This is my 700th blog post.

They have ranged from the simple question to pop culture to the downright controversial, but what I am most proud of in terms of my blogging has been its continuity.  Since October 2007, I have created, written, constructed, taught, and shared parts of my life on a fairly regular basis for anyone to see.

It’s not often that we persevere, is it?

The music lessons that got boring or the diet that made the refrigerator seem like a cast member of “The Hills” eventually faded away for other interests, endeavors, or pleasures.  I’m learning this in my life right now.  There are things that I like to do that are a lot easier than the things I’ve committed to do.  So when I suffer writer’s block or have hunger pains or get tempted by all the other things I could be doing, I give in and the commitment goes awry.

Recently I’ve committed to running a marathon in October.  I believe I’m crazy, but I didn’t commit half-heartedly.  I was all in, not knowing whether or not I could actually do it or not.  I had never run more than 4 miles, and even then, let’s just say stopping was on that run schedule.  But a while into it, I’m still going, and each running day, my body, schedule, and other forms of entertainment beg me to change my mind.  I don’t expect that begging to stop.  Anything worth having is worth working for.

In terms of writing, more recently I’ve found many excuses to not write, but mostly, it’s just been fear.  Fear that I have nothing important to say or fear that it won’t come out of my mind onto the computer screen clearly.  So I don’t even click on my site.  I find other things to do.  Then a friend of mine gets on my case and tells me he’s been affected by my writing in a good way, and he is an incredible reminder that when we make commitments with the right intentions, there’s a good reason.  And quitting doesn’t simply make those intentions go away, quitting hurts those intentions.

So I ask you, what have you committed to do that currently that you’re questioning the validity of, not because it’s probably a good idea to quit, but because your external circumstances are begging you to do things that are more fun or taste better or are just easier on you?  or perhaps the better questions is…

What do you need to keep doing that you desperately want to stop?

I have been pressured many times in my life to head to another stage of life prematurely.  I think driving was the first .  “I bet you can’t wait until you’re able to drive, can you?”  This was the first and only pressure situation I agreed with, probably because of my immaturity.  The ones that followed – not so much.

After I left college, I was asked time and time again when I was going to get married.  Over and over for the next 10 years people asked me that question, much of that time I was doing my part for the kingdom of God.  “Good pastors have good wives,” I would hear adult men and women say.  In my head I would respond, “Yeah, a lot of bad pastors have good wives too,” and “a lot of good pastors have horrible wives as well, what’s your point?”

But my clearly negative reaction to the questions never stopped them from coming.  Who cares what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7, our culture says that pastors have to get married so they don’t burn (I think that’s in the Bible, right?), so it doesn’t matter who you marry, just do it quick!!!

Praise God for Carie!  I don’t know how many more questions or accusations of being gay I could have taken, but when I finally found the woman who was perfect for Martin Jon Holman, unbelievably the kidding and questions stopped…

for about 6 months.

(guess what the pressure is all about now?)

Our culture screams of “whatever makes ME happy.”

Right now we’re going through a series of sermons at Fellowship called “The Worst Story ever told.” It’s about a story in Scripture that freaks me out and is perfect for this cold October month that ends with the most haunting holiday of the year.

The theme of the whole series, which one can find in Judges 21:25, is “In those days there was no king of Israel.  Everyone did as he saw fit.”  Basically the author of the story is sharing that, at this point in the timeline of Israel’s history, authority was nowhere to be found, and everyone did whatever they felt like doing.  So the story starts with this one guy who wants his wife back, and after a few decisions that focus on him, it ends up in a huge civil war, costing the lives of thousands of soldiers.

This happens all the time when I watch shows like “CSI” or “Law and Order“.  Each week a murder or a crime takes place, and it is the job of the standard (the police officers or the lawyers) to  solve the mystery and to find out who decided to make their own measure of right.
Almost every week they catch the culprit (though when they’re feeling particularly creative, they hang the episode another week), and almost every week the accused cry of some way they were wronged and how they felt like this person needed to die or that they needed to exact revenge in some way.  And the really good episodes show the pain of the others involved.  The innocent friends or family members who were left without their loved one, whether by death or by prison.

There’s no end to the places we will go if our standard is ME.  If the only measure to which I make my decisions is my own comfort or survival, then the ripple affect begins and the people it affects is much greater than just ME.

I think its time that the culture (and I) start screaming something else.