Again - Thoughts and Sermons

To start a conversation, one has to say something.  This seems the oddest venue to speak, as I don't know if anyone is listening.  I shout out in the forest and don't know if anyone is there to hear it - or if it's just annoying them.  And I'm not even sure what ought to be said to who.  So, I'll start this conversation with myself and see how it goes.

What is it I even want to talk about?

I just got Eugene Peterson's new book, Memoirs.  He is a muse for me.  He characterizes pastoring (and this conversation) saying, "William Faulkner was once asked how he went about writing a book. His answer: “It’s like building a chicken coop in a high wind. You grab any board or shingle flying by or loose on the ground and nail it down fast.” Like becoming a pastor."  (I got it on Kindle and don't even know how to document the quote.  I'll work on it).  I'll grab the thoughts that seem worthy from what I read, from sermons, from daily epiphanies and nail them down on a blog.  It means this blog may be more personal and spiritual than I had originally intended, but that's the nature of a personal dialogue.  It's also the nature of pastoring.