Orangepekoe

I have noticed a pattern in my blogging. I think I really began to notice this pattern once I subscribed, signed up for, logged into Myspace. I feel I have this obligation to moralize everything and make sure everything ends on this morall acceptable happy note. The nightmare scenario for having a blog is that it may cost me a job. Someone may read my blog, take offense and I would lose the opportunity of a lifetime, for, being honest. stupid, perhaps, but honest.

So, my writing really suffers for this. Perhaps it is a general rule that one should not publish without an editor, if for this reason alone, the first draft always sucks.

So, this is my first draft, so, if you take offense, please make a comment.

However, I think that the blog is actually a replacement for the sermon, not the book or newspaper, or the well crafted essay, but for the sermon. For many sermons are first drafts of theology for a particular person. One of the interesting things I have seen in church history is how the decline of the sermon is often related to some kind of disconnect between the church and the people. In today’s reading, one of the results of the reformation was an effort by the Catholic church to reintroduce sermons. In Anglican History, the sermons also suffered in early Anglican history, and in its efforts to reform, the sermon was also something that received attention.

So, In many ways, yes, I end up moralizing, because, after nearly two years of blogging, I find my blogs are more reflections of the public teaching I attempt each week through sermons and Bible Studies than anything else. My best seller is not in these pages, but a sermon that last eight minutes is often improved by writing in this blog. So, yeah, I’m going to try to end on some kind of moral note, however, not always a happy note, because I don’t believe that the ultimate good is happiness.