Back in the Saddle

Okay, so I'm going to give this blogging thing a real run for it's money. I want to do it. It's just that it takes time. That's probably not the biggest thing, though. I've had several friends tell me that I need to get serious about blogging. Despite their prompting, something's been holding me back.

1. I'm not sure I'll be good at it.


2. I'm not sure I can or want to commit the time to do it successfully.


3. This is the biggest one...I'm not sure anyone cares.

There is this weird thing about social media -- there is a sense of self importance tied to it. I mean, you have to believe that people actually care what you have to say. And I just don't know if they do. I'm just a dude. My family knows I'm a big goof-off. Does anybody really care what I have to say? But God's been doing something in me lately. And I've realized something: it's not about me.

I pastor a great church - Church of the Way. I preach there every Sunday. And people show up not to hear what I have to say, but to hear what God has to say through me, and that's a big difference. And I guess the short answer is to say that I think God has more to say through me, and I don't have enough time on Sunday morning to get it all out.

The other thing is that I'm fully coming to terms with my role as a leader. Sometimes I look in the mirror and all I see is the same kid I was in high school -- with a few more wrinkles and many more gray hairs (hey, that's why I shave them off!). And I have a role as a leader to lead. it doesn't matter what I see in the mirror. It doesn't matter if I see a 34 year-old and wonder what a 50 year-old has to learn from me. What matters is that God has called me to lead. I'm reminded of 1 Tim. 4:12 when the Apostle Paul says, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you're young." I was looking down on myself, and letting that cause me to not lead. One of the best ways to lead for me is writing. In a sense, I'm a writer. Yes, I have to deliver sermons, but I write them first. I spend most of my time writing. So, I'm going to write.

Now, everything I say isn't from God. I mean, that's the goal, right? But I'm just a guy. And I don't want to post on a bunch of stuff that's all 'super-spiritual.' That's not life. Life is made up of a bunch of stuff, but what I think we find is that Jesus wants to be involved in it all. So there. This is a way for me to lead. I want to lead people to find the way to God. I want to lead people to become deeply devoted followers of Jesus. If all this helps one person have a better day - great. If it helps people in our church and community get through the week - great. If it opens me up as a person - great. And maybe, just maybe, God will use me to change someone's life. Maybe someone who doesn't even live around here but got sent a link by a friend of a friend of a friend. I want to help people and lead people. That's simply what I've felt God call me to do.

So I'm going to give it a shot.