On naming a blog

I thought I would start my own blog... a suppose a place to ruminate about life, theology, ministry, and random stuff that will make no difference and seem superfluous. Perhaps you may wonder if they are different? Well, yes and no but I will save that rant for another day.

I was trying to be creative and come up with a cool and catchy name for my blog. I think in a sense I dreamed that if I did that more people would read it... but who am I really trying to impress? I realize now I had a few rules for naming my blog:

1) Its title reflects its content and author, intentional or not. You know it's true and I don't even have to explain why.

2) It should be honest with itself. Please, don't let your blog's name be something of which you can't really do. I am shocked at how many young dudes on the internet seem to think they are the next John Calvin... please. I fancy myself a theologian but I doubt I can write the next "Institutes" with my little meanderings.

3) It should seek to grow into its title. Your name has some kind of eschatological reality in it, i.e. what you name is to an extent what it will become. This is how people name their kids. You try not to give your kid the same name as jerks you met or that are easy for people to make jokes with; but one that has meaning and character.

4) It should be kind of spiritual. For me, this means it should have an allusion to Scripture.

This is how my thought process went. Maybe I can do something like "living theology" but someone already did that who has been published. Dang... besides, its doesn't really get at number four. Then, I thought, I will use my favorite verse, Philippians 3:8 "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (ESV). My creative... more accurately... my dorky side came out when I thought I would use the Greek word for "rubbish" in the title, (skubalon, Greek for... ahem... crap or s**t. Seriously.). Unfortunately, a lot of other theologically disgruntled guys have already done it. Argh... there is nothing new under the sun.

So I came up with "its rubbish or Jesus" because that is what this is. I am not sure what I think of blogging yet. There is a lot of it that is garbage and there is some that is very good.

So here is my contribution to the endless works of humanity, so let my posts be a big pile of dung or by the grace of God may it be gaining Jesus Christ.