My Hope for My Audience (You)

There are a few things I want to get out front for those of you unfamiliar with this website. My name is Jack Tookey (The Tooke), and I am a Christian. What that means can be found here.

My intent with what I share on this site is to encourage and lift up others, whether they follow Jesus or not. However, since my experiences are primarily based on the trials and victories of following him, some of what I share may be difficult or impossible to accept or understand for someone who does not. That’s okay. Really. Each of us comes from our own unique context, and must own our own choices. I can not and will not make a decision for you, especially in regards to faith and spiritual things. If your beliefs differ from mine, I respect that and accept what you tell me at face value. If you have questions, just ask in the comments section under each post or study.

My Request to Those Who Follow This Site

Of what I write and share here, a significant portion will be Bible-related, study material. My hope is that you will at least read and study a passage to obtain your own sense of its content and meaning before you read my comments and wrestle with my questions. My intent with these pages is to encourage you in your own study, not become a replacement for it.

If you want to be notified when I post something here, or when I have something significant to announce (like my upcoming book’s availability), please sign up for my notifications here.

Quotes from the Bible on This Site

When I quote scripture, unless otherwise noted, it will be from the New International Version of the Holy Bible (Copyright (c) 1973,1978, 1984 by International Bible Society). This just happens to be the version I use for my reading and study, although I use many other versions and resources to support my study. I do not believe that this version is somehow more acceptable to God than others. I believe the Holy Spirit is the one who actually guides us to find truth, whether it be from the Bible or other sources. More on that can be found on the About “Us” page (link above).

References

Most of what I write here comes from my own thoughts and meditation. I have read much and heard much in my many years of experience, so there are thoughts and ideas I will share here that were influenced by other people. I am not able to reference every influence that may be represented here – in fact, I doubt that there are many “new” thoughts about most of the topics about which I will write. Where I am aware of it, I will reference other people’s material to which I refer. If you read something here that I share, and you know it came from some other source, please (kindly) reference it in the comments. I will never intentionally leave a reference out.

Moderation of Comments

I reserve the right to moderate the comments section of this site, and will do so in as fair a fashion as I am able. If comments are left that differ with my content, they will remain. I hope there will be some discussion and difference of ideas shared here. However, if the comments are lewd, crude, personally insulting (in my opinion), otherwise disrespectful, or spam, I will remove them. I also reserve the right to permanently block people who repeatedly treat me or others who comment here with disrespect. No judgment here, I just do not want to deal with people who have not learned to treat others with respect. It is also nothing personal. If I block you, and you think I did so unreasonably, please contact me via e-mail to discuss it off the blog. If we can come to a mutually agreeable resolution, you will once again be welcomed respectfully and happily.

The Bottom Line

This site is about hope. In that spirit, it is my hope that you will find this a safe place to be yourself, and learn and grow along with others. Thank you for your interest and participation!!