Why "Stranger in a Strange Land"

I have always been a bit of a misfit. I don't say this for sympathy; it's just the way it is. I belong to a denomination (Assemblies of God) that I respect, but into which I often do not fit culturally. I am finishing up my degree at a church-school (Concordia Seminary) which has significantly different practices than mine. Nearly all of my Christian friends are Rush-Limbaugh-type conservatives, which I am not. I allow for Biblical interpretation that takes into account genre and authorial intent in the midst of people who tend to read literalistically. When I have worked outside of church/school circles, I had little interest in those things in which my co-workers were interested.

Now if I had better people skills, these differences would be easier to finese. Alas, I am too introspective. Many people like me, but once I move away, I am mostly forgotten. This makes my life-journey a bit different than it is for some. Therefore, in any of my life-circles, I always feel as if I am standing not in the middle, but toward the edges. Hence the title of this blog.

Once again, I do not say this for sympathy. I am comfortable with my place in life. It does mean, however, that my prespective as expressed in this blog may not always match that of my readers. I hope no one is offended by this. I only desire a fair hearing for what I express.

Feel free to comment on anything I post. I am always interested in dialogue with anyone who will think and care deeply about issues. And I hope I can listen. Even at my age (52), I find that I can be persuaded to different position from time to time.

I have no idea how often I will post. I do have a backlog of things I have been working on to keep it going for a while. I promise not to waste your time on trivial things I hope to always have something that might be of interest to you.