<a href="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/3599478325_f9030e5eb6.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-459" title="3599478325_f9030e5eb6" src="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/3599478325_f9030e5eb6.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="335" /></a>
<h5 style="padding-left: 360px;">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/khrawlings/">Kevin Rawlings</a></h5>
"I have to write a 'faith' post tonight, <em>and I don't wanna!</em>" I complained to Jason, as we were settling in for the night. "What am I going to write about? I'm just not feeling very...I don't know...."

"Faith-full?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. I guess that's it."

Maybe some of you haven't noticed, but I organize my blog posts into three categories: Love, family &amp; community; Culture, ideas &amp; paradigms; and Belief, doubt &amp; hope. I originally decided to go this route as a way to give my otherwise undefinable blog some definition.

One of the side effects, though, from a writer's standpoint, is that the categories impose some structure and balance when it comes to what I write about. Sometimes that structure is welcomed, other times, not so much. It's not like I write the posts in any particular order, but if things begin to get lopsided, I notice.

That's what is happening tonight. It's time to write a post about my faith, and that isn't always an easy assignment. As I talked to Jason about some half-baked, not very exciting ideas I had, I eventually admitted that <strong>my life, these past few weeks, has generated a perfect storm for back-burnered faith.</strong>

"Oh," I said, that proverbial light bulb flicking on in my mind. "I guess I should write about <em>that</em>."

Jason smiled and nodded, then opened his book. His work was done.

So that's what I'm writing about—the struggle to remain close to God. There's this big chasm that separates us from God. To bridge it (or to even begin to), we have to first be oriented toward it; then we have to be open, and diligent, too.

That's a tough combination to capture every day. When I'm at a place in my life where my orientation is all askew, and "diligence" strikes me as a foreign word, I'm left with the many ironies of being so very human:

<strong>When I'm busy and stressed, I orient myself away from God and his peace.</strong>

<strong>When I'm out of my routine, I forget about God and his constancy.</strong>

<strong>When I'm traveling and away from my church community, I lose sight of God and his tangible love.</strong>

<strong>When I'm overly tired, I close myself off to God's refreshing, renewing grace.</strong>

And even though I've been here before, each time it takes me so long to recognize where I am, and to navigate my way home. Does anyone know of a more direct route?