Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Awaiting Redemption Redirected


I was very close to shutting this blog down for good, but I'm not going to do that. The past few months have been good for me--much better than the six months previous. I think that my participation in online communities and discussion groups was distracting me from the things I enjoy most in life. When I cut the internet out of my life for a season, I rediscovered who I am.

The internet can be stimulating. I enjoy lively discussion of ideas. I love the reevaluate what I believe, why I believe it, and what difference it makes to the world. My interests are mostly in theology, ethics, and Christian origins, and most people are bored with the things that excite me. Thus, blogs and discussion boards can be a much-needed outlet for my intellectual and spiritual curiosity.

I started this blog as a way of thinking out loud--of putting my thoughts about life, God, and especially "already/not yet" spirituality, on to paper (or rather server space). The key to a good blog, I heard, is to update it every day. So I tried.

Big mistake.

I wasted so much time in stupid discussions about things like the Emergent church, the New Perspective on Paul, and how we know what we know, that I neglected the things that really matter. I have since made it a priority to take care of myself. I need to get exercise. I need to watch what I eat. I want to spend time with the people who matter most to me. I need to pursue God. I need to figure out once and for all how Christianity "works." I need to be more aware of the needs of the people around me. I need to become the person that I want to become. Or, as Elvis Presley once put it so profoundly, "I need a little less conversation and a little more action."

I am going to keep the blog going. I do find it to be helpful in some ways, and I think I will probably start another blog some time in the future if I put this one to rest. I figure I can just save myself a step by leaving this one active. I am not going to update it every day--only when I have something to say.

Thanks for reading.

5 comments:

Jeff Wright said...

Welcome back!

Rob Dilfer said...

I, personally, am very interested in all those boring topics you listed, so I hope you keep going. Fortunately, there is a little thing on the side of my blog that lets me know whenever you post something new, so not posting every day is not an issue. I am looking forward to it.

Anonymous said...

Hi Matt!

I loved your blog... I am glad your back....

Bro John

Scott Barger said...

Dude,

Blogging is a fickle mistress. Sometimes she mistreats you, and other times you are mistreated by her.

Whatever.

Anyway, keep writing. I have found it helpful to focus my blogging activity on my preaching ministry. Good thing too, since I started blogging, the total number of people impacted by my preaching has increased from 112 to 96.

Boooyah!

Matt said...

Thanks for the kind words, guys.