Blog Beginning in 3…2…1…

These days I find myself rattling around my new blog trying to tweak it and build it up so it is worth reading. Back in 2000, I started working on writing a book about my life. Did you read it? Yeah. Me neither. Then in 2004, I started collecting a lot of notes on another book, this one titled “Sex and the Single Christian Girl” that has yet to materialize. The whole point of this blog is to get some of that writing in one central place and see what the folks think.

Also, I started a blog with The Bean, but when we broke up, he went on a “Purge That Girl From Every Corner of My Life” rampage and deleted my access to our blog. I have to say that of all the bad things that happened those last 12 days–not really talking to me about what happened when he had dessert with his ex-girlfriend until two in the morning, his shutting down, his telling me that I was untrustworthy because I had the audacity to suggest that if he was “imploding” and experiencing “excruciating pain” he might get some therapy–the blog bit hurt the worst.  I really did feel like we could take on the world with that blog.  We focused on the conversations that developed between us given that I am a minister and he is an atheist. The amazing part centered around how we both arrived at very similar places given that we shared so many core values. Fleshing out the differences created some pretty amazing work product, but I digress.

I must say that the best blog entry I have ever read comes to us from tender comrade. (This is the link to the entry.) This entry is entitled “Hating the Lovers.” tender comrade talks about the trite “hate the sin, love the sinner” and how we seem to always have a fist full of hate in one hand and a fist full of love in the other with that statement. His question is this: “If Jesus had tattooed his fists, wouldn’t they both have said love?”

I agree.

I want to write about the Jesus with hands full of love, and about why Christianity has failed to be that in the world. I want to flesh out the difference between morals and ethics and sin. I want to offer some reflections on being a Hospice Chaplain, and maybe encourage all of us to live and love more deeply as a result. I want to write about my life–even the really messy parts–and risk rejection by those who know me because I am not doing it the way they think I should. I want to show off my wit and weirdo sense of humor. I want to talk about real things and real people. I want hope to come through my despair.

And most importantly, I want to have a place to show off pictures of Emma!