Why blog?

1 John 1:1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete.

When Dave suggested that I create a blog, I wanted to make sure that I did it for the right reasons. I have no desire that I gain credibility by posting here. My desire is like that of the apostle in the scripture above. I write this in the hopes of making my joy complete. My joy is made complete when others come into fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. This may seem strange to some who read this for why should I care about your knowledge of Christ? I want to focus today on the first verse of the apostles letter:

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

Beginnings
I love this verse. I love the way that it fits together with Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1. Of course the apostle here is referring to Jesus and His creative effort is referenced easily from the other two verses. Indeed there is an undeniable link between the creator and His creation. Paul tells us in Romans 1:20:
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
I find this at work in myself as well. I can clearly see God manifesting Himself through His creation. Yet, the apostle proclaims that this Jesus who has been, is, and always will be, revealed Himself in the flesh. The apostle got to hear Him speak. The same One who spoke creation into existence spoke to John. What an incredible experience that must have been. To know your Creator and to hear Him speak and to see Him and to touch Him. No wonder the apostle wanted to proclaim to all this message.

But what about me? Surely I have not heard Him speak or seen Him or touched Him? So why do I desire to proclaim the same message to you? But I have seen Him. I have seen Him in creation. I have seen Him in the love shared between believers. I have seen Him in the changes in my life and the lives of others. I have heard Him as well. He speaks to my conscience, but He also speaks to me through His word. Have you heard the word of God proclaimed and listened with a humble attitude? Although I have not touched Him with my hands, I have been touched by Him, for I know that only He could have accomplished the changes in me. This is why I also proclaim to you the Word of Life.