Why I Blog

No one asked, but I thought I would answer. I suppose that there are many noble purposes for which persons offer as to why he or she chooses to blog. I also suppose that there are a myriad of reasons that are somewhat less than noble. Without the ability to confidently and competently ascertain why any individual acts in any fashion, I will pass on the opportunity to speculate on the purposes of the forty gagillion weblogs that are now in existence. However, I will make one comment regarding blogs of the Christian community: “Most Bloggers are not theologians and all (including this one) should be tested against the authority of Scripture – not the yea or nea comments posted by passers by.” Having said this, on to my own purpose for blogging, of which I confess, that I sometimes also question the nobility (or lack thereof) in my own reasons for posting.

As all Christians are called to “do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31), I ought not to entertain the idea of doing anything that falls short of His glory. However, everything that I do in and of itself will in fact fall short of His glory, so there appears to exist a conundrum. I resolve this riddle by acknowledging that I will never achieve the righteousness that Christ desires for me and thus rely on the righteousness that He sovreignly chose to give me and all those of His Church (Romans 3:23-26). And thus seek, as an earthly representative of His dwelling place (2 Cor 3:16), to act in accordance with His provisions “so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:11).

But in this moment I also must confess the depravity of my own soul, knowing that there are times when I desire the glory for myself. I desire to be puffed up with compliments and adoration so that I may appear to all as more sanctified than my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The need to appear “spiritual” outweighs the command to be humble “under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt [me] at the proper time” (1 Peter 5:6). Intellectually I also know that “when pride comes, then comes dishonor; but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2), yet I still struggle with the desire for my own self recognition. “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not” (Romans 7:18). And agreeing with Augustine, “…O Holy God…when Your commands are obeyed, it is from You that we receive the power to obey them” (1). Thus, I trust that the eternal weight of His presence, will drown out the impure over time, and when I am gone to glory, my desires will finally be perfected to conform to the desires of His heart.

So, if the preceding is more of a “how” I should blog, let me attempt to answer my own question of “why?” I blog so that I might see my thoughts develop into a God-centered, Christ-exalting conviction. If I can not achieve this, I ought not to publish before I have had the opportunity to bring such thoughts “captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). And this is where the blessings enter. None to the reader’s chagrin, a gaggle of thoughts preceded the finished product and through the seeking to understand my own purposes for each article, I see where my convictions lie, and words unfold. Often wrinkled, but unfold nonetheless. This is primarily a fancy method to describe the reality that I need practice organizing my thoughts in a concise and articulate expression. This is a gift that many have and I wish to develop. And therefore, by challenging my own convictions, the blog provides a means in which to force practice; for every article does not meet a posting without study and research. My aim is not to be the overachiever who can post twenty-eight pages a day telling tale of the comings and goings of everything in the western hemisphere - and there are many who are capable of such a feat. I can rattle off three or four pages of typesetting without communicating a single thought, but this just signifies that I am long-winded. For an aspiring public communicator, this is a curse. Attention spans are dwindling as the centuries troll along, and it has now become increasingly more vital to be pointed in speech so that the message of the preacher is not lost in the fluff.

Case in point. This last paragraph could have been summed up this way: “I need the practice.” But instead, I fluff – even through several revisions. Rants.

May His glory be evident despite these twisted fingers.

(1) Aurelius Augustine of Hippo. Confessions. trans R.S. Pine-Coffin. New York: Penguin Books, 1961. 181 (ix, i) as quoted by John Piper Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God's Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2000. 56.