A Return To Blogging

 A return to blogging

         A number of years ago I started blogging, my own little soap box on a cyberspace street corner. I had started it as a way of proclaiming my faith, if I was going to declare an allegiance to the Lord, I wanted to clarify what that meant. I have met enough Christians that when they say, “I am not that kind of Christian” to know that they are “that kind of Christian.” So I wanted to be clear about what my faith meant for me. I wanted to be clear about what my faith meant for you. So often I see people’s orientation to faith being about what others are doing. Thus, I wanted to be clear that my faith was truly about me, and my path. My approach to you was one of inviting you to observe and consider!

        I blogged for just over five years. I seemed to have collected a small following, never amounting to more than a few dozen souls. During that time I considered current events, theological ramblings, and personal experiences. Looking at the archives of that Blog I can see the process of maturing in my faith. Then I stopped.

        I stopped for a number of reasons. First, I felt that I had become another shrill voice amongst a chorus of shrill voices. Along with this development of becoming just another critical person complaining to the world was a level of arrogance. For it is self-aggrandizing that is the substance of being critical. So when I found it increasingly challenging to write about my relationship with Jesus without telling you how I thought you had it wrong I thought it was time to quit.

        Yelling at you for yelling at others means I am yelling too. I am not sure whether we as a society ever really had civil discourses over disagreements. Personal histories are always revisional so that life was so much better back in the day. I do know we don’t engage each other well these days. Our politics has us discussing the personalities of those seeking office instead of discussing the issues that matter. We in the church do not seem to do much better. We need to learn how to listen to each other, if we take scripture seriously, we are the body of Christ (1 Cor 12.27). It might be an idea for me to listen to you and consider what you have to say instead of thinking of how to tell you that you are wrong.

        I am grateful that I was able to stop. In being so sure of myself, I closed myself off to the leading of the Holy Spirit. There was also a few issues concerning my health that kept me distracted. And humbled. There were also various calamities that happened to my sweetie and me. It has also been a period of growth. New opportunities have opened up for me. Not that I think God was the cause of my calamity, really he didn’t orchestrate my house burning down. But he did use adversity to open new doors, some which I had never considered.

        So I am back. I never really lost the belief that I have something worth saying, or I guess worth writing. I do. The challenge is how to write, or say, what I have to say without becoming part of the problem. The task of this blog I see as part explaining my faith, and presenting the ideals we are being invited to follow, opening a gate for those who want to live out a faith differently. The challenge is how to so in a way that invites dialogue.

        The other truth is that in articulating what I belief I have an opportunity to examine those beliefs. That said, while what I believe is important, it is how I live with those around me that makes me a good Christian. When I look at what is required of me, it seems simple. Therein lies the challenge for simple does not make it easy. I hold to “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6.8 (See also Deut 10:12 & 13)

        It really is my desire to create a sense for people that want to live in faith that you are not alone. I believe that many, such as myself, that grow disillusioned with our faith do so because of the startling contrast between what we experience in our relationship with Jesus and what we are told that we must believe in order to be good Christians. It is my prayer, that I can provide an example of how live in faith.