Year One

Earlier this month, Note and Query passed its one year anniversary. It began largely as an experiment, with a post about the significance of the ascension of Jesus. At a pace of about one post every other week (31 in 52 weeks), it has continued on a semi-regular basis, prompted only by time and inclination. Not bad, I say, for co-habitating with a full-time job, three young children, and a serious need for downtime (as in, not otherwise engaged in writing, editing, or reading)!

For the most part, it has been a good experiment. Writing has come more naturally to me than I anticipated. To paraphrase an apocryphal quote, I write to know that I am not alone. Both here and on Twitter (@noteandquery), I have tried to engage in conversations with writers, both living and dead, who have sought honest answers to tough questions. I have also tried to focus on works of art and literature that inspire, edify, and sustain us. In that, I think I have succeeded in making a blog that is about things that resonate with me personally but isn’t fundamentally about me. It’s a tricky line to walk at times, since we all inevitably filter the world through our own taste and interests. What is the alchemy that converts a private motive or meaning into a public good?

To keep track of my posts, I recently added an index page as well as an honor roll of books that have influenced my thinking since college. I’ve tried to learn something about the medium—currently WordPress—but to focus on the technical aspects is to miss the fun.

It is my hope that I will keep up this blog for another year, perhaps upping the frequency a bit. But I also hope to press myself to write more widely and more extensively about books, films, and ideas that clear my eyes and fill my heart as I learn to live for the Lord more fully each and every day.