The middle of the beginning........with no end

To be honest, I haven't really seen blogging as a useful way to spend my time, thus I am far behind many of my peers who have been typing themselves silly for years. The idea that something I do or say might actually be of value to someone else is, well, completely new to me. But now I think I have found my voice as a storyteller. At least for the moment

The concept of 'story' has been around as long as mankind. From legends to anthropology and history, from epic poems to short fiction, story has always been a building block of every culture that informs, defines and challenges its partakers for their betterment. Well, it used to, anyway.

In our weird, "all about me," post-modernish society, many stories are celebrated and perpetuated based on a pop culture that is a far cry from being synonymous with intellect. Don't get me wrong, there are some great writers out there right now, but sadly they are ignored by the masses. If you're not writing about vampires or magic, (and in a very pedestrian manner, I might add), then your voice is unlikely to be heard by many. If you are writing about spiritual matters then your audience really dwindles. If you are writing about the truth, rawness, and ugliness of sin and how it eviscerates one's soul, then you're really talking to yourself because nobody wants to read the truth.

So, for now, I see my mission: to tell THE STORY, (the only one that matters), in real, transparent ways so that people can see the love of God and come to know Him. How will this pan out? I guess we will all have to stay tuned. The great thing is that this is the life for which I was built.

Nothing about my life is conventional. I am in my mid-thirties, single, no kids, no real career, no real labels. Over the past few years, God has slowly ripped away everything that I, at one time, would have used to identify myself. All that I have left is my identity in Christ. This has been the most difficult, painful journey to endure, but the rewards have been worth every tear, every frustration. I now accept that I was not made to live the life that our culture, (and, in many ways, our Church), deems worthwhile and fitting. I am a rebel. I am a radical.

So here I am, somewhere in the middle of my own story, unsure of where the real beginning was and clueless as to how the next chapter will be written. All I know for sure is that my story is His story, and that's good enough for me.

What I am currently reading
World's Fair by EL Doctorow (thanks Ashleigh Givens)
The Good and Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith
Radical by David Platte
Re-reading Jesus For President by Shane Claiborn (why not, it's an election year)
The books of Romans and Colossians


Just finished
Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker

About to start
Barefoot Church by Brandon Hatmaker