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Trust
This morning I had the opportunity to share a little bit with our Men’s Ministry at church, and the subject I chose was trust. A few weeks ago, I found myself listening to some Simon Sinek talks while I did household chores. One of the things he said that struck me was something to the effect that people do their best work in an environment of trust. This wasn’t an entirely new subject to me. As a teacher and course designer, I know that belonging and safety are important elements for helping students thrive. Trust is implied. It’s not a trust that says you will never correct me, but a…
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Snow Day
Nothing like a snow day (and the 4 rascals that come with it in our home) to challenge one’s plans. One of the reasons I wanted to scale back at work was to research more and write more. Stop coasting on my theological education and start pushing myself again. But another reason was to spend more time at home, both around the home and with the kids. I have a stack of parenting books on the shelf behind me and I have plans of reading them and graduating to super-parent. But I hadn’t cracked any of them yet, so it was just an average parenting day. Right now my parenting…
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Where Are We?
One of the reasons I wanted to start blogging again is I am troubled by the direction the world is going, and I know I’m not alone in this. I believe I have some of the answers, or at least some of the right cardinal directions. I’m cringing. That feels like such a pompous thing to say. But we all have things we believe, and we wouldn’t believe them if we didn’t think they were true, would we? I know some of my beliefs are wrong. I just don’t know which ones. Yet. But that doesn’t mean I must be silent. I don’t have to be omniscient to be helpful,…
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Hello
My name is Josh Vajda, and I am the Wandering Baptist. I chose this name for myself years ago, as I was trying to decide where I fit after seminary. I originally created this space to be a place to think out loud without worrying about what people thought of me. I signed my posts “WB.” This year I’ve decided I need a fresh start. I’ve wiped this particular slate clean because I want to go a different route. I’m ready to own the name “Wandering Baptist” and to stand by what I post here. I had another blog that I used for “my” writing on occasion, and I’m repurposing…
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The Spiritual Life
I first started thinking about going back to my seminary notes not on a whim or out of despair for all I had forgotten. It started because I’ve been fighting my way out of a dark night of the soul. After a few years of rich intimacy and joyful service, I found myself tired and angry. I knew intellectually that God loves me, but He had come to feel so distant. Often—sometimes each new day—I would have to fight once more to stand and claim the place Christ had purchased for me. As I tackled one illusion after another, tugging at one part of the knot and then the next,…