While I am not new to blogging, this is certainly a unique effort on my part to contribute to real community.  Unlike other blogs and facebook posts, this effort is one which is striving for a conversation, a community that is harder and harder to actualize in today’s world.  As such, as a thing which is a crutch for weakness, I present my new blog with humility.  I recognize first, that this avenue for conversation is not ideal.  I would much rather meet face to face in a real life gathering to discuss these things,  but time and distance are against me here.  If you like what I write and you live in Lynchburg, you should come and try a conVerge group, which is the closest I have come to real conversation about church.  The second thing I want to state is that I am writing this blog as a learner, not as a teacher.  I do not presume to know much that you don’t, nor do I pretend to write solely for your edification, and not my own.  I say this because much of what I write about will be consumed with a desire to see the Church (not organized religion but the Body of Christ) repent and turn back to God.  Many of my posts will be, hopefully, provocative and confrontational.  I believe that it is through confrontation that we grow, and that when iron sharpens iron much pressure is applied.  It should be assumed that when I “preach”, I’m mostly preaching to myself.

This blog is different because my whole life, even down to my online persona, is being refined and reconstructed within the context of community.  Thus, when I write, I have the members of conVerge in mind.  It’s almost how you drive more carefully when somebody else is in the car.  I don’t want to be flippant or asinine  for the sake of sensationalism.  The blog medium is no longer a place for me to say what I was too afraid to say in real life or too afraid that nobody would want to listen to in real life; blogging is now missional for me.  If you don’t like the term ‘missional’, get over it.  Substitute ‘obedient’ if you like.  This blog is an effort to create a conversation about how we live the mission that Christ gave us.  Largely, I will discuss my fledgling ideas on what that best life is in the Kingdom of God, and on what the Kingdom of God is or should be.

One final note I would add is that I’m OK with being characterized as an ‘idealist’.  Many of my ideas on church and missional living are formed not by what is, but by what ought to be.  Thus, many of the things I will talk about or propose will be impossible to attain, or we will at least be at odds as to how to actually get ‘there’.  This is good, expected, fine.  This happens by virtue of the fact that we’re reaching beyond our human abilities in living missionally.  We are trying to live lives that are totally dependent on the providence and blessing of God.  Thus, my writing should be characterized by lofty ideals and amazement at the works of God in this world and in these lowly lives.

I plan to post at least once a week, so don’t check my site every 10 minutes like you do facebook, but check it nonetheless.  If in the future you find yourself reading my posts regularly but not having made a comment yet, then please start doing so.  This blog is not my soapbox when I talk and you read in silence.  Please contribute to the conversation because your ideas are important too.