Saying Goodbye

Two months ago was a time of saying goodbye. It's hard to say goodbye.

But I realized that it's hard because I have been given so much to be thankful for. It's not hard to say goodbye to people you don't love... I'm reminded of Tennyson's words, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

After spending the last five years in school as an undergraduate, I decided last year to pursue graduate school; last spring I decided to go to a new school in a new state. I'd be not only starting at a new school, but starting life in a new city away from the family and friends that I had grown up and become close with. And so the time came to leave Akron, the only home I'd ever known. 


I've moved. But where one chapter ends another begins. And in God's grace, beginning a new chapter doesn't mean that the previous one is lost.

Because the gift of modern technologies takes some of the bite out of distance. Airplanes can bring one home from hundreds of miles for holidays. Skype can bring people together face to face from hundreds of miles at a minute's notice.

Because even though the dynamics of relationships inevitably change, the bonds of strong relationships aren't severed by distance.

Because there is That Day. Even when Christians say goodbye, never to meet again on this earth, what is regained for eternity can never be called lost.

...

And now again, the time has come to say goodbye, to leave Dord Defined, the only blogging home I've ever known. I've moved. But where one chapter ends another begins. I'll continue the conversation as we Journey Til That Day. 

Top 5 Blog To Dos

5. Update my reading list
4. Update my links
3. Update my profile picture
2. Get up-to-date reading my friends' blogs

1. Write a real post

Ode on a Boring Blog

Thou still unceasing tide of quietness,
Thou foster-child of Silence and Slow Mind,
Mental historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than thy archives;
What brilliance-tinged thoughts haunt about thy drafts
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
Who can say whether any shall escape?
What mental lapse is this? What empty thought?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to put forth?
What types the fingers? What? ...

Look That Way ----->

I've finally carried out some long-planned improvements to my sidebar. (Notice I didn't say that I've finished. I'll no doubt keep tinkering.) In the process, I've learned more about working with HTML--just don't ask me to code anything from scratch. Hopefully the changes make the blog more navigable and generally more reader friendly. Let me know what you think.

Why "Dord"?

When I first started this blog, I wanted a name that would be both interesting and meaningful. As you can see, what I came up with was... Dord Defined. However, I want to take a few sentences to make sure that its intended meaning is not lost in its uniqueness/strangeness. (A quick aside: do read the fascinating historical background if you haven't yet.) The definition I gave would best be understood in light of the following three Scriptures.

"Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Proverbs 26:12, ESV)

"Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Proverbs 29:20, ESV)

"Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered." (Proverbs 28:26, ESV)

These sober me every time I read them. Proverbs contains dozens of verses on the fool. There is no doubt: a fool is definitely a terrible thing to be. The first two verses tell us that there is more hope for a fool than for one who is wise in his own eyes or hasty in his words. I firmly believe that these warnings apply to all of life; I also believe that, in blogging, it is especially easy to be wise in my own eyes or hasty in my words. The last verse completes the first. A fool, wise in his own eyes, trusts in his own mind. Yet we need not despair. The verse reminds us that true wisdom can be found, though not from trusting in one's own mind. Instead, we know that it comes from above, from the One to Whom belongs all wisdom (Dan. 2:20).

The name of my blog--and specifically the definition I wrote--is meant to serve as a not-so-subtle reminder of these truths.

Why Blog?

Blogging is a scary thing. It’s like thinking aloud, in public, and. . . leaving archives. No doubt, blogging can be used for many purposes, many of which are unworthy. Nonetheless, I believe that it is possible to blog in a God-glorifying way. In seeking to do just that, I've realized it would be wise to lay out--for the benefit of both myself and, hopefully, my readers--why I blog and what my goals in blogging are.

A quick glance at my archives will tell you that I've been doing this blogging thing for over a year now. An almost-as-quick glance will tell you that I barely wrote anything for the first five months (not that I've written very frequently since). But, as every blogger will tell you, getting a couple of regular readers has a way of motivating one to write. The topic of my very first post was similar to this one, but, as my blog has slowly developed over the last year, I perceived a need to refine and add to the points I made at that time. That fact, combined with the start of a new year (is it still new? ooh, I'm behind on my posts), seemed to present a good opportunity for me to present my vision for this blog.

Reasons for Blogging
Ultimately, as I said at the beginning of this post, I want to glorify God in my blogging. Blogging is certainly a part of the "all things" Paul tells us to do to the glory of God in 1 Corinthians 10:31. Blogging also provides several unique opportunities, including the following:

1. Unique conversations: there are many interesting and worthwhile topics that are not nearly as likely to come up in general conversation. In addition, these conversations can be continued over a period of days or weeks.

2. Unique participants: blogging is a great way of keeping in touch with people who are not geographically close. It can also facilitate conversation among a group of people that would not normally be able to come together to hold a conversation.

3. Unique opportunities to develop my writing: this one is pretty self-explanatory; I definitely don't see blogging as an excuse for sloppy writing.

4. Unique opportunities to develop my thoughts: while related to the last one because these thoughts are developed in writing, this goes beyond style and sentence structure; I have found that writing about topics which I've been thinking about brings increased cohesiveness and conclusiveness to my thoughts. Striving to write sentences and paragraphs with a logical flow forces me to work through details that I hadn't so thoroughly thought out--such as exactly why I blog.

5. Hopefully, to encourage my readers in their faith: not that I'm packed with wisdom that people have to read, merely that if I can't encourage or challenge others with what I write, I don't need to put it on my blog.

Goals for This Blog
As I said, my posts have been sporadic at best. I would like to be more regular--at least 5 or 6 posts a month. This will be a challenge, but there's no way of accomplishing a goal without setting it.

The breakdown might look something like this:
--a monthly quote
--one or two devotional-style posts
--one or two book reviews
--some posts on whatever I've been pondering

Comments
To those of you read my blog and leave feedback: thank you. I really do appreciate it. While some of this is likely an ego thing, I have found many of your comments helpful and encouraging. To be honest, I probably would've developed an acute case of NOIRSWAIWA* Syndrome and quit blogging if no one commented. To those of you who read my blog and don't leave feedback... don't be shy; I'd appreciate your feedback too.

*no-one-is-reading-so-why-am-I-writing-anyway

The Name
When I first started this blog, I wanted a name that would be both interesting and meaningful. As you can see, what I came up with was... Dord Defined. I'm not currently planning on changing the name. However, I want to take a few sentences to make sure that its intended meaning is not lost in its uniqueness/strangeness. (Do read the fascinating historical background if you haven't yet.) The definition I gave would best be understood in light of the following two Scriptures.

"Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Proverbs 26:12, ESV)

"Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Proverbs 29:20, ESV)

These sober me every time I read them. Proverbs contains dozens of verses on the fool. There is no doubt: a fool is definitely a terrible thing to be. Yet these verses tell us that there is more hope for a fool than for one who is wise in his own eyes or hasty in his words. I firmly believe that these warnings apply to all of life; I also believe that, in blogging, it is especially easy to be wise in my own eyes or hasty in my words. The name of my blog--and specifically the definition I wrote--serves as a not-so-subtle reminder of these truths.

Finally, a bit of recommended reading for all of my fellow bloggers: Bob Kauflin's series on Blogging to Worship God (Part I, Part II, Part III).

Pride vs. The Glory of God

I had considered starting a blog for quite a while, but held off for a couple of reasons: I didn't exactly know what I wanted to write in a blog; I couldn't think of a good name. Both reasons, I think, revealed pride.

As to the first, having a purposeless blog with aimless posts (which is what it obviously would've been) would only be an attempt at self-glorification.

And the second? The following thought, which I expressed on two occasions, sums it up: "A good blog with a bad name is not a good blog." I now realize this statement to be quite foolish, for while I believe that names are important (Prv. 22:1), my comment was more related to my determination to find a clever title which might serve as a façade to smooth over the inadequacies within. A blog's value is found in its content and not in its name.

So why am I blogging? The reasons (as of now) are three-fold.

1. Blogs can be an excellent forum for holding discussions which might be impossible or cut short elsewhere.

2. It would seem that blogs are also a great way to keep in touch with people one doesn't frequently see.

3. I enjoy writing, and I want to glorify God in it. (Bob Kauflin had some excellent things to say about Blogging to Worship God.)