Getting Started

Hello,

One of humanity's favorite questions is why. Why does something work the way it does? Why do they think the way they think? Why is it so hard to find something worthwhile to listen to the moment you have a long car ride ahead? Answering the “why” in regards to this blog site is more complicated than it may seem on the surface. The short answer is Peyton and I want to write. We want to write more than just formal, academic papers which we have had our fair share of. We want to learn and grow in our ability to express our convictions on paper. Most of all, we want to write in a way that brings glory to God and might help someone along the way. Yet the desire to write coupled with the desire to improve at writing could be done in private. So, why write out loud? Why a blog? I can think of a couple reasons.

First, writing in public, however small an audience, will force us to be careful in what we say and how we say it. It will develop our ability to write clearly instead of rambling to ourselves. Second, writing in public will bring more eyes to our thoughts. So often we get stuck in our echo-chambers, but being somewhat public in our thoughts exposes us to others. Hopefully others will provide encouragement where appropriate and helpful rebuke and correction where needed. We truly believe that “the ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise” (Prov. 15:31). A third reason is more selfish. We want to stay connected. Peyton and I live far from one another (Phoenix to Charlotte), and writing together will be a blessing to us as we desire to stay close despite the distance. And the last reason is that Peyton and I wish to live transparently.

In our writing, our goal is to be as honest and raw as we can be about the human experience. Christians are facing a world that is confusing and jarring, and we want to enter that space with all of you. We will not be giving easy answers, we will not be giving short devotionals to give your day a pick-me-up. We want to wrestle. With Scripture. With reality. With death. With joy. And sometimes, maybe with God himself. This blog is to document the journey of our lives as God has seen fit to give them to us. 

So the question becomes how? How will we post? When will we post? What will we post? This will surely evolve over time, but for the time being, our plan is as follows. I will be posting each Monday and Peyton will post on Thursday. For now, it will be very loose in regards to topics. Whatever we are contemplating that week will probably be what we write on. Eventually, we would like to become more focused on intentional topics we both will write on each week. However, as we are just starting out, burning out writing on topics we aren’t interested in is a reality we would like to avoid. 

So welcome to our blog and let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in His sight!

- NR