This post, or one very much like it, has been asking to be written for some time now. It is an explanation, though not an excuse or apology, for my lack of substantive blogging for however long it has been. The problem has not been one of lack of time to write but more a lack of desire.

Life events, of the negative variety, conspired to make serious inroads on my desire. It has been the presence or burgeoning of good things, however, that seem to have finally decimated my need to blog. This is not something to be grieved and not something about which I feel any sense of loss.

A few months ago I began teaching systematic theology to a Thursday night men’s group of which I am a member. There are usually twelve or so of us on any given evening, although the number of men involved is closer to fifteen or sixteen. We’ve been at it, as I said, a few months and are still in the Prolegomena, i.e., introductory matters. We spent a month covering covenant theology and will spend a similar amount of time on dispensational theology. It will take years to finish. There is no need for haste: we would rather relish than rush.

The contrast between real ministry and real relationships is remarkable and nothing short of miraculous. There is an additional Person (or Two or Three) present when we gather and He facilitates not only meaningful teaching and learning but wonderful fellowship, too. I can sometimes feel the Holy Spirit carrying me along as I read Scripture and teach truth; at the same time, I feel the Spirit minister to me through the men who challenge, disagree, and join with me to deepen our relationships with God.

This is totally lacking in blogging. I don’t think there’s much biblical basis for genuine fellowship through the internet, though certainly normal, uninspired connections can be made. We can benefit spiritually from reading Scripture on one another’s sites but it is not feasible for the Spirit in me to minister to those who might read my words, nor is it possible for an intangible reader’s spirit to be a vehicle of blessing to me. Sharing theologies and favorite verses is not fellowship; living life together is biblical fellowship.

But, someone might say, what about Paul’s letters and the blessings his original readers and subsequent readers have had from them? The answer is obvious, of course: the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit in its writing and continues to be inspired today as He gives life to it through His teaching and comforting ministries. Blogs are educational and entertaining but fall short of being inspired, illumined, and invigorated by the Spirit.

The contrast, as I mentioned earlier, is much like night and day. It is the presence of God in the men at Bible study versus the unanimated, lifeless words of a blog post. I still read and find some excellent thinking and points, but it is like getting a phone call from my wife when she is away versus kissing her when she is here. One quickens the imagination with longing, the other quickens it with desire. There is no comparison.

This is not to say that I will not continue to blog from time to time, but it is to say that it will likely be infrequent. Real life awaits and beckons and the detached pseudo-communion of blogging has, like the emperor’s new clothes, been exposed for what it is – and isn’t.

Perhaps this will fall on the deaf ears of some who stumble across this post or will cause a defensive reaction on the part of others. My hope is that anyone and everyone who spends too much time writing and reading blog posts will withdraw their energies from this artificial spirituality and find a real, loving, Spirit-indwelling fellowship of which they can be a contributing giver and a grateful receiver.

Again, the difference is that which exists between reading a menu of heavenly delights versus actually tasting a sample of what has been promised and will be provided. Don’t spend too much time merely reading the menu, collecting recipes, and studying ingredients. Enjoy a taste of heaven now: it will make you yearn for the full meal that awaits us one day.


2 Cor 1:13