Bloggers and Preachers

Two horses of the same color...both blow their own horn. Some of us wear both hats, and in these two careers the course of development frequently seems to be similar.

Preachers: My first sermon was at the Marine Hospital in New Orleans (gone forever I'm afraid). It lasted six minutes and seemed like an eternity. But as the years went on that period increased; it gradually enlarged. I found I could say more and more about less and less; the inevitable consequence was that I could speak forever about nothing.

A few years of this and in a moment of insight I came to believe that a point could be made better? no best with a few words. After retirement Ellie and I began attending Quaker meetings; when hospital patients ask me why, I say "no preachers" (they usually laugh).

Well I still preach about every Sunday (in Quaker meetings), usually about three minutes.


Bloggers: same deal. Bloggers tend to get wordy as the years roll by. (Are we all enchanted with the sound (shape) of our own words?)

I've noticed this particularly among Friends. Oral messages are usually short (some exceptions!). Do we need to make up for that with our lengthy posts? Maybe I'm just a vitriolic old man (no doubt I am). But maybe there's something here that needs to be seen (or said). (This admonition does not apply to scholars sharing their work.)

If you ever attend a conventional service in a conventional church, watch the congregation as the sermon begins. They begin lisening intently, but after about five minutes their eyes begin to glaze over.

This vitriolic old man has a fairly limited span of attention.

Blessings to you younger folk: talk, talk, talk; write, write, write! God will use what you do.