Many of these new ideas or interesting thematic/philosophical/theological connections between seemingly disparate things pop into my head while teaching a class. Anyone who has taught before knows how much we learn when teaching: from the students themselves, from re-exploring a text, from moments of unexpected epiphany, from doing new research, and just from that act of being forced to clearly explain complex subject matter in a way that is accessible to a room full of students.
I like the idea of jotting down these ideas in a public forum rather than jotting them down on my private computer or notepad; I want to keep the conversation going. With some of these ideas, I will just make a few exploratory or analytical comments in the hopes of writing something longer and more complex in the future. With others, their life will be limited to this blog.
Another reason that I want to do this is to keep myself accountable; I NEED to be writing. Over the past year, multiple individuals--trusted friends, mentors, and even new acquaintances met at conferences, etc. have quite emphatically stressed that I need to be writing. That I need to be writing articles, books, blog posts-and I need to do this frequently.
Of course, I HAVE written: a dissertation, multiple published academic and general audience articles, conference papers, et. But in recent years, it has not been consistent, not been a priority. I actually feel as if part of my own calling is being neglected (current circumstances and obligations have a lot to do with this) but I now know that I MUST prioritize.
I have been given a very special gift in the form of an invitation to be Writer in Residence this summer at L'Abri Fellowship (pictured above) this summer in the UK. What amazing timing, a plan beyond my own limited vision.
I look forward to revisiting some of the topics I have started discussing on this blog and expanding them while at L'Abri. I also look forward to blogging about the lectures, conversations, study, and research that are a part of day to day life at L'Abri.
So--welcome to my new/old blog. Please feel free to join in!
