Not Goodbye : )

Hello Lovely Blog Readers,

(In the tune of Adele's "Skyfall") THIS IS THE ENDDDDD. (just kidding, it's not, don't worry).

A few thoughts learned from the blogs this past semester:

Shitty first drafts are okay.

Shitty THIRD drafts are okay (just keep editing and rewriting).

Sharing your writing is vulnerable. 

God fills our brokenness with His Grace and Beauty. 

Not everyone cares about alllll the details of my oh so perfect (ABSOLUTELY IMPERFECT messed up HORRIBLY bad) laundry routine.

Failure feels really sucky, but it is still so valuable, and God moves in our failures. 

There is an abundance of time.

Take things bird by bird baby (or one things at a time).

Christian writing is more nuanced than we often say or think. 

There are stories all around us. And these stories often show us things about ourselves and the world. But they also can connect us to people we wouldn’t expect. 

The theatre is an ‘empathy gym’ and so is writing. 

There are a lot of things I’ve learned from blogging this semester. These are a few of them. 

Mostly, I’ve learned that writing is hard. And it’s also easy. By that I mean, it takes a lot of work, but I also don’t have to be ‘good’ yet to write. I don’t have to have some special qualifications or perfect grammar or the deepest of thoughts. I can write what I know, and I can post it in it’s imperfect form to my blog, and God can use it. 

I’ve learned that writing requires trust. That it is an opportunity for prayer. That writing can be art in the same way it can be prayer. That it takes work and listening. 

And I’ve learned that coffee shops are my favorite place to write:)

This blog has truly been such a blessing.

I think it is a total God thing that this class coincided with my Theatre as Ministry class. As an external processor, it has been lovely to process through readings and conversations on art and faith through this blog. 

While both those classes may be coming to an end, I intend to continue blogging past this semester, for a few reasons. 

1. I am an artist. And a person of faith. So I won’t ever stop thinking about being an artist of faith. There is always more to discover, to discern, and to reflect on. 

2. I am a storyteller. I love stories. And I need to practice telling them. I want to share stories of faith, hope, and love. To encourage and think deeply together about life. 

3. I am a writer. I may not know what in the world I want to do with my writing, but I want to continue to write. It is a deep love of mine. And this blog is an excellent outlet for those few moments of inspired writing. But it is also an excellent tool for practicing the discipline of writing. I need to practice writing when I don’t want to. Or writing when I don’t think I know what to say. Maybe I will encounter God in unexpected ways in those writings. Or maybe it will merely help me to develop self-discipline. To be okay with shitty first drafts. To be obedient to the call to write in some way.

Mostly, I’m going to keep blogging because I love it. And because hopefully, my simple words might mean something to somebody somewhere at some point. 

I have no idea if my blog has made an impact on anyone who has read it. I hope so. But I don’t have control over that. So I simply get to be obedient to write and to listen, and to trust God with the rest. 

So, this is not goodbye (unless you are only reading this for our class, in which case, maybe it is goodbye). It is merely a–see you on the other side of the semester, where blogs are written out of pure self discipline (hopefully). 

Much love!!

Sincerely, 

Sophi