In response to a post over at Lutheran Confessions, and in honor of my 200th post, I’ve been thinking about why I blog. Here are some answers:
- Blogging is cheaper than therapy
- After hearing too many of my opinions, my wife told me to get a blog
- Blogging is a way for me to intentionally reflect on my life (my life of faith, my life of family, my life of baseball fandom, etc.) and process the events and issues that surround me. In other words, it serves as a kind of diary – but this diary just happens to be wide open for the world to see.
- To listen to and learn from others
- To contribute to a broader conversation about faith and life (and, just maybe, to cause a little bit of trouble from time to time)
So for me blogging is part diary, part attempt at social and religious commentary. I do lots of reflection through this blog, but there’s a difference between the kind of reflection that takes place when journaling in a traditional fashion (ie, on paper and in private) and when keeping a blog (ie, online and in public). A blog is public, and that makes a difference. There is a public concern, a glance-in-the-mirror, a "do I look alright?," a "do I really want people to read that?" kind of quality when writing publically rather than personally. So on this blog you’re getting my thoughts and reflection, albiet slightly censored for public consumption.
Sparing you the gorey details of my neurotic, subconscious-driven, Freudian reflections (I did that laying on a couch a few years ago), this blog is a little bit of my faith, a little bit of my life, a little bit of my passion. Thank you for letting me share it with you.
The Lutheran Zephyr 
And while we are at it, thank you for sharing!
Peace,
Chris
I’ve been thinking about this lately… I think there is something about blogging that encourages a certain transparency in life. A lot of different people read my blog – they’re friends from all different parts of my life, and they know different facets of my personality. It’s interesting to think about presenting a consistent face to all those people, since in real life I probably represent myself slightly differently to each of them (not deviously, of course, just because that’s how life is). A blog encourages me to take a more cohesive view of my life and how I present it to others. Or at least, I’m trying to get there.
I always appreciate your insights. Happy 200th post!