No I'm not dying, and no I'm not planning on it anytime soon. I am, however, going to cease writing on this blog...
It's been a real good time, for the last year and a bit writing thoughts, funny stories, sad stories, current events, basically having the freedom to write whatever you want in whatever style or format you want (I would have quit this blog thing the first day if these posts had to be done in Turabian format).
I have been reading this book by Richard Foster called "Freedom of Simplicity" and I have been challenged, overwhelmingly at times, by the reminder in it to be simple people. Not simplistic, but simple.
The other day I was reading it, and Foster was talking about how to practice simplicity, inwardly. This means not so much the stripping away of your material possessions or things that busy your schedule.... not yet at least. Simplicity starts inwardly, it starts with your soul, your center, whatever you want to call it, entering (or sometimes being barged in by) the presence of God.
Once there, I think some of the outward things, some things like your clothes, food, all your possessions, the things that Jesus warns about not putting first in our lives.... Those things start to loose their grip on our us.
Richard Foster challenges his readers to categorize (this can be hard) the things done in your day into four sections;
1. Absolutely essential
2. Important but not essential
3. Helpful but not necessary
4. Trivial
My mind was flooded with all the things that I do in a day.... Eating breakfast at the sals-essential....reading my emails-important but not essential.......reading a little each day-absolutely essential........watching CSI for more than 3 hours in one day-seems important, but really trivial
My fall is looking more busy than it has ever been. I am feeling a little bit like my good friend who prays not that God would fulfill his life's dreams, but that God would help him make it through this day alive.
Blogging is a little bit twofold for me. It's like Richard Fosters number three above (Helpful but not necessary), and this is how I break it down.
For me to post a blog is not really necessary. I realized I get excited about writing just as much if I write in my private journal. I realized I blog mainly because I just really want people to like me. I want people to think I'm smart, that I'm funny, that I actually have something important to say. It's one of my ways of making sure I get people's vote to stay on the lifeboat (if you're not sure what I'm talking about there, refer to Donald Miller's "Searching for God knows what" - lifeboat theory)....
I realized that people don't need to hear what I say. It is not essential. They do, however, need to hear what God says, essential.... I need to hear what God says. I know that many folks will say, "God speaks through his people," to which I would say, "God speaks through the bible," to which I (and I would gander to say many others) don't look into near enough.... and I would even go as far to say that God speaks mainly through people who are in the Word, not those who don't read it.
So for me, posting a blog is actually not that important.
Reading other people's blogs, on the other hand, is kind of helpful. I enjoy gaining insights beyond the scope of Cody Anderson. I enjoy reading and being interested in others' lives. God loves them just as much as he does me, so why wouldn't I be just as interested in their writings, their lives, as I am in seeing how many people commented on my "brilliant" post.
I found it interesting that this is my 121st post, which immediately reminded me of Psalm 121, where is says "I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from you the maker of heaven and of earth." My hope this fall, is to be a little more simple. For me, not worrying about keeping up my blog is a simple, good step in my journey. My hope is that the time I would spend blogging, would be used to start reading more of a book that is absolutely essential to my vitality as a follower of Jesus Christ.
I'm not trying to over-spiritualize blogging here, I'm just cutting something out of my life, and that's o.k.
So long and farewell blog world.
