Thanks for stopping by this blog and I hope you will take the time to contribute to the discussion by leaving a comment on a post or on the Facebook page.

Here at uneven ground my goal is to create a place to discern what it means to live out the commandments of Jesus in Matthew 22:36-40:

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

The inspiration for both the blog and its title come from Isaiah 40, specifically verse 3-5. We live in a world where pessimism and fear are not only rampant, they seem to be the most logical approach to the world. It often seems like there isn’t any reason to have hope. The old standards of war, poverty, and oppression are still the holy trinity of suffering in this world. In this country we struggle to cope with the myriad problems we face, and most often devolve into lobbing insults at each other instead of trying to work together. Yet we read in Isaiah 40:3-5:

A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

This world as it we see it is not in its final state. God is making something new, as we read in Revelation 21. We are currently on uneven ground in this world, and that ground is shifting constantly beneath our feet. Yet our hope is the knowledge that God is guiding this upheaval to renew the world to be the place where there is no more suffering, no more tears. In other words, to be the world it was that it was created to be.

It’s no surprise that the Gospel of Mark uses these words from Isaiah to describe John the Baptist. He was a person who gave his life, literally, to prepare the way for God’s work in the world. So in that way he is clearly a model for us as we seek to live out the above passages, but does that mean we need to dress in camel hair, eat bugs and ignore basic personal hygiene? Possibly, but I think most of us are called to different paths, so that is where this blog comes in.

I want this to be a place where we struggle with what God is calling us to be and do in this world, and to do in together in community. I want this to be a place of dialogue, marked by honesty, curiosity, respect, grace, and passion. We won’t agree on everything, which is the point, because it is in our disagreements where we have the best chance to grow and refine what we believe. My hope is that you will share your thoughts and enrich our community. It’s my name on the blog and on the bylines, but this community will only thrive if there are other voices to broaden the discussion. I will be posting regular original content, as well as links to relevant and interesting posts and articles. The subjects will be drawn from my experiences and what I’m reading, and will fit under the unifying theme of “Living faith in a world of upheaval.” The posts will strive to be practical—theory is important, but if it doesn’t help in the world then it is useless. In the words of theologian Jürgen Moltmann:

“The new criterion of theology and faith is to be found in praxis…Truth must be practicable. Unless it contains initiative for the transformation of the world, it becomes a myth of the existing world.”

So come join the community!