Wednesday, September 14, 2011

What I'm Reading: The Pastor by Eugene Peterson

I've been reading The Pastor by Eugene Peterson as an assignment from one of my clients.  Mr. Peterson writes in a very conversational style about how he grew up, the people he has known, and the places he has lived, all of which contributed to his formation and continued growth as a pastor.  In one chapter, he writes about how he became a writer, and his description of writing stood out to me.  Here it is:

"Heuristic writing - writing to explore and discover what I didn't know.  Writing as a way of entering into language and letting language enter me, words connecting with words an creating what had previously been inarticulate or unnoticed or hidden.  Writing as a way of paying attention.  Writing as an act of prayer."

I hope that I will continue to write as a way to engage with language, the world, and others.  That writing will be a way for me to pay attention to the goings-on around me and to notice new things.  Mostly, I hope that writing will be a method of drawing closer to God as I engage, pay attention, notice, and learn.