Almost

Titles mean something. They tell others where you are and where they will travel with you. They suggest the topic(s) that will be covered and sometimes even the spirit of the conversation.

I am launching this blog to create a forum to talk about the almost. Some define their reality by the negative. Some by the positive. I tend to see the almost. The almost is a place where you can see possibility and hopes even as you try to be honest about the broken and unfulfilled.

Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God with his disciples. I can only imagine when those listening heard him talk they were struck by two realities. One was how great the Kingdom of God was. Their souls certainly wanted to lay claim to such a kingdom. It became their hope and their calling. The other reality that must have been clear was that they were not yet in it. The Kingdom was not yet fully realilzed in their experience. To a certain extent this must have been disappointing. Between those two realities is the almost. The Kingdom of God is fantastic and we have had experiences of it. There are moments when it seems so far away and foreign to our truth. Yet, the Kingdom of God for me and maybe you is actually neither fulfilled nor completely removed from us. It is almost. There are amazing moments of grace and painful brokeness. The almost allows me to rejoice in the Kingdom when it brushes against me and keeps me from complete despair when pain surrounds me.

I am neither an optimist or pessimest. I am a child of the living Lord who has promised me the Kingdom of God which I have experienced - almost. There is my hope and joy!

Why the blog? Because there are times I will want to articulate what I need to think out loud. There are times I want to share my thoughts so in the revealing they may gain clarity. If anyone ever responds, then the best can happen - we can share our ideas, hopes, fears and belief and in the sharing find new truth.

Topics to cover....who knows. Life, ministry, vocation, faith, questions, fears and so much more. Some will be specific in nature, some so general I may not even know where it is going.

So here is to starting......and thanks be to God for the almost of today!