Sharks…
01.01.11 ♥ 0
lang=”en”>
|
I have been blogging for what feels like a long time now, probably about five years or so. In the grand scheme of things that’s not really a very long time, but a lot has happened to us in the last five years.
In my last post, I talked about volume and noise. For longer than I’d like to admit, I have been feeling a nudge to shut down this blog. That could be for any number of reasons, and I have my suspicions. One of them is that I really am just another voice adding to the noise. I also wonder if some of it has to do with my own pride. I would define that more if I knew exactly how to. For now, I’ll simply call it “a hunch”.
God has asked my family to do some things that the people closest to us don’t understand. Sometimes we don’t even understand, which doesn’t exactly help us when we try to explain them. The truth is, I have no idea what specific reason is behind the nudge to stop The Simpleton, but I have come to learn that the nudges are there for a reason whether I understand them or not.
So I am listening.
I am not giving up on my voice. I love the creativity and the process involved in writing. It is a wonderful outlet and I will continue to use it. I am simply shifting my focus and asking God to show me where my voice can be best used. Perhaps, later on, God will nudge me back into this place again. Only time will tell.
For those of you who have kept up with me, thank you for reading. I hope, in some way, the things that I have written have helped you along on your journey.
See you again?
Sometimes I wonder if my blog needs to be permanently shut down.
I went to a religious bookstore last week to find a particular book. (They didn’t have it, but thanks for asking!) I had been to this particular store before but for some reason, on that particular day, I was completely taken aback by the amount of religious books, DVD’s, and CD’s that are available. There are hundreds, if not thousands. The excess was both overwhelming and sickening all at the same time. I felt like someone who was taken to an all-you-can-eat Chinese food buffet after having just stuffed himself at a massive Thanksgiving dinner.
I couldn’t help but wonder, if each individual item were a single, audible voice, what would that store sound like?
In that moment in the store it suddenly occurred to me not only how much noise (both audible noise as well as visual “noise”) we are subject to, but how much religious noise there is.
First, there is the noise we ask for. In religious circles, that would encompass things like the Bible (yes, the Bible), other books, sermons, blogs (just like this one), social networking websites such as Twitter or Facebook so that we can “follow” the people whose sermons we listen to / blogs we read, Sunday morning classes, tracts / pamphlets, and websites. (This is by no means a comprehensive list.)
Then there is the noise that we don’t ask for. The average American absorbs around 3,000 advertisements per day. That’s the stuff that comes on in addition to the show that you are already watching on TV, listening to on the radio, looking at online, reading in magazines and newspapers, or watching out for while you are driving. In religious circles, noise that we don’t ask for would encompass things like church lawn signs (I have yet to meet one that I didn’t want to dismantle with a sledgehammer.), PowerPoint slides that run before and after various Sunday morning gatherings, church bulletins and bulletin boards, announcements, and pew cards. (Again, this is by no means a comprehensive list.)
That’s a lot of noise.
And making up that noise are all of these individual voices speaking (and even sometimes shouting) differing opinions, beliefs, events, offers, and ideas.
In and of themselves, most of the things I listed here are not bad things. In fact, a lot of them are actually quite wonderful. The problem is the volume. It can be very oppressive and extremely confusing for people who are seeking to know for sure who or what is telling them the truth. Heck, it can be that way for those of us who have been Jesus followers all of our lives. Consider the task of buying a new Bible for example. Do you know how many versions of the Bible there are? Biblegateway.com has 21 different versions of the Bible available in English. Ask most anyone which version they think is best and you will likely get some very different answers.
The dilemma I am facing in the midst of all of this is that I don’t want to be just another voice adding to the noise. So do I kill the blog, or do I not?
I’m thinking I might.
God just showed me (literally this very moment) that he never made it my job to teach my kids to be patient, loving, honest, etc.
My only job as their daddy is to teach them the indwelling of the living, breathing Jesus Christ.
With Jesus himself as our teacher, doing only this, both of them will learn all these things by default because he embodies all of those things. And his promise to me — that he will live his life through me — is just as valid for them, even at their young age.
I was just recently introduced to Francis Chan. Well, to his books and stuff…not to the actual Francis Chan. I really admire his passion and he seems to be genuine, and genuinely gracious. Or to say it differently: I have added him to the list of people I’d like to have coffee with.
This is a link to Frank Viola’s post from earlier today.
Full Disclosure: I have not read Jim Belcher’s book “Deep Church”, nor do I have an ax to grind with the author. I pass this link on only for the teaching that is done in the review. I thought it was pretty great.
