Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The Purpose of this Blog

Over the past few weeks I've had several thoughts for things to post. A few of them I've sat down and tried to write. There was a young man killed after a Dodger's/Giant's game last week, he was a Dodger's fan and the people who murdered him were Giant's fans. I've had a couple different thoughts about pride, the love of money, and how all it ties into the government shut down. I've started writing them, and then my mind just goes blank. I can't remember the point, and what I have down doesn't seem to capture the initial emotion that I felt. And then I can't even remember how I felt about the situation to begin with. And so my activity on here has been pretty infrequent.

In the last post I mentioned two things that I'm angry about. And whenever you're angry about something the immediate follow up question needs to be, "What am I going to do about it?" I write two blogs, and for right now that feels like about all I'm able to do. I don't really have a leadership role or influence to bring about change with. And outside of those of you who read this, I really don't have a voice that anyone wants to listen to. And so the question remains, what am I going to do about the Church, and reaching men?

For now it seems like the majority of what I'm able to do is with the blogs. Whenever my wife writes a post on hers she always prays, "God, let whoever needs this find it." And in many ways I feel that's what happens with a blog. I started this one almost five years ago under the prompting of God, and I can't believe how far it has reached. Thousands of people from around the world have read it; people from every continent with permanent human life, and from countries I couldn't find on a map if my life depended upon it. It's a humbling reality.

Anyway, back to the point, what is the purpose of this blog? The second blog I write is focused on reaching out to men. Currently I'm working through a book by John Eldredge, and once that is done I'm undertaking a task that seems a bit daunting. But it's fully focused on reaching out to men and helping them become who God created them to be.

As I've written the second blog, I've felt that this one has suffered. My activity on it has been lower than usual, and as I stated at the beginning, I've tried to write some things and just haven't been able to. And all of this has led me to the question I'm posing. For a while I've thought about just ending the blog. All things die, a fact that humans don't always grasp or accept. Everything has a life span, even things that don't breathe. Maybe this blog has run its course and I need to turn my attention fully toward my other blog. Preparing for and writing that one excites me, and it is fueled by my real passion. But as I've said, two things make me angry, and that blog's primary focus is only on one of them.

The purpose of this blog is to reach out to, and try to impact, the Church. For the most part I feel that's what I've done with it over the past four years, but now I really want to focus on that. I'm not sure what exactly it looks like, or how much of a difference it will actually make, but I feel that this is how I have to work towards making a difference at the moment.

I don't know if the frequency of posting is going to pick up, but I do know that every post is going to be focused on two things. First, pointing the Church back to Biblical Truth and God's original intent for it. We've gotten so far from this, and more and more churches exist simply because they always have. There is no fellowship, no discipleship, no community, and no genuine worship. It's just a group of people that meets once or twice a week out of habit, ritual, and some sense of obligation. I know not all are like this, but a good majority of the ones I've been in are.

Second, I want to help the Church fall more in love with Jesus. Too many people claim the name of Christ, but look nothing like Him. Too many people claim to live for Jesus, but do nothing to serve Him. Too many people claim to love Jesus, but do nothing to get to know Him. It's a sad reality, but a reality none the less.

That is why this blog exists, that is what I will focus on as I continue to write.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."

To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you