Welcome to Pastors Without Pulpits

I started blogging back in 2003. Before Twitter. Before Facebook. Before TikTok and all that.

It's safe to say, I got a little into it.

Like, really into it.

Pomomusings. It’s still around, and you can read through some archives here. Blogs in 2003 were all the rage. Find a funny video? Blog it. Want to share a funny photo? Blog it. Have something you want to rant about? Blog it.

When I went to seminary in 2004, if anyone ever asked what was up with me, my typical response was, “Did you check the blog?”

I’d go to conferences, and people I’d never met would come up to me like we were best friends. I rather enjoyed it. When my wife would be at events with me, and people would come up to her with the same enthusiasm…she did not enjoy it.

I had a lot of fun with the blog. Went through my ‘emerging church’ phase, mused about pomo theology, had my share of controversies surrounding my ordination, and blogged more openly than the theological schools I attended and presbyteries I was under the care of thought I should. I know for a fact that Pomomusings and the photos on my blog came up in conversations in the Administrative offices of both Princeton Theological Seminary and Columbia Theological Seminary and on Personnel committees of churches I worked at over the years.

Fast forward to the summer of 2015.

I was at a crossroads in my professional life. I was enjoying a few months off with severance after leaving the church I’d been at for not quite two years…trying to figure out what to do with my life, and I just wasn’t into blogging at the time.

I started a business that fall, it took off, and I kind of just forgot about my blog.

Now, 10 years later, and I miss writing.

So, let's see what this turns into.

All the cool kids are starting Substacks, but after reading my friend Bruce's post highlighting some of the problematic elements within the leadership of Substack, I decided to try out this new platform, Ghost.

I am seriously considering a move to Ghost and away from Substack. After this post from one of the founders that called Musk and Zuckerburg principled free speech advocates, I can’t but believe that the future is not good.

Disclaimer: I actually did start a Substack two years ago. And I wrote a couple of posts. And two very kind souls actually became Paid Subscribers. But then I just stopped writing.

So...let's see if this reboot helps.

So, what are you going to write about?

Well, that’s a good question. And I’m open to suggestions (leave your thoughts below). When I started the short-lived Substack two years ago, this is what I was thinking:

“Reflections on faith, spirituality, business, parenting, and more. Think of it like a blog from 2003 with 2023 tech. For those who have been around for a while, consider it Pomomusings 3.0.”

But I think we're going to go a slightly different route now.

Pastors Without Pulpits.

That's the hook.

And if that's intriguing to you—I hope you'll sign up as a free subscriber (I'm not even going to think about offering paid subscriptions until we see if this thing takes off).