Are You Kidding?

Some blogger I am! I can't believe my last blog was at the end of 2011! What happened to 2012? I could say that I fell into a deep coma for 18 months, or that I was on a secret mission with Brother Andrew delivering Bibles in a forbidden nation. Maybe I was in a trance like John of Patmos, and that you should be watching for the publication of "Revelation II: The Reboot" (with apologies to J.J. Abrams). Nope, none of those will work; I guess the truth is that when it comes to blogging, "I'm just not that into you."

Funny thing is that I DO read other people's blogs from time to time. Blogging is a way that we "common folk" may make statements about things that thrill, bug, inspire, or motivate us. Blogging is also a way that celebrities may make "common statements" to the rest of us without the Paparazzi hounding them. I guess the term is short for "web log," which got shrunk to "blog," as many terms and real words get concatenated when entering in the information superhighway.

My favorite type of "blogging" is what the church calls PREACHING. That word has a negative connotation in the popular culture: "Don't preach to me!" "My parents are always preaching to me." The kind of preaching pastors do nowadays is more akin to a lesson, a story, a parable, or an encouraging analog of faith and life. I'm sure there are still some "Hellfire and Brimstone" types out there, but that is not where most of us are. Effective pastors DO want to connect with her or his audience, and offer something during the "sermon" time that actually helps people understand the Bible or other element of faith more clearly. In some cases, we challenge our listeners to engage themselves in the wider work of the community, seeking to make a meaningful contribution. Or maybe we're just inviting persons into the life-long journey of faith that is the Christian experience. I write this kind of "blog" at least twice per week, and share it with my Saturday and Sunday worship crowds here at First UMC, Warren, PA. Still, this is not an excuse for not actually "blogging" in this spot.

Are you a blogger? If so, why do you do it? Is it because you have something to say? Do you want to make people think about something? Are you scolding the world for being such a pain in the posterior much of the time? I wonder if God sees our prayers as a kind of blog? Boy, if so, I sure hope God answers them more attentively than I blog! I will tell you that I PRAY a lot more than I write blogs. I'm afraid that when it comes to blogging, the evidence would show me to be an agnostic--maybe even an atheist!

I'd like to tell you that this blog is me turning over a new leaf in the blogging business, and that from now on, you will be seeing more regular stuff. I'd like to tell you that, but I hate being a hypocrite, so I'm just say that I'll TRY. That is really all I ask my congregations to do. Not very Yoda-like, is it (He of the "Do or do not; there is no try!"). Well, it's what I've got. Hey, Shalom, Yinz.