Now that the new year has turned its leaf, I wanted to offer a few thoughts on what this blog means and what it has meant to me.

I began this blog on August 30, 2012 with a simple welcome (First Foray) that stated my purpose at that time for jumping into the blogosphere:

1. as a workshop for my own thoughts on theology, philosophy, literature, education, culture, and social justice that might, hopefully, one day be turned into a book

and

2. as an interactive space for like-minded folk to engage in these issues

For the first several months, I had primarily my family and friends on board; it was only after my post The Cult of Desire was honored by WordPress that the vast majority of you joined the conversation.

My initial posts revealed thoughts with which I have wrestled for quite some time in such areas as: the deeper nature of “heaven” and “hell” (Winds of Heaven/Things of Earth), what I believe theologically (What I Believe, A Story Worth Telling), defining and redefining the Sacred (Defining the Sacred, Reframing the Sacred, and Redeeming the Sacred), my work in moral education (My Vision for Education , A Story Worth Learning, Prophetic Imagination, and Educating for the World to Come), and what I value (Redefining Wealth). If you have not had a chance to read these earlier posts, I invite you to do so and look forward to your comments on these concepts.

What I hoped for when I began this blog (a thick conversation to develop around these issues) has more than come to fruition! Many of you have resonated with the very things that have resonated with me. While I know that not everyone will agree, like or even care about every category, the developing dialogue around these issues has been richly rewarding.

Following this blog are philosophers, writers, Christians, the non-religious, farmers, government employees, business owners, educators, moms, dads, students, techies, entrepreneurs, prophets and poets, each with a story to tell and a valuable seat at the table.

As I look ahead to what I plan to write about, I invite you to offer suggestions about things you wish to engage. What topics stir your imagination, keep you up at night, burn in your soul? What would you like to see “on the table”? What are you wrestling with at a deeper level? What “haunts” you?

As I state in my About page, I am interested in the following questions:

–What does it mean to be wise?

–What does it mean to living a meaningful life?

–Whatever we mean by “moral” how does one become so?

–What role does the culture play in shaping morality/meaning?

–What does it mean to live out the theology of tikkun olam (being architects of repair in the world)?

This does not mean that you have to be interested in every area (in fact, some of the most thought-provoking comments have come from folk who admit they are not Christian [as I am] but who appreciate the deeper context of these thoughts), but I hope  you find something that keeps you coming back.

Looking ahead, I plan to write about the following things: shalom and the human condition, the dehumanization of evil, the question surrounding the meaning of life, the altar of distraction, the necessary darkness, why the church no longer matters (and why it matters more than ever), the story of us, the City of God, cultural miseducation, the seduction of comfort, the literature of life…and whatever else comes to haunt me.

Let me know which posts have meant the most to you and what you would like to think more about in this coming year.

I appreciate everyone who belongs to the dialogue, and I look forward to pressing forward with you in the pursuit of wisdom, virtue, and the common good.

Me at Magdalen College, Oxford, where C.S. Lewis taught