
Jaymes Lauser aka Sir Emeth Mimetes

Son of the Lion; Son of the Lamb
Fiat Justicia, Coram Deo

A woman stands by a river, singing quietly as she waits; twilight plays on her hair as she stares into the distance. She turns as a young man steps towards her, resolute in his purpose. They greet, and talk in quiet, serious tones for quite some time. After much discussion he hands something over to her keeping in a small packet, encouragement and exhortation on his lips as he entrusts this treasure to his friend; clasping her hands he bids her farewell sadly but with hope in his eyes, and then he steps into the beautifully crafted elven boat and sails away into the distance. A tear glimmers in the deep green eyes of the lady, as she watches the boat fade and finally disappear. There is happiness mingled with tears though, hope and joy are present also as she turns and walks down the path to re-join her friends. As the sun begins to rise, she turns one last time, gazing out over the water. She takes the packet entrusted to her and opens it, slipping something onto her finger she begins to hum quietly as she moves on towards her friends and as she does so, a red ring glimmers and shines from her finger.


My dear friends,

It has been almost two years now since Jay left us. Two long years. Many of us waited for his return; we have hoped and prayed. But God had plans, and His way was not what we imagined. But we know that He works all things for the good of them who love Him, so we know that He is still working His perfect plan through us.

I am Lady Elanor Mimetes, follower of Jesus, and daughter of my precious Saviour. I have been on Holy Worlds for three years this October, I can scarce believe it has been that long; since my arrival on the forums I have grown to love, respect and cherish the members that are joined under the banner of Holy Worlds. I have always believed in the vision and the mission of Holy Worlds, and I am very excited that I am able to be a part of leading the forum into the future.

There are lots of exciting new developments that will be coming soon along with the new leadership roles and changes within the forum groups, which I believe will greatly help with the development and growth of the individual forums, and also of Holy Worlds as an entirety. We are also going to be spending more time in social networking, and promoting the forums through branching into more avenues with Social Media. Not only can you expect more involvement from the Leadership on Holy Worlds, but also the individual forums will have their own Captains who will be spending time promoting, and nurturing the forum they have charge over. This means that no forum should potentially receive more care than the other. We are also going to have two more Captains: one will have charge over the publishing aspect of Holy Worlds, and another will manage and promote the Holy Worlds bookstore. All will be unveiled soon! Some aspects are not quite finished yet but we are working on them; I am very excited about these new roles and the changes they will bring to the forum.

Jay is handing Holy Worlds over to my vision, and I will be in close connection with our ML's, who have replaced the Council rank, throughout all this; Jay will still be willing to give his wisdom, however he isn't trying to monitor me in any way, which is what some members have mentioned concerns about. Jay trusts me to lead capably and he will be differing to my judgement on all matters; he will be kept in the loop with how things are progressing around here though, so when he returns to us he'll be able to hit the ground running.

Moving forward is not always an easy task; sometimes at first it is hard to see the good, if we're holding onto the past. But I ask you to view these new developments with open hearts; let us look to building a future together, let's face these coming days together and reignite that fire that has burned so brightly amongst us for so long. God has great and awesome plans for Holy Worlds, let's unite together as we face a future, not with uncertainty but with faith in His wonderful work and in this mission field. We are writers, aiming to provide godly, clean writing in a secular world where it can be so hard to find novels and stories of this kind. This is our purpose, as a Christian writing forum, to encourage other authors, and our focus should be on our writing as we work on our blogs, short stories, novels and our writing craft. Everything we do, let's do it as unto the Lord.

I'm always here for you, friends. My door is always open, I want to hear your ideas, your worries, to listen to your concerns, your hopes and dreams for our future; I am here for Holy Worlds, and I'm here for you. Don't shy away, speak up if you want to, I'll be listening.

I don't want people to hold back on speaking up with their concerns. I know people do have some drawbacks when it comes to all these new changes, and I don't want you to feel you can't speak up about your concerns. I will address them as best I can.

I am very blessed to be able to lead Holy Worlds, and ask that you join me on the journey as together we forge the future of our beloved forum.

Thank you both for sharing. I appreciate you telling us what is happening and the reasoning behind it. I am very excited about the changes and can't wait to see what God is going to do with the forums now. Elanor, I look forward to seeing what you do!

WELCOME LADY ELANOR TINUVIEL, LADY OF HOLY WORLDS, TO LEADERSHIP OVER THE FORUMS!

I congratulate you on your promotion and greet it with open arms. I know you will work hard and do your best to serve the forums in the best way possible. And I know how much you look to God for your council as well. I have full confidence in you!

*listens quietly to announcements*

I'm very grateful to you both, Jay and Elanor, for your commitment to God's will and vision, and your commitment to HW and its members.

Elanor-I'm looking forward to seeing you live out this new role, I think it fits you well, and that God will continue to use you for the good of HW. I'm excited.

I am praying for you, Elanor, Jay--and HW as a whole. God is doing something here, and I'm praying that it will bring Him the utmost glory.

Looking forward to seeing what the new changes bring. I hope our new admin isn't immediately completely swamped with things needed to be done. Best of luck! (Or providence; whichever you prefer)

well this IS news! Congratulations Stephanie. I've only heard OF Jay from various people but I know he would not make such a decision without good cause.
One of the things Holy Worlds is good at is helping and encouraging each other and building each other up regardless of denomination and belief difference even to the point we can tease each other and not get offended.
The goal is simply this: Continue to represent Christ in all that we do. From reading these posts leadership is being tightened up, things are being refocused so that Holy Worlds can move forward with greater purpose and greater resolve than ever before.

Stephanie I will pray that God uses you mightily for His glory. May God bless you.

Congratulations Elanor! *Hugs* You look good in red.

Congratulations, Elanor dear! *hugs* I'm excited to see you in this role and I know God has many in store for you.

Continuing in prayer for you, Jay, and the whole of Holy Worlds.

Hmmm...now I need to go work up an avatar that goes well with red for you....

I'm very happy for you, Elanor and I know you're going to make a great Admin!!!

Kinda sorry that I'm gonna miss out on all the excitement, but such are the seasons of life. Will be praying for you as you embark on this new adventure!!!!

Thank you, guys! I appreciate the support and encouragement. Prayer is so important at times like this, so thanks for the prayers.

I'm blessed to be part of such a wonderful community, and I'm also excited to see what God has in store for us all!

Congratulations Elanor!

*Chuckles* I love my avatar, but it doesn't really 'go' with the red colour does it.




Thank you, Blayne.

I know that it is right for HW to have a new admin, and I know you have prayerfully accepted this role, Stephanie. I pray for God's guidance in all things HW as we step ahead together.

God bless you, Elanor. * smiles *

Oh, congratulations, Steph! I know you'll do a good job of taking on the responsibilities of an admin.

Thank you, Bushy. God's guidance is so important, and I have every faith that He will guide and strengthen us as we strive to do all for His glory.



And you too, dearest Juliet. *Hugs tightly* Thank you.



Thanks, Renna! I promise to do my very best before God; and I have wonderful councillors and advisers in the ML's as well! Their enthusiasm and drive is awesome; I'm really, really looking forward to seeing them step up alongside our CM's.

Very happy to see someone in red again!

*Happy* *Doesn't know what to say, but is happy*

*Smiles* I'm glad you approve, Neil!



I am glad you are happy, Calista!

This is totally my reaction!

Thank you Elanor for stepping up to take this role. May God bless you as you seek to serve Him through this.

*Smiles* I am glad you're happy about it!



Thank you, Mira.

This is me, officially giving Lady Elanor my support. I had an entire lecture planned for this moment, including a few veiled threats, but it turns out I don't need it! Which is a very auspicious way for our new admin to begin her career.

Brendan, I am very sorry to hear that you think this thread has been too celebratory and not serious and respectful enough. But I think...since a lot of HWers, like yourself, are very pleased and excited to welcome Elanor as the new Admin, that it isn't very inappropriate to have a happy and excited tone.

I'm even more sorry that you don't see enough respect for Airianna and Grace here.... I respect them more than I can say. But it seems to me that it would have been rather froward for Jay to have addressed their disagreement and announced it to the forum himself, mixed in with his announcement of Elanor's promotion. I thought it would be more respectful of their beliefs and feelings to let them say what they want to say about their disagreement themselves, and that we could show our respect more honestly and freely when they explain it to the forum, if they wish to, in their own words, sharing their own beliefs.

And I've sent you a PM about some other things I want to say to you.

I also sent you a PM, Brendan.

I am with Juliet here; Grace and Kaitlyn should be allowed to make their decisions in their own time, and we should have respect and allow them the time they need to pray and think about these things. Bringing it up publicly before they have done was not the right call, I do not believe. This was not the time for Jay to publicly address concerns with Kaitlyn and Grace; that would not have been right and I am glad he did not do so.

Anyway this is really not the place to be discussing this. I hope you'll talk to me about your concerns in PM though, you know I'm always willing to listen.

*Smiles* Thank you, Jaynin.

And that's what the lecture was for.

Everything you said in your post, Brendan, should be in a private letter to Jay and not put on public display. We don't allow the airing of private grievances. Take it down, or I will take it down for you. If you have something you wish to discuss with the forum you may bring it up in a polite, non-antagonistic manner. But everything you said is addressed directly to Jay and is therefore none of our business.

This is me, noting that while I find Brendan's tone and manner a bit inappropriate, I can't disagree with his words. I've made no secret that I'm leaving, I'm just still writing up my goodbye post. Should be up within the next few days.

You will most certainly be missed. In the number of chats I've had with you and the posts I've seen I can quite honestly say you have been a help, blessing and an encouragement to many. While their may be issues here I think one of the strengths is sticking together and genuinely caring about one another despite various doctrinal and denominational differences. If that is lost Holy World will certainly fall and its legacy will fade into history. Regardless of differences we can all and should continue to represent Christ as is our purpose here on this earth.

Many of you know me well, plenty of you don't know me at all. I tend to show up during a crisis, and offer my advice.

I would gladly be more active, but I haven't told you why I've chosen to remain inactive here, and remain busy with school and my own forum.

That reason is the virus, the sickness, that Holy Worlds has been suffering with since January 2012 when Jay was arrested in Florida and extradited to Washington to stand trial.

The virus consists of public dishonesty and lies that have made me and many other people look stupid and feel ashamed for how we were duped. It consists of petty infighting. It consists of a near fatal loss of members from what was once a forum with a bright future ahead of it and a limitless opportunities.

This virus will be terminal unless it's cured. Until the Gospel of truth, love, justice, and mercy shines in these dark halls again.

And that might not be easy - my sister had to lose her right kidney when her surgeons removed the cancerous tumor attached to it, but the high price was worth the life obtained.

Like Brendan, Like Miss Pennington, like countless others, beloved, unknown, forgotten, missed...

I cannot bind myself to this community as I once wished to until as a community everything that was done in the dark comes into the light, until we have leaders who represent us, until we simplify the ranks, until we achieve a Gospel-focus, until the former admin, Mr. Jay Lauser, apologizes and tries to make right all the pain and frustration he has caused with his dishonesty, micro-managing (even from prison), and until as a community, we take a new turn.

Until that time, few can enjoy a peaceful stay here.

In sadness, but deep love for these old halls,

Eli McGowan

Holy Worlds has suffered somewhat recently for a lot of different reasons. People have drifted a lot because of work, school, personal life and recent events concerning Jay. The forums has had a bit of a lull. But I don't think quiet times means a forum is dying, or that it is past its sell by date.

I'm not going to pretend that there aren't issues that as a Leadership we are working through. There are also changes being made to the ranks (Eli mentioned that I believe) at present and problems being worked through there.

I understand that some people are unhappy; some didn't want me as admin, others didn't want a female admin. The fact is that we all have different ideas, visions and plans. We can be upset because what we believed should happen did not materialize, or what we believe was for the best for the forum did not happen. We all have different ideas.

However, one of the bonds that holds us, no matter what our differences, is the bond of Christ. We're brothers and sisters in the Lord. We should love one another, not because of Holy Worlds but because the blood of Jesus unites us. We can have different ideas, different dreams, wish to see plans that don't materialize. But in the end what should matter to us is loving Christ first before all, and loving one another.

Jay has currently retired from Holy Worlds. He has handed the forum over to my vision and my leadership. He has been removed from the administrator list and listed as Founder (which he is). Now I do not know what Jay has specifically done to single people. If he has hurt you personally then you need to go to him and entreat him as a brother. If you feel he has misled the forum then you need to go to him, as a brother and talk to him. Go with two or three people if you feel the need to, but do not bring accusations here please, without having spoken and entreated him personally and heard his side, and allowing him to speak up. And yes I know some of you have done so, and I admire you for it. But don't let that hurt affect your relationship with other people, don't allow it to affect what you do for Christ.

You know, for such a long time now I have prayed that I will be able to do something gospel centered for the Lord. I don't like street preaching, it's not me, but I have become more and more certain that I want to do more for God especially spreading the gospel. I've prayed about it a lot recently. I love writing, and when someone recommended me to Jay for this position, and he wrote to me about it, I prayed about taking it on a lot. And I was excited, because it not only presented an opportunity for me to do something for God that was worthwhile and was also something that would further the gospel, but it was a community that was very close to my heart.

However, Jay does not make Holy Worlds. Holy Worlds is not held together by Jay. Holy Worlds should be held together because of our bonds in Christ, because we love Jesus and we want to write to glorify Him and to further the gospel.

We shouldn't be standing divided because of a man. We should be standing united because of Christ. Look past the hurt a man caused you. I am not saying ignore it. Address it, go to him in love and entreat him. But don't allow that hurt to fuel division. Look past that, look to Jesus. He heals all wounds, and He also is the One who will keep us united.

It's not good turning a blind eye to problems either though, and saying look to Jesus the rest will be fixed. There is work involved as well, I'm not saying there isn't. There may be problems, and yes we may try something and you know what, it may not work. I might have what I believe is a good idea, and it might not turn out to be as good as I had thought. I certainly pray and hope that I'll be willing to admit that and duly change.

What we need now is to look beyond the brick walls and mortar of this building. It isn't the building that makes Holy Worlds, it's the people. You have a heart that wants to do what is right, you have the passion for Jesus and you want to tell others about Him, you love to write and are passionate about writing and want to learn more about the craft; well then, you are a Holy Worlder. This forum doesn't make your heart what is it, it's there to help you better your craft, to help you along your journey.

The fact is that Jay is not here. He isn't running the forum anymore. We cannot hold onto the past, we should not hold onto past hurts and upsets and allow it to change who we are.

We are in a new stage here, and I can't promise for everything to turn around over night. I can't say to you, you'll wake up in the morning and the forum will be different. No more problems, a perfect haven for writers. I can't promise you that. But I can promise that I will try to address problems, along with fellow Leaders. I can promise that before God I will do my best, and my utmost to make this a place that helps you, as you write and seek to learn the craft of writing, to write for the Glory of God.

I am aware of some upset, and I am trying to work with the people who are upset. I can't say it's all going to work out because some people are hurt and I don't know if that will be resolved over night. Pray for us.

And do you know what, yes. We would like to make HW into a business one day. Another thing that won't happen overnight. But what matters to me most, more than any money or business, is the love we have for one another and the passion for God that we share; the writing that we delve in and the spreading of the gospel. If we have a massive forum, and a brilliant business but no love or unity, then it will be as nothing.

It may not come over night, it may take work, time, patience and a lot of prayer. But I hope and pray that we can find unity together. Unity together in Jesus. And I won't give up on that. What we need now is prayer, prayer for the Leadership as we seek to change things for the better, and prayer for Unity in Christ above all else.


This turned out longer than intended.

God bless.

That!! ^ ^ ^

I haven't weighed in on this thread (mostly because Elanor knows my opinion already ) but now I'm going to.

Brendan, while you may have grievances (and I emphasize, many of those you aired were personal grievances) this thread is not the place to air them for all to see. At best, it makes you look immature; at worst, it fosters divisiveness and suspicion.

Eli! Good to see you over here, however briefly. Though I agree with your assessment and understand your decision, simply becoming inactive will not help to solve the problem; though many people seem to have taken that route. And, in all honesty, it's easier to just give up and leave than it is to stay around and try to rectify the problems. For sticking around, Airianna and Grace and the other long-standing members have my highest respect.






This is the most important part of what I want to say. I was not here in 2012. I do not know everything that went on. As such, it's easier for me to look at the situation and say "Okay; this, this and this happened, it's over with, let's forgive and forget." That said, I think every one of us should understand and do this without needing to be told.

How shall we speak and act? As squabbling children who cry out their grievances in anger for the world to hear; or as young Christian adults striving for maturity and sobriety in thought and deed?



In the end, this is what holds true. God is in control, and works even the worst events of our lives to fit his plan.

It is for His glory that we write, it is for His glory that we speak, it is for His glory that this forum exists. Everything else is just the details.

I would like to say that I believe Brendan was not acting out of selfish or petty reasons in order to vent in a fit of immaturity. He was defending the HW community from Jay's lack of sincerity. Though he may have worded it differently, I think it was good to get some things in the open, since so much has been kept in a brooding heap over only certain individuals for so long. Jay has hurt people, and his message here was most dishonest and misleading in ways. However E, you hit the nail on the head about forgiveness. I've been feeling that all along. It's time to let Jay go, along with whatever quarrels we may have with him. We need to forgive him and one another (even if they never ask for our forgiveness) and move on. It's time to write stuff! As writers, and Christians, that's why we're here.

My only trepidation has been how much of a hold Jay might still wish to keep over HW. Since I do not endorse any of Jay's methods for leading or guiding anyone, I was worried about how much continued involvement he was hoping for. However I have complete faith in Stephanie. I know she will listen to her counsellors and make wise decisions based on the Spirit's leading. So I would say it clearly that though I do not support Jay, I do give my loyalty and support to Stephanie as a worthy leader and friend.

*Watches very, very quietly*

If it is deemed to not belong here, or anywhere on HW by those higher than me, then, well, that's how it is. But I, for one, strongly disagree with you here.

Now, first, I don't think Brendan said everything as well as he might have. And I think he is overstating some things. But then again, I haven't seen most of what he's seen. Perhaps it's closer to the mark than I think. But the extent to which I agree with him has nothing to do with my point here. I think Brendan saying what he said was very important. You could, I suppose, say that it doesn't belong on this thread, but where else would it belong? I guess what you're really saying is that it doesn't belong in public, but I disagree. You say it belongs in a private letter, and that it's addressed to Jay and therefore no concern of ours. I disagree. What Brendan said about the tone of it? That's good to be public. I hadn't, and still haven't actually read the full announcement as one piece, since I knew what was being announced and it looked too long and wordy for the time I had at the time I first saw it, and then of course, as is typical of me, I never got around to it. But Brendan is right in that at least some of the tone and phrasing isn't really appropriate to something that's contentious. I don't know, myself, how contentious some of this is and was, and I suspect that Brendan is overly putting contention from other, perhaps unrelated things, all into this. I believe him when he says this isn't coming from bitterness, and I think he said it with a good and valid reason, but I do think that some of what he's saying isn't entirely important to this specific announcement. Then again, I have no idea of what discussions went on in the Council, or even the MLs, about this.

But of course, there's more than just the tone and such that Brendan was talking about. But I, at least, appreciate knowing, as much as I wish it weren't true, that there was difficulty and argument over this and other things. Not because I think that's a good thing, but because I had no idea of much of the cost of various decisions. Honestly? I think people here have been too quiet about disagreement. Certainly the forum can be run as the Admin sees fit, but as a user, well, I actually prefer that not everything in the leadership is all quiet and kept secret, with no one knowing that this decision was made with these reasons. Certainly we hear about some things, but surely it wouldn't end the forum for us lowly users (fine, I'm a mod. That doesn't mean I know anything more than anyone else) to have a bit of input here and there, and maybe even to know what decisions weren't made, and what supports there were for things. Some grievances should be kept private. Others should be public. Others still should begin private, but if not addressed, should become public. And how, by the way, do any of you know that Brendan didn't say anything to Jay? Unless one or the other told you, which I acknowledge is possible, you're leaping to judgement in a matter you don't know anything about. Not really a good thing to be doing. And whether or not Brendan did go to Jay first, as perhaps he should have, I'm pretty sure that much of what is here flows from grievances already addressed in private, which I think are perfectly fine to have be in public, if necessary. I've seen and heard of forums where much too much was kept private, which, admittedly along with other issues, ended up damaging the forum and the integrity of the staff rather massively, at least as I see it. And I believe I know of at least one thing that was supposed to be spoken of publicly, albeit almost certainly not directly, but hasn't been. Perhaps I missed it while I was gone, perhaps other things put it aside. But I think it's important to know things like the fact that the council was heavily split on some issue or other, or at least, it can be.

Now, I haven't said anything in this thread yet, because I felt no need to, but I guess I should make something clear. I support Elanor as the admin. Is she the best choice? No clue. Will she do well? I think so. I'd be surprised if not. Should someone else have been chosen? Not even going to go there, and at this point, well, for Elanor's sake, it probably should be kept private, unless maybe there's something very serious there. But really, we don't need dissension over who's the admin.

Should Brendan have brought up Grace's and Kaitlyn's objections without their permission? Probably. Should Jay have written his post in such a way that no one could reasonably feel aggrieved for them (and any others) based on how it seems to treat them? Well, yeah. He wouldn't have had to directly address their concerns to make it seem less like a 'by the way, I'm right and all' and more like a 'and here's what I thought was best, although others disagreed'. Clearly, I think, at least one person, and probably more, didn't handle some parts of this well at all. We should be able to get through these sorts of things much more amicably. People fail, of course, but apologies and reconciliation are a good policy afterwards. Maybe such things are happening and have happened in private, and that's fine. Personally, I think some things like that are good in public to be an example, but hey, not my choice.

And by the way? Please, nothing more about what Brendan said here being childish. Brendan, I believe, thought it was better for HW for this to be put in the public, and I think I agree. I don't know what secrets people are talking about, I don't know what bits of people being duped happened, I don't really have a problem with the ranks, but... Good people are very concerned. I would rather know this than be in the dark about it. Perhaps some of these things should be put to the users of HW. Perhaps not. But when people talk about dark secrets and being duped, then, well, I wonder. Either they're overreacting or wrong or something, or there's something very wrong going on.

I don't know how useful any of this has been to anyone, I don't know how much sense it made. But I had to say something, though I think it would have gone better if dinner hadn't come between my reading and my responding. I've probably missed things, but well, I've been wordy enough.

Last thing I'd like to say: I know things have to move slowly sometimes, and I know things go on that we don't know about. And I'm sure Elanor will do a good job of fixing what problems there are. But, if possible, I'd appreciate knowing what's being fixed when things are being fixed with changes. Then, at least, I might eventually know what on earth people are going on about in some of these discussions. I don't know if I'm oblivious or what, but really...

Fine. Have it your way.

^^This. In my honest opinion, the leadership group has somewhat-fragmented over the past year and it shouldn't have had to have gone this way. While I can't pretend to know the full extent of the causes of these schisms, from the humble opinion of one of the non-admins/higher-ups/"normal people" (in terms of ranking and authority and such), I don't know how much all of this politics is really necessary. At its core, HW is a community of writers trying to discuss literary topics and help each other out in the writing and world-building. And the politics just seem to be driving people away. I feel like if the focus was more given to the community, and letting their activity and interests more drive the forum, that HW might begin to stop having all the problems it's been experiencing over the past year and a half. If we really are just focused on us as writers and as a community, politics isn't needed here. It's just about us, as writers, communicating and talking to each other. And not much else seems needed within this vision.

I also am not completely content with the fact that as HW leadership is dividing, the general populace of HW really has no idea what is happening, and can give no real input in this discussion. Unless a lot of the aqua-colored-name people disagree with me on this, I'd like to know why exactly parts of the forum leadership is collapsing and what this is about because we're primarily a community of writers. Not an organization. But a community. And I feel like the community ought to know why parts of HW are going down the tube.

That's all that I have to say here. But I really feel like the political stuff is just dividing people, that on the surface level of HW the politics isn't changing anything either way, and somewhere higher-up, something about HW merely being a writing community seems to have been lost. And I feel like it's really suffering because of that...

Respectfully submitted for consideration,

~Aratrea

This. I'm not aqua-colored, but I have been utterly confused while reading this thread, as I'm sure a lot of other people have been. It would be nice to know at least somewhat why 'parts of HW are going down the tube' and what is going on. Now, that's just my opinion, and it's not mean to offend or sound bossy or nagging. It's just what I think. I've wanted to state my opinion on other things in this thread, but I have refrained (and will continue to refrain), because I obviously do not know the entire story, and I don't consider it my place to say anything.

But here's the lecture anyway.

Your opinion doesn't matter.

What's done is done. You don't get to change it. The question is: what are you going to do with it? Move on? Accept things as they are and get on with your life? Or stay stuck in this endless circle of hurt and arguing and debate?

Got issues with how Jay handled things? Bring it up with Jay. Have issues with leadership? Contact leadership. Privately. Have concerns or questions about how things are going to be from now on? Bring them up politely, respectfully, and in the form of a question. Stop turning this forum into a melodrama. "Informing" other members about things that are in the past isn't helpful. It's no longer relevant. Get your head out of everything that's gone wrong and GET ON WITH THE FUTURE.

You want to make a change? Talking up here isn't the way to do it. The way you change things is by actually doing things. The way you change people is first by changing yourself. You don't do it by publicly destroying your friendships.

I'd like to formally welcome the new Admin.

I'm certain that Elanor's time will be a blessing to the forum.
While I had no clear preference for either an admin or a council I'm relieved to see the matter decided.

I know there have been many things done in secret and discussed in secret and I can see how those things have hurt people here. I would really like to see more transparency in the leadership, and hope that will be the case in the future.

I have offered my support and whatever advice is desired to the new admin and have high hopes for the future of HW.

As for the questions in the previous two posts, I feel I can address that fairly. In appointing a new admin Jay has restructured the forum leadership. Many Council members were not in favor of the revised structure, which included the complete removal of their position. There were negotiations, suggestions, arguments, reasons given and it didn't change his decision. When Jay appointed the new admin he abolished the Council by removing their permissions on the site. Without warning. (I don't know that he could have done it any other way with all the disagreements.) This is resulting in several Council members either leaving or exposing some of the actions that have previously been hidden from users who weren't in the Council. I hope I have summed that up succinctly, and without bias.

I also wanted to mention that though Airianna has not posted yet that she will be posting soon.

Really now? Our opinions don't matter? And you have the authority to state this? Our opinions can't change the past, but if the right people listen, they can most certainly change the future.

It's not an endless cycle of arguing and debate yet, so far as I can see. Maybe it was where it was, but that seems pretty preemptive to me. And accepting things as they are doesn't mean not saying anything about the past.

No one is turning this forum into a melodrama. Looking at the other thread, I think there's probably quite a few people that are looking at all of this stuff people are saying about things they knew nothing about and are going 'why didn't we have any idea about this?' If I'm right about that, tell me, would that have been known without people mentioning the past? If everything stays private, isn't it possible that issues will slip by unnoticed, and perhaps cause damage that could have been avoided? The things that happened in the past? Oh, they're relevant. Why? Because ignoring the past does not help the future. Pretending the past didn't happen rarely helps the future. How can you get on with the future without knowing what happened in the past?

I can only see one case of something that could be considered publicly destroying a friendship (singular), and the only thing I can think of that you could be said to be doing better is not naming names, which I don't see how it would help, as in both cases I only see one person to be referring to. Sure, your rant here is less extensive, but if chewing out in public is publicly ruining friendships? How are you doing better?

Also, talking can help change things. Yeah, change yourself before you try to change other people. It's a good idea. But in the meantime? Talking can help. Really, it can.

I posted on the wrong thread. * headdesk *

I'll split this and move it in a moment.

Arien, I don't need authority to state an opinion, or a fact. And "your opinion doesn't matter" is either one or the other depending on whether or not you agree with me.

I don't care about your opinion. Therefore it doesn't matter. I don't care about the leadership, or the politics. If we stopped caring, it would go away. If we started caring about things that really mattered thent he problem would disappear. To repeat an old adage:

DON'T FEED THE TROLL.

If you just stop putting words in, then it will shrivel up and go away.

Brendan, people gossip because people gossip. Being private or public doesn't change the nature of people.

I suppose. I... ah, forget it. That won't go anywhere. But I will say that it wasn't clear to me that it was entirely opinion.

Really? Not caring about something makes it go away? Not as I've ever noticed. Not caring about something means... it goes on like it would without you. Sure, if none of us cared at all, things might go better... or we might not bother to fix things that should be fixed. Do 'we' (in general) care too much right now? Maybe. Wouldn't surprise me. But I don't see how not caring at all is the solution, either.

And on the bit about people gossiping, without a quote because I'm already putting too much effort into this instead of schoolwork, well, just because people will do something anyway doesn't mean that we can't do things that would encourage or discourage it.

And I think Eleutheria is right. Unfortunately, I really don't know where the balance is.

Thank you for your explanation. Although I feel like there's a bit more going on than just this given the fact that it isn't just ex-Council members who are leaving...



^Mhm. I believe that those of us who are not "in-the-know" don't want to know what's going on just to know all the fights and mistakes that people in leadership have made. We just don't like seeing the leadership (and hence the community) falling apart like this, and we'd like to know what the cause of this is so that we can weigh in on the potential solutions.

While leadership exists for a reason (in order to make these decisions), since it's a community, I feel like we have the right to know the general issues and the possible solutions, and at least have a greater chance to give an opinion on it. Since even governments work better when the people have a say in things and know what's going on. And if that works best for governments & nations, how much more for communities? Not to see secrets that ought to remain private and personal. But just to be able to give voice to the policy decisions that will inevitably affect our community, and that are driving people away from HW.

In some situations, yeah. If EVERYONE did it. If both armies lay down their arms and walk away then the war doesn't exist anymore, and the question of where to bury the bodies ceases to exist.