It’s strange to think that I started this blog 11 years ago. To me, it doesn’t feel that long. Maybe that’s the Covid time distortion field, or maybe it’s because I thought I would have more to show for my efforts.
But despite the part of me that wants to retrospectively analyse everything – from my own anxiety and feelings of failure, to diminishing attention spans and how GenAI is shredding website readership – I’m gonna try and do what Paul did: forget what is past and fix my eyes on the goal ahead.
My goal is 2038. In 2038, lent will start very late. And the Revised Common Lectionary will be in year A — Matthew’s Gospel. Meaning it will be the first time since 2023 that Matthew 5:32 will be read in churches as part of the lectionary.
By that time, I hope to have proven that Matt 5:32a is mistranslated in nearly all English translations. And then some.
I’m not sure how much this blog will be a part of that feat in the next 12 years, but I’m writing this to go on record that I’m not putting my pen down yet.
I still find it hard to engage with social media, and hard to handle how social media engages with me. But words mean a lot to me, and I’m good with them.
Meanwhile, my blog finally feels presentable again. I’ve taken down old posts that didn’t say very much or don’t fit my current style. I’ve repurposed the categories to be more intuitive. I’ve switched my theme to one that’s smart, stable and lightweight, customised with my own CSS code. I’ve edited posts and I’ve cleaned out dead links. Plus I’ve made a change that I’m hoping will bring my core web vitals from amber to green.
Oh, for sure, I still have plenty of worries, but what I can also see is that learning is cumulative. Whatever I do next, I’ll have the knowledge and experience I’ve gained in the last 11 years.
Meanwhile from 2021 to 2024, I had a very productive period on Faith in Grey Places. And the materials there are used in worship all over the world. Yes, my creative writing dried up, but the main reason why I haven’t written over the last year is because I’m attending church again. And I’m not complaining about that.
I like to think that over the last few years, I’ve been flexing different muscles, as it were. I’ve written new creative pieces on Faith in Grey Places. I’ve completed a master’s degree in theology. I’ve preached. I’ve reproduced my poems in hardcopy booklets. I’ve edited. I’ve written for CBE International. I’ve read some truly fascinating books. I’ve even learned to rap “Your Idol” from Kpop Demon Hunters.
Plus of course chores, bills, work and all the other stuff that goes with life.
And maybe I’ve got to a stage where I don’t have to flex these muscles one by one, one after the other. Maybe I now have the resilience to flex more than one, maybe all of them, at the same time.
Watch this space.
Meanwhile if want to learn more about the things I mentioned above:
This post “How Jesus explains divorce and adultery” walks you through what is the biggest mistake people make in interpreting those teachings — and it talks about why Matt 5:32 is so key in dismantling misunderstandings. It’s very much informed by my master’s thesis.
I wrote for CBE about the film Conclave: Conclave as a model for disruption at its finest. I also received an honourable mention for my vignette Elizabeth Writes to Mary.
The last few posts I wrote for Faith in Grey Places were about my five biggest fears – which probably tells you something about my mental state at the time. Anyway, you can find those here.
Meanwhile, I bundled my Christmas poems into a single printer-friendly PDF, with short introductions to facilitate using them in carol services. I know this is wildly out of season as we enter lent but I’ve had nothing but positive feedback on them. Email me if you’d like a copy.
Two outstanding books I’ve read are:
- “Saving Sex” by Amy Derogatis — which helped me understand how sex and sexuality are often linked to salvation in evangelical thought; it also explained the highly problematic Titus 2 movement, which I had encountered on social media without realising what it was. The Englewood review is here.
- “Sexual Pollution in the Hebrew Bible” by Eve Levavi Feinstein — oh my goodness, this blew my mind. Aside from giving me a whole new way to look at the New Testament texts on adultery, it told me a lot about Leviticus and Ezekiel that I hadn’t understood. Those texts are wild in places but I’ve always loved them and I appreciate them even more now. I haven’t yet found an accessible review that does it justice, but here’s the OUP page where you can find the ISBN and the eye-watering price tag.
Lastly, in my humble opinion, “Your Idol” ranks with “Hellfire” from Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame as one of the best villain songs ever. And you can now buy the sheet music, published by Hal Leonard. No prizes for guessing what I got for Christmas. The ISBN is 979-8350165418. As for actually being able to sing it, I am indebted to the Talk To Me In Korean YouTube channel and this video in particular.