Can I put my arm around you?

I keep notes for myself. I keep a file on my computer called the "buckets" file. It is filled with more files than folders should have. I place any interesting thoughts I have or quotes I hear in this file. I place scriptures that are impacting me and why they are impacting me in this file. It's amazing sometimes to re-read my "buckets" and see what things connect. I often do this when planning a teaching. I find a story, that lines up with a quote I read or heard, that lines up with a song, that lines up with a movie illustration, that lines up with a scripture verse, and suddenly I realize I need to cut information to make a sermon. It is very helpful for me.

I re-read my buckets at least once a month, and often more frequently than that. I re-read one today that I had written 3 or 4 months ago after looking at myspace.com during the afternoon.

It was titled blog. And only said "People blog because they want to be known." That is about the length of my normal bucket. I read that today, and still "agree" with what it said. I believe that there are many people who are "blogging" because it is a way for them to be presented to the world. Their goal is to gain as much publicity as they can. They want to be understood, for their thoughts to be center stage.

I want to be intimately known. However, that is not why I blog. I blog because I believe many people think through situations, some of them even think through them the same way that I do, but don't know how to say it, or feel alone in their thoughts. I also blog so that people will continually be asking themselves questions. Lastly, I blog, just to continue writing in some form. I hope to have books published someday, and figure that writing something is better than not writing.

Though it is not the reason that I blog, I do want to be intimately known. I hope that my "blog" helps people to understand me better. But I don't want to be intimate with everyone. I know that my God knows me intimately and I long to know Him that intimately. I also hope my wife and I can grow in how intimately we know each other. That is something I'm excited to know I can hope for for the rest of my life. I will long to know kids intimately someday, but not yet.

I long for intimate relationships because I was created for them, like you were created for them. The most important one is with our Father. He made us and knows us intimately and wants that in return from us. If your looking for a place to be center stage your motives are wrong. But if you are looking for intimacy, God won't let you down.