So I decided to start a new blog. My other one has, to this point, held only sermons--though it currently contains my thoughts about a local issue.

So off I go to Google's Blogger to create a new one.

It asks for a name--and thus I hit my first stumbling block--my own perfectionism. I can't just call the thing, "Nathan's blog." I need something better--and so I spend far more time than I can afford trying various possibilities.

I got excited about "Dreadfully Cracked" as a title--a reference to a Melville quotation. That was taken.

Then I tried "Loomings," another Melville reference.

I tried a dozen more ideas--all taken, usually by layabouts who haven't blogged in months. Aargh.

I finally settled on "The Cracked Bell," a reference to the song Anthem by Leonard Cohen whose voice I can't stand but whose lyrics I marvel at.

For those who don't know the chorus:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

More and more, I am aware of my own brokenness. More and more, my spiritual practice leans toward acceptance of that brokenness, embracing that brokenness like one would a small child--with love and patience and humor. I don't think I want to spend much more energy investing in images of myself that don't trace the cracks in my own facade.

My intention is for this space to hold less complete thoughts. My sermons represent hours--indeed usually days--of thought, writing, and editing. I wanted a place for smaller, less developed, more personal ramblings. If you want coherence and confidence, go back to the other blog. If you are willing to walk with me in a more personal way, welcome.

My goal here is self-disclosure and reflection that may provide indirect comfort to my readers. I have come more and more to appreciate genuine vulnerability in those I care for. To what extent are you willing to share who you really are so we can know each other---and gain strength from the shared human struggle.