The Call

I got a call from Jon Acuff the other day.

It was somewhat unexpected, as I had forgotten that I bought his book on the day he was offering blog advice for this very reason. It was also unexpected because I had pretty much forgotten that I had a blog for over a month. OK, that was a lie. I knew I had this blog, but every time I would think about updating it, I'd say to myself, "Oh, I'll do it later." Or, "No one reads my blog anyway." But you know what happened? Jon Acuff, author of two books, came to read my blog and was met with a big fat nada from me!

It was a little embarrassing, but I'm also kind of glad it happened because he gave me some great advice. He asked what I wanted my blog to be, and to be honest, the answer I gave him sounded a little weak to me. What do I want this blog to be? Why did I start it? Those are questions I'm going to be answering in the next few days as I decide what direction I want to take this blog in. The great part about it, is that my readership pretty much consists of my best friend, and the occasional member from my church, so I've got some pretty understanding people who are rooting for me.

Another piece of advice Jon Acuff gave me was to pick one day of the week that I want to update. I explained that I had gotten really excited about doing the blog and then fizzled out as I tried to think of what to write. He said it was better to be at "80% and published, than 100% and still in your head." It was great advice. It also kind of made me realize that I sometimes treat my faith a lot like I treat blogging. Like a burden rather than a blessing.

Why is it that I can find time to watch my favorite TV show, but not to read God's Word? It's because I've been treating my faith like a burden, like it's something I have to do instead of something I am and get to do.

My pastor gave a great sermon on Sunday entitled "Now and Later." He illustrated it with candy, but one of the big things I took away from it is that I have been living too much in the now- focused on the instant gratification over the eternal rewards. My faith isn't meant to be a chore, but a way of life. I shouldn't view my Christianity by the laundry list of things I need to do that day for God, but by the love of Christ which transcends menial tasks and should bleed over into every aspect of my life.

So be on the lookout for a rejuvenated, updated weekly blog. It shouldn't have taken a phone call from a famous, unibrowed author to get me there... but it did.