So I tried blogging once before and reneged. I didn’t quit because of a lack of desire or interest, but because of a lack of commitment. I was not committed to accepting the consequences of self-disclosure. When you blog you say what is on your mind. I have lived for a long time with a fear of self-disclosure. This is not good. I have allowed others perceptions of me to limit my advocacy for what I believe to be right. Again, not good. So I’m partly to blame. However, whenever a person’s (not just mine) convictions and beliefs are manipulated and stigmatized, the other party in the equation bears some guilt as well. That “other party” in my life is not one individual or one group of people, but rather a complex web of relationships and circumstances. And this is not isolated to me–in fact, everyone reading this finds themselves in the exact same situation (perceptions–reality–judgments, etc.). The task then is to be open and transparent and allow these circumstances to work in your favor, rather than against you. This is a proposition that is easier to utter than to practice. However, it is my firm commitment to be this type of person, no matter how long and painful the transforming process is (Rom. 12:1-2).
So with that said, welcome to my blog. Hopefully the members of the East Peoria Church of Christ will find this blog helpful and useful as it will also be a means of supplementing my ongoing teaching efforts there. Hopefully friends and family will drop by and participate. Hopefully new friendships will be forged. Hopefully iron will become sharper. And finally, hopefully, God will be glorified.
Zachnostic 