Why blog?

I have debated for a while now whether or not I should start blogging. Why would anyone care about the random and meandering thoughts I have on religion (my passion), the latest episodes of "The Office" (on the road to becoming the best sitcom EVER) or "ER" (way past its prime but I'm still hooked), or the best of Austin cuisine (can't beat Posado's, Hao Hao, or Amy's)? While these thoughts might be interesting to those who share an enjoyment of those topics, I'm not sure that my views on them are significant enough to merit a regular posting. In order for me to embark on this voyage, I needed more reason that just the rather arrogant notion that "I have thoughts that, to me, seem interesting. Others should have the blessing of those thoughts as well." So after thinking about it, I came up with a few reasons why I decided to get my nerd card officially stamped and become a blogger.

1. Community. One of the blogs that I regularly read is Caritas, by Greg Stevenson. In explaining his reasons for blogging, he mentioned the virtual community that the internet has created. He wrote on March 18, 2006:
   

   For all of the criticism of the Internet, one of the things it does well is the creation of a virtual community. Now virtual community should not be a replacement for real community any more than the Kroger generic brand of Lucky Charms should replace the real, glorious thing.

   I agree with this assessment. I hope that by becoming a more active part of the online community, I will be in a small way connected with some who are not a part of my regular circle of association. I will also have one more way to interact with those that are a regular part of my life.
2. Therapy. I spent many years learning how not to questioning things. When questions about cherished traditions and understandings developed, I learned to ignore those questions in favor of towing the party line. In other words, I learned how to say what I was supposed to say, even if it wasn't what I actually believed. I have come to realize that this approach has caused me to sacrifice honesty. Over the past couple of years, I have been trying to re-teach myself how to be open and honest about my beliefs. My (re?)discovery of God's grace and the meaning of freedom in Christ have shown me how much more important openness and honesty are than any tradition, no matter how cherished it may be. I feel that blogging will help me take a step towards this openness. So in a way, this blog will be therapeutic for me.
3. Paying it forward. I have enjoyed and benefited from reading a few blogs, including Scott Freeman, Caritas, and PreacherMike. I am admittedly suspicious of my own ability to express my thoughts in as thought-provoking and entertaining a manner as these gentlemen. However, I am compelled to give it a try.

So what can you expect from this blog? Probably a wide variety of rants on whatever happens to be on my mind at the time. There will probably be a significant amount of musing on theology and ministry-related topics. You'll probably get an occasional opinion on sports, movies, music, TV, and politics. And you'll probably get some riveting and inspiring stories from the daily happenings of my life. To be honest, I'm curious to see what shows up on this blog, too! So read and comment.

For now, I'm off to get my nerd card laminated!