Hi. Glad you dropped by.
My name is Tim. I used to be a professional theologian, as you can see if you go back in the archives. I thought about going back and taking some of the old posts down, but decided against it. Too much work, and besides, it’s only honest. I wrote those things; it’s who I was.
Then.
Now…well, God gave me a choice. I was the fair-haired son of a particular theological tradition. I could follow that track where it led. I had chosen to pursue a career in that theological tradition a long time ago, and I could keep chasing that dream. I could keep listening to the voices that told me I would be significant when I had achieved it, the voices that helped me plot out a career track. Or I could walk away from all that, and God could bring me what He has for me. There was a catch, though: He wasn’t going to tell me what that was in advance. So did I trust His heart enough to trust that it would be good?
I did. I do. And I’m growing in that trust as the weeks go by.
Of course, like any good American, I had identity-level commitments to the things I thought my life was going to be about. I had to decide that I was going to let God destroy my identity and offer nothing in exchange except the promise that living as His son would be worth it.
I’m not gonna lie to you: beginning that process was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I wasn’t particularly okay with that to start with. But like Peter once said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of life.” So I held on, and He went to work. He’s not done yet.
I don’t mean that in the Sunday School sense of “God’s not finished with me yet, because I’m still breathing.” There are periods of relative calm, when you know who you are and you know what you’re doing. I’m not in one of those – can’t even see the next one from here. I don’t know who or what I’ll be when He’s done with this period of turmoil, and I have even less certainty about what I’ll be doing. I’ll be a better husband, that’s for sure. A better brother. A better friend. But beyond that? Dunno. I’m looking forward to finding out.
Obviously, I’m not speaking for anybody but myself on this blog, and I have to qualify even that statement by adding that I have changed my position on some of the things I’ve written here, and will change my positions on others, I’m sure. I heard somewhere that most people settle into their belief system by age 30 and don’t change it thereafter. I don’t know about most people, but it’s certainly not worked out that way for me, and I plan to continue repenting when I find something I need to repent of – even if it’s a basic belief.
So. Onward and upward. I’m glad you’re here. Feel free to stand back and watch from a safe distance; you’re in good company there. If you want to join the fray, I welcome your comments in the available spots, or if you want a more private word with me, you can use the form below.
