A Note from Pastor Joan

No complaining? What kind of a stupid ... oops

I come from a long, and distinguished, line of complainers. I am very well educated in the practice. But sometime last year I decided it was something I wanted to give up. I had noticed that the happiest people I knew seldom complained. I liked being around them. But how do you break a life-long (and cherished) habit?

Walking the aisles at Barnes and Noble one day a book literally jumped off the table into my hands. It was Complaint Free World by Will Bowen. He’s a Kansas City minister who challenged his congregation to go 21 days without complaining. Hardly anyone was able to do it. But almost everyone became aware of their useless complaining (about thing you can’t change) and better at their positive complaining (about things you can change.) I enjoyed the book. It’s light-hearted but it does a very good job of making the reader aware of the power, negative and positive, of complaining. I’ve always wanted to offer a book to the whole church that we could read together. Something said to me, “This is the book.”

Vance liked the idea and wanted to participate. The Church Council endorsed the plan.  And the Endowment Committee said they would support it by subsidizing $5 of every book you buy.

Let’s do it together. Please read the book --I have lots of copies.  Join a reading group --one meets on a day that suits you. All the details are in my article “Don’t Spill The Whine.”  This will be fun.

Happy New Year!   Joan