Who am I? What do I do?
I am loved by God. I am a husband, a twin brother, a dad, a son, a grandson and a friend. I am a learner, a connector, a theologian. I am a musician. I love growing things and creating things.
One of those things is this blog. After being married for about nine months, my wife and I moved from San Diego, California to Grand Haven, Michigan. She began life as a social worker in adoptions. Me? Without a job, I began the long process of transitioning to a new culture, grieving our move, and becoming myself in my new surroundings. In order to intentionally engage with the process of change, I began to write. A lot. For the first month and a half I blogged every single day. I learned to pay attention to what God was doing around me. This blog has been a way for me to slow down and listen to the Voice of the Beloved.
I am now a graduate of Western Theological Seminary and I'm working in ministry at a local church equipping its members to join God on mission in their local context. I love spending time with my daughter, Jane, and wife, Rachel.
What about the title, Watch. Listen. Be.?
These three words, to me, embody the prayerful life, a life lived in surrender to a living God. My hope is to be watchful for God's Kingdom, to listen to His voice leading me, and to be and become his beloved. Much of this is done through writing, where I can reflect on the day, practicing watchfulness, listening and simply being.
Since I began this blog, I made a few restrictions for myself that actually gave me more freedom to write:
Write about something that actually happened
This keeps me grounded in the present, watchful for God at work in the small things. My work is to attribute otherwise mundane daily events to God's Kingdom work. If I wrote only of my internal, abstract thoughts, I would get carried away in hypotheses and theories. I don't want that. I want to practice seeing a real God all around me.
Write for me
This blog is primarily not for you. It is for me. It is for my own reflection and process. Then why blog, why not just write a journal? Because sharing my story is a way I can give glory to God. Besides, I write better when I think somebody may read it. It helps me get to truth faster.
Write about me
If I don't, my attitude quickly becomes preachy. Self-reflection is like medicine to me that keeps me humble. As I tell my story, my hope is that you identify and draw connections to your own story.
Don't explain too much
This is my area of growth as a writer. I will not belittle you or the story by stating the obvious, over explaining, repeating myself, boiling it down to a discussion question etc. As you read, you can make your own connections.
Don't use numbers
I made a rule to not use numbers (such as 4, 23, 95, 183). Instead, I write them out (such as four, twenty-three, ninety-five, one hundred and eighty-three). I don't know why this is a rule, it just is. Maybe for me it is a place where my left-brain is a little more dominated by my right-brain and I don't want exact metrics to dictate anything.
Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments, suggestions, and stories of your own.
Grace and Peace,
Brendan
