Hi, it’s me. Aaron. Remember me? No? Eh, I’m not surprised. It’s been a long time, actually. The last time I contributed to RC was over a year ago, and much has changed in my life since then. My infant son is now two years old and an eloquent orator (no foolin’). My family, after much agonizing, moved from Seattle to Philadelphia to be nearer our families. I’d like to say that being a new father or moving across the country was what kept me from writing and sharing my thoughts here. But that would be a lie. To be honest, I simply had nothing to say.

Seattle was a wonderful place to live. No, that is an understatement. Seattle was the best place I’ve ever lived. Had our families been close, we never would have left. Looking at my life then, I realize that I had everything I ever wanted. A beautiful home, a great job and bountiful opportunities, wonderful friends and church, coffee like you wouldn’t believe, and the Pacific Northwest as my playground. And that, I feel, was the problem. I had all that mattered to me, I became satisfied, then lazy, then apathetic. Nothing to say.

When I started work in Center City Philadelphia, it was plain that I wasn’t in Seattle anymore. Where Seattle exuded wealth and progressiveness, Philadelphia was steeped in poverty and violence. I began to witness people much different than me, people with tremendous needs, and political and cultural systems that seemed to perpetuate them. It stung in contrast to my satisfaction.

In January my wife, who is bipolar, had a hypomanic episode and was hospitalized for some weeks. Our relationship had been slowly wearing until then and, when the breakdown came, I was emotionally and spiritually empty. She needed me, but I had nothing to give. I needed her, but she couldn’t even control her own mind. The following weeks were the hardest time in our marriage. I cursed God for my pain and sorrow. I doubted his power and spat in his face. There was no hateful thing that held back. It was the first time in a long time that I prayed an honest prayer.

In the spring we worked to heal our marriage and reorient ourselves. I picked up several new books that, without exaggerating, have started to change the direction of my life. These have included God on Mute by Pete Greig, The Irresistible Revolution by Philly’s own Shane Claiborne, and Simply Christian and Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. Greig addressed God’s silence in my life. Claiborn showed me a new way of living both in the world and in Christ. Wright showed me why Christianity makes sense with such clarity that I still gape. His biblical interpretation of the resurrection and the Christian hope have changed my life.

So here I sit, after reminiscing about the past year, looking at the year to come. Now, after so long, I think I actually have something to say. See you all round the blogosphere.