At some point, somewhere around 1999, people realized that:

1) You could make big money on the Internet.

2) Anyone could publish on the internet.

Social media over has increased #2 trying to accomplish #1 exponentially.

The problem is that, in order to stand out among the voices, we have to convince people that we are smart and should be listened to.  For some this is easy. Seth Godin was the expert on permission marketing long before there were targeted Facebook sidebars.  Rick Warren was already the king of pithy one liners before he became the king of the retweets.

Most of don’t have the authority of Seth Godin or the communication skills of Rick Warren.  And because of the immediacy of social media publishing, we don’t think about what we are saying or edit our words.

The end result is a lot of voicing clamouring to prove to world that they are an authority on something.  Realistically, most of us aren’t authorities.  Even if we are, the chances are that we will never make a living doing this.

What if, instead of trying to sound smart on the internet, we just talked about stuff we know and stuff we like.  Twitter is the new cocktail party, and no one likes standing next to some guy trying to prove how smart he is.

If you’re going to publish online, just talk about what you love and pick your words carefully.  You may never get thousands of followers or make a lot of money, but at least you will be honest and likable.

Faith is the path that we take to get from today to tomorrow, responding to our senses and living out our assertations.  For a scientist, their chief assertation is that the universe has an order, and that order can be discovered.  The scientist’s faith is in the scientific method.  For the buddhist, the assertation is that this world is to be overcome, and faith is in meditation and other processes that separate one from the world.  For the Christian, the assertation is that this world is unfinished, and faith is living in a way that respects how things are but trusts in how things should be.

Jesus taught of the Kingdom that is now but not yet.  The reality is that the world is full of disease and heartbreak and earthquakes and amputees.  The reality is that God is good.  He is in charge and there is healing and wholeness and peace.

Both are true.

Now.  But not yet.

This blog meanders from theology to science fiction to relationships to politics.  But at the core it is a blog about faith. My assertion is that there is something eternal about everything.  The “present” is something recently experienced, like a date or a bike ride or my love for the 2005 revival of Doctor Who.  The eternity is the deep truth, the old magic, behind all of these things. Exploring present eternity just means having faith that there is something to all of this.

Thanks for reading, for commenting and exploring with me.

Recently I was talking to a friend about a preacher we heard, who over the course of half an hour, didn’t really say anything.  We’ve actually had this discussion a number of times.  For some reason, it seems that bloggers and preachers don’t really have a point to make, or want to make a point, or even know how.

Granted, we are an impossible audience.  Because of podcasting, we can listen to the best speakers in the world anytime we want.  The average collar doesn’t stand a chance.

People like me write blogs everyday, because that’s how to turn their hobby into a Google Adwords money maker and book deal.  Preachers get up every Sunday, because that is their job.

What if it were okay to just say “don’t read my blog until I have something meaningful to share,” or “I’m not going to preach this week, because I didn’t find anything in text that would help you live like Christ.”

There are also new features:

• Fund layout powered by WordPress.
• Twitter bar.
• More about me, including a bio and my resume.
• Examples of some work I’ve graphic and video work I’ve done.
• Booking and contact information.

Check it out at chrismorton.info!