Why I Blog

This is a question I’ve been asked on a number of occasions by everyone from my wife to colleagues to prominent pastors in my denomination.  I have several reasons for blogging – some good, some for rather selfish reasons.  So here’s a few of my reasons why I do this:

1. I love to write. Writing has always been something I love doing.  I’ve always dreamed of writing a few books (I actually have a list of about 11 possible topics).  Blogging helps me to sort out my thoughts, bounce ideas around in a public forum, ask questions, wrestle, find answers, vent, help others, and the list goes on.  As a pastor, blogging is one way in which I let people into my inner life, showing that I’m not perfect and often struggle with many of the same things others do.  It may be safe to say that blogging/writing is a way for me to maintain my sanity.
2. Vulnerability. This may be the most controversial reason for my blogging and is often the reason I find myself getting into trouble for what I say.  It’s my opinion that vulnerability is a good thing, while most see it as a fault.  Vulnerability often leads getting screwed over by someone or something or digging myself a hole.  The common mindset is that church leaders should never make themselves as vulnerable as I often do.  Frankly, conventional wisdom on this point doesn’t mean a whole lot to me.  As a church member I want to know that my pastor is just as screwed up as I am (I’m sure that makes me weird).  And so being pastor, I make myself vulnerable for the simple reason that I want people to know that they can come to me, talk to me, and complain to about anything…no limits.
3. Discipleship.  I certainly don’t expect anyone to actually become a saint as a result of reading what I write, but I do hope that readers can go away with something worth grasping on to.  The unfortunate reality is that most followers of Jesus seldom ever open their Bible’s.  Biblical literacy in the western world is in the toilet and that really bothers me.  Over the years, I’ve developed a unwavering love affair with Scripture.  I spend a lot of time thinking about it, meditating upon it, studying it, and looking for ways to applying to life.  Much of my blogging revolves around my study of the Bible.  This is an attempt to show people that Bible’s influence goes well beyond church, cutting right to the heart of everyday life.  I’m also continually amazed that much of Scripture is not so cut-and-dry as Americans have long believed.  For me that just helps to emphasize the awesomeness of what is contained within its pages.  So I study it, become amazed by it, and pass on what I learn to the rest of the world – all in the hope that someone somewhere will gain through what I learn and in turn serve God better and grow in their own commitment to “The Walk.”

Filed under: Random

Health Care is a Moral Issue

Health care is a moral issue.

Unfortunately, I haven’t heard anyone say this…not even the Christian community.  I’m not trying to be original here; I’m just saying that I haven’t heard anyone talk about it this way.  Sure there are financial implications.  But ultimately, I think this is something that needs to be removed from the political/ideological/financial arena and placed squarely in the morality arena.

Let me pick on some people – or groups of people – for a moment.  Thirty years ago the Republican party became the “party of morals” and they’ve run on that platform ever since.  They were God’s party – the party that defends America, the Bible, and family values.  ”Conservative” and “liberal” became extremely polarizing words, often used as insults, and became more and more difficult for a person to avoid aligning themselves with one side or the other.

It’s the Republican Party that has also become systematically opposed to providing health care for all Americans.  The basis of their opposition is that this would create a bigger government, and that’s bad.  The problem for most so-called “conservatives” (as I’ve said before, I really don’t like breaking people into such categories because of the subjectivity inherent in them) is that the moral issue of health care at this point in history is in conflict with a core belief in small government.  So when push comes to shove which way are the political conservatives going to go: morality, or political philosophy?

Filed under: Bible Study, Christian Living, Church, Culture, Theology

Eugene Says it Well…

I don’t have a habit of reposting other’s material.  But I read an article this morning that got me really worked up about under age human trafficking in Portland here and felt it was worth blogging about it.  Eugene is a pastor in Seattle and is the only pastor I know of who has given any considerable thought to this.  That’s why ‘m reposting his post.  ”f**k human trafficking. there i said it.” is primarily about trafficking over seas, but what he has to say fits for the US just as well.  The wording is strong, but as he says in the post, it’s justified in this case.  After reading the Mercury article, I echo his sentiments: “f**k human trafficking!”

Here’s Eugene’s original article…

Is it possible that we as Christians just aren’t angry enough about injustices like human trafficking and slavery?  Perhaps, we’ve grown too desensitized, domesticated, and docile. I’m not trying to say this for the sake of the ’shock factor’ but I really believe there are times when the Church needs to have a deep[er] anger about the grave injustices of the world particularly when it involves the exploitation of children. Have we deduced our faith to convenient and self serving pleasantries?

Filed under: Christian Living, Church, Culture, Ministry