A friend of mine has been after me for some time to start a video blog. I suppose he likes what I write but would prefer not to have to read it. Which is a bit of a novel idea, since I’ve felt that the way I write often overshadows what I have to say.
Sure, I might have some interesting topics occasionally, but I’ve felt, looking back on two years of posting, that the ideas are really just an excuse for writing. Sort of how a jazz standard is really just a set of chord changes that the cats will jam out to. The song is just a vehicle for the jam session.
I’ve resisted the idea of a video blog for a couple reasons. First, it just sounds like a lot of work. Second, I’m not usually an off-the-cuff kind of speaker. Even when I’ve preached before, I’ve written out my sermon, pretty much memorized it, and recited it like a script. Not that I think that’s entirely bad. I think God impresses on me a lot in my prep time and in the hours I go over the actual sermon text. I just need to be receptive to changes when I’m actually delivering it.
Maybe someday I’ll do a video blog, but for now I’m adding to Say What You Will, which to this point might as well have been called Write What You Will. I’ll be posting regularly to a podcast called, well, simply Say What You Will. Once or twice a week, I’ll record my reading of some of my written posts.
The challenge of writing is conveying my mood, but this will be easier when I can use my own voice to get my point across. (Of course, I want to continue trying to accomplish this in my writing, since I want to become better at it.) For instance, you could read “Harvest Moon” and like it, but you could also listen to a father speak of his two-year-old son, and how he is totally enamored with the boy.
You can subscribe to the podcast or just check back here or on my Facebook page for the latest episodes. And do let me know what you think.
One thing I might do on occasion is record some music and post it there, since I’ll have the venue. A lot of people — OK, maybe one or two over the years — have mentioned they like hearing me play piano and would like some recordings. As much as I’m not an off-the-cuff speaker, I am as a piano player; I rarely play a song the same way. So I might post some instrumentals for those of you who suffer from insomnia. My gift to you.
So check out the podcast. There are already some episodes waiting for you.
