Let's Get This Party Started

Aloha!

My name is Wes Cain and this is my blog. I am a follower of Christ with a lot to say about my God, and--at the urgings of some of my friends and family--I decided to put some of my sermons up on the interweb for everyone to read.

So, usually in these first blog posts, people tell a little bit about themselves and and share why they think you should read their blog. I'm not going to do this, though. I tend to write my sermons in a way that people learn about me through them. They tend to be personal and share different parts of my life and identity with the people who hear them (or who read them on this blog). So, instead of boring you with a mini-autobiography in this first blog, I thought it would be better to kind of go on a journey with you, sharing little insights about me each week.

I will say one word of explanation for the title of my blog. It is meant to serve two functions: to tell a little bit about me and to tell a little bit about my purpose. First of all, anyone who knows me knows that I am not comfortable in any type of shoe but my flip-flops. Even in the cold of winter, I will sometimes break them out just to remind my feet what true comfort and freedom is. My friends and family can attest that, if I had it my way, I wouldn't wear anything but flip-flops. I even tried (unsuccessfully) to wear flip-flops with my tux at my wedding. Now, my current church placement does not really allow me to dress the way I would like, and on Sundays you can find my in my suit and dress shoes, but I guarantee that, as soon as I am able, I will preach in my flip-flops every occasion I can manage. The second part of the blog title is a reminder for the world and myself that the message that God has given me to preach is not always one that is easy to digest. Sometimes God needs a word of challenge spoken, and word that pulls people out of their comfort zones and pushes them into action. Sometimes God needs a word spoken that calls people out on certain actions, not for the sake of placing blame and judgment, but for the sake of accountability and helping the Church be the Church. Just as we must always be ready to hear this type of message, we must always be ready to give this type of message as well, allowing God to use us as not only His hands and feet but also His mouth.

I read a pretty enlightening quote today that I hope will work as a summing up of what I'm trying to do with this blog (and, honestly, my ministry in general): "If the point of literature is to turn blood into ink, then the point of the sermon is to turn the ink back into blood." I hope that my sermons here serve as a way of bringing to life the Gospel message for you, not for my sake and not to see how many hits I can get on my blog, but so that the Living God might plant the Living Word in your hearts.

Thanks for reading, and God bless!