A Bare-All Announcement and Confession.

Hello lovely wonderful friends!

I’ve recently been inspired to work on a book about people-pleasing, attention-seeking, self-regard, and God-centered worth. This is perhaps one of the most besetting, burdening issues in my own journey, and as I’ve seen, for many of us, too.

As I was reading up on it and doing the research, I was reminded again how crippled I am by the opinions of others, how crushed I am by criticism, and how desperate I am to fish for affirmation. That especially includes social media. As they say, I’m better than I was on this, but far from where I’d like to be.

It hit me then that some of my drive to keep this page going was to “stay seen” or relevant in the online world. It’s like keeping up with a show on Netflix just to say you’ve binged the show. I’m sure I’m not alone on this one. Blogging entails an icky conflict between genuinely wanting to encourage others while exhaustively hoping it gets seen. Even this post is balancing both. My priority, of course, is always to be a blessing, but my motives get muddy if I don’t check them. And it’s been a while since I have. I hope my candor here (and my embarrassment in saying all this) will be met with a bit of grace.

I say all that to say: I’m going to massively slow down the frequent posts here and my other media for a season so I can focus better on my current ministry (hospital chaplaincy, which I’ll still be writing about) and this upcoming book. It’s essentially a fast, not only for the book, but to truly live what I’m saying.

In the meantime, I want to temporarily change the intent of this page. Normally I get asked a ton of questions, but I want to ask questions about YOU. Things like, “What’s the most humiliating thing that’s ever happened to you?” or “Can you describe that itchy feeling of cringe-awkwardness-insecurity in ten words or less?” or “What bothers you most about the church/this-song/this-idea/this-article?” Some of your answers might end up in the book, but mostly I want to interact with you in a way that I never have before. I’ll be asking questions in videos too, so I can be a little more vulnerable and open to you.

A last thing: Please pray for all the things that are happening all over the world and next door. Please donate where you can, speak up where you can, bring life where you can. I’m getting off social media to do the same. I’m with you and for you. I got tons of love for you. See you on the road, in the dirt, with sleeves rolled high.

— J.S. Park