"You haven't written in a while. Why not?"
"Hey, so do you have writer's block? =D"
"Man, I need to write a blog post...but..."
This has been the last month. I have not written. I haven't had writer's block, not even a little bit. What has happened is I have entered into a season of reflection and study. There are some big issues that I'm struggling with in my own heart that I need to resolve. Some of which cannot be written about publicly-yet. Some of which I don't want to write about. Some of which will become the new focus of this blog.
I am learning that being in the role of pastor, my words have a weight that other people's do not. I cannot "get away" with verbal processing via my blog. It is not a personal journal for the world to read. It needs to be one step further down the road from a personal journal. Why? Because when some people read what I write they believe it to be a settled, static thought and that it reflects the position of the Antioch Movement or the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I am learning that the place for that kind of processing is with an ever shrinking group of friends.
So, this blog is going to be focused ever more tightly on issues surrounding what it means to be the Church. Over the last few months this has been an issue that has continued to weigh on my heart. As we have launched the Antioch Movement in a counter-cultural way, it has caused me to ask many, many questions about the nature of "the Church" versus "a church". I believe there is a distinct difference between C and c.
Everything I read seems to be a book about pragmatics or mission, but very little about the nature of what it means to "be the Church." So, I'm working through the Scriptures, creeds, confessions, and theology texts to try and figure it out. If you have any relevant book or article recommendations, please leave them in the comments.
So, it's been a month. I hope that it's not another month before I begin writing more regularly again. But there are no promises.
"Hey, so do you have writer's block? =D"
"Man, I need to write a blog post...but..."
This has been the last month. I have not written. I haven't had writer's block, not even a little bit. What has happened is I have entered into a season of reflection and study. There are some big issues that I'm struggling with in my own heart that I need to resolve. Some of which cannot be written about publicly-yet. Some of which I don't want to write about. Some of which will become the new focus of this blog.
I am learning that being in the role of pastor, my words have a weight that other people's do not. I cannot "get away" with verbal processing via my blog. It is not a personal journal for the world to read. It needs to be one step further down the road from a personal journal. Why? Because when some people read what I write they believe it to be a settled, static thought and that it reflects the position of the Antioch Movement or the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I am learning that the place for that kind of processing is with an ever shrinking group of friends.
So, this blog is going to be focused ever more tightly on issues surrounding what it means to be the Church. Over the last few months this has been an issue that has continued to weigh on my heart. As we have launched the Antioch Movement in a counter-cultural way, it has caused me to ask many, many questions about the nature of "the Church" versus "a church". I believe there is a distinct difference between C and c.
Everything I read seems to be a book about pragmatics or mission, but very little about the nature of what it means to "be the Church." So, I'm working through the Scriptures, creeds, confessions, and theology texts to try and figure it out. If you have any relevant book or article recommendations, please leave them in the comments.
So, it's been a month. I hope that it's not another month before I begin writing more regularly again. But there are no promises.