Sunday, November 25, 2007

I'm a blogger

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9. The wisest man who ever lived penned these words. I tend to think he’s right (and I’m sure Solomon would be sooo relieved to have me on his side). Over the last couple of years, I’ve thought I’ve had some really original and profound thoughts only to find that someone else has already written a whole book about that idea, and very often, they’ve borrowed their thoughts from others. And so, for the longest time, I didn’t feel there would be any good reason to start my own blog. What do I have to say that anybody else would want to read or that hasn’t already been said? But then I realized that I have this very unusual gift: I really like to read. I read constantly (to Shannon’s chagrin). I like reading stuff that most people would only pick up if they were trying to overcome their insomnia. The other gift I have is a passion for the church. Specifically, I’m interested in seeing a renewal take place in the church; to help her return to her missional roots. Many of the things I read are driven by this desire.

And so, I’m bringing together these two passions in this blog. Here’s what you can expect (most of the time) when you come to my blog. I’m going to extract some of the best quotes from the best books I’ve read and present them to you here. You’re invited to share your comment about the quote, and hopefully, we’ll get some stimulating dialogue going. The theme will almost always be in the vein of the church, the kingdom, God’s mission, etc., so if you don’t like those things…well, I wouldn’t tell that to other people (at least not if you’re a Christ follower). My hope is that these quotes will stir something in you as they did in me. They may not be new ideas, but perhaps they’ll be new to you and will inspire you to think about, and respond to, God’s dreams in fresh ways.

I look forward to our dialogue. Scroll down and let's get started!
Ryan

4 comments:

Doug Ehrgott said...

I know I look forward to comments everyday on my blog so let me be one of the first to comment on yours. I like it so far. I added it to my favorites already because I know I will want to hear the distillation of you rthoughts about the kingdom and the church and its missional mid course corrections. My own thoughts at this time center on the fact that new wine is always a part of the kingdom. The new wine of this movement is a product of the last harvest. Each harvest, each movement is unique. This one will be no different. There will be those old wines skins who long for the old wine. They will resist, become stiff and brittle and even burst under the pressure of the new and there will be those who are willing to take a risk and sample the new. Those who long to be renewed and flexible. They will be the carriers of the life into the next harvest. Just a thought based on Luke 5:33-39

Tab said...

I'm thrilled to see that you're blogging and look forward to reading and commenting...as will Brad. Hope all is well...Tab.

marcelliott said...

bro...
its good to see you putting your thoughts out there. it makes me feel like i need to get back to writing on mine again.

i'm thinking about the kimball quote.

i'll comment tomorrow sometime about it.

hope all is well. miss you guys.

marc

Jenni said...

Great to see you blogging, Ryan. I think people will enjoy reading your thoughts more than you know. You're a great thinker and communicator. I've subscribed to your blog on my Google Reader, so I'll be sure to see all your latest posts! I'm proud of you, Ryan!