New blog?

I know, I can’t even maintain one blog (one post in the last twelve months), so why am I starting another one?

I started Subversive Suburbanite because I wanted to write about both faith *and* campaigning to change the world around me, and the tension between these two passions of mine. At the time I was struggling with the idea that it was either or, not both and. I had kind of fallen prey to a narrow mindset that said God was only interested in the spiritual side of life, so I had better concentrate more on praying and saving souls, and less on bicycles and play streets. But then why did I feel so called to take on the injustice of traffic domination, and to make a difference to my own street and neighbourhood?

That tension has gone. I’ve come to feel comfortable with the idea that God is the God of everything. He’s not narrow. He’s not only concerned with spiritual things, but with life in all its fullness, in every dimension – spiritual, physical, emotional, social. It makes perfect sense that this God would inspire me to try to change my neighbourhood so that children’s safety and freedom takes priority over 4×4 drivers getting a shortcut. It makes perfect sense that if I’m reduced to tears at a prayer meeting, it could equally be an intercession for a loved one to come to know Christ or for the council of a given London borough to start building protected bike lanes.

As it says in Romans 8:28 – not the well-known version, but the one hidden in a text note: “…in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good”.

But now when I have something burning to say about faith, a blog that is primarily about healthy streets and active travel doesn’t feel like the right place for it. (And I increasingly seem to have burning things to say about faith.) I’m not going to stop mentioning my faith over there if it comes up, but I feel a bit sorry for people who turn up because they want to read about cycle lanes and instead get the gospel. (There might be a sliver of Venn diagram containing readers who are happy with either topic, but I suspect it’s very much a sliver.)

So I will confine my God botherings to this blog, and hopefully no one will feel shortchanged.