I Blog, You Blog, We Blog

Confession: In the past I have had a rather negative view of blogging.

It seemed to me a self-adoring mirror for one's ego, operating under the delusion that strangers or even people I know would want to read what I had to say about anything. Even worse, a lame attempt at being "published". ( And if you know what "I bop, you bop, we bop" means, then you understand the title and what I consider to be the ultimate purpose of blogging.)

So, am I a convert?

Not entirely. I still keep some of that cynical swill flowing through my veins to help keep me honest about why I blog. So, why?

Because I stay home with my children I am not in the habit of writing sermons on a weekly basis. I supply preach, which means I step in for pastors when they are on vacation or have to be away for a Sunday. I usually get about 10-15 gigs a year, which means my writing skills don't get the workout they need to stay in shape. And I just finished a four-month stint in a nearby church while the pastor was on sabbatical and vacation. I wrote a sermon every week; now that I am no longer working I have lots of time to reflect and to write.

When I was in seminary I had a weekly report I had to hand in while I was working at a local church for the purpose of learning theological reflection. Simply put, I wrote about what I did that week and asked of myself, "WWJD?". But it was more than that. It was an exercise in seeing my role in God's activity in the world: was I resisting, avoiding, going with the flow, engaging those around me? Was I bringing the presence of Christ to the situation or was I standing in the way? Was I seeing God, the great "I AM", within me and in the world around me? This is the skill I hope to nurture with this blog.

And yes, I like to see my words staring back me on the screen. My very own op-ed page with no editor (or a reading audience) to bite me.

For a funnier reflection on blogging, see David Bouchier's public radio commentary on the subject. As for finding his blog, see Writer at Work on this very website. It wasn't hard to find at all, which goes back to the whole ego thing.

So, WWJB?