It's been awhile

Within the past few weeks, I've had numerous people note that I haven't blogged in a long time.  "For seven years!" one person said.  It looks more like a few months, but definitely not much in the past couple of years.  Not to get too "meta" about it, but I appreciate my wife's question as to why it is I think I don't blog as much anymore.  Here are some stabs at answering that question:

• Last year I was blogging more for the campus ministry at Vanderbilt and Belmont.  This year, that excuse has disappeared.
• For a good bit of time after I left Harpeth Presbyterian Church, I was doing more personal journaling, and didn't have much energy left to reflect publicly on what was a painful time in my life.
• Campus Ministry, even more than Youth Ministry (why I capitalized all that, I don't know), feels like an ongoing person-to-person blog most of the time.  I'm engaging in meaningful conversations every day with folks who are seeking to deepen their faith and/or understanding.  At the end of the day, I think I prefer to schedule that one more chat at a local coffee shop than compose a blog post that potentially nobody will read.
• It's possible that I blogged more during times when I felt isolated or alone, and when I feel more connected to my fellow human beings, I feel less need to broadcast.
• I preach every week now, so I think a good bit of my creative energy goes into that endeavor.

So, there are some brief thoughts as to why I haven't blogged much in the past couple of years. 

All of that being said, I think I have the thought, "Now that's a bloggable moment/topic/issue," two or three times a day.  It is my hope that in the new year, I will re-engage with this blog and with the UKIRK blog and invite folks to engage with me as well.