I do not blog for money or fame. (In fact, as some of you have noticed, for most of these recent days, I do not blog at all.)
Andy Warhol said that in the future everyone would be world-famous for fifteen minutes. In the internet age, that fame can at least be achieved among fifteen people. At last count my internet fame stands at 91. Nothing much to crow about.
So, I do not do this for fame or fortune, and I certainly do not do this in order to have another creative outlet. I write a sermon each week, and generally generate several thousand other words in writing for various projects and opportunities.
My purposes here are much more basic. I pastor a church, and this blog can be an outlet by which I extend my care for this congregation in a way in which others can listen in. My hope is to say things here for which I have no other context, things which, by God’s grace, might be useful and helpful to others.
An example is a post which I am planning on the upcoming movie The Golden Compass. I’ve been asked twice in the past week about this movie. So, people are thinking about it. Others are stirring up a buzz about it. But where and how can I say anything helpful to a congregation that might be looking for some guidance regarding this movie? A blog provides a fluid and accessible context for such content.
However, as any who have tried this will tell you, keeping a blog is time consuming. I have no lack of ideas… I have eight drafts begun of posts and a dozen other ideas scribbled down… but I have posted nothing in the past two weeks. Why? Time.
Perhaps some day I will be able to find where this task falls into the routine of my week and I will be able to be more faithful in posting. But in the meantime consider this the occasional blog, the erratic and inconsistent ramblings of one less-than-famous 21st century pastor.
Nejcik
Eight drafts? You mean, like, you actually DRAFT these things? Wait, no, that came out wrong – from reading them it’s obvious that you do. But my impression from most other bloggers is that they just kinda shoot from the hip.This is the third or fourth post of yours that I’ve seen expressing some kind of angst about whether you should keep this thing up, how many people read it, etc. I appreciate your finely crafted prose; I figure your discipline in writing blog posts is a result of your discipline in writing sermons. And I realize that as a pastor you have a duty to be theologically sound. But maybe some of the angst would go away if you just turned it down a notch and just let ‘er rip. Maybe you don’t need to apply quite as much intellectual and thological rigor to a blog post as you do to a sermon, or a devotional, or a pastoral letter?OK, so the obvious response to this is “Oh yeah, it’s just a blog, it only has to be about 80 percent right, maybe 60.” But I think you know what I’m getting at. Maybe try looking at it more as a casual conversation than as writing. It’s a question of genre, and I’m just wondering if you’re mis-applying the rules of another genre to what you’re doing here.
Randy Greenwald
I am obsessive, that I readily admit. But when I say ‘eight drafts’, that does not mean I have eight fully written statements to edit and post. It means I have scribbled down the basic ideas for eight posts. I also admit that I must read and rewrite what I post before I hit the ‘publish’ button to avoid great embarrassment. My initial work can often be ludicrous. (And I do need to exercise some care. I mean, after all, there may be professional writers out there reading my blog….)That all said, your advice is wise. “Let ‘er rip.” Now that sounds fun. My angst is not really about blogging, but about the basic use of my time, which for me is always a tension. (You should see my e-mail ‘to reply’ mailbox. Stuffed full. People all over waiting for replies from me.)So, I need to hit a rhythm, and will do so. Soon. Maybe.Hmmm. Maybe blogger should change the button labeling from ‘Publish’ to ‘Let ‘er Rip’!rrg