Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Introductions

This is my first blog entry. Ever. I never thought I’d be a blogger. But the truth is that I have a hyperactive mind and, for better or worse, want to share it with the world.

For those of you who don’t know me, I live and work in New York City. I’m a Christian and came here roughly two years ago to start a Christian church. Why do I share this? To set up the purpose of this blog. The purpose isn’t to vent about my personal life, the media, sports, celebrity culture, politics, or sexuality. I’m not Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City, gentlemen). I’m a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and want to reflect on what it means to follow him in a city like New York. I will not shy away from discussing politics, cultural patterns, media trends, urban idols, or current events. However, my goal is to write about God. My hope is that both those who follow Christ and those who choose not to follow him will read and be edified. Please leave comments. Feel free to disagree with me. Feel free to correct me. Keep it clean, but keep it real…
Posted by at

5 comments:

  1. mi hyeApril 1, 2009 at 9:50 AM

    hi steve. great idea. looking forward to your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. foreverfocusedApril 1, 2009 at 1:11 PM

    thanks for tagging me man, looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Stay blessed and God's peace

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownApril 1, 2009 at 3:49 PM

    Well-written, Steve! I look forward to following your future postings.

    ReplyDelete
  4. jft.gothamApril 2, 2009 at 8:30 AM

    i like how you're mapping your experience to the life of Jesus. so what about loneliness--is it 'wrong', is it 'redemptive'? what are you finding in your loneliness?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Steve HoppeApril 2, 2009 at 11:24 AM

    Thanks for the comment JFT. The answer to your first question is that loneliness is actually not wrong in and of itself. In Genesis 2:18, God says, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him." Being alone was not in God's original design. It was not his intention. Thus, if one finds himself or herself alone, it is often good to seek an avenue out of that situation.

    Of course, this is not always possible or even optimal. Under the sovereignty of God, we all go through seasons of lonelines that sanctify us. They enable us to more closely cling to Christ and realize our desperate need for his presence. However, on a grand scale, if we are living the majority of our lives in relative human isolation, we have to question whether we are living in God's will. The Kingdom of God is rooted in community, which is rooted theologically in the community of the Trinity, community which existed far before the creation of man. We are not meant to be isolated creatures living independently from one another. This is a hard reality that many New Yorkers either consciously or subconsciously reject.

    I find loneliness can be redemptive, if by redemptive you mean that it forces us to realize our desperate need for community with God and the body of Christ. The "void" we feel in the absence of human companionship highlights our need for that companionship and directs our eyes to our deeper need for intimate divine companionship. This is indeed redemptive. Earthly loneliness also directs our eyes and hearts to the day when we will no longer be lonely, when we live in the community of resurrected saints in the glorious presence our Lord Jesus for eternity. No more loneliness...ever again.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)