The objective of this page is to give a brief summary of what drives me and what makes me tick. To some extent, you could figure those things out if you were to read my blog articles from the past years since I first started blogging here, but that's an awful lot of blog articles to read! (I'm nothing if not prolific. Some might say verbose.)
Some folks are "cut to the chase" people who want to be able to quickly figure out whether or not particular blogs or websites have anything to interest them. That's why I'm creating this page. Currently, there isn't much in the way of content here, but when I have the time, I'm going to try to create a document just for those "cut to the chase" people.
MY PRIORITIES
The first thing you need to know about me is that I am a committed Christian. I don't mean that I am a "cultural Christian" who describes himself as a Christian just because it's a family tradition, even though my family background indisputably played a role in making me the person I am today. I mean that I'm a full-blown, 100% committed believer in Jesus Christ, to whom I've committed my entire life, come what may.
Some would call me a "fanatic" on account of that fact, and on account of the fact that they don't understand that true commitment to Christ is an all-or-nothing kind of thing. If Jesus is second, third, fourth or fifth on your list of priorities, then you might as well have never made any kind of commitment to Christ at all. God isn't particularly impressed with superficialities such as church attendance. He wants your whole heart. Giving your whole heart means that it will affect your other "non-religious" choices in life, such as what kind of work you're willing to do, what kind of person you're willing to marry (if you ever do), how you're willing to spend your money, how honest you are able and willing to be when dealing with others, how compassionate you are when confronted by needy people, and and much more besides.
When listing their priorities, a lot of Christians would tell you that their next highest priority is family. And that would be true of me, too, if I had a family of my own. I don't mean that I have no family whatsoever. My mother and brother are still alive, and I try to maintain a good relationship with them when it's possible for me to do so without betraying my values. But it obviously isn't the same thing as being a husband and father. Whether or not I ever will be is hard to say. I'm 53, but I've never been married, nor have I ever been in a relationship involving sexual intercourse. At this point in my life, I'm inclined to suspect that things will remain that way for the rest of my life, but I'm still open to other possibilities, partially because I still think I'd be a good husband and father if the circumstances were right. Regardless, I'm not a person who is inclined to allow other people to brand me as a "loser" just because I don't meet with their expectations. Every person is different, and the Bible makes it clear that sexual relationships aren't meant for everyone. My marital status is not how I define myself.
Regarding love of country, which many people also mention when discussing their highest priorities, I deeply appreciate this country in terms of the freedoms it offers, and in terms of the fact that America is built on a strong Judeo-Christian foundation. But my love for this or any country is by no means unconditional. Regardless of one's political preferences, the political process is inherently corrupt to some extent. While I do believe that I am obliged to show my appreciation for the aforementioned freedoms whenever I'm able to do so without moral compromise, my love for America is subordinate to my love for God and to my obligation to obey my conscience. If and when I feel that it's necessary to do so, I will speak out against national or international practices and policies which I believe to be unjust. You will find a number of examples on this blog site where I've done just that.
Another very important thing to me is my career, not to be confused with my calling, but closely related to that calling. In the short term, my economic survival is important to me, just as it ought to be to any rational person. But I'm not completely satisfied with a situation in which I'm merely managing to survive from one day to the next. My goals in life pertain to my desire to make the most of the talents God has given to me, so that I can leave a lasting legacy, rather than just fading into anonymous obscurity even before my coffin gets covered with dirt! Most of my free time, therefore, is spent in an attempt to try to achieve certain goals pertaining to those talents. Moreover, I want to play a role in helping other artistic Christians to achieve similar goals in their own lives, not only for their own sakes, but also for the sake of the larger culture which surrounds them.
TO BE CONTINUED ..
