Words and the Word

I'm not a very disciplined blogger. "No duh!" Say the three readers out there who haven't managed to clean the slackers out of their RSS feeds. My problem with writing is that, when I sit down to write, I want to write a "War & Peace", a "Catcher in the Rye", or an "On the Road." I put an extraordinary amount of pressure on myself to write something of significance. Let's face it, of all the blogs out there, very few leave lasting impressions. I lay no claim to being the kind of writer who's words carry readers into that place where space and time fade away and their eternal selves intertwine with their finite reflections. I'd dream of writing like that and so I freeze at such an impossible standard and end up playing Scrabble instead. I kick ass at Scrabble.

I'm going to try and be more disciplined. All writer's tell you, "the key to being a writer is to sit your but down in that chair and write." Whether or not my writing is pure drivel or works of art, and most likely somewhere in between, I just need to get in the habit and kick the Scrabble habit..or at least cut down.

I thought I'd combine blogging with another discipline. When I was preaching every week I was constantly reflecting on scripture. The living Word dwelt inside of me through those scriptures, pushing, pulling, punching, embracing, and changing me. While, I still read scripture I haven't had that level of intimacy except for the occasional preaching gigs.

You'll notice the lectionary side bar to the left. This reveals the daily lectionary readings. Every morning I'll read the texts for the day and at the end of the day I'll write up my brief reflections and where the texts took me. If I can stick with it for two years then it's not a bad way to read through most of the Bible. (daily lectionary reads through most of the NT twice and the OT once every 2 years as opposed to the Sunday lectionary which is a three year cycle.)

If you aren't familiar with the Revised Common Lectionary you can find more information here: http://www.pcusa.org/devotions/lectionary/index.htm

Another great resource is the ability to hear the text being read through a podcast. Find that link to the left. They don't have the daily readings but you can listen for Sunday's readings. The importance of hearing the Word, over always reading the Word, is something that has been lost..but that's another post.