I have Nothing
to Say…
This week I have nothing to
say. Sure, I have a boxful of ideas for this
“Tuesday Column” but I’m not talking.
I’m a little worried that I’m talking too much. I should spend as much time listening as I
spend speaking and that’s hard to do on a busy week. I don’t want to become one
of those people whose walkie-talkie is stuck in the transmit mode. It takes about 4-5 hours a week for me to
write a Tuesday Column, and when I’m busy that leaves too little time to listen
to the blogs of others. So this week I’m reading blogs instead of
writing one.
Here are the blogs I’m “listening”
to this week, mostly family or present and former:
My son Dave writes a delightful response (“retort”?) to my decades column
on NextWave.com’s emergentish
site. When I was 30 I was still writing like a high schooler—if
he keeps getting better and better, he’ll be lots better than me in another 30
years when he’s my age, and he has a great sense of humor to boot.
My other son John writes a
thought-provoking blog pointing out how we now substitute “struggle” for “sin” —as in, “struggle with pornography” and what
that means. John “does theology” at the
street-level on his blogs and he always teaches me something.
Amanda Drury makes
observations on ordinary events of life such as dental flossing or her new neighbor and I always leave her blog
smiling. I need to smile more and she helps.
Kevin Wright wrote this week on
pacifism. Kevin is a former student of mine who is now
in seminary at Duke. He is always rattling cages and I need some of my cages
rattled.
Ken Schenck has been writing
recently about “What's wrong with those who oppose women in ministry?” often responding
from a Bible perspective. Ken is the
“Royal Smart Person” in my division at IWU and his writing is literary ginkgo
& ginseng for my brain.
Nate Crawford writes on social
holiness this week. Nate is another former student presently in a POhD program at
Andrea Summers writes this
week about “Emergent Jews” in a fascinating post. Andrea is a former student, great
thinker-and-doer who is now at Asbury seminary.
Paul Kind writes a response to the
State of the Union address. Paul a
former student is now a pastor in Dakota and he has hiked hundreds of miles of
trails with me so I like to hear his thoughts.
Adam Thada also writes a response
to George Bush’s State of the Union address. Adam is a present student and is a
quasi-libertarian I think and he is always thinking and posting something
interesting.
Ben Robinson posts his paper
in church History where Bud Bence is always making students “fall off the log”
on one side or another—this one on the Protestant principle. Ben is a present student and is always
insightful.
Christin Taylor on Oil
Profits (she let Dwayne post this on her site)
Kurt Beard proposes this week
that all pastors become part time. Kurt graduated last year and is
always poking his fingers into my eye.
(He also links to his published “paper” from my worship class.)
Nate Richardson struggles this week
with the notion of military service and peace.
Brenden Bowen
writes about The End of the Spear,
gay actors, Christian responses & etc. , (his
“workplace” is the same as mine)
Beth Lahni
reports on her personal life. I
usually check the blog of this former student mostly because I feel guilty that
my blog listing include more males than females
I listened to the writing at
other blogs this week too—especially some of the personal updates by former
women students because I always feel guilty
that my listings have more men than women. I guess my only defense is I mostly
read the blogs of former students and (still) men outnumber women in the
ministerial program at IWU 5 or 6 to one.
There! Thanks for listening (to others). After reading these blogs I am walking away
better. Maybe you are too if you
followed some of the trail I blazed above.
Keith Drury 2/06/06