Blogging, Curve Balls, and Giving Offense

Life often throws us curves.  I find that things rarely happen as I think they will happen.  When a surprise curve comes, it sometimes makes us rethink our strategy at the plate.  I think this is natural.

Over the course of the fall, I have been personally maligned.  I have been accused of being a liar, and I have been told that I am not really called to ministry.  In fact, I have been informed that I am unqualified to give spiritual direction.  In addition, I have been called arrogant, self-promoting, and someone completely committed to making myself look good.  

This blog has been used as proof.  I did not think it possible to use this material in this manner, but it was done.  As a result, I did not write much that was new and I attempted to stay away from anything that could be seen as controversial.  I did not wish to give reason for offense and I wanted to check to make sure I was not.  In other words, I did not wish to offend my weaker brothers and sisters (Romans 14:13).  I have searched my heart and this blog for what was supposedly personally and professionally offensive.  It has been a good time of growth and the Lord has been so good in speaking to my soul.

What did I conclude?

My time of introspection and my lack of writing because of fear of offending is over.  It is done.  It is time to get back to work.

Today, I declare that I am back as a blogger and writer.  

In life and ministry, people will often not like nor understand what a real pastor does.  This is a fact of life in a fallen world.  That cannot keep us as pastors from being pastors.  If it does, then we have abandoned our calling.  (Same goes for every other professional calling!)

This blog is an extension of my pastoral calling.

Will everyone like or even understand everything I write?  Probably not.  In fact, I often look back at former posts and I do not like what I had to say.  My lack of clarity and my shortsightedness is so apparent.  So what!  The nature of a blog is to write and communicate ideas.  Some might be half-baked.  My hope and prayer is to stimulate thought and action, and I believe the Lord can even use our half-baked ideas to stimulate deeper thinking in ourselves and others.  

Blogging is similar to preaching.  In my 20 years of ministry, I have had people so encouraged that I was preaching to them on a particular Sunday.  I have also had people who were deeply distressed that I would preach at them.  I have to say that in my life, 99% of the time I was not even thinking about these individuals as I prepared or preached the sermon!  Somehow the Lord used it to encourage or to convict.

I believe this blog and my other writing mirror these experiences.

I truly wish to thank you my readers.  I apologize for not writing more over the past couple of months.  I should not have stopped.  Over the past couple of years, my readership has gone from local to worldwide.  It amazes me that in any given hour people from around the world read about the gospel and my thoughts on ministry and life.  Thank you!  

I feel as if I have let you down by not writing.  I apologize for this short-sightedness.  I was thrown a curve and I had to rethink my strategy at the plate.

From this point on, I will continue to write.  I will continue to think, to read, and to reflect so I can organize my thoughts and present something readable.  May the Lord use it to bless.

Please, if you do not like my blog or the topics, ask yourself why.  Do I write something that personally offended you?  Why?  Most likely (99%) of the time, I was not thinking of you personally.  Don't take it so.  If you have questions about my intent or meaning, reply to the a post.  I have many folks who reply and these are moderated by me before being published.  If it is a personal question, I will reply to you but not publish it.

If you are not willing to to that, then I encourage you to stop reading.  I also encourage you to repent of your pride for thinking it was all about you.  Please remember that not everything is about you.  In fact, thank God that not everything is about you!  (As I also must do.  Our need for repentance is universal.)

May the Lord be glorified and lifted up.  May He even use my frail and often incomplete or short-sighted words to bring Himself glory.  May His Kingdom come and His Will be done.

Look at this cool picture from Lake Michigan.  It is surely winter in the USA!