David Cooke in Cookie’s Days, had this moving post.
It’s time to lay down the blog for a while. Any blog that quotes Tim Keller as much as I do needs to watch its idolatry-o-meter as it tries to apply a lesson or two from Counterfeit Gods.
You see, I have to be so careful not to like the sound of my own voice more than I long for the sound of the Father’s. I want to long for the Spirit more than the attention of others and I have noticed the two conflicting with each other slightly too much recently.
I am going to take some time out to read the book Eugene Peterson says is one of the most important he has ever encountered. It’s called the ‘Descent of the Dove‘ by Charles Williams (one of Lewis’s pals who he supped warm ale with in the Eagle and Child).
For all my, at times, strong opinions about the church that I love and the gospel I haplessly preach as best I can, I must remind myself anew that it is not about me and that the Holy Spirit is at work whatever I do or write.
Maybe sometimes not always as I would like in the C of E, but to be honest what I think is of no consequence. What matters is what God thinks. The plan is that we each one of us love Jesus, try to stay humble (always a tricky one as our most humble moments can in fact be pride in disguise) and we need to remember afresh that we don’t have to prove anything. Grace really is sufficient.
I read it, shuddered, and felt convicted. I enjoy blogging. Blog posts compose themselves in my head all the time–most of which don’t get written down.
But it’s scary–I guess I too hear my own voice more than the Father’s, and so I too have to be “careful not to like the sound of my own voice more than I long for the sound of the Father’s.”
I too need to long for the Spirit more than anything.
I want my blog to flow out of my relationship with God, the way that Matt Redman, Michael Card and Rich Mullins’ song-writing organically flows out of their love affair with God, and their spiritual lives.
Besides, if my blog mostly flows out of hearing the Father’s voice and his heart and perspective, it will be far more of a blessing than if my blog merely expressed my own voice and perspective.
Not to say that there is no value in an individual’s voice–of course there is—but that value is overshadowed by the blessing of being able to hear the Father’s voice, and to hear the notes and lyrics of the song that he continually sings over us.
The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zeph 3:17)
@ Red, yes, I had that experience yesterday, when a post came to me, and I wrote it rapidly, and then wondered, Was this from God, or did it come from my own unconscious? It's frequently like that with creative work–is this from God, or from my unconscious, or a bit of both?
@ Jen, thanks, hope all's going well with you.
Yes, always convicted on this point. Need also to “long for the Spirit more than anything.” Thanks for this.
difficult question because I think sometimes your inner voice (or intuition)is the voice of God but we don't always recognise it. So we might think we hear God when it is ourself but equally we might be thinking we're using or hearing our intuition when it is actually God…
true though, we need to check oursleves every now and then!
PS: love that the word verification for this comment is 'unsin' !! is that another way of saying 'repent'?!