-ds

He places himself as a sullen man despairing over his death, and he talks with philosophy about the various forces that he blames for his misfortune. They discuss fortune (Boethius is the creator of the phrase ‘wheel of fortune’ which is why I said he influenced entertainment), predestination, the nature of good and evil, why evil men seem to prosper while good men suffer, and other philosophical favorites.

He was actually extremely influential in the Middle Ages. He’s been praised in famous works such as the Screwtape Letters and the Divine Comedy so I’m not really sure how the enemy and modernists manage to keep him hidden so well. I highly recommend reading Consolation of Philosophy.

But for the most part, I stare at the blank box and wonder what the heck I’m going to say. I don’t want to ramble about mundane stuff that happened to me during the day (although, if it was particularly amusing or inspiring, I’ll do it). I want to write something of substance.

Blogging on a near-daily basis has forced me to sit down and really take stock of what I’ve been learning in the past 24 to 48 hours. It forces me to document some of those random little revelations that hit my heart in the Prayer Room, thoughts that I might otherwise never put to words, inadvertantly allowing them to slip away out of sight and out of mind. It’s forcing me to articulate some of the stuff that is happening in my heart regarding the Word, and I like that a lot.

I am so busted. Good one.

-ds

Thanks for the encouragement to writers. I know that I need it. It’s so easy for me to not place value on what I do and the potential impact that I can have, even from a little blog. I agree with everything you said, except for where you started from:

Know any good music from the 17th century? Me neither.

And I just had to respond to that.

The 17th century was right in the midst of the Baroque period of music: Bach, Handel & Vivaldi are still played today. Granted, they are not the typical listening fare of this generation. But some of the concepts and ideas they pioneered are still utilized in music today.

And on the hymn front there was Isaac Watts in the 17th Century. His most famous hymns are: “Joy to the world”, “Alas and did my Savior bleed” and “When I survey the wondrous Cross” - these are sung in countless churches even today.

But your writings here on your blaaag, are encouraging, challenging, provoking, insightful, and the way you comment on comments make it all worth reading and it really makes it feel like we’re all in this together…

I think that a blog written in that manner would be very difficult for a reader to enjoy for any length of time. I think for now I’ll stick to reading and commenting on blogs, as I fear I have no real biblical insight to offer or “word of the Lord” to share! I’d simply be an echo, and anyone can be an echo. Maybe someday….

Ok, so I admit when I read that line, tears welled up in my eyes.

As a journalist, I get paid to write. But as a follower of Christ, I love to write. There is nothing so satisfying as organizing what Christ forms in me, into words on a page. This process often reveals insight into what is really going on in my heart. For me, writing is like a flash light; exposing the truth of who God is and what He is capable of doing in my soul.

This post was encouraging.

Thanks.

While you are on the journey, write from the heart - which means things you care about and evoke some kind of emotion (postive works better than negative, but folks have made tons of money trafficing in negative emotions).

In highlighting Shawn in an earlier post, he’s a great example of how the heart changes (as does what comes out of it) over time as you encounter God along the way.

So, by simply “starting” to write, you spend much of your initial time finding your voice, your style, and experimenting with the subjects that move you to write. You’ll learn what people catch, what they like, what they tend to miss, and how they process your thoughts.

I tend towards high structure with thematic flow when I write, and I have found a nice rythym that suits the way I think and like to communicate. Others are a bit more random or extemporaneous, and some just write like they talk. So those who want to just dive in need to find the groove that works - which really might take years. For you, Cathy, I bet you’ll hit a stride rather quickly.

-ds