Continuing the Conversation

Ecclesiastes 12:12 says, “Of making many books there is no end….” I suppose if the ancient writer would have been living in these days, he could have said, “Of making many blog posts there is no end.”

With that in mind, why should I enter another post in what has become a seemingly endless stream of blogs? What is the point? I have lots of points to make, but the main point is this: I want to be part of the conversation.

As a late adopter of anything new, and as someone who did not grow up with electronically mediated communication, this is a new venture, and certainly an adventure for me.

I’ve spent years writing—books (of my own and for others), song lyrics (none of which have ever seen anything but the inside of a file cabinet), short stories (and some that were not so short), personal reflections, and the kind of notes you write down because you have a thought and don’t want to lose it. Some of those ideas were meant to be funny. Some were meant to be helpful. Some were nothing more than me trying to figure out life, faith, and the world we are all trying to make sense of together.

Words are creative expressions of what is on the inside of a person. We can certainly communicate in various ways without them, but they are a primary way we let others know what we think and how we feel. Words are designed to be shared. They may be criticized, disregarded, misunderstood, or mocked by those who see them. They may otherwise fail to fulfill their purpose. However, sometimes they will be an encouragement to someone who needs to read them or hear them. That is reason enough to take the risk of putting words where they can be evaluated.

Here is what you can expect from me in this space:

• An honest discussion of faith—reflections that come from real life and its pleasures, pains, and processes

• Creativity from a living person, not an algorithm— writing, humor, stories, and an occasional look at the world from a different perspective

• Practical wisdom—the kind that comes from trying, failing (a lot), learning, and trying again

• A human voice—not a brand, not a bot, not an avatar, not a phony and carefully crafted persona

My purpose is simple: that you will find something here that will help you. Maybe it will make you think, or act, or laugh, or cry. Maybe it will remind you that God is still at work in the middle of ordinary days, imperfect people, and diverse circumstances.

Thank you for visiting. I plan on taking this journey wherever it leads. You are welcome to come along.

~William C. Canfield