I’ve experienced a type of positivity on past jobs and at certain past churches that I think are truly toxic. Positivity and optimism is not necessarily and always a good thing. If it were we’d have seen Jesus Christ teach that and live that out. Jesus shows us a balance of reality based optimism, conflict and correction. Jesus frequently and lovingly acknowledges negative things, things that cause anger, and things that badly need to change. Which sometimes sounded very negative, insulting and emotional. Humanity needs correction and conflict. Correction is unavoidable wherever love is present.
I’ve experienced work cultures where all expressions of dissatisfaction, frustrations or conflict are not only ignored, disregarded, but were even punished.
It’s is commonly seen with strongly hierarchical groups with insecure leaders. They aren’t able to solve the problems, so the next best thing is to silence all reference and natural reaction to them.
Extreme positivity and hyper-optimism is deceptive because it is hard for most everyone to see optimism as a negative trait. It disarms people and sometimes ushers us into a delusional view of situations and people.
It is easy to conclude that overly negative and pessimistic people are toxic. But not very positive people.
Toxic positivity is a positivity mindset that goes beyond healthy optimism into a sort of required group-think. It is an attempt to control people with extroverted positivity. Those who don’t agree with the positivity itself or resist the control that they are feeling then become the scapegoated problem in the group. When those who dont agree are often the very people who can help the group or leader the most. Sometimes Jesus speaks through outsiders and through non-conformists. Sometimes Jesus MUST speak through the non-conforming because the conforming ones just won’t listen to the Lord within. They prefer to silsten to someone else.
Toxic positivity is stubborn in that it insists on dominating. This is seen when it unfriends and cold-shoulders those who disagree or don’t jump on board with the same way of thinking. It cold-shoulders people who do not match the person’s or a group’s way of thinking. The only option for the non conformers becomes remaining distant, shallow and silent or simply leaving the group.
Toxic positivity causes people to avoid and desperately try to control conflict, even healthy and godly conflict. Which was so common in the NT. So it can result in unfriending. I think I’ve even seen it cause or contribute to divorce, and this is one of the reasons I label it toxic. It is so divisive, it delays or prevents positive change and it can even become a form of phychological abuse.
Extreme positivity in churches has become one fruit of the word of faith gospel that was so popular in the 1990s. It is harmful and toxic to many expressions of love and Christian fellowship. Equally as harmful as is complaining, pessimism, and negativity. In a sense it can become a form of passive aggressive abuse.
Toxic positivity in a church setting is an indication of many things but I think the most important is that it indicates that leadership and the people misunderstand the gospel of the kingdom. They think they have to engineer the church, stifle all negativity and they misundertand childlike happiness with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
Some Psychological Studies
Now take these studies with a grain of salt. I put much more value on the words of Christ than I do psychological studies. I don’t put much stock in the present-day practice of psychology because I think it was largely destroyed years ago by governments and politics. And has become something largely unhelpful through the decades. An extension of the pharmaceutical lobby. Ignoring sound science to redefine psychological maladies for political or pharamceutical purposes. But… that does not discount the sound science and of every psychological study. Some are very helpful and psychology when done without ulterior motives can be very helpful.
Here is a psychological study of positivity and it’s link to mania:
Been thinking about the revival happening in Asbury seminary in KY since February 8, 2023. Also now happening at Cedarville and other universities around the country.
Spiritually speaking, I think what we are calling revivals are Jesus Christ within his people breaking free from the chains of sin and religious tradition.
They are almost always spontaneous, unplanned, begun and sustained by young, enthusiastic Christians. Accompanied by much prayer, repentance of sin, and free worship. And rarely have sermons or clergy control. When those things settle in they typically end.
The Type of Revival I’m Praying For
I think the ultimate revival to work toward, the revival that I am praying for, the ‘revival’ that makes me want to explode with excitement. And which keeps me writing, praying, seeking the Lord and sometimes speaking.
Will be the revival of the gospel of the Kingdom that was preached by Jesus and his apostles. I believe we only hear fragments of that one. And I’m not talking about how people fervently preach salvation or miracles, I’m talking about what exactly is preached.
When that revival occurs I believe it’ll cause all we see in Asbury and more, with widespread turmoil and persecution. And not just in seminaries and mega-churches, but among all ages and everywhere.
Christine Collier (my mother) passed away on February 8, 2023, she was 73 years old (5/26/1949 to 2/8/2023). She had a strong mind and she loved to read and write. She wrote adventure and mystery books for kids and adults. She self published 11 short books (10 of which are in Amazon) and also many short stories, anthologies, and articles. One of her greatest loves was getting published in publications like Prairie Times, a publication of Eastern Colorado. Her articles were featured often in Prairie Times and even as recently as January 2023. I’d share those articles but Prairie Times owns the rights. But here is a link to the latest Prairie Times articles.
Her life stories are shared in anthologies by Guideposts, Adams Media, HCI Ultimate Books, Silver Boomer Books, Write Integrity Press, Silver Birch Press, Trisha Faye and Patchwork Path.
I plan to gradually add links to her other publications as I accumulate them.
A List of 11 of Her Books, in no particular order.
1. Christmas At Cliffhanger Inn
Mystery always follows the women of the Writer’s Club but this time with holiday flair!
Bill and Tara Fields are ready to celebrate the first Christmas at their Bed and Breakfast, the Cliffhanger Inn.
2. The Writers Club
Here is a short story mystery collection about four women writers that form The Writers Club. Each writer faces mysterious happenings in her life. Taylors beloved bridal chest, a wedding gift from her husband suddenly has new names carved into it. A baby monitor warns Jenna, while working on assignment, that someone is following her. Jenna is working on an investigative report concerning a famous dating service that has a scandal brewing. Amy finds an old letter in a secret drawer of a writing desk she has refinished. This letter describes a relationship that spells disaster. Lily faces a masked intruder at the bookstore, the Wrens Nest. While footsteps are heard upstairs in The Tomb, the temperature controlled room for old books. Lily will discover on her honeymoon that an inkwell passed down to her from her great grandmother was part of a legend.
3. Solve A Cozy Mystery
Are you into complicated police procedures or detailed forensic evidence? If so, my books NOT for you! However, if you enjoy solving simple, short and cozy-type mysteries, my book might be your cup of tea! Speaking of tea, read Clues in a Teacup.
Three of the thirty-five mysteries in this book happened to people in my family. I share which ones at the end of the book, plus the solution to each mystery.
Romance is clearly in the air in Goosebumps & A Gift Basket, Mystery Lane, Sleepwalking Intern, and Memories in a Guestroom. Do you enjoy easy recipes? Check out Undercover at Innisfree.
In Pink or Blue Secrets a mother-to-be plans on reading the results of her ultrasound test at her baby shower. In Till Theft Do Us Part a bride learns wedding boutiques will stop at nothing! Would you enjoy having your hair done at the new salon Curl Up and Dye? What happens when a lawyer visits the library and sees a ghost? Youll find the answer in Ghost in the Library.
A fun read for a cozy afternoon! How many can you solve?
4. A Heartfelt Christmas
A Heartfelt Christmas In this Christian novella Ben and Jocelyn Hart have inherited his grandmother’s house in Heartfelt, Pennsylvania. The charming Cape Cod on Sugar Maple Cove is filled with antiques. Jocelyn discovers a journal in the attic and learns surprising facts about the home and their neighbors. A young pastor, Simeon Turner, starts a church, By His Grace, in an empty 4H building. He will share wonderful sermons, the joy from his faith, and a fascinating lecture about the Star of Bethlehem. Esmeralda opens a fortune telling shop next door to the church, causing more than a little trouble with her crystal ball! Will a dream be realized when Jocelyn enters a writing contest at the Heartfelt Gazette? The Mail Alert she buys for Ben’s birthday adds humor and a touch of mystery. The couple meets their beloved next door neighbor, Mrs. Bedford. Is she really a guardian angel? When a lovely woman named Claire, welcomes them into the neighborhood, an instant friendship is born. Claire is tired of living and working at her parents’ grocery store, Stop for Milk. She longs to create unique dishes in her pottery shop, Claire’s Collection, and to be with Heath Parker, a local antique dealer. Will Jocelyn be able to bring this couple together? Their mothers’ feud started in high school and continues still.
5. Something Borrowed Something Blue
Amy, a member of the Writer’s Club, is busy helping her daughter, Rachel, plan her wedding. Will it be wedded bliss or more mystery for the Writer’s Club?In the sleepy little town of Foggy Grove the bridal shop, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, is in the home of a wonderful seamstress, Margaret Brown. We learn that years earlier Margaret’s own wedding was halted just as her father was to walk her down the aisle. Why did she never marry the man she loved so much and tenderly nicknamed, her huckleberry friend?We meet Ivory, the young helper Margaret hires to work in her shop. Ivory dreams of becoming a writer but spends much of her time caring for her sister, Jade.What has happened to the bride, Raven Moore? Why did she call off her wedding one week before it was scheduled? Why is her car parked at Foggy Grove Inlet near the Sweetheart Tree and why is her name carved into this tree with a question mark?The Foggy Grove Gazette will raise questions about Raven’s whereabouts and the crow hunters that have come from all over the country. The popular column, Dear Miss Lonely Heart, will share two letters that cause a stir in Foggy Grove, as does a rare second edition of the newspaper!
6. Twelve Months of Mystery
How would you like to read a year’s worth of mystery, one month at a time? This book is filled with stories that both girls and boys will enjoy.Whether it’s a snowboarding trip to Snow Cliff Lodge in January, where a mint coin set is found under the carpet in a loft closet. Or a missing Valentine card mystery in February.In April, Ivan turns an old vaporizer into his Steaminator and accidentally steams open a small envelope, which does not belong to him. In July, Calla will spend a week with her grandmother and wake to a terrible noise in the attic, thunder and lightning. As she slowly climbs the attic stairs, the lights go out! Ahead, two glowing eyes peer back at her! In the August mystery, we wonder what’s behind the fence on Chestnut Drive. Why is it covered in locks? Why are there shadowy lights in the backyard late every night?Blake and Jeff are hiding snowballs in their snow cave in preparation for the Carpenter twins’ visit during an early November blizzard that has caused a Snow Day!What will Jenna do when a miniature copy of the shop where she takes her piano lessons lights up suddenly December? It’s never been wired for electricity! Is there a Christmas mystery brewing?
7. Mystery Is Our Shadow
The Writer’s Club was embarking on another adventure! Little did they know the selling of their co-authored book, Mystery Is Our Shadow, would bring about even more intrigue.A college manuscript is discovered in a well-known magazine. Now to track down the person who plagiarized it.One writer takes a job as a live-in ghostwriter in the eerie, gothic style house, Four Gables. This house has hidden a terrible secret for years.A holiday book signing, a fan letter, and a wonderful writer’s conference will bring happiness. While horrible book reviews and an anonymous warning about agent’s fees and contracts will cause concern.A weekend stay at a writer’s Bed and Breakfast, The Cliffhanger Inn, will be enjoyed by the members of the Writer’s Club. Here they’ll learn trouble has been planted within the very walls of the Inn.
8. Adventure On Apple Orchard Road
The Forrest family buys a run down house on Apple Orchard Road. Eleven-year-old Ethan is disappointed the house is so old.Ethan invites his best friend, Tanner, for a sleepover and Tanner brings along a metal detector. At the break of dawn, Ethan and Tanner make a discovery in the old shed out back that will change their lives. This amazing treasure includes a letter from the past owner of the house. Elizabeth Patterson writes that she and her husband have hidden things in the house for years!Elizabeths old journal is discovered in the attic. What will Ethan do when he reads that Mr. Patterson made his own time capsule? In an old coffee can he placed a 1958 autographed NY Yankees baseball, wrapped in that days newspaper and placed in the floor joists of the attic. Could this baseball still be up there?The shed will become Ethans bike garage. Who or what is making the huge footprints in the dirt by the shed?
Her Anthologies
9. A Holiday Sampler
A multi author book of holdiay stories.
10. Nightlight: A Golden Light Anthology
A Golden Light Anthology spins tall tales of childhood. With faries and wizards, school plays and summer camp, family adventures and learning life lessons, this childrens anthology is perfect for bedtime stories and will take readers to far off places before they slip into dreamland.
11. Mothers Of Angels Living and Loving After The Death of a Child
We’re members of a club that none of us asked to join. The membership dues are steep – they require the loss of a child. And unfortunately, there’s just too many of us in this organization. Ask any of us and we’d tell you that we’d give anything in our power to take our child back and resign, gladly forfeiting our membership. Alas, being powerless to have this greatest wish granted, we do what’s second best. We keep living, we keep loving – despite our pain and sorrow. Some days are bleak and filled with tears, and on other days we put one foot in front of the other on our journey towards finding a new normal. Along the way we find some joy, tinged with sadness, as we revel in any chance to share our story and keep our child’s memory alive. In Mothers of Angels, over twenty mothers, a father, aunts, and grandmothers rallied together to tell the tale of children gone too soon. Some were miscarriages or early births, and the child never drew a breath or walked this earth. Others were young and the carefree days of bicycle riding, skateboarding, and just being a kid were their final days, never getting the chance to find out about getting old. Others were grown. Their driver’s licenses said they were adults, but they were still our children. Being a child doesn’t come with an expiration date. They’re still our babies and we still grieve losing them to death. In our grief and despair, we’ve also learned to lend a welcoming embrace to others as they enter our ranks. We share, we offer shoulders in consolation, and share our resources as we step forward and help others learn to live and love again. Come join us as we share our children with you, honoring their memories in whatever way we can. And if you’re a member of this growing group too, we hope you find some words of solace amidst the pages.
