Fiery Darts
I have a Google thing that patrols the internet looking for the name of my blog or the link to my blog. I get a comprehensive email every evening giving me links. (Do you know how many times Halle Barry is associated with the word “homemaker”? A whole lot more often than you’d think.)
As the months have gone by and my blog has grown, I have become more and more the focus of very odd blogs and message boards. It would appear that some people find entertainment or amusement in, I guess the best term is trashing, homemaking blogs – specifically Christian homemakers. It is fascinating the things I read. I’m apparently a closed-minded bigot who can’t think for herself so her husband thinks for her — but yet who has the brain capacity to also be brain washing her children into being closed minded bigots via seclusion and child abuse. People wish they could take my daughter away so that they could teach her something other than abstinence and modesty, and take my boys away so that they can teach them how to be open-minded feminists.
I have two knee-jerk reactions to things like that. The first one is flight. I have a phobia to hostility and immediately I think about closing the blog down, quit being openly Christian, quit discussing God, or stick to just recipes and proper ways to mop the floor. Once I recognize and I work through the phobia, the next reaction is fight – respond, reply, comment just like when I used to be active in politics. I did the latter once and never will again. Despite a lack of hostility on my part, a level-headed, kind reply was met with such venom that I simply have never been back there again to ever read about me, even a continued discussion or response to my one reply. There’s no sense in it, no good to come out of it.
One particular site was incredibly interesting. There’s a message board that mocks Christian fundamentalists and I guess I’m new on their radar. They did everything from mock my appearance to what they perceive my sex life is like and everything in between. The cattiness reminds me very much of partisan politics. The kind of politics that had Time Magazine publishing 1980’s big-hair prom pictures of Katherine Harris (Florida’s Attorney General during the 2000 election) or Ann Coulter’s commentary on the ugliness of the women at the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
The thing about me is that I’m not really so much in your face – not the way I could be. And I’m not really classical fundamentalist. My daughter wears blue jeans, can text faster than most people can type, and carries designer purses. She’s upstairs nursing the cheek that got hit by a softball during tryouts at her public middle school. But, you know, we don’t eat pork so we’re obviously abusing our children.
A preacher I love to listen to while I run (my iPod is full of sermons instead of music – how dastardly of me) named Alistair Begg once said, “If you’re not being attacked by the enemy on a regular basis, then you’re obviously not doing any good and you need to step up your game.”
With a weakness against hostility, you can bet that is an area for attacking me. Between emails that get received, comments that don’t get published, and the results of these internet searches, there is certainly A LOT of hostility for Hallee the Homemaker. The kind of hostility that makes me hesitate before hitting the “publish” button for posts like “Brokenness“. Yet, that post alone garnered such a response, publicly and privately, that I knew I’d published it for a specific someone – or several specific someones.
So, I’m going to keep being me, Hallee the Homemaker, and I’m going to keep being me for those thousands of people who read me every week. Within the mix of all of those recipes and articles about the best way to mop your floor, I’m going to keep talking about God and the Bible and how amazing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ has been for my life, because that is who I am. I practice what I “preach” and I live as the person whom I portray. I love my neighbors, I give constantly of my time, talents, and resources, and I do, without hesitation and without prejudice. I am desperate to do more, to give more, to be more – but I’m handicapped right now holding down the fort while my husband serves our country. One day, however, our focus on ministry will be full time and we can finally roll up our sleeves and dig our heels in and DO.
So Hallee the Homemaker will just battle back the fiery darts of the wicked one (Ephesians 6:16) because this is where God has me right now, and this is what He has me doing. I’ll win over my stupid phobias and challenge anyone to come battle me here on my turf. I’ll even love my enemies and those who hate me (Luke 6:27) because, really, that’s how I fly.
Hallee
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Hi, Hallee!
If Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was mocked, harrassed, tortured and humiliated while he walked on this earth in human form, can we reasonably expect better treatment? Though you and I (and countless other Christians) strive to live within a world view that espouses the “Golden Rule”, the wider world lives by a different set of rules than we do. It is this difference that sets us apart, that makes us holy, and affords us the opportunity to live as children of God.
It is human nature to want to be well respected and well liked, and I think it is a reasonable pursuit; however, as a Christian, this endeavor must be tempered with the sobering reality of what Jesus means to the unsaved, unrepentant world ie. we will only ever be attractive to those who love him, and hated vehemently by those who despise him. I applaud your determination to continue the good work you do here, despite the opposition you will receive from naysayers. After all, if we call ourselves Christians, we should strive to live according to the Lord’s example: is this not what Jesus would do? : )
LOVE it Hallee! there is a saying that i love “evil only prevails when good people do nothing” so yes! FIGHT BACK :) i personally LOVE your blog and would be so sad to see it end. You have insired me to be a better homemaker for my husband. He appreciates it so much. Countless posts have touched me. And how you are raising Kaylee is wonderful. Nobody does that anymore. they say teens will do what they do. And i strongly disagree. I didn’t do what everyone else was doing. My parents taught me right :) LOVE YOU! xoxoxoxoxoxox.
Hallee, you know that I am not a “born again,” but I find anyone who trashes your Christianity to be intolerant, close-minded and moronic indeed. If heaven does exist, and I know that you believe that it does with all of the love in your heart, Alan and I will surprise you by showing up there. You have NEVER been offensive to anyone, even those who have been offensive to you. We love you and Gregg and your beautiful, hard-earned, family, and always will.
Love you,
Mari
Knowing full well that with God there is no coincidence, this verse popped out at me this morning:
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.
Psalm 69: 7-12
Hallee,
You have been such a blessing and an inspiration to me. Keep doing what the Lord is leading you to do. You’re obviously doing something right if you’re being attacked. Satan doesn’t want anyone to accomplish anything good for the Kingdom of God. God bless you!
Wow! I was so impressed by your post today. You’ve got guts! I’m glad you’re not going to quit this blog. I love it just the way it is. You’re one of my favorites because you don’t hold back and you’re right on target. We heard in church recently that the devil wants to take out the “king pin” because he knows when he does, it will effect ALL the pins around it. You are reaching so many and I am really proud of you for taking the stand that you have. Keep standing for Christ and getting the truth “out there” to people with your blog. Not everyone who reads your blog leaves a comment but believe me, they’re still reading it. I just want to encourage you to keep on walking with God and being true to who God made you and fulfilling the plan He has for your life. You can’t always please everyone and that’s been a battle for me as well, I just don’t like having enemies, you know. But they’re not your enemies, they just don’t know God the way you do and I pray they’ll get to know Him one day and have that personal relationship with Him that you have. Yes, the enemy (the devil) is out there and he’s attacking the christian and trying to make him/her quit-but Don’t You Quit! So many watch you and you’re an example to them, even to those who mock. Don’t get discouraged- just dig in the more and get strength from Him. He’s the one that really matters-as long as you’re doing what God wants you to do and He’s happy with you, that’s all that matters. Thanks so much for this post today, it really encouraged me and I hope to read many more, Halle.
Well put my friend.
Love you, too. Thank you for the encouragement!
We love you guys, too. Thank you*
Thank you, Daddy. I love that this stood out to you this morning.
God bless you, too, Alecia. I’m rooting for you and praying for you.
I cannot express with mere words how much this encourages me. Thank you so much. God bless you.
Thank-you for hanging in there.You are such a help to so many. I am helped in many different ways by your blog. God bless you! Linda
You are right on Hallee. In the long run, it’s not what other people think about you, it’s what God sees you doing and what He thinks about you, that matters. You are more vocal about your beliefs than I am but it sounds like you are much like me, but have learned to “get over it” and just be you. I’m working on it, you really do inspire me. I kind of think of you as my long distance mentor in a lot of areas (cooking and being a wonderful housewife, to name a couple) and I thank God for you. Keep being you!! :)
Oh Hallee, I’m sorry for the fire that you’ve come under! I’m sure you’ve heard that there’s no such thing as negative publicity.
Who knows, maybe these people that are focusing their attention on you (because they clearly lack better things to do!) are bringing you to the forefront so people who NEED to hear what you have to say will hear it!
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Genesis 50:20
Keep fighting the good fight!
Keep up the good fight. Opposition is often a sign that you are doing some good work.
When you encounter it, that is the time to step up and keep at it.