Dec 08 2008
Why I don’t blog much
I just read a good friends blog about my blog. A great leader here in Boulder, Kevin Colon wrote this:
“Hugh moved to Denver to do a training deal for an organization and he ended up starting a church. His blogging is not incredibly frequent but when he does blog….it’s good!”
Now, while I’m humbled that a man like Kevin would even want to read my blog, I figured it was a good time to state once and for all why I only post once or twice a month. Simply this……..”I prefer to spend my time with people.” I’ve always wondered how people have time to read blogs, let alone write the darn things. I only write when I’m jammed between two people on a plane, or stuck in layover at a bad airport. Other than that, I haven’t got time to be a good husband and dad let alone a good writer. The Tangible Kingdom only got written because I committed 3 nights a week between 11:00pm and 2:00am, for five months, to do it.
So let me throw my bias out to the world, (which is only about 50 people per day). If you have time to read more than two blogs a day, or if you’re writing and posting your own blog every day….you’re not spending enough time with people!!!! I know some of you monastics may get a little frisky over this, but it’s just simply true, at least if you’re married and carry some burden for a local church community. You just can’t spend your time listening to everyone else’s story if you want your own story to emerge. People in need, empowering mentor relationships, time in the pubs with spiritually disoriented folks, great bonding with your spouse and kids, essential leadership over your own church or in your churches, etc, is where the time must be spent.
Listening to Mark Driscoll’s sermons, watching YouTube videos for hours on end, posting strange thoughts to other strange blogs, going to conferences, or pastor prayer breakfasts have to get the big chill!
If you’re in agreement, but you recognize you’ve developed an unhealthy addiction to web-based information, I suggest you give as much time to people as you give to your computer. If you pull that off, you’re on your way to recovery!
You know some of this is tongue and cheek so don’t get too cranky with me.
Take care,
Hugh
You see!!! Your blogs are good! Thanks man!
I suppose it’s ironic that anyone would reply to this blog at all — b/c it would suggest that that person is actually spending too much time reading blogs and not enough time with people. But … being comforted by the fact that this is literally only the second blog I’ve read in the last three weeks, I guess I can say: AMEN, sir!!
Thanks for saying this so clearly and lovingly. How do some guys spend so much time on the computer?!? (Admittedly, I’m too often guilty myself — I’m still recovering!) We all need this kick in the pants! God bless!!
[...] I was relieved – and perhaps you will be relieved – when I read a web log entry entitled, “Why I Don’t Blog Much.” The writer, Hugh Halter, is a church planting pastor in Denver, author of The Tangible Kingdom, and [...]
I am with you on the blog thing, but I have wondered if that is a lot to do with my age. (I will be 50 in a few weeks) I keep thinking that whatever the age, nothing seems to have the impact of face-to-face “walk with me” investments in people…kind of like Jesus did. Would Jesus spend more time on the computer in our culture? I don’t know.
Anyway, here is one more who can’t keep a blog going more than occasionally – now Facebook on the other hand seems to be even more active with connections…kind of like a global cyber community-maker. I am thinking it is something to give a hard look at as a model tool for connecting the Body…What do you think?