Goodbye, Thank You, and God Bless

In 2010, an idea entered my mind: why not bring together my faith (Christianity) and my hobby (anime)? I was certain that others must be doing as much, but as I surveyed the landscape, I saw that none were consistently blogging about anime from a Christian perspective, and few had done more than Christian-centered reviews. So I dove in, without much prayer or thought. And who would have thought that five years later, Beneath the Tangles would even exist, much less be thriving (certainly not me!).

As I got my feet on the ground, I was dependent on the aniblogging community for advice (and for most of my readership). Most of them don’t blog anymore, but I’m forever grateful for their encouragement in the early days. Soon, a community began developing here, some from the blogosphere (including fellow brothers and sisters in Christ) and others who became faithful readers. For those that have been here since near the beginning and to those who’ve come and gone, thank you for joining me on this journey – I hope we’ve been an encouragement to you, that we’ve helped you grow in your faith or at least explore Christianity – I know you all have challenged me in so many ways that you can’t even imagine.

For most of these years, though, it hasn’t been about “I” – it’s been “we.” My writers have not only built this blog through content, but have given it a voice I could never have through their skill, talent, expertise, interest, and perhaps most importantly, through their commitment. Through life changes, ups and downs, and busyness, all of my writers have done more than I asked. They’ve loved me through their words and deeds, and for that I’m so grateful.

Because of all the people that make this blog a community – the writers and readers – it’s helped me realize that Beneath the Tangles was never really mine. It was yours and ours, and most importantly, it is His. For all my shortcomings, God has created something here that should never have been successful. Yet here it is because He has a plan for it. I’ve just come along for the ride.

And now, my ride is coming to an end. December 31st, the last day of the year, seems to be an appropriate time as any to let you all know that I’m leaving Beneath the Tangles, effective today.

I’m leaving with some sadness, but I’m not leaving with any regrets. As I get older, ministry has become a more vital part of my life, and I need to focus my time and energy on other web ministries (see my Tumblr blog, for instance), local ministry at my church, and ministering to my family. I can’t run this blog successfully while putting my efforts where they need to be.

But I think that’s a good thing for this blog. I given it what I can, and now our writers, who have taken ownership of this blog in a wonderful way I never anticipated, will develop it into something more purposeful and more meaningful. Japes, who you all know, will now administer the blog – and there’s no one I trust more to it than him. He has the vision and gifts to take Beneath the Tangles somewhere exciting and great. As you continue to follow along, you’ll see – this site is going to become something amazing.

As for me, I’ll be around. I’m active on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram. And you’ll see some anime-related projects from me in the coming months. I’ll be around, if not here in the place that’s been my online home for so long.

So, to everyone – goodbye, thank you, and God bless.

– Charles/TWWK

Twwk
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40 thoughts on “Goodbye, Thank You, and God Bless”

  3. Sad to see you go, Charles. I discovered this blog only recently, but I was very impressed with your insightful, well-written content. Good luck and blessings wherever you go next!

    1. Thank you for your kind words, Alex. The rest of the staff are both better writers AND more intelligent than I am, so you’ll continue to see great content out of the blog!

  4. It’s really sad to see you go. The blog obviously won’t be the same without you. Obviously as one of the very few people who read my blog, I always felt a special connection to your blog as a result. Not sure if I’ll continue to follow Beneath the Tangles now that you’re gone. I fully appreciate everything you did over the past 5 years, even if I didn’t always agree with you. Your work was top-notch.

    1. Thank you, Tommy – your friendship and support has definitely meant a lot over these years. I certainly hope you’ll stick around, though, here on Beneath the Tangles. And keep strong with Anime Bowl! You existed before this blog and you’ll keep going, I’m sure, long after I’ve left!

  5. It goes without saying that you’ll be greatly missed, Charles. I’m glad that I had the chance to get to know you and develop a friendship over the last few years that I know will last for many years to come!

    1. Right back at ya! I’m super excited to see you taking over the blog, too – I can’t wait to see how everything continues to develop under your tutelage!

  6. Thank you for all the time and effort you have spent on this blog. It has certainly been a blessing in my life, and I wish you well in all your future endeavors!

  7. Wow, this makes me feel kind of sad. I always enjoyed this blog and your posts in particular.

    At the same time, it’s comforting to know that your departure won’t spell the end for this blog and is the start of something new in your own life.

    I hope you have a great 2016 and I wish you all the best with your ministry work!

    1. Thank you so much! I’m glad you commented, as I’m a fan of your blog, too, and more recently your OreGairu translations when I started digging into the light novels. Take care! 🙂

  8. Thanks for starting the site, it’s been a great resource for me as an anime newbie. and father of an anime newbie. All the best to you & yours in your future endeavors!

  10. Good luck. Though some things grated on me as an outsider and non-believer, the content and the writing were quite good, and thoughtful!

    And I definitely hear you on the allocation of time. Blogging is a full time hobby-job, and as I pick up others, blogging falls to the wayside, and picking up blogging means putting the others down.

    Good luck, and good job.

  11. This is quite a shock since I discovered Beneath the Tangles only two days ago. I checked out the latest podcast and posts for 2015, and I quickly grew attached to the community and specifically to your voice, Charles! Not only was your work outstanding, but your interaction with readers was genuine and positive. Although I am still a newbie here, I must say that your leadership will be deeply missed! Thank you for taking care of me for those two short days, and God bless as you move towards a new direction! (Jeremiah 29:11)

    1. As I leave, you’re coming in! Welcome! And thank you for your warm words – I think you’ll really enjoy the blog and all that’s to come this year, even if I’m no longer here.

  12. Oh my god, TWWK. 🙁 T____T;

    *Sad music on the world’s saddest violin plays*

    I’ll keep commenting, for sure, but your welcoming attitude and genuine kindness to a complete stranger and a non-believer is part of why I came. I hope that you go into this next stage of your life with a surfeit of blessings from everyone. *Hug*

    Thank you for everything. You kept me going during the worst part of law school, and the Bar exam. :]

    1. Thank you so much, my friend, not just for your encouraging comment, but for all the thought-provoking and kind words over the past year or two. I’ll definitely miss interacting with you here!!

  13. Well, I sit here, kind of stunned. Wow. You were basically one of the sites I discovered way back in 2011. But time can change us all. I wish you good luck on your new challenge man.

    1. You’re now definitely old guard, Justin! Thanks for all the support over the years and the time we collaborated on posts. Take care!

  14. I’ve HUGELY enjoyed your articles on here Charles, I found some of my all time favorite shows because of your recommendations and your writing has taught me how to better analyze the media I consume. You will definitely be missed, but I am sure all the other wonderful authors will continue to put out quality content. Good luck to Japes in continuing the blog!

    1. Thank you for your kind words, David! I’m glad I was helpful, and you’re right, the writers here will continue with the torch and indeed, bring it to greater heights!

  15. Ah! This is very sad, but you shall be moving onto greater things, and I shall hold onto the hope of your return to the blogosphere in the future. Thank you for all the support you have given me. Also, it was an unalloyed pleasure to read your articles, which were so unique compared to those of other anibloggers. God bless you in all that you do!

    1. Thank you so much. Of course, your writing has meant a lot to me as well, and I’ll continue to follow you on this blog and yours!

  17. The first time I read this post, I thought, “I’m totally cool with this transition. I’ll miss having Charles here, but I’ll see him on social media—especially Tumblr—so it’s fine.” I had a similar reaction during the staff meeting, once then initial shock wore off. Then I read the comments—especially comments from people who’ve been reading this blog about as long as I have, or even longer—and memories demanded full attention.

    I refuse to get any wordier or more sentimental than that in this comment, because I’ve been plenty sentimental on this topic elsewhere. The last five years have been amazing. Thank you for all you’ve given to us online, and for bringing so many of us together as bloggers and readers. May God continue to bless your ministries, online and off!

  18. Thanks for making this blog, for the topics, content, writers, and many comments. An interesting site about religion in the anime blogosphere.

    God bless you!

  19. I almost missed this post! Thank goodness JP linked it in his follow-up post. I am sad to see you leave, but am relieved you’ll still be around on Twitter. Family really is so important and I’ve loved seeing your adventures with them on FB. Cheers to new projects and directions 🙂

  20. Thank you for all you’ve done Charles. It was Beneath The Tangles that inspired me to start my own blog, Gaming and God after asking you a few questions about going for it. I had never found a site like this before, and after praying about it and receiving confirmation from God to start my own I’m glad I was able to learn from you.

    Your writing has been an inspiration and a model for my own. Thank you for opening doors for others to walk through, and for being a pioneer in this work. To me, it truly is a ministry that has helped many people out, and many more in the future since that’s what’s great about the written word, it carries the same impact even hundreds of years later.

    God bless you in your new endeavors, and keep being yourself!

  22. Wooow I can’t believe I missed this! I wasn’t the most regular of readers or commenters, but I always really respected what you did here. Thanks for all that you’ve done in these past 4-5 years. I wish you the best with everything, Charles. Take care of yourself!

  23. Wow, don’t know how I missed this post. This is totally belated, but best of luck with your ministry work! I really admire what you had done and achieved here, while I haven’t been commenting all that much recently, just know that I had been lurking around in a corner, checking out the new posts whenever I can :p

    That being said, I’m glad the blog is in good hands. Once again, best of luck TWWK.

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