David said in a comment today: Julie Anne, wouldn't that be a fun game? If you’d post your thoughts toward a new name and let us help you discern what might be a good place name. I don't have any suggestions at the moment, but I'd be curious what others would call this place. Elsewhere I refer to here as ja'blog.
Great idea. So, how 'bout a name change? Here are some ideas off the top of my head.
The goal of the blog is to discuss, define, identify spiritual abuse, share stories, offer support, discuss what healthy churches/pastors/congregations "look like", etc.
My Twitter Name is Defend the Sheep. The blog name does not need to be the same or anything close to it. It was all that I could come up with in a very short period of time.
I like the imagery of: shelter, refuge, calm, safety, serene, peace, haven
I like the imagery of: hope, comfort, help
I like the imagery of: traveling, journey, path, exploring, wander
I like the imagery of a loving and gracious God, blessing, healing, restoration
I'm a musician and love musical terms: melody, harmony, sing/song, finesse
I guess I'm now a writer: words, message, reflect, ponder, muse, dream, discover, wonder
I love the imagery of relationships: nurturing, caring, building, growing, conversation, heart-to-heart, empathy
*Sheep imagery: tend, gather, gather the remnant, pasture
*Words that connote we are not dumb: astute, insightful, shrewd, intelligent, prowess
*New ideas added
An Attorney recommended to me at one point to be sure to do a Google search to make sure the name is not already in use by someone else. That's a great idea. I don't want to step on anyone's toes.
Ok, I'd love to see your suggestions! Thanks!
photo credit: Adikos via photo pin cc
I think you should take a page from the Fred Butler playbook and change the name of the blog to "Wing & Drumstick."
ReplyDeleteROFLOL - I just disrupted my kids' movie laughing out loud! I wish you could see their faces - haha.
DeleteJulie Anne,
ReplyDeleteHere are just some ideas including the number of Google hits if you put the phrase in advanced search on phrase:
Song of the sheep - 31,500,000
A Healing Journey - 647,000
Healing Haven - 33,900 (I like this one best.)
Shelter the Sheep - 15,600
Comfort the Sheep - 9,290
Nurture the Sheep - 3,400
I figured the lower the number of hits on Google,the better. Right?
So your blog would pop up closer to the top. I don't think you want to use a name that has 31 million hits.
Thanks, Sheep-Dog - those are good - Looks like Healing Haven won't work - there's already a blog: "HealingHaven ™
DeleteI'll look up some of the others :)
Julie Anne, instead of thinking of sheep, I can't stop thinking of the shepherd, and by shepherd I mean the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. His sheep hear His voice and know Him and follow. Many of the sheep who come to this blog have been battered by people they considered their shepherd, and that hurts especially bad because we expect better. Instead of focusing on a name surrounding sheep, perhaps you could come up with a blog name along the lines of learning the true Shepherd's voice.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I like your Twitter name because the Good Shepherd promises in scripture to defend the sheep.
Julie Anne,
ReplyDeleteA few years when I was going through a rough time, the Holy Spirit led me to Jeremiah 23:1-4. At that time I drew great comfort from these verses and have since used them to keep His priorities, my priorities.
Al - That is such a beautiful passage - and you're right, very comforting. I liked some of the word pictures in the passage, too: tend, gather the remnant, I'll have to add these words for blog name possibilities.
DeleteJulie Anne,
ReplyDeleteI sent you an e-mail with some ideas. I guess it would really depend on the direction you want to take the blog. If the primary purpose of this blog would be to expose spiritually abusive pastors, churches, and practices, something like "watching for wolves" or "wolf watch" might be in order. If you want to concentrate more on survivors than the acutal abusive practices, then I like the suggestions that sheep-dog made.
I'd suggest that you use google's keyword tool to figure out how many potential hits you'll get on a keyword combination. It's a really helpful tool when deciding on a site name and site content to draw the most number of visitors in and make your site most visible to users on google.
Matthias - Can you please resend. I just checked my mail/spam boxes and can't find it. Thanks!
DeleteMatthias,
DeleteI love "Wolf Watch".. Best one yet if the purpose of the blog is to expose abusive pastors, churches etc.
I think this blog serves both exposing and the journey of healing from spiritual abuse. It's important to identify wolves and their behavior and we have certainly done that. It's also important to move on in the healing process.
DeleteShepherdess’ Shelter ?
ReplyDeleteI’m thinking of all those shepherdess paintings done by William-Adolphe Bouguereau.
Here’s one Bouguereau did with a redhead.
or lose the apostrophe
DeleteShepherdess Shelter
Would people think I'm competing with God for the shepherd title? :)
Deleteshepherdess addresses both the sheep and the wolf issue
Deleteand aesthetically—i like how the five ‘e’s look, and with the ‘e’ being the only vowel it alliterates well
The same Jesus that said, “I am the light of the world,” also said, “You are the light of the world.” As Jesus is King of Kings and Queens; He is also Shepherd of Shepherds and Shepherdesses. There is no competing in the Shepherd Realm. We are what we are in the oneness of the One.
DeleteIf you decide to take the name, you can always consider that it was given, that it wasn’t something you 'exalted' yourself to but was recognized and affirmed as such from those who you humbly minister to and minster alongside of.
The name Shepherdess Shelter does draw some personal attention to you, to your story. But it’s the story that brought all our stories here together.
Thank you, David. Those are good points. I'll add it to the list for consideration.
Delete*The same Jesus who said..
DeleteAnd of course all true shepherdesses and shepherds point to the Good Shepherd. And all our true stories point to the Good Story, the gospel of the One who loves us and laid down His life for His sheep.
"JAR.com"
ReplyDeleteHA - It's already taken: JAR.com - And it doesn't sound like me AT ALL!!!:
DeleteIn business for 25 years, Jordan, Apostal, Ritter Associates is a recognized leader in finite element technology. JAR participated in a number of high profile engineering projects, such as redesign of the O-ring seals for the space shuttle solid rocket booster after the Challenger accident, and structural analysis of the primary mirror for the Hubbell space telescope. In recent years, we have applied CAE technology to all types of analysis and design problems for clients in industry, government, and the legal community.
LOL! But in all seriousness: go for the core. Something that transcends all of the residual issues and speaks to the crux. Immel's "Spiritual Tyranny .com" is a good example. Maybe "Spiritual Despotism .com" I contend that the crux today is "2 churches only." Because of our cultures underlying presuppositions of mankind, a church will either seek to control you, or help you develop your own priesthood in Christ. That's it--that's the bottom line, and the latter is an endangered species. Bless you sister! You are needed in the army that is beginning to arise.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking about that "owned" word that you refer to. You know our teens use it all the time: "I owned you!" when they win a game - lol.
DeleteOwned by Christ came to mind.
Owned by Christ is also already taken.
DeleteYou could always start the new name with Julie Anne's and choose what ever ending you want.
ReplyDeleteJim
Julie Anne's Discerning Sheep Blog. Sounds good to me.
DeleteJim
Free Indeed (if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed)
ReplyDeleteI like Comfort the Sheep or Defending the Sheep - but if we go with Wing and Drumstick, I must insist on extra crispy.
ReplyDeleteAnd mashed potatoes with gravy.
HAHAHAHA - that's great. I think Wing and Drumstick is hilarious. Literally makes me LOL!!
DeleteFree to Follow Christ
ReplyDeleteFree to Follow
Broken Chains
Slave's Journey
Freedom's Journey
Strength to Stand
Unbound Spirit
For the Love of Christ
Called out of Darkness
Into the Light
I'll probably think up more later. If you want to get setup with a domain as well just let me know.
Calling all Lost Sheep!
DeleteThank you, Doug! :) Will do!! How do I find out if a domain name is taken?
DeleteHi Julie Anne, One place you can check out whether a domain name has been taken is at GoDaddy.
Deletehttp://www.godaddy.com/
In the large blank window near the top, just type in the name as you would expect to use it, and it supplies the [.com] part. I'd suggest that you NOT use dashes in the title, as people can't always remember those and it can cause problems ...
For instance, type in bgbcsurvivors.com and it should note that it's already taken. Meanwhile, bgbc-survivors.com. So ... what if someone searching for your website got these two mixed up and went somewhere you didn't want them to?
GoDaddy may not be the best place to register. Find an IT dood or doodette to help with that. But this will get you started.
i was assuming ja, at this stage, was merely wanting to change the header name, replacing "BGBC Survivors" with something more fitting for the present.
Deleteunderstood ... i was just using current name to show how to search for domain names that are taken. and how crazy things can happen with the seemingly minor addition of a lil ole dash! for instance, consider this set of blog names:
Deleteshepherdess
shepherd-ess
where "ess" is an acronym for Eternal Subordination of the Son, considered by some these days to be a hair's breadth away from heresy. think of the different crowds (and potential trolls?) each could draw!
sometimes, it pays to consider whether we should be dashing, or not ...
^^^^^^ this would be why I am so thankful to have this support. I have no clue about these things. Thanks, guys! I always appreciate the good counsel. And yikes, Brad - what a difference a dash makes.
DeleteFirst off, Julie Anne, I appreciate the grace and humility you continually show in your blog posts and response to comments. I think you have indeed made this a safe place for hurting people. At the same time, you're constantly reminding us that Christ is at work, and that we are all in-process, for His glory.
ReplyDeleteMy suggestion is from Psalm 30:11 -> Mourning into Dancing
Actually the whole of Psalm 30 paints a wonderful picture of God at work in the midst of our pain, "that my soul may sing praise to Thee and not be silent" (v.12). I think your blog echoes that sentiment.
Thanks for what you're doing here, Julie Anne.
OK, so here's my kick at the can. Since you started this blog because of spiritual abuse, my thought is that spiritual abuse needs to be in the title. Also, when people Google about this topic, then it would naturally come up closer to the top.
ReplyDeleteThus, Spiritual Abuse Refuge, or JA's Spiritual Abuse Refuge
This would suggest a safe place to talk about this topic but have the potential for networking with others at a place of 'refuge', a place of oasis, being refreshed in and with community, and then the hope of moving on.
Barb - that's a really good point to have spiritual abuse in the title for searches. That is important.
DeleteJA says,
ReplyDelete*Words that connote we are not dumb: astute, insightful, shrewd, intelligent, prowess"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ROFL... JA / If you want to connote we are NOT dumb, you're going to have to lose the word "sheep" --- Remember my sheep story and how dumb those animals really are.
Believe me, they are pretty stupid creatures. I still don't like thinking of myself as a sheep. I don't care how much scripture you care to throw at me. lol
I had a lot of sheep name ideas at the start because I knew you loved the word "sheep".
Barb-
That JA's Spiritual Abuse Refuge is a cool name if she wants to keep the same theme (Spiritual Abuse) going for the long term.
See, that's why I liked both contrast words together - we are referred to as sheep, but yet we are supposed to be as shrewd as snakes at the same time - polar opposites. Look at this:
DeleteMatthew 10:16: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves."
Pretty soon we'll all see why you're a know-it-all about sheep ;) baaaaah baaaah
Half my life ago I kept longhaired male hamsters and was friends with a Christian brother who kept large exotic snakes. When he would offer to let me hold his snake, I declined. I wasn’t interested. Neither was I interested in letting that snake-lover hold my hamsters; he fed his snakes creatures kin to my adorable rodents. To this day I don’t understand the petship of snakes. Surely they’re not as personable as hamsters, or cats or dogs or birds?
DeleteIf I remember correctly, in my reading experience of various legends and lore a snake was always a snake, it represented dark sinister forces of nature. However, a wolf was often more than a wolf, it could represented anything along the vast spectrum of good and evil, the sacred and profane. My question, though, is: Can a wolf (or even a snake for that matter) be tamed?
Years ago here in Highland Park there was a guy who walked this enormous black wolf-dog. I’m not even sure the animal was legal. It may have been almost entirely wolf. Thing is, the wolf-dog was not completely under this man’s control. In fact, it was strong enough to pull this man where ever the beast wanted to go.
The wolf-dog was a beautiful but bad animal. The man would let me pet him, but you’d have to watch yourself, this was not a tame beast. When I’d walk alongside the man and his wolf-dog, the wolf would nip at me, with teeth that hurt. There was a sheer wildness in this animal.
I’m reminded now of what Mr. Tumnus said to Lucy concerning Aslan the Lion: “...You must not press him. After all, he’s not a tame lion.” Lucy then responded: “No, but he is good.”
Last night my friend Dallas told me the Cherokee Legend of Two Wolves. I share it now with you.
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Al Wilson sings The Snake (1968):
DeleteThe Snake (( YouTube 3:33 )) .
On her way to work one morning
Down the path along side the lake
A tender hearted woman saw a poor half frozen snake
His pretty colored skin had been all frosted with the dew
"Oh well," she cried, "I'll take you in and I'll take care of you"
"Take me in oh tender woman
Take me in, for heaven's sake
Take me in oh tender woman," sighed the snake
She wrapped him up all cozy in a curvature of silk
And then laid him by the fireside with some honey and some milk
Now she hurried home from work that night as soon as she arrived
She found that pretty snake she'd taking in had been revived
"Take me in, oh tender woman
Take me in, for heaven's sake
Take me in oh tender woman," sighed the snake
Now she clutched him to her bosom, "You're so beautiful," she cried
"But if I hadn't brought you in by now you might have died"
Now she stroked his pretty skin and then she kissed and held him tight
But instead of saying thanks, that snake gave her a vicious bite
"Take me in, oh tender woman
Take me in, for heaven's sake
Take me in oh tender woman," sighed the snake
"I saved you," cried that woman
"And you've bit me even, why?
You know your bite is poisonous and now I'm going to die"
"Oh shut up, silly woman," said the reptile with a grin
"You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in
"Take me in, oh tender woman
Take me in, for heaven's sake
Take me in oh tender woman," sighed the snake
upchuck recovery
ReplyDeleteMeow-
DeleteYou're too funny....ROFL
Meow - That sounds like a name of a recovery group for people who have drinking problems :)
DeleteJA-
ReplyDeleteI see your point on polar opposites as shown in your example.
"Spiritual Abuse Refuge" is a great name in my opinion. I was thinking how I would find it if I were to use Google. And "spiritual abuse" would be the two words I would put in a search phrase.
Honestly, I would never think to type something about sheep into a Google search to find a spiritual abuse forum or blog.
I'll answer your email after I get back from groceries. Baaah Baaah Baaah
I think there's a blog named "Battered Sheep". I grin just thinking about that name. Sounds like the lamb chops have been dipped in batter before cooking. No offense meant to the owner. I know what they really meant.
i really like the suggested words “Discerning” and “Comfort”
ReplyDeleteI do, too, David. If those words don't make the top title, I think they (or words with that kind of feel to them) should be included in the subtitle.
DeleteHere's another:
ReplyDeleteSpiritual Abuse Chatline--invites discussion on the topic in an open setting.
BTW we got to meet one of the people behind the Battered Sheep site a number of years ago. Over time they have gathered a huge resource for people.
hmmm, that's an idea. Also, Spiritual Abuse Discussion Group - - it seems boring and generic, but it would definitely show up in the search engines. Thanks, Barb.
DeleteSpiritual Abuse Support and Discussion
DeleteLet's Talk: Spiritual Abuse
Overcomers Forum (Or instead of Forum Network or Community could be used)
ReplyDeleteCommunity of Grace or Grace Forum (not like the version of "grace" at you know where) :-)
True Grace Fellowship or Forum (not like the version of "grace" at you know where) :-)
His Sufficient Grace
Healing Waters
Moving Forward
Safe Haven
Comfort for the Weary
Rest for the Weary
Spiritual Armor Repair Service :-)
trying to find one that would work with KFC to continue the chicken idea but I got nothing! :-)
These are just some random ideas...
Good Gravy? LOL
DeleteThanks, Randy!!
Good Gravy! Ha! Love it...go with it sister! ha! :-)
Deletei truly love "His Sufficient Grace" !
DeleteDavid, I do, too. That seems to be so lacking in spiritually abusive churches.
DeleteHis grace is even sufficient enough to cover those believers who are not actively members of an organized church. Some Church folk regard these non-attenders as 'lost sheep outside the fold' and 'backslidden.'
DeleteAnd God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever” (2 Cor 9:8-9).
and
I know a man in Christ who heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast of my weaknesses... a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me humble. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me... For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor 12:1-10).
Love those verses, David. So appropriate!
DeleteJulie Anne,
ReplyDeleteYou may have noticed that I changed the name of the blog to BGBC Survivors. ... The blog has been much more general in nature and serves a wider audience now and the name doesn't really apply to the majority of the readers.
As you have said, originally the scope of this blog was limited to those who have experienced spiritual abuse in just one church - BGBC - which then became a wider audience as spiritual abuse was found to be a more widespread problem and not just within the walls of BGBC. In determining a new name for the blog, you may consider the scope of the potential audience you are trying to address.
First you have to define that scope. Consider the scope to be concentric circles (like the rings of water emanating from a droplet); the broader the scope, the wider the audience. To do that, you need to consider your end goals.
Do you want this space to be just for those who have experienced spiritual abuse and are seeking a new church, or are you hoping to also reach those seeking a new denomination? What about a new religion, or no religious beliefs at all? Is your goal to assist with identifying spiritual abuse with the end goal of getting the abused back to Christ, or is the end goal to help in healing of the abused regardless of where they wind up spiritually? The broader the scope, the more generic the name (and the less likely a future name change when the audience grows).
Personally, I also like the inclusion of "spiritual abuse" in the title.
One thing you may also consider is what the acronym will be for your title (as it will most likely be used to refer to the blog in short hand - you would most likely want to refrain from a title that would be an unfortunate acronym). For instance "Spiritual Abuse Dialog" would be SAD (which spiritual abuse is) and "Spiritual Abuse Conversation" would be SAC (which could have a negative connotation). You may want to do google searches on prospective acronyms to make sure the acronym doesn't have a negative connotation with an existing acronym (like SARS would have). Conversely, you could pick out an acronym that you wanted to use (because of how it reads) then back-annotate the acronym to fit.
Just my $0.02.
~Ostracon
Ostracon, I think that was worth at least $2.02. Thank you so much - great, great advice! I hadn't thought about the acronym aspect!
Delete