I am a part of a small group of guys who have been meeting on Friday mornings since 2009 to study the Bible. As we began the gathering , I had this conviction that over the course of my life there were these ideas about the Bible I had picked up from my early years in the church and from the society at large which needed to be challenged. Some of those ideas were good, of course. But, many of those thoughts and understandings I picked up early on about God and the Bible were a big part of why I walked away from the church as a young adult. I know it’s pretty common, which is one of the reasons I look forward to sharing these stories. You see, what I have found over the course of the last six years is much of what I thought I knew about God and the Bible was simply wrong or misguided.
So, it’s within that context the idea of this blog, “Stumbling Along The Way” was born. Stumbling fits because my life has had its share of missteps and challenges. But, there have also been times when I have stumbled upon something beautiful and unexpected. Both provide opportunities to learn and grow.
The Way, of course, represents the name given to a movement led by the first followers of Jesus. What’s interesting about the term is that it conveys a sense of action, a sense of something which must be done or lived. It suggests those first followers of Jesus were on a journey. They hadn’t arrived at their destination simply because they had declared their faith in Jesus. Plus, if you know the story, you know they weren’t quite sure about the next step to take and could be found, at times, debating the next move. They knew they didn’t have it all figured out, but simply believed following Jesus was the best possible way to live. There was a new community coming together providing the support and the strength needed to continue down this bumpy road we call life.
That’s what this blog is about. It’s just one person’s observations in a larger community of faith where we’re trying to figure out what it means to be a part of the Way. I hope you enjoy.
Greg