A New Name

Shalom! For those who have been following "Chasing After The Ruach" for a while, I suppose a bit of explanation is in order. This is in many ways a continuation of that blog. This will be the new home of my various ramblings and personal thoughts on life, faith, theology, and stories.

Why the change? Well, the number one reason is simply because when I tell people "My website is chasing after the ruach dot blogspot dot com," most just give me this funny look. "Chasing the rock? Roo-ock? Can you spell that for me?" I don't tell many people about the blog just to avoid this conversation.

The blog has always been a personal thing that I did mostly for myself, but I want to reach out to a wider audience now. So, I needed a simpler name and a fresh start. Thus, "The Hopeful Heretic" was born. Though, it was a close call with "The Noggin Toaster" ;)

I decided to call it The Hopeful Heretic because I don't really fit very well in any box. I'm certainly not Jewish. You might be able to call me Christian, but I certainly don't fit within any denomination or tradition. The closest label you can get to me is Messianic. But, then again, we Messianics are really just a ragtag group of rebels who really haven't figured out what we're doing yet.

Yet, I have hope. I have hope that a something good will come out of this "Messy" movement, that perhaps we'll develop a tradition and a theology that is both flexible and stable. I have hope that the outsiders, the "heretics" if you will, will find a place in the Kingdom of God. I have hope that one day all things will be set right. Messiah will return and teach us. Then we will empty ourselves of all our own contrived opinions and pet doctrines so as to be filled with His pure instruction. Then the "heresies" and lies we hold onto will be revealed so that we can be healed.

Until then, we are caught in the struggle. We struggle to find truth. We struggle to see justice and righteousness. We struggle to embrace love and mercy. Every day we wrestle with our own selfish desires, with the waves of this world, and with the lies of the enemy, trying desperately to find some air. We wrestle with God as He shapes us into His image. It's a long, hard path. But we walk it with this promise: By God's grace, we are free.

I hope that my writings will inspire, encourage, and challenge you in your walk. I don't have all the answers. I'm just a fellow sojourner like you. But, we're all in this together. Let us hold to faith, pursue love, and rejoice in hope as we run after our God and seek His Kingdom. It's just a long way home.