I saw no response to a question about what anonymous persuasion was used regarding the Untidy Neighbor and have concluded not many here would think it appropriate, even those who strongly support the end result. You could think on the following a bit:
When they see red, they think purple
Church joins anti-complaining movement with New Year's challenge
TIM FUNK
tfunk@charlotteobserver.com
Thou shalt not whine. Or moan and groan.
And when tempted to snip, zip thy lip.
New commandments? No, just a few ways the Rev. Nancy Ennis described the New Year's pledge made Sunday by her 135-member flock at Unity of Charlotte.
Those at the accentuate-the-positive church on Arrowood Road agreed to try to stop complaining for up to 21 days straight -- time enough, they hope, to break bad habits that cover everything from gossiping to criticizing.
Participants will wear rubbery purple bracelets that show they're part of a movement to create ''a complaint-free world.''
The rule: Anybody who finds himself complaining will move the bracelet to the other wrist and restart the 21-day clock from the beginning.
The no-whining push began with another Unity church, in Kansas City, Mo. One July Sunday in 2006, the Rev. Will Bowen passed out the purple bracelets.
Since then, his Christ Church Unity has sent 6 million requested bracelets to people in 80 countries. Bowen talked about it on ''Oprah'' and even wrote a book: ''A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted.''
Helen Gardiner-Parks, 41, who visited Unity of Charlotte for the first time Sunday, said the pledge will help her hang in there as a home-school teacher of three daughters, ages 6, 9 and 11.
She called the bracelet ''a very positive reminder that ... if I complain less, I will enjoy life more.''
Alan Batten, 55, a U.S. Postal Service supervisor whose job includes taking complaints, said he'll deal with his own by imagining a blue lagoon inside himself, where he can let his complaints drift away.
Ennis has heard critics outside Unity say that keeping beefs locked inside isn't healthy.
Legitimate complaints, she answers, should be taken to the person who's the subject of them and worked out. In other words, don't just (rhymes-with-witch).
''We are here to build up with love,'' Ennis told her congregation, ''not tear down with criticism and complaining.''
Want a bracelet?
Contact Christ Church Unity, 1000 N.E. Barry Road, Kansas City, MO 64155; AComplaintFreeWorld.org
By Advocate
When they see red, they think purple
Church joins anti-complaining movement with New Year's challenge
TIM FUNK
tfunk@charlotteobserver.com
Thou shalt not whine. Or moan and groan.
And when tempted to snip, zip thy lip.
New commandments? No, just a few ways the Rev. Nancy Ennis described the New Year's pledge made Sunday by her 135-member flock at Unity of Charlotte.
Those at the accentuate-the-positive church on Arrowood Road agreed to try to stop complaining for up to 21 days straight -- time enough, they hope, to break bad habits that cover everything from gossiping to criticizing.
Participants will wear rubbery purple bracelets that show they're part of a movement to create ''a complaint-free world.''
The rule: Anybody who finds himself complaining will move the bracelet to the other wrist and restart the 21-day clock from the beginning.
The no-whining push began with another Unity church, in Kansas City, Mo. One July Sunday in 2006, the Rev. Will Bowen passed out the purple bracelets.
Since then, his Christ Church Unity has sent 6 million requested bracelets to people in 80 countries. Bowen talked about it on ''Oprah'' and even wrote a book: ''A Complaint Free World: How to Stop Complaining and Start Enjoying the Life You Always Wanted.''
Helen Gardiner-Parks, 41, who visited Unity of Charlotte for the first time Sunday, said the pledge will help her hang in there as a home-school teacher of three daughters, ages 6, 9 and 11.
She called the bracelet ''a very positive reminder that ... if I complain less, I will enjoy life more.''
Alan Batten, 55, a U.S. Postal Service supervisor whose job includes taking complaints, said he'll deal with his own by imagining a blue lagoon inside himself, where he can let his complaints drift away.
Ennis has heard critics outside Unity say that keeping beefs locked inside isn't healthy.
Legitimate complaints, she answers, should be taken to the person who's the subject of them and worked out. In other words, don't just (rhymes-with-witch).
''We are here to build up with love,'' Ennis told her congregation, ''not tear down with criticism and complaining.''
Want a bracelet?
Contact Christ Church Unity, 1000 N.E. Barry Road, Kansas City, MO 64155; AComplaintFreeWorld.org
By Advocate
