I’m a pastor, and a geek, and I honestly don’t know why I keep putting myself “out there” for people to see. Actually, I’m rather introverted in my natural state. So, while pushing the envelope and leading is kind of compulsive for me -it’s also out character. If anyone wants to write a paper on my particular form of insanity please let me know (I could use the royalties). Really, I’m just “painfully hopeful.” I hope that I can be a decent pastor, geek, father, and husband. It’s just sometimes I’m painfully aware that I’m not quite all that I want to be. This is OK, however, because I have hope that maybe one day – I will. “Painfully Hopeful” is my story.
Painfully Hopeful 
Well, here’s the bright side to your “particular form of insanity”: You get to be famous when the medical dictionaries call it “Wezlo’s Disease.”
I’m curious: What denomination of church do you pastor?
Thanks cliff!
It’s an ABC Church – part of abcnj.net
Well, wezlo… we seem to have a great deal in common. We are both pastors (me former for ten years Christ Memorial Baptist of Dover, DE- An ABC church), I am a rabid Phillies fan (had to watch the game on TV last night…), presently in ministry with an organization called Officers’ Christian Fellowship where I am blessed to minister to Marine officers at Quantico, VA (I am a former Marine and a retired Navy Chaplain), and I am a geek (wannabee) with my Macs, my Treo 755, and my iPod touch.
You have my email…
Glad to make your acquaintance Rick!
There is answer to your article https://wezlo.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/ – you can read response at http://www.accordancebible.com/3315386/
I’d suggest you to watch tutorials
http://www.biblesoftwaremac.com/training/Start.html
I also initially had lots of problems with Accordance, bcause I wanted it to work just like BibleWorks, but then I ordered training DVD, and since then never looked back! Accordance is way better, it’s just you have to learn everything again. But then you can FLY!
Guntis, thanks – that article on the Accordance blog is actually based on my post.
Good grief, I have Wezlo’s disease.
I can ditto every self description in your post Wezlo.
I read your comment on internetmonk about a sermon you were preaching on communion. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Wezlo!
I just started blogging a couple of months ago and am now checking out other blogs – glad I found yours!
By the way, I’m a big baseball fan, and I thought your article on Harry Kalas was very nice – truly one of the greats!
Hope is really expectation, and you sound like you have a lot to offer, so expect great things!
All my best
I’ve been scanning through your blog and realized you son has OC. I also have it and am 35. Just wanted to encourage you and say God has been with me all through the years and given me a full and rich life.
Please feel free to write if you have any questions.
Jill
Thanks Jill – it really doesn’t slow my son down at all. He’s a pretty active kid.
Hi,
My name is Summer Page and I am the Assistant Development Coordinator here at Broad Street Ministry. I was reading your blog and thought you may be interested in our event that we are hosting this coming Wednesday. It’s about the changing face of Evangelicals and politics. Here’s some of the info on the event, and if you’re interested in attending I can send you some flyers. Thanks for your time!
—
The Changing Face of Evangelicals
A Discussion Featuring Tony Campolo and Shaun Casey
Wednesday, September 16 7:00-8:30 pm
Broad Street Ministry
The Topic
The 2008 Presidential election saw both political parties seriously contending for evangelical votes. As a result, 32 percent of white evangelicals between 18 and 31 years old voted for President Obama, doubling Senator John Kerry’s 16 percent in 2004. Abortion and same-sex marriage are taking a back seat to concerns about the environment, genocide, and human trafficking. Evangelicals are also increasingly racially diverse, with 16 million Hispanic Americans claiming affiliation. This forum asks: where is evangelicalism going and how will politicians court its members in future elections?
The Speakers
Shaun Casey is Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. He holds degrees from Harvard Divinity School and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He served as religious advisor to the Obama and Kerry Presidential campaigns, heading evangelical outreach for Obama. Tony Campolo is Professor of Sociology at Eastern University and Director of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE). Holding degrees from Eastern College and Temple University, he combines a sociological understanding of evangelicalism with firsthand experience working to fight poverty domestically and abroad.
The Venue
Broad Street Ministry has long been interested in the intersection of faith and politics. In July 2008, we coordinated “Re-Imagining Politics: Jesus for President”, a forum with authors Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. Over 900 people attended the book tour’s only Philadelphia appearance. Broad Street Ministry and its programs are well respected within the Philadelphia community and have been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia City Paper, Philadelphia Weekly, and Faith and Leadership. Broad Street Ministry is also a vibrant community of faith, with a growing number of young evangelicals concerned about a vast array of issues.
The Questions
* What issues are mobilizing evangelicals?
* Is there common ground and where are the fault lines?
* How will politicians appeal to evangelical voters in 2010, 2012 and beyond?
Evangelicals represent millions of voices, votes, and moral commitments. Far from being a monolithic political block, evangelicals inhabit every part of the political spectrum. Broad Street Ministry asks you to consider how this shift occurred and what it means for America’s future.
wezlo disease: a.k.a. “continually putting yourself out there online” is actually a classic introvert thing – communication via screen and keyboard has very clear boundaries, feels like one on one talk, private, even intimate. the communicator can walk away any time your introvert has had enough face time and not offend.
Ah yes, Deb – but you forget I’m also a pastor and frequent public speaker!
Wezlo….. I forgot we were connected on Linked-In until a few moments ago when scrolling through my contacts (for some unknown reason). Followed that to your blog here. It’s been awhile since I hung up my spurs on Christdot many moons ago. Does it still exist? I suppose I could look and see…..
How have you been? I see your the denominational tech guru for your neck of the woods. Good fit.
Just thought I’d pop by and say hello. Seemed more appropriate here than on Linked-In.
I take it you’ve got an iPad. Have you tried Opus Domini yet? If not, check it out. Busy guy like you might like it.
Christdot no longer exists, some folks migrated to a site called theophiles, but I’m not involved with it..
Good to hear from you!
Hi Wezlo! Mike Morrell and I really appreciate your blog, and think you’d be an excellent candidate for our Speakeasy Blogger Network. Do you like to review off-the-beaten path faith, spirituality, and culture books? Speakeasy puts interesting books in your hands at no charge to you. You only get books when you request them, and it’s free to join. Sign up here, if you’d like: http://thespeakeasy.info
You’re not on any contact lists, I promise; if you don’t respond, that’s it, and the invitation is open as long as you’re actively blogging. Hope you join us!
Hi Philip – thanks for the invite, I’ll certainly check into it!
Hello, Wezlo! Mike Morrell asked me to contact you because he really appreciates your blog and thinks you’d be an excellent candidate for his Speakeasy Blogger Network. Do you like to review off-the-beaten path faith, spirituality, and culture books? Speakeasy puts interesting books in your hands at no charge to you. You only get books when you request them, and it’s free to join. Sign up here, if you’d like: http://thespeakeasy.info
I’m interested in this! I have a (shady š history as a book reviewer, and i’ve been wondering about getting involved again, but i don’t want to just do fiction and general non-fiction these days. Spiritual texts is where it’s at for me āĀ and i love love love the less-beaten path.
I really like the sentiments i’ve read here so far, and i agree with many of them, especially the idea that there is always something positive in painful experiences, and the idea that women are the mightier gender. (When i meet people who are interested in this subject, i like to ask if they are familiar with the word “philogyny”. I would ask you to not look it up ā i’m curious about whether this is in other people’s (passive, even) vocabulary.)
Thanks for putting yourself out there for us. It’s important that we share at this level, if we can *hope* to better understand one another. I’m doing the same thing at my blog, when and where i can. I look forward to following your posts.
Thanks for the kind thoughts, and welcome.
Thanks. Are you familiar with philogyny? Perhaps i should have been more clear that was a question.
I make out the word from the Greek, have to admit that it had me a bit concerned.
Oh, interesting. Why is it concerning? I have to go to work now, but i’m interested in chatting about this.
Heh, because “woman lover” would be a rather clever way for an “adult site” spammer to mask their real content. When I figured out what you meant I kinda chuckled.
Curious, that you would read that into it. It would be a rather intellectually elaborate way of duping a pastor into accidentally looking at smut. Philogyny is about far more than its most surface-level denotation. Consider, for example, that “love of wisdom” is a fairly simplistic way of translating “philosophy”.
Wasn’t even thinking Pastor, just clever. Like I said, I chucked when I understood the context.
I am still curious: why did you chuckle? what do you think it means, when you put it together from Greek? what do you mean when you say women are the mightier gender?
I chuckled at my own suspicious nature.
Would you prefer to continue this conversation in private? You seem reluctant to respond in full here. My email is bodhiabhijan@gmail.com if you’re interested.
Abhijan, I won’t post your last comment as I don’t like putting people’s email addresses out in the open. I realized I didn’t answer what I meant by “the stronger sex” – my blog entry for today kind of explains why I’m a bit frazzled.
Okay. It’s my email, but it’s your blog ā i respect that. I don’t want to troll your comments with my insistence upon a conversation about this subject. I really am just curious though ā i so rarely encounter others with a similar interest.
There really isn’t all that much to it, to be honest. I’ve see my wife give birth, and we’ll leave it at that (since, pretty much, that’s it).
It has been nice having some engagement, though. Thanks!
Okay, no worries.
I can relate to your sentiments about introverts putting ourselves out there! Like you, I’m introvert, and like you, I put myself out there on stage – as a singer, vocal coach and vocal consultant. I was (among other things) one of the singers in our former church’s worship band for over 12 years, and now that we’ve joined a new church I’m getting involved here too (starting off leading a vocal coaching seminar this January). Why do we do it? I think for me that, as long as I have a specific task, I’m comfortable in the role while I’m there, knowing I can pull back into my introvert shell as soon as it’s over. š
This is what I’ve concluded as well. As long as I have a role or task I’m typically fine in large, or even unfamiliar, social situations. If I have no role or task, I’m a train-wreck.
And once my role or task is over I’m ready to head home and take a nap.
Thanks for stopping by!
I usually describe that train-wreck as wall flower. š
Yes,well, I’m actually unwise enough to attempt small talk. It’s horribly awkward.
You described me to a “T.” Minus the pastor part. But I am a follower of Jesus and I look forward to reading more of your posts. š
Hi, I am a messianic Jew and an university Old Testament teacher. I need to get in touch for a piece of advice. Would this be possibleĀ ?
Depends on what it is I suppose! If you have twitter you can DM me @wezlo
Hello,
Would you be interested in reviewing Art of Wuxia? I can send you a free copy.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/312439/Art-of-Wuxia-Core-Rules