New Year’s Blogolutions
Taking a page from Tripp Fuller, a Baptist blogger with whom I agree more often than not, I’m going to make some New Year’s resolutions. Tripp’s ideas are good ones so I’m going to modify them for myself in order to be conversant with his blog and intentional about my own.
First, the personal resolution: exercise. I’ve lost a ton of weight but I really need to get into shape. Not because I want to look good, but because I have low HDL cholesterol – which is a risk factor for heart problems. I really need to build some muscle mass and bring that HDL up – and exercise is really the only reliable way.
Second, the Church resolution: EPIC preaching. When I preached on Mary and Joseph presenting baby Jesus in the temple, I focused on Simeon’s words, “for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples…” I was struck with the image of a Japanese hibachi restaurant where the food is prepared in the presence of all who sit around it, and that a true worship experience is to sense God’s salvation cooked up in the presence of the people. I want our worship to be more Experiential, Participatory, Image-rich, and Connective (to borrow Len Sweet’s formula, which is a good one).
And finally, the Blog resolutions. Tripp lists these four ideas, which I think are good ones:
1. Question of the Year: What is Religion?
2. Gospel of the Year: Matthew
3. Theologian of the Year: Paul Tillich
4. Doctrine of the Year: Ecclesiology
So here’s my list:
- Question of the Year: What is Worship?
- Gospel of the Year: Matthew (hey, it’s Year B!)
- Theologian of the Year: John Cobb (I’ve got some Cobb I haven’t read, and this should be good motivation).
- Doctrine of the Year: the Trinity
So if I post, like Tripp, on each of those four questions twenty times in 2009 I should have eighty worthwhile blog posts.
Hopefully I can get around to adapting 12 songs (or even collections of verses) by the Wesleys with new original music. One per month should be doable.
And maybe I will succeed with RPM ’09 (I failed in “08, but I got a couple of good songs out of it!) Oh crap, that’s in like a month!
I’ll continue playing Friday Five games and blogging about good CDs and musical discoveries.
A Man Called Preach 
Rock on!
Sweet. Maybe since more than myself are attempting this feat of blogdom I will be more successful. Tag-teaming Matthew will be fun and I will definitely join in when it comes to John Cobb.
I have a song where I steal my favorite Wesley line. The verses were a little to complicated to be catchy. I think they use the narrative of Jacob wrestling with the messenger and ends by revealing that God’s name and essence is Love. http://trippfuller.com/?p=142
Thanks for stopping by, Tripp and Davis!
I look forward to conversing about Matthew as well. Will you be following the lectionary, looking at broad thematic elements, or going straight through – or perhaps a combination?
I just picked up a used copy of Christ in a Pluralistic Age, which I look forward to tackling, while re-reading some other stuff (especially Grace and Responsibilty)
Should be a fun year!
I will probably blog on Matthew as I read it with a couple commentaries. Each year I pick a gospel and try to learn a whole bunch about it. So we will see. Maybe I will check the lectionary out too, but it cuts out some of my favorite passages.
Cobb edited a new book called “Back to Darwin” and he writes multiple major essays in it that are worth the cost of the book. It was by far the most interesting religion and science book I read this year and Cobb does some reflecting I haven’t seen anywhere else. Check it out.
Happy New Year, Will.
Cobb is fun — good luck! 🙂
I’m trying to get into shape, too. I’m trying to get back up to running 2 miles a day and lifting weightlifting 5 times a week.