Well, I think that if a thing is going to be called a "blog," you have to write to it more than once every month or so.  Now, I'd like to say I'm so busy that I don't have time to do it, but the truth is I'm just lazy and probably a bit of a perfectionist, in a disfunctional sort of way.  I suppose I should save my perfectionistic tendencies for my essay writing (a thing I do more in the realm of hopes and dreams than in the real world).

I think -- though I'm not sure -- that my reasons for attempting to keep a blog is to open a little window on the workings of one pastor's mind and soul.  That's trickier than it may seem at first.  There are, of course, things that are part of my pastoral life and work which I do not have a right to share in public.  In fact, some of the most fascinating, inspiring, moving things that I encounter in my life of pastoral ministry are of the kind that I can't share, even in a disguised way, without violating someone's trust.  Time has to pass before the real details can become so entwined in the avalanche of details of pastoral ministry that they are sufficiently disguised to be safe for me to reflect on them in this kind of public setting.

 Then there are an awful lot of things in my life and thoughts that would not be at all edifying for me to share and you to read.  And that is really in one way or another the overriding concern in writing -- that what I write should be edifying in some sense. And I would like to think that your goal in reading should be that what you read should be in some sense worth your time and effort.

Some of the things that pass through my mind are sordid (don't pretend to be shocked, you know you have your sordid moments, too!).  But really a lot of the stuff that drifts through my head is just really pretty random and trivial.  You don't need more random and trivial stuff to add to your own random and trivial stuff.

So, what do I want to do with a blog called "Pastor Notes?"  I don't want to blow my own horn and try to impress you -- that's a little tempting but not really.  I'm just not that terribly impressive when you take everything into account.  I don't want to moan and groan and try to make you feel sympathy for my hard lot in life -- that is a little more tempting.  But, again, the truth is that my lot as a pastor and as a human being isn't especially more trying than anyone elses, and really it's a lot more comfortable than the majority of the earth's inhabitants.  The great majority of my trials and difficulties are brought upon me by my own choices.  So, most of my complaints would ultimately be about myself, and that just isn't that much fun to read or to write.

What I want most of all is to point to God and to what I see of him in the world.  That can be endlessly interesting to read about and to write about.  So, that is what I will try to do.  Notice that this blog has a place to share your thoughts about what I've written.  Let me know when I've hit the mark . . . and when I've missed it.  I don't think I'm all that delicate anymore, and that conversation could be good for everyone involved.