Let me preface this post by saying I love the freedom of the internet.

I think it’s a great place to share ideas and resources.

If it weren’t for the generous spirit of The People of the Internet, I don’t think I’d be able to be a full time author and speaker. I wouldn’t have learned as much as I have in the last five years. I am so appreciative to people who find value in the conversations we have here or as a result of one of my books and who spread that message.

However, when a blog gets to be well-read, something happens. People begin emailing you asking you to plug things (books, CDs, organizations, giveaways, other blogs, their mom’s necklace line, PETA for Christians, etc.) all the time. In the time I was away this summer I had forty-three requests for book reviews or blog tours. It can make you feel like you’re a commodity. I’m not a fan of that feeling. (That’s why I’m also a little over-cautious with how I promote my new book…)

Anyway, one of these requests came from a very well-known pastor (although I’ve never met him). So, I thought I’d try an experiment.

Bottom line? I’ll let him speak to this platform if he lets me speak to his.

I’m typically not so stark or even subscribe to a philosophy of reciprocity. I think people should share because they want to – not because they’ll get something out of it. But again, this is just an experiment because I’m feeling a little snarky after going through forty-three requests. And because I like you guys a lot and don’t want to waste your time telling you about forty-three new books every two months.

Below is the email I sent to him in response to his request. Names have been removed to protect the innocent.

What’s your guess on how this will end? First person who guesses correctly wins a free copy of my new book. At this point, your guess is as good as mine.

Added: I’ll allow two weeks for a response and, if at that point there is no response, we will assume it’s a no go…

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Dear Well-Known Pastor,

Thanks for thinking of me for your blog tour.

Actually, first, I have to say I admire your keeping your “real” email address — many pastors of large churches I know change theirs to a tricky combination of their initials or golf nickname their pastor friends have given them like “theplaid@churchname.com” while the messages sent to the obvious email addresses go to gatekeepers. I used to be a gatekeeper. I understand. That’s why I have a generic email address listed on my blog. It can get overwhelming.

Anyway, as you can imagine, I get requests for book or product reviews or mentions all the time for my blog, In fact, just in the time I was away this summer, I received forty-three of them. Some were from new authors, others from pastors of large churches like yourself, and some from grammy-award winning artists (or their representatives).

It can make a girl feel like people are just out to use her for her blog’s audience. If I said yes to everything, that’s all my blog would be – and that isn’t the purpose of my blog.

It’s kind of like how you determine what to promote from the stage at your church. The tens of thousands of people who visit my blog monthly are, in some aspects, like a church, and I want to respect their time and challenge them with a message God’s placed on my heart. It’s one of the reasons I stopped advertising on my blog.

I have done book reviews or studies before, but they are usually books of people I know, or a book I’ve discovered in my own attempt to learn. Those are pretty much the only exceptions to “the rule of no blog tours.” It’s not that I’m completely opposed to them, it just doesn’t always line up with the purpose or the way I need to steward my time and the bit of platform I have been given.

However, for kicks and grins, I thought I’d try an experiment, and your email just happened to land in the right place at the right time.

I have a book releasing at the end of August with Thomas Nelson Publishers called Permission to Speak Freely – Essays and Art on Fear, Confession and Grace.

Since we’re probably in similar boats – each with a platform, each with a message, and each not really knowing the other person, I’d be willing to do a trade off…I’d be happy to share my thoughts on your book with my audience if you’d do the same (with whichever of your platforms is similar to size of reach and depth of influence as mine – it may be online, or perhaps your main audience are the people sitting in your church).

So–whaddya say?

Sincerely,
Anne Jackson

(PS – I emailed this from my personal email address, so feel free to respond here as I check this box more frequently.)

Yes…I am totally abusing the title system of blogging by using the word porn, but that’s what this video is about.

Kinda.

While I’m out on the road (and mentally processing so much right now – I’m taking some time to just listen at the moment) the world continues to spin. So, I thought I’d share something not cycling related with you.

I had the opportunity to do a video with XXXChurch.com a few months ago, and it debuted this week.

It briefly tells the story of how my addiction to porn went from online to offline, and how I’m walking through sobriety now. In my new book, I expand on this story tremendously across several essays and it’s a hope of mine that many women (and men) will find the freedom that comes with confession.

PS – (RSS and email readers, click here to view the video.)

PPS – (I’ll also be on the Joni Show this Friday discussing my journey through sexual abuse, addiction, and grace. Air times are 6:00 am, 3:30 pm, 7:30 pm & 1:00 am Central Time and you can find out where to watch by clicking here!)

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I can’t believe in less than a month, the Ride:Well South Cycling team will be leaving San Diego en route to Myrtle Beach. 3000 miles in two months, all in the name of raising funds and awareness for the awesomeness of Blood:Water Mission.

Several people who have been good friends of mine for years have had books or albums release in the last couple of weeks. Carlos Whittaker’s album Ragamuffin Soul, Jon Acuff’s book Stuff Christians Like, Pete Wilson’s book Plan B, and Angie Smith’s book I Will Carry You. Check them out and see if they float your boat. If nothing else, know they put the blood, sweat, and tears behind these projects and that you can do the same for whatever it is your heart beats for.

Updated my speaking schedule page. I’ll be in SoCal speaking again tomorrow, May 12. We’ve added some fall dates as well. Stay tuned, as there are even more fall book tour plans in the works. Hope to meet you if you’re around! If you’re interested in having me speak at your church, conference, college, or mom’s birthday, click here.

Not regretting the decision to take the blog ad-free. Also not regretting listening to some of your suggestions. So, I added a button that allows people to donate over on my sidebar. You won’t donate blindly either. Full disclosure on where the money goes and what we need is only a click away.

The Hubs is working on finishing his album, but if you haven’t downloaded his free EP yet, I highly encourage you to do so. You can listen to the whole thing here on NoiseTrade, and download it if you dig it. Awesome ambient mood music. And royalty free if you want to use it for video projects and such.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the courage some of my close friends have shown lately. Remember that when you face down your fears and do what you need to do, not only are you helping yourself, you’re inspiring others.

Seth Godin is taking his show on the road. I hope he makes it to Nashville! He is also speaking at Catalyst Atlanta this year. If you want to register (don’t forget to sign up for the Labs – so fun, and I’m speaking – not that the two are related) head over to CatalystConference.com. I think you can win an iPad over there too.

And finally, I am so glad warm weather is here. Bring on the sun!

What are some things you’re excited about?

I’m giving away FIVE copies of Stuff Christians Like to random commenters on this post.

Easy question.

Click here and tell me what city you live in and you’ll be entered.

The contest will end on Friday night at 11:59pm CST.

Now, on to the show.

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Having a public blog can be a little scary at times. Like the one time I was in a city far, far away from home doing a book signing. A man came up to the table and proceeded to have a twenty minute conversation with me chronologically highlighting every event in my life that I had posted about on my blog.

A good friend who was there with me leaned over afterward and said, “that guy knows more about you than I do!”

Typically meeting people from blogging or Twitter isn’t creepy. And now that my husband will be with me most of the time, I feel a bit safer should someone a little strange approach.

But a couple of years ago, I had another weird experience with a guy who read my blog. He drove up from Atlanta to Nashville, where I live. I had an early flight out to a conference and evidently, so did he.

As I took a seat in the back of the plane - literally just out of bed, with no make up and a hoodie masking my giant mess of bed-head - he got on the plane.

From Nashville, he stayed on the various connecting flights…Little Rock. Baton Rouge. Houston. And finally, Oklahoma City.

I saw him at the baggage claim and thought to myself, “This guy has to be here for the conference. He’s totally wearing those khaki pants like a Southern Baptist youth pastor.”

The next day at the conference, the khaki-pants guy from Atlanta walked up to me.

“You’re Anne Jackson, right?”

“Yeah…you’re the guy from the four plane rides yesterday, right?”

I pretended to be tough. Because this guy weighed like 140 pounds.

“Yeah. That was weird. I’m Jon Acuff.”

“Like, the Stuff Christians Like guy?”

“Yeah. That’s me.”

“Oh. Sorry. I totally didn’t recognize you.”

Scott Hodge, Jon Acuff, Mike Foster & Me the day after Jon stalked me

At the time, the picture on his blog really didn’t look like he did. I think it only showed half his face or something. I don’t know. But all of the sudden, I remembered that I didn’t look like my blog picture either.

“So wait,” I said. “You saw me on all those flights yesterday and you didn’t introduce yourself?”

“I thought it would be weird.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m so glad you didn’t get any closer to me. I don’t think I had even brushed my teeth yet. And the no makeup thing. And the hair. And the pillow wrinkles. You must have thought I was…well, I don’t know. But please don’t tell me.”

Jon didn’t say anything.

Smart guy.

And so that’s how I met Jon Acuff.

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For the most part, I won’t be doing book reviews or giveaways or blog tours anymore. There really will be few exceptions to this rule, and Jon is one of them. That’s because I’ve gotten to know Jon over the last couple of years. We’ve talked about book contracts and real jobs and family and how to change the world and when I needed a place to stay in Atlanta, he let me take over his daughter’s bedroom and I think she slept in a closet.

Chances are, you’ve heard of Jon or read his blog, Stuff Christians Like. You probably already know his book released a few weeks ago and is getting fantastic reviews.

In the rare case you aren’t familiar with Jon or his writing, I couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to him. Please subscribe to his blog. Buy his book.

He’s hilarious, but not only that, he’s truly legit. He makes mistakes, and he freely admits them. He adores his family. He’s honest. He’s one of the most disciplined writers I know.

And he uses satire in such a way nobody gets hurt.

That’s hard to pull off. Many humorists are sarcastic and ironic but they point fingers at individuals or specific ideas that can polarize.

Jon doesn’t do that.

He has a unique gift of laughing at the things that should be laughed at, while challenging us to take a good look at how we can be better people, and how we can help the world be a better place.

This isn’t a sponsored post. I do have a copy of Jon’s book and I don’t know how I got it. Every day there’s a new book in my mailbox.

I’m writing this post because I want to. I want you to meet Jon and I want you to read his work.

So go…read…laugh…and share it with others.

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It’s Tuesday night. 7:15 pm, San Diego time.

I haven’t opened my computer since Friday.

To be fair, I haven’t been completely unplugged. I’ve been Tweeting, texting, and responding to a few urgent emails from my phone.

But my computer has remained totally off.

Dead.

In my bag.

It’s not like it’s broken. Or even that I’m missing my power cord.

I just have left it off.

It’s been busy. After Catalyst West, I spent the weekend hanging out with some very good friends I don’t see nearly as much as I would like to.

And yesterday and today, I’ve been recording the audio book for Permission to Speak Freely.

(Which was a blast, by the way!)

I saw a Panera on my way out of San Diego and decided I might as well break the fast.

And so I’ve been here – for three hours – catching up on the “work” side of my job.

Last night, I went to the Sleeping at Last show in Hollywood. Sleeping at Last has been one of my favorite bands for the last few years, and I’ve had the chance to see them live a couple of times.

Each time has been a profound experience.

Each time has been uninterrupted.

But this time…

I let the phone vibrating in my pocket interrupt a few times.

And I couldn’t help but think about a million other things…in addition to the poetry and music happening in front of me.

It made me remember the days when computers weighed 25 pounds and had to sit on desks at home.

When mobile phones only made phone calls.

And for a moment, I missed the past.

I missed the lack of distraction.

Do you remember those days?