Blogging as a spiritual practice?
I started blogging on February 25th, 2004. I think it has been very good for me, both intellectually and spiritually. I've tried to blog everyday, except on the weekends. Making that happen has been a challenge - not for a lack of content, but more a lack of the necessary self-discipline. Another challenge is actually making my posts good. There are a lot of incredible writers out there. Jumping to mind are Hugo Schwyzer, Jay Voorhees, Jenell Paris, Father Jake, and Real Live Preacher (among many others). They seem to always be on, while I definitely tend to be hit or miss.
So what's the point here? As I mentioned above, blogging has been good for me. But does it actually qualify as a "spiritual practice?" Tim Bednar at e-Church says yes. He suggests several reasons that blogging can be a spiritual practice:
:: Blogging can be a frequent, intentional habit that aids in spiritual formation.
:: Blogging interrelates with the corollary discipline of spiritual reading.
:: Blogging can be used to practice the presence of God.
:: Blogging is practiced in community.
These all make sense to me. What I wonder is at what point does blogging become a spiritual practice rather than just another way to waste time online? Is it a question of discipline? Or of content? Or intent? Do we even need to try to find out?
If you were going to recommend blogging as a spiritual practice to someone, what would tell them? How would you suggest going about it? If you are a minister or a leader in your congregation would you recommend it to the people in your community?
I'm not trying to suggest rules that bloggers need to follow for it to be a spiritual practice. I'm just wondering if there are ways of blogging that lead to greater personal and spiritual growth than others? Or is it a very individual thing? What do you think?
Here's an interesting link I found today - Practicing our Faith.
posted by Brian @ 8:09 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home