CENSORSHIP

My close friends are going to say, "Well that sounds about like Jason."  This is your warning on reading further, some of you may wonder what's wrong with him or not.  On a lighter note, I'll make the next blog about running.

I think one of the things that has kept me from doing a blog is censoring myself.  I really don't like doing it.   I could simply write about my running and all the niceties of life.  It would be a normal blog, maybe a normal running blog.  I like reading my friend's blogs, but their personality is not my personality.  I'm not normal, some of them aren't either.  Writing has always been my outlet, so blogging falls in that category.  Personally, I think that I am a rather odd person, which is probably one reason I like runners.  Many runners are a bit different.  I realize many or most people think that they are odd.  Though over the years, I have had many friends confirm my above average sense of weirdness.  An added problem is that I'm quite comfortable with my uniqueness.  Why be ashamed of who you are?  I don't require or expect people like me.  I hope people do, but I don't spend much time worrying about it.

Many people that a person knows or are acquaintances with only know a small part of you.  Blogging can put yourself out there for all to see, at least with me it will.  Even family only knows certain side of you.  Which a friend of mine told me today that I may not want to tell my family about my blog.  My family is rather religious, Christian, Southern Baptist.  My father is a pastor and has been for the majority of my life.  An example of my dilemma is "curse" words.  I rarely use them, in fact I never used them until I was 26(a blog for another time).  I do sometimes now, but I am generally careful around whom I use them.  Although the majority of my cursing has taken place while talking to God in the years between 1999 and 2002(also maybe a blog for another time).  I also don't really believe in "curse" words.  I believe in bad or inappropriate language.  But is an individual word "bad" just because most of society deems it "bad."  Back to my example, I have never heard my parents use "curse" words.  Many friends and most of my family have never heard me use "curse" words.  My parents would be surprised and disappointed about some things they would read on my blog.

I like being real, though.  Probably too real for most people.  Probably too real for my wife, Alison.  I believe she is concerned about what I will write.(She is going to censor my blog for now.  For your own protection she says.)  Though, realness is one of the things I love about the Bible.  It is no holds barred, real.  Church tends to hide from this, one of my issues with church.  I like reading about people in the Bible and seeing its truth.  Abraham followed God on a journey.  He made many poor decisions, laughed in the face of God, but eventually learned to have real faith.  I once gave a message to some youth titled, Noah got Drunk, Peter fished Naked, and I mooned my Sister-in-Law, You're Probably Okay.  I believe Christians too often spend their time pretending to be perfect or very close to it.  I will claim to be wholly imperfect, but believe God is okay with that.  He may instruct me on being better, but I'm not going to make it to perfect.  That is my journey.  I believe we have the opportunity to be Living Bible Stories.  I like getting to know people, the real person, warts and all.  Those are the people I learn the most from and experience God in.  I doubt anyone can really shock me.  I know that I am full of s___, but I'm willing to share it.  Maybe later I'll stop censoring myself so much.

Stacey, you said you try to write as if you are talking to me, or Coach, or Crystal.  I tried to write as if we were talking at a meet or on the bus.  What do you think?