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Hey, God, cool blog, man. (Or whatever. I guess Jesus is the son of man, right?) I love it when CEO types start blogging. It’s so easy to think people in control aren’t even normal people. Not that you are normal. But if you are willing to blog, at least you’re meeting me where I’m at—speaking my language, you know?
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So I can see that you are going the conservative route—sticking to scripture. I’ve been reading, but I have to say I’m disappointed. Don’t you think a new medium deserves a new message? I don’t expect you to change the crux of the good news, but at least recast those parables in images from the Information Age.
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This isn’t a response to today’s post, but I read something in your book the other day that really bothered me. You know the part in Timothy when it says, “I don’t permit a woman to teach.†Is that for real? You don’t expect us to treat women like that anymore, I’m sure—but God some people don’t get it. And they’re making you look pretty sexist. And you know, blogs are a great way to do some damage control.
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God, the end of that comment post yesterday wasn’t supposed to be rhetorical. I was kind of hoping for a direct response. A log of bloggers do that, you know. Of course, you do—you’re God. And you take requests. That’s part of prayer, right? “By prayer and petition make your requests known to God.†So here’s my petition—women are equal to men, right? Different, I’ll concede, but still equal. Right?
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God, are you there? Did you read my comment yesterday? Again, not rhetorical. Asking for a direct response is bold, I know, but hardly without precedent. You walked with Adam. Even after the fall from grace thingy, you talked with Job and Moses and Elijah. I don’t need to see so much glory that I glow or grow horns or anything—just a little Gideon sign would do me fine. Just an acknowledgment that you read these comments.
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I’m feeling a little frustrated here. I’m still reading your posts, but I’m beginning to have doubts. How do I know you’re God—and not some geeky zealot punk with too much technical expertise? Cops pretend to be thirteen year old girls all the time—to catch the perverts. Just say something—one small comment—so I know you aren’t some kind of atheist sting operation outing the faithful few.
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OK, God. Still nothing? I’m going to level with you. I know you know all and all that, but you’re not quite listening. Here’s how conversation works in the blogosphere. You post something. The scripture passages work fine—I’d prefer some updates and revisions myself, but I suppose one shouldn’t tweak something that’s been turning conversions for 2000 years. But still—the comments are where it’s at. Did you see yesterday? 7000 comments, God. 7000. Maybe you don’t read blogs much, but that’s a lot of comments. I ran a search on your user name—and you haven’t responded anywhere. You haven’t answered a single comment directly. Come on, God. Other commenters are answering questions for you! Is that really what you want? So. I’m waiting. Don’t let me down.
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Look, if I were you, here are some of the comments that I might address specifically. And they are not the egotistical little philosophic requests like some of us have been making.
That girl, Carrie said she got raped, God. Sure, her comment was off topic, but you should say something to her. Don’t you think? Tell her how to cope?
And this other guy JamesL. He lost his daughter in a car accident. There was alcohol involved and now he’s feeling guilty. Like it was his fault he let her go out with that guy. He’s a mess, God. Didn’t you see that huge block of text? I’m guessing he rambled that out on his keyboard late in the night or something because he can’t sleep anymore. You could really help a guy like that.
And I can’t even read the ones in other languages. But there they are. Talk to them. We don’t care what language you use. Dialogue goes back and forth, God. Back and forth and back and forth.
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Nothing. And people still comment. 10,000 yesterday? You’re totally dominating the search engines. Geez. Run some ads. You’d be rich.
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I don’t get it. It’s like I’m talking to myself here. All of us are—except for those people presuming to talk for you. The blogosphere is a conversation, God. Not a monologue. We’ve had your monologue for 2000 years and we still can’t sort it out. A little help, please?
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See. This is what I’m talking about. Some people in the comments are acting like you are talking to them directly. Like that one lady’s comment. She starts off, “This morning God told me…” then she goes on and on about what she read in your post. It’s like she thinks the Bible was written just for her or something. And then other people are talking like they have some special connection to you. I mean, more special than Jesus. He’s pretty special, but God, I have to confess. He’s not talking to me.
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Today, it struck me. You have my email from every comment I leave. Maybe you’ve been trying to email me! So I turned off all the spam blockers. I don’t mind sorting through viagra ads and Nigerian scams to find a message from you.
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Several days later, I have to conclude that you aren’t emailing me. Can I say this? It feels like the spammers love me more than you do. I know it’s a terrible thing to say. I know. You loved the world so much that you sent you only son. He died on the cross. He rose from the dead. He redeemed the world—or at least the parts of it that follow him. And I am trying so hard to follow you.
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So if you are reading these comments, you saw what some of those people said yesterday. It felt nice, I guess, but I’m still hoping for direct encouragement from you. To be frank, they aren’t God. I don’t know if I can trust them. I want to trust you. I mean, I do trust you! I do! Why won’t you talk to me? Why won’t you talk to anyone? There’s got to be more to faith that following a silent leader.
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WHERE ARE YOU? God, where are you? I just want to talk. Respond to a comment—any comment. Just so we know you’re reading. Send me an email. I’ll tell everyone I have proof that you are real. Why wouldn’t you want us to know for sure?
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That’s it. I’m done. You have my URL if you need me. And my email. Find my blog. Drop me a comment sometime.
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I’m still here. Just so you know. For all my ranting and raving, I’m still here. Praying.
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What comments would you leave on God’s Blog?
31 comments ↓
Marcus, wow
Didn’t know first to smile, to raise my eyebrows or just to read on. Did the first and the latter
You’ve touched on something here my friend. Must say I’m not ‘religious’ (call myself a Christian, am a follower of the teachings of Jesus and think I pray sometimes) but you’ve touched a nerve.
Don’t know what comment I would leave on that blog, probably would just read the posts and comments and would feel blessed I’m rich and content with what I have and the friends and freedom I have compared to many others.
Bless you, my friend
but I suppose one shouldn’t tweak something that’s been turning conversions for 2000 years.
Well beyond excellent through through. So darn good you need to feature this in your sidebar. This one’s important for bloggers AND Christians.
Bravo.
I find myself wanting to defend God, but he hasn’t told me what to say either. Perhaps he’s not talking. Perhaps he’s not talking to me? Perhaps he’s talking and I am not listening. Perhaps he’s not talking because I’m not listening.
But still, I hope. It’s better for me than the alternative.
Here’s what I would say:
Hi God-been over to my blog(s) lately?
I’m really thankful for all my blogging buddies that You’ve sent my way (yeah-even that crazy Mark guy)
You knew that I really needed some friends to spur me on.
About my hubby losing his job-could you PLEASE tell us where You want us to go to find a replacement job? We’re not mind readers. I keep searching Your Word, but it doesn’t say, “Go to Fredericton…or move to Alberta….”
About my Bible reading-yup, I know things need to improve there. You and I both know that quiet time is hard to find and alone-time even harder (and I’m not much of an early riser).
But really, waking me up at 2:00 in the morning with a sick kid is not helping either?! (sorry-I’m a little tired)
I feel like my love for You has cooled off a bit of late -AND I DON”T WANT IT TO!! Please give me the kick in the pants that I need.
Thanks, God, for the great posts and please keep in touch .
-Eve (thanks Markus)
Karin, thanks for breaking the ice. I was really worried about this post.
And your comments remind me again of the fine line I try to walk here. Open to all views, and unapologetically Christian in my own.
Liz, you are too sweet! Thanks for coming by. The jury is out on featuring this in the sidebar, but we’re in discussion of other sidebar features so this has a fighting chance. (It’s my next house cleaning project).
Shep, you know my philosophy of writing–unflinching honesty. Since I’m a doubtful person, it means I present my doubt without apology.
(Though I don’t want to give people the impression that the voice here is me. It’s just a piece of me.)
Eve, I love your post-script comment to God: “Please keep in touch.” My feelings exactly.
I’m not God (far from it!) but I’ll try to keep in touch too.
Interesting thoughts. I feel like I just peeked inside somebody’s private prayer journal.
Perhaps. And perhaps we should share our prayer journals more often? Or perhaps doing so would be a bizzare kind of spiritual exhibitionism?
Does this doubter expect an answer? If so, is he disappointed when there isn’t one?
That’s a good question, Matt. I’m not sure if I expect an answer or not. I’m not really very good at praying–which seems like a bad thing since it is sort of central to my faith. Part of my penance is that I try to be pretty open about my complete failure as a “praying person.”
In fact, this blog is really the best kind of praying I do–and most of that has ulterior motives. But then I suspect a lot of people’s prayers are corrupted by ulterior motives.
It’s always good to hear from you, Matt! Have you written any limerics lately?
You’re welcome Marcus.
Already send the link to a very good friend of mine to make him ponder also.
Like I said in my earlier comment: your ‘comment’ touched a nerve and made me quiet for a while, wondering about my own ‘point in time-life’. Felt like I was a bit in ‘emotional turmoil’ for various - not serious - reasons (mid-life crisis?) and your post (which I read on Sunday afternoon, just after I wrote my “gotta get goals” meme post, also a bit emotional filled) gave me - as Eve would say - : a kick in the pants.
Am clear in the head again, grateful for your post and your ‘daring’ to post it.
Bless you my friend
No limericks, but I have done a complete rundown of this year’s American Idol.
Maybe your technology is just incompatible?
Matt, are you going to give us a link? Or did you log the run down in your Mead Notebook?
L.L., I hope I’m not incompatible! Because that’s the technology I’m using–bio data storage and input processing. (Better known as my brain.)
Maybe I should be using my spirit? Or my soul? The only way I know to think about those things though is with my brain.
Ah, the blog in the brain… I think He must comment there…through the sound of the wind, the touch of our beloved, the memory of his word.
Thanks for your thoughts over on Seedlings. You have permission.
Oh goody! I look forward to editing some poetry.
Your comment here, while so poetic, is part of my continual frustration with prayer. Imagine the only comments I left on your blog were the sound of wind, the touch of some other blogger, the memory of a post I wrote here.
You might wonder if I was commenting at all…
Imagine that my avatar and name never directly appeared anywhere on your blog. You never had direct assurance that I was paying attention to you, but everyone told you that I was.
I guess that’s where the faith part comes in. I think I must not be very good at that.
My new digs are here, but most of the entires are friends-protected, so you needs to get on that if you wants to reads it.
“I’m not God (far from it!) but I’ll try to keep in touch too.”
Thanks, Mark. You, Craver and LL are great friends to have!
Thanks for saying that, Eve. Blogging can be criticized as impersonal, but to me, these friendships are very real.
I’m not saying that I believe everyone who blogs is completely transparent, and that we know all about one another, but I like to think that we can discern through some of the facades, and basically see who is true and to what extent someone is just painting a pretty picture.
I wonder whether the perception of “real” relationships in the blogosphere affects how careful one might be to express truth with GRACE. I have had to rewrite many things that were said in a straightforward manner, because it did not pass the test of “love your neighbor as yourself,” and “love one another as I have loved you.”
Eve and Craver, I agree completely. Although it makes me feel white and nerdy to admit it, the friends with whom I have the best conversations are now online.
Hi Mark,
I too am not what I would call a Bible Christian, but God is listening and, looking at the number of posts here, responding. God in and with and through all of us is having a conversation, right here, right now.
My personal spin is that I AM, the eternal I AM (also known as AUM or OM) holds that you, Marcus and Karin and Craver et al, are indeed God.
And when you pose a question to God, the answer is in you, from the IAM.
So thank you for talking to yourself, and sharing your conversation with all of us. It’s quite remarkable.
Lisa
(Mark, feel free to delete any of my comments if they go against what you wish to do with your blog.)
Linda, that’s a different perspective, for sure. I gather from your tone that you do not intend to offend, you thoughtfully prefaced your comment as “personal opinion,†but may I address something?
People from my religious background, as well as a few other of the world’s major belief systems, would consider it a very bad thing to say that any person is “indeed God.†Therefore, I would quickly have to deny any connection with deity, except that I strive to live as He taught, and having been born again by the grace of God, I am now a new creation, and my body has become a temple with God residing within me. Still, I am not God any more than the Craver family’s house is a person.
We (Bible Christians) teach that everyone who hears the message of Jesus Christ, turns from their sin, and fully trusts in God’s provision for reconciliation is also a temple (but not a god). I hope that makes sense to you.
One more thing, I am not a professional writer, but I look forward to learning from you as I read your comments, and as time permits, visit your blog.
Hi Craver,
Thank you for your generosity, and Mark for allowing the conversation.
Stepping on your belief in God would be like stepping on myself. I think at the core of this conversation lies a love of humanity, a love of expression, and a humility that is terribly beautiful. This is why I think you are a “piece” of God.
With great respect,
Lisa
Hey, Craver and Lisa. I responded more to you all on a new post.
Marcus and Craver,
I really am blessed to have “real” friends like the both of you and LL and another blogger Deb. I don’t have many firends (oops-I means friends-lol) close by (they’ve all moved away-is it me???).
I also find that the mentality around here (Moncton) is that no one has the time to be a friend-which really sucks if that friend happens to be you.
I really appreciate seeing Christ eminate from all of you and the humor and just how accepted I feel for being me. Thanks (ok, here’s a kleenex-sop up!)
Craver,
Are you feeling ok? You look a little green, man.
Eve, the original picture is normal. The green will eventually wear off. It’s kryptonite. That’s one of the side-effects. I don’t know how he got a hold of it, but Mark thinks it’s real funny to play with kryptonite. He just doesn’t know when to stop, you know what I’m saying? Shhh; don’t tell him I said that.
Absolutely phenomenal post. Creative and a great way to tie in the story of ages into today’s medium. As with any body of believers, even in the same church, you will have people with different views, but your post is an excellent way to get the juices flowing and the duscussion rolling.
I can’t wait to meet you in Chicago.
Wow, thanks for the kind words, Jesse. Your blog makes me want to explore WoW, but I know I would be lost forever if I did. (I just don’t have the self-discipline for it…)
I look forward to Chicago too!