Back in August of 2005, I was celebrating 1+ years of blog-keeping. The world seemed brighter to me, at least it seems that way as I look back. Four years…not really a long time. Yet, four years ago I was still fairly new to blogging and confessional Lutheranism. I was settled in my parenting routines with two younger teens. I was excited about the many fun and informational local and/or Lutheran blogs. The Lutheran Carnival had just begun. I loved to make comments about my day and found it easy to make little connections with scripture or whatever. Life made sense and I had it all figured out.
Not so today. Nothing bad, really. I just feel less in control of many things. It’s been very hard to watch my firstborn go off to college. I hadn’t anticipated that. It’s all good now. She came home this weekend and her visit was really pleasant and sweet. My second is now a junior in high school. Last night he independently did a load of his clothes and folded/hung what was already in the dryer. Did not expect that. I experienced a strange sensation of sadness and glee. After 24 years, my husband still has not found the secret stash of hangars above the dryer. I could make a list of things that haven’t gone the way I had planned, but that would just make me sound depressed. I’m not. Really! I am just feeling a little lost in change.
Today, I found a little gem that both cheered me and made me sad for special days gone by. Pastor Snyder had written a nice intro to the Lutheran Carnival and the confessional Lutheran blogosphere: Ask the Pastor: Lutheran Carnival III and Beyond. He wrote:
“Lutherans are among those rare few who realize that even when we talk of “ships and sails and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings,” we also are talking theology. While I’m pretty sure that there will be plenty of theologizing from blogging pastors I’d be interested not only in lay theological perspectives about jobs, careers, marriage, and other vocational areas, but also reading some of the “daily grind.” Many of the bloggers I read… let me see much of their hearts and their theology through windows opened into the “ordinary” in their lives.”
In commenting on his post, I wrote:
“…a blog-keeper is also a very honorable vocation. I began writing not thinking that anyone would ever read. I wrote to make sense of my life and faith.
About two months after starting my blog, I did a random search for confessional lutheran blog, thinking I would find nothing. With great surprise and delight I clicked on The Random Thoughts of a Confessional Lutheran and my world changed. From that blog, I discovered so many others, Confessing Evangelical and Bunnie Diehl were among the firsts and are still my favorites, although I’ve met so many more fellow saints since then. For the first time in months I realized that I wasn’t alone in coming to the Lutheran confessions. Now how else would I have found other confessional Lutherans to strengthen my faith - mutual consolation of the saints, as the wise Wildboar once wrote.
Writing about my very ordinary life through the lens of my faith in God has helped me to be able to be able to more easily give account for the joy that God placed in my heart. And I’m not talking about blogging, I’m talking about my everyday real life. Writing about my faith is helping me to be open about my faith to others. I used to save my “Christian comments” for fellow Christians; now I can more easily leave God in His rightful and natural place in the world and include Him in my conversations with people. I attribute my ability to account for the joy to God; His Holy Spirit has planted it in my heart. I do believe that He also expects me to find and know good preaching, so that I learn more and practice saying and writing it down.
To you, dear reader, and to all the established, burgeoning or just-learning writers who decide to keep a blog, I thank you. Blog-keepers also wear a mask of God. I can’t possibly begin to name those of you that have blessed my faith and my life, but I will try: Pastor Snyder, Rob and Devona, John, Bunnie, Scottius Maximus, Daniel, Elle, Dan, Glen, Bob, David, Jason, Floyd, Mutti, Brian and Matt, Pastor Steigemeyer, Chris W., Prof. Chris, Terrie, Vicar Lehmann, Michael and Timotheos, Pastor Brandos, Pastor McCain, Rev. Klages, Ron and Erica, Twylah, Josh S., Wildboar , Suzi and Tim, Monergon and Theophorus, Worthy Woman, Rick, Michael S., Rev. Chryst, Minister2B, Maria, Webcritter and Mr. Critter, and the many others that I’ve probably missed If your name isn’t here, email me and I’ll add it! I’ve thanked you before and I’ll thank you again for sharing your life and vocation through your blogs. It is a blessing to me. God be with you today and always!
I still do appreciate bloggers (and so many of you still keep your blogs!), but I forget to visit and leave comments. I still find great moments and think about writing it down, but I don’t. I feel passionately about issues, but don’t want to get flamed by someone who disagrees. I scribble ideas and thoughts on bits of paper, but then don’t make time to record them. I hope that I make time in November to find again that which gives me joy. I hope to embrace this aging and changing thing a little more enthusiastically.
Tags: Blog-keeping by TK
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