Blogging: Good, Bad & Ugly

Blog writing is an interesting paradox.

I enjoy blogging immensely. This particular blog allows me the privilege of interacting with folks from all different places concerning topics related to the Gospel, the Christian life, and Biblical thinking. The theological and philosophical dimensions of God's self-revelation are thrilling to explore, and I learn from others along the way. I'm growing and I sense that others are growing as we explore these foundational, life-changing matters. We're asking great questions and discovering sound, Biblical answers. That's the GOOD.

Unfortunately, time is a limited commodity. It's frustrating to have so many posts in draft mode, not quite finished, and so many ideas for articles that are just waiting to be brought to life. If you blog, you probably know where I'm coming from. It's frustrating to want to do more than you can do. It's difficult to enjoy something so much, and yet find it always a little out of reach. That's the BAD.

What's the UGLY? Well, at this moment I have three distinct threads in process, but none of them are moving very quickly.

1. First, there is the "current series" on Isaiah 53. It's been a few weeks since that was touched upon, although it's all been mapped out for a long time.

2. Second, there is a mini-series on "Needs & Neediness," comparing psychology and nouthetic counseling. The final post is turning out to be very long and detailed, and it probably isn't far from publishing. If I could just find two hours to get it finished.

3. Third, there is the ongoing chapter-by-chapter review of James Anderson's book, "Paradox in Christian Theology." We're on chapter 3, but it's been awhile since I looked at either the book or the next part of the review.

Hard as I try, I'm not much of a juggler, so progress is slow . . .

The point of this post is to say, "Be assured, if you are anticipating the continuation of  the discussions mentioned above, I have not forgotten." Little by little, they will come back into focus. In the meantime, I may post short meditations on the usual topics, just because they're interesting and they're ready to post. The other stuff is still cooking - and we all know good cooking takes time.

THEOparadox has some very faithful readers. I'm grateful that God has led some like-minded, Gospel-centered people to this blog, and quite a few who are just curious. We get lots of visitors from search engines. People who want to learn about Biblical paradoxes, Calvinism and related matters typically find their way here via Google or Yahoo - at a rate of 20 or more per week. And there are lots of others who find us while searching for other topics. They come from all over the world. It would appear that our mission statement is being accomplished - in spite of the lag time between posts.

So I want to thank you again, dear reader, for your patience and continued interest in this humble blog. Whatever it is or isn't, it's here to glorify Jesus Christ and magnify His work on the cross. Soli Deo Gloria!

Grace & peace,

Derek

The Tug of War: Time, Stress & Priorities VS. God, Eternity & Joy

Recently someone noted that he felt overwhelmed with the stresses of life (yes, I think you overheard this, too - but probably not from the same person). That got me thinking about our life in this world and the next. Inevitably, we get bogged down with the incessant demands of activities, relationships, work projects, hobbies, events, schedules, home life, church life, maintenance, technology, and so many other things. All of this can rise to a toxic level as we find ourselves out of  focus, out of sorts, and seemingly out of options. This appears to be a universal experience, especially for those of us who live in the Western world.

In such a state, we find it almost impossible to get our scattered minds settled on the Gospel. Prayer and contemplation become luxuries we feel we can ill afford. Bible study turns into a quick glance at a Psalm - or perhaps nothing at all. We begin to count on the preacher's sermon to get us through the week, and we rely on a few restless moments of sleep to carry us through the steadily advancing days. But those hours are gone too quickly and each day's new mercies get buried under the clutter of our busy-ness.

Yet for each of us there comes a time of true rest, eventually. That rest will be chosen by us through a painful decision to cut off things we enjoy but don't need, or it will be forced upon us by circumstances and ill health and mental strain and the unexpected breakdown which finally forces us to pause. We might be angry when this happens. But at the end of it all is God, calling us to Himself in a voice that is at once quieter and more persistent than all of the earthly demands. His sheep know His voice, and we follow Him. If not, He binds our legs together and slings us over his shoulders and carries us. We seem to be out of commission, but we're actually in a wonderful place of trust-building dependence. These are hard lessons to learn, but necessary to our growth under the difficult reality of being time-bound and priority-driven. It will be wondrously freeing to enter eternity, and be swept up in an intent God-focus that cannot be turned even slightly by the raging distraction of less worthy things.

Till then, this is a wretched and uncomfortable life, filled with sorrow, trouble . . . and flashes of imperishable delight whenever He shows His hand or reveals His smile. Mercy and grace are drawing us up to our eternal rest, even as this world wraps its tentacles more tightly around our feet. We may feel pulled in two different directions, but let us lift our heads and smile up toward the One Who holds our hands more tightly and tenaciously than this world's distractions ever could. He won this tug of war before we knew it.