Preface

In his song "Hallelujah," the late Jeff Buckley sings:

"Well I heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
Well it goes like this, the fourth the fifth,
the minor fall, the major lift,
the Baffled King composing Hallelujah."

What a picture: the baffled king stumbling as he tries to compose a cold and broken hallelujah to the Lord he loves and is trying to serve.

So why this blog,
Broken Hallelujahs
by the Baffled King?

I'm no king, just an unemployed pastor. But while talking with a friend last weekend, I heard her say, "Why do pastors keep writing books? They can't write, and most of them can't pastor either."

I was a writer before I became a pastor, and no doubt a better writer. And despite my pedestrian stature, I am yet that baffled king, and I know what it is to sing Hallelujah when I've just learned that "love is not a victory march, it's a cold and broken hallelujah."

One of the editors of Slate magazine decided to read and blog about the Old Testament. Which inspired me to pick up my tattered old "One Year Bible" and blog the whole thing.

I can't promise theological accuracy, Kristen, but I can promise this baffled king will try to tell the truth about her broken hallelujahs.

Enjoy!