Author: Wick

So I am a bit excited. This has the potential to be one of the best years of hockey in a long time. You can see why I’m just a little geeked by going here. But just in case you’re afraid of clicking links from a source like me….here’s why:

I live in Central Illinois. I’m 3 hours away from the Chicago Blackhawks. I’m 2 hours away from the Saint Louis Blues. I’m from Michigan, and I’m so much a Detroit Redwings fan that I actually bleed red. (totally true, no lie.) Yet, as surrounded as I am by great hockey, it’s rare to actually see it or hear it talked about publicly/socially. It’s never as obvious as it is during the playoffs. That most exciting timeof the year, where I usually sit alone in my basement, all geared up and IBC in hand…sometimes with a friend or two who are curious why people watch the sport.

But this year could be different. This could be the year where many Illinoisans pick up the title of “hockey fan”.

“But why?” you may ask. Why would this year be different from any other year?

Right now as I write this, the Blackhawks are currently number 4 in the Western Conference. They are totally going to the playoffs for the first time in 7 years. The Blues are currently tying with about 2 other teams for 7th, 8th, and 9th place right now. Four games left, and they could totally be within the top 8 teams!!

So my previous post was officially my 400th blog post. It all started back in May of 2007 with my very first post. Honestly, I didn’t know much about blogging. Even though I suppose I’ve been doing it every since November of 2004…thanks to Xanga (remember Xanga?)..which seems just a bit crazy. My adventure went from Xanga (not even sure how I got started on that…but thanks if it was you) to Myspace, to the current blog you’re reading. I launched this blog after realizing Myspace was ad-happy, and Facebook might go that way someday too (which it totally is, not to mention the stupid ad-ons you get invited to every stinking day).

I have no idea how many total posts that makes. A lot probably. But most has been in the past two years. I enjoy it. After 5 years of posting my thoughts, I have built up a regular 20-30 readers a day…(most from family, and accidental visits by googlers) and yet continue to write. That in itself should tell you I’m not writing to gain high readership. I would have quit a long time ago.

I think there’s something useful/beneficial to writing my thoughts out. I think more. I pay attention more. I’m accountable (relatively) to comments and random or not so random people responding to whatever I put out there.

I was never a journal person. But maybe this is journaling for me.

If you read my blog, thanks. If you check once in a while to see if I’ve posted anything interesting/easy to read, but usually switch pages within a few seconds – thanks. If you remember I have a blog, because you use it to find a blog I link to, thanks. If you’ve ever posted a comment on my blog, and actually enjoy the randomness/not-so-randomness that are the thoughts I spew out – thanks.

If you don’t read it, and don’t like it…well….what are you doing here? 🙂

Looking forward to many more words coming together…

So last night, David Plotz was on The Colbert Report. He’s recently authored a book called “Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible”

Not a big fan, just being cynical of a cynic. Probably because of my bias as a believer. But the title sounds like he’s bragging an accomplishment akin to climbing a giant mountain by reading a book written specifically for all humanity to read. Something is definitely wrong when the book originally written in a language meant to be understood by even the uneducated is considered so esoteric that a man can write a book about his experience of reading it.

But I’ll probably end up getting the book (once I’m finished with my online course) and reading it, and I think it’s an obvious warning to comfortable Christianity.

Why a warning? Because here’s a man who’s familiar with religion, and not anti-God (it seems he’s Jewish, at least as far as labels go). He read through the entire Book that we believe to be God revealing Himself to humanity, and where does he find himself?

“You notice that I haven’t said anything about belief. I began the Bible as a hopeful, but indifferent, agnostic. I wished for a God, but I didn’t really care. I leave the Bible as a hopeless and angry agnostic. I’m brokenhearted about God.” (from his article in Slate Magazine)

Reading/memorizing scripture is great. Sunday School is good. Bible studies in schools are swell. Reading chunks of the Bible on a daily basis is a fine idea. But this does not promise a journey towards an experience of the Kingdom Jesus Christ came to proclaim.

Church – we need the Spirit of God to pour through our lives, and to bring New Creation Flesh to the words found in Scriptures. To be living examples of the power, and love, and grace, and mercy, and Truth found in the Old and New Testament…and communities sourced in that Life.

I’m certain there is not an equation. Nothing we can point at and say, “do this”, and someone will naturally find the Life-giving Truth found in Jesus Christ. But I’m pretty sure this book is a testimony that throwing a Bible at someone, even a well translated one, won’t do the trick.