Between the Trees

Well, it’s been a good run, but the time has come. Those of you who are regular readers know that, for a variety of reasons, I’ve been slowly fading in my posting regularity over the last few months. Platitudes about my busy life aside, I think the time has come to make a decision and let you know, rather than simply disappear from the internet world.

So, as of this week, it’s official. I’m retiring from Between the Trees. I’m turning the blog itself over to Jake to do with as he pleases; if he keeps it up and running, if he brings in another author, or if he simply moves on, I’m not going to be a part of the equation.

I’ve had some sort of blog or internet outlet since I was in high school, and the thought of not having such an outlet still terrifies me, so I will have a blog hosted by Wordpress which you can read here. Don’t expect regularity, however. It will just be an outlet for some of my writing.

As far as why I’m retiring, it’s a complicated question. In some ways, I’m just worn out and unable to keep up with the almost-daily posting schedule Jake and I kept to a year ago when Between the Trees was in its heyday. However, there are a couple of other reasons.

The first is content. While there’s always been a great deal of variety in our posts, there were also some natural limits created by our shared interests. I’m increasingly falling into a pattern of writing posts and deciding not to post them, primarily because the things they’re about don’t fit here.

Secondly, I’m becoming increasingly suspicious of my own merit as a “blogger.” I’m a lot more uncertain about what I think than I used to be. It’s terrifying to realize that, looking back over our two-and-a-half years, we’ve had more unique visitors than many published Christian authors sell books. I realize that many of these people are just “dropping by,” but I’ve also known plenty of people who regard blogs with the same sort of authority and trustworthiness as the books they read. In reality, I’m a 23-year-old with a minimal theological education who has read a few books. I don’t trust myself to communicate deep truths. This doesn’t mean that I have nothing to offer the body, but simply that the amount of content a regular blog demands is putting forward far more ideas than I’ve really thought through.

And last, I’m increasingly finding myself in process about a number of ideas (no, not like I’m leaving the faith or anything, don’t be alarmed). I’ve seen a number of my political ideas shift and some of my convictions about Scripture be deconstructed. In the midst of rebuilding, I don’t think the sort of running commentary that makes blogging unique will be helpful, or for that matter sensible. That said, if you want to keep up with what I do write, check out the aforementioned new blog.

That said, this has been a great experience. I’ve loved working with Jake, who I consider a dear brother. Jake, you continue to encourage and provoke me. Don’t you ever stop, you long-haired hippie. And I’ve enjoyed interacting with those of you who read. Thank you for bearing with my half-baked ideas and poor editing, and thank the Holy Spirit for those times when these very ideas have helped, encouraged or taught you. You’ve been great.

Pax Christ,

Eric