How we went from Ruby Red Slippers to Red High Heels.
Many of us have been in the "Ruby Red Slipper group" at one time or another but because we left at different times not everyone knows how we grew into our Red High Heels.
Last summer I found myself co-managing a group with several fine ladies and a "wizard" suffering from narcissism. Several of the members and management of the "Ruby Red Slipper" group of had very serious things going on, a tragic accident in the family, a battle with cancer, battles with severe depression and anxiety, a spouse with bi-polar disorder refusing medication, a recent widow and more. There was a reason each and every member of the "Ruby Red Slipper" group sought out a support group. As time went on more and more attention was focused upon the problems of the narcissistic wizard and the wizards search for a new castle in another land.
One day while looking for new and better backgrounds and websets to make the "Ruby Red Slipper group" a better place I clicked a magical link placed at the bottom of the page by none other than the wizard, this link took me to the other side of the rainbow to a very special group - THE PSP CLIQUE. I didn't know what this special place was until I joined and then I found out it was ran by none other than our very own Shamaness. When I was accepted I noticed the wizard was a member there as well but as soon as I posted a friendly hello I noticed the wizard vanished in a cloud of dust. As the magic wizard dust faded away I knew our relationship was forever changed and that my days in the "Ruby Red Slipper group" were numbered.
The thing with the "Ruby Red Slipper group" is that the wizard feels she owns everything and everyone and if you leave you have to leave your friends and all the support there, both given and received behind. That is a policy I never agreed with and a policy that kept me from accepting the management position that was offered to me for over a year.
I knew it was over, I also wanted to maintain contacts so two days later I used the group management settings to email a very respectful announcement of resignation quoting Ecclesiastes 3 and offering my contact information for anyone interested. I tried to send this though the system three times and three times it did not go through I took this as a sign from God that I was to see this thing through to the end. God does not bring us to it if he will not bring us though it. So I waited, and continued my management duties. Several times I sat down to write a letter of questioning the concept of ministry letter to the wizard but I felt led to avoid all confrontation, so this letter was never finished or sent.
Two weeks later another manager and I logged on to find an announcement that we had been removed from management. (emails followed but we discovered this online first) I didn't comment but the other manager confronted this unprofessional tactic and resigned. I didn't comment or resign as I was still feeling led to see this all though to the end. I made sure there was absolutely NO confrontation and that I said nothing questionable. Anyone that knows me knows that although I know how to vent, "act up" and "cut a fuss" I also can put on a very professional hat and walk the narrow line. It didn't matter several of my straight up narrow line posts were removed, and I was put on MODERATION. Unless someone was sitting online when all of this happened they had only one story to listen to, the one that the wizard was spinning.
The intent was to silence me not censor me but the wizard forgot to share that with her one remaining manager so when the wizard returned she discovered about 30 of my TOTALLY APPROPRIATE posts were approved. there was a Christian music thread and my final "Ruby Red Slipper group" post was the lyrics to Casting Crowns IF WE ARE THE BODY.
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way
A traveller is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgemental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ
Chorus (2x)
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus is the way
I was BANNED.
If I had to be banned for a post.... heck yea I'll stand on that one!
Within a couple of hours the "Ruby Red Slipper group" was closed, claiming that after 6 years the stress of putting the group in the hands of the two ladies that were putting their all into it making all it could be was too much for the wizard to handle blah blah blab.... All just a wizard tale as the group reopened 48 hours later to only those who would never question the power of the wizard. This was a pattern that the wizard has done thrice before.
For many of us the Ruby Red Slipper story would end there.....
...but there was so much mess to clean up, There were women left locked on the outside, needing support, crying, some hurt by the only thing they thought they could trust in years. When a wizard uses labels such as support and or ministry in their description members are led to trust in ways they might not otherwise. Although not the wizard, I was left to answer for all she had done and to try and heal the wounds she inflected. Shortly after I received word that the "Ruby Red Slipper group" was gone my phone rang. It was a call of great distress from one who had all of her trust in a group that was gone, this woman called from a full blown anxiety attack, She was curled up on the floor when she saw my number on her bulletin board and called, She was crying and said I had to help her to pull it together before her husband got home in an hour, or he would shut off her internet for sure. In the course of the conversation I explained that it was not the wizard or the "Ruby Red Slippers" that were her support but the MEMBERS themselves and at that point I knew I had to pack up our toys and move to a new sandbox. I had the group up and running later that night, Mama right by my side helping every step of the way. The Shamaness was there too and very helpful as well, after taking her usual three days in bed with a headache and hives to recover from the whole ordeal. We took some time to re-group and heal before opening to the public.
Now God's Big Sandbox is a top group gaining members each week never locked and we walk proud and strong just like Kellie Pickler in her Red High Heels!
Many of us have been in the "Ruby Red Slipper group" at one time or another but because we left at different times not everyone knows how we grew into our Red High Heels.
Last summer I found myself co-managing a group with several fine ladies and a "wizard" suffering from narcissism. Several of the members and management of the "Ruby Red Slipper" group of had very serious things going on, a tragic accident in the family, a battle with cancer, battles with severe depression and anxiety, a spouse with bi-polar disorder refusing medication, a recent widow and more. There was a reason each and every member of the "Ruby Red Slipper" group sought out a support group. As time went on more and more attention was focused upon the problems of the narcissistic wizard and the wizards search for a new castle in another land.
One day while looking for new and better backgrounds and websets to make the "Ruby Red Slipper group" a better place I clicked a magical link placed at the bottom of the page by none other than the wizard, this link took me to the other side of the rainbow to a very special group - THE PSP CLIQUE. I didn't know what this special place was until I joined and then I found out it was ran by none other than our very own Shamaness. When I was accepted I noticed the wizard was a member there as well but as soon as I posted a friendly hello I noticed the wizard vanished in a cloud of dust. As the magic wizard dust faded away I knew our relationship was forever changed and that my days in the "Ruby Red Slipper group" were numbered.
The thing with the "Ruby Red Slipper group" is that the wizard feels she owns everything and everyone and if you leave you have to leave your friends and all the support there, both given and received behind. That is a policy I never agreed with and a policy that kept me from accepting the management position that was offered to me for over a year.
I knew it was over, I also wanted to maintain contacts so two days later I used the group management settings to email a very respectful announcement of resignation quoting Ecclesiastes 3 and offering my contact information for anyone interested. I tried to send this though the system three times and three times it did not go through I took this as a sign from God that I was to see this thing through to the end. God does not bring us to it if he will not bring us though it. So I waited, and continued my management duties. Several times I sat down to write a letter of questioning the concept of ministry letter to the wizard but I felt led to avoid all confrontation, so this letter was never finished or sent.
Two weeks later another manager and I logged on to find an announcement that we had been removed from management. (emails followed but we discovered this online first) I didn't comment but the other manager confronted this unprofessional tactic and resigned. I didn't comment or resign as I was still feeling led to see this all though to the end. I made sure there was absolutely NO confrontation and that I said nothing questionable. Anyone that knows me knows that although I know how to vent, "act up" and "cut a fuss" I also can put on a very professional hat and walk the narrow line. It didn't matter several of my straight up narrow line posts were removed, and I was put on MODERATION. Unless someone was sitting online when all of this happened they had only one story to listen to, the one that the wizard was spinning.
The intent was to silence me not censor me but the wizard forgot to share that with her one remaining manager so when the wizard returned she discovered about 30 of my TOTALLY APPROPRIATE posts were approved. there was a Christian music thread and my final "Ruby Red Slipper group" post was the lyrics to Casting Crowns IF WE ARE THE BODY.
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way
A traveller is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgemental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ
Chorus (2x)
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus is the way
I was BANNED.
If I had to be banned for a post.... heck yea I'll stand on that one!
Within a couple of hours the "Ruby Red Slipper group" was closed, claiming that after 6 years the stress of putting the group in the hands of the two ladies that were putting their all into it making all it could be was too much for the wizard to handle blah blah blab.... All just a wizard tale as the group reopened 48 hours later to only those who would never question the power of the wizard. This was a pattern that the wizard has done thrice before.
For many of us the Ruby Red Slipper story would end there.....
...but there was so much mess to clean up, There were women left locked on the outside, needing support, crying, some hurt by the only thing they thought they could trust in years. When a wizard uses labels such as support and or ministry in their description members are led to trust in ways they might not otherwise. Although not the wizard, I was left to answer for all she had done and to try and heal the wounds she inflected. Shortly after I received word that the "Ruby Red Slipper group" was gone my phone rang. It was a call of great distress from one who had all of her trust in a group that was gone, this woman called from a full blown anxiety attack, She was curled up on the floor when she saw my number on her bulletin board and called, She was crying and said I had to help her to pull it together before her husband got home in an hour, or he would shut off her internet for sure. In the course of the conversation I explained that it was not the wizard or the "Ruby Red Slippers" that were her support but the MEMBERS themselves and at that point I knew I had to pack up our toys and move to a new sandbox. I had the group up and running later that night, Mama right by my side helping every step of the way. The Shamaness was there too and very helpful as well, after taking her usual three days in bed with a headache and hives to recover from the whole ordeal. We took some time to re-group and heal before opening to the public.
Now God's Big Sandbox is a top group gaining members each week never locked and we walk proud and strong just like Kellie Pickler in her Red High Heels!
posted by Broken Arrow @ 6:19 PM
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