I started this blog to talk about things I love -- reading and writing, movies, Jesus, and yes, politics. I am a devoted follower of Jesus. I lean to the liberal side in politics. Some would say that's a contradiction, but the culture wars of the 1980s pushed me to believe that not all of the moral arguments made by conservative leaders are correct. I remember seeing then-nominee Pres. George W. Bush use four words in his acceptance speech ("a culture of life") with a twinkle in his eye -- I gather because he knew then that he was racking up votes with a simple phrase designed to capture pro-life Christians and other conservative groups -- and deciding shortly thereafter that being a one-issue voter was not enough for me.
My personality ranges from serious to super-serious, and though I love to laugh, I don't do it very often. It usually takes something unusual to make me laugh, and the things I usually laugh at are not typical broad humor. I like New Yorker cartoons sometimes, and political cartoons if they capture something I believe in. I like poetry and history and non-fiction writing generally. In a previous life, I wrote news stories for a student newspaper, then tried my hand at professional newspaper writing for about a year. That gives me some perspective on the media, but not enough to really say I'm an expert. I also taught English for three years, a short stretch that convinced me that teaching really is a calling and something that demands a lot more than I was able to give. Now I work in an office, sorting through the business side of things, and I am happier.
My tastes are somewhat muddled -- I love to eat, I'm not picky about food, and I like to try new things. I like to do things when I go on vacation, although rest is sometimes the goal of vacation, too. My favorite pastimes are reading (mostly non-fiction), watching sports (though I don't get to watch as much as I would like), and writing. I don't write very much, usually a journal entry or blog, as opposed to fiction. I would love to be able to write a novel or short story, but I am really out of practice at that. I spend a lot of time on facebook and google plus, mostly lurking but sometimes posting my own stuff. My blog posts tend to be political. If you know me, you know that I love reasoned debate, and I sometimes get emotionally involved in politics and reasoned arguments about faith. My faith tends to be intellectually-based, but I am also emotionally tied to it through life experiences. I am starting to be more open to new ways of knowing God, and I hope to know God more and more throughout my life.
One simple phrase has become my motto, of sorts. It is from the Psalms and is repeated often in them -- "Praise the Lord, O my soul." For someone who has doubted whether he has a soul, and whether God is to be praised, it is important to recognize that God is God and I am not, that He is worthy of praise, holy, and in control, not just of my life but of the entire universe. Praise is the only proper response once we acknowledge the Lord of the universe, and it comes from the soul. Another important Psalm is Psalm 1:
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
But whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither--
whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgement,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
To me, this psalm illustrates that God is on the side of good, that He wants people to follow Him, and that evil will not stand in this life or the next. I don't have to worry about the evil side of me, because God has already won that victory. The evil one and the part of me that wants to follow him is like chaff that the wind blows away. I am like a tree planted by streams of living water, and I will bear fruit at the proper time that is pleasing to God and ultimately, good. Jesus is the living water, He is the one who watches over my way, and He is ultimately the one who will judge the quick and the dead. Jesus is love, He guides us to love one another as He loves us -- sacrificially, radically, and powerfully. He has shown me to walk humbly in His footsteps, and I am grateful that He has found and saved me. I am also grateful for the Holy Spirit, who guides me into truth and from whom I am learning more and more (hopefully) every day.
