About this place

Following imperfectly

For years, faith was something I circled around. I believed, I prayed, and knew something of the faith I had been taught, but I had never really taken the time to understand it deeply.

That began to change when I started reading Scripture more seriously. One question led to another. Scripture led me into the early Church, the Church Fathers, history, theology, and back into Scripture again.

Somewhere along the way, this stopped feeling like something I was simply reading about and became something I wanted to live more faithfully too — in prayer, in family life, and in the ordinary responsibilities of each day.

Following Imperfectly grew out of that journey.

I am a husband, father, and software engineer, not a theologian or academic. Most of this study happens around ordinary family and working life. I am still learning, still asking questions, and frequently finding that something I thought I understood opens into several more things I don't.

This site is where I gather that process:

Some things remain small notes attached to a passage. Others turn into longer studies or lead me into a subject that I continue exploring elsewhere. I don't expect everything here to become a finished article or a definitive answer. Much of it is simply a record of learning and following the questions wherever they lead.

How I study

Scripture is usually where I begin. I read slowly, follow cross-references, compare translations, and try to understand a passage within the wider story of Scripture rather than treating it in isolation.

I also spend a considerable amount of time reading the Church Fathers and other early Christian writings. Alongside them, I use the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Church documents, biblical commentaries, historical and cultural background works, and academic resources when they can help me better understand the context of a passage or question.

I try to distinguish between what a source actually says and my own conclusions from it. Where possible, I include references so that the trail can be followed beyond my notes rather than asking anyone simply to take my word for it. I also keep a list of sources used throughout the site.

I am Catholic, so naturally I explore many of these questions through a Catholic lens. But I am not particularly interested in denominational arguments or in proving that one group of Christians has everything figured out. I want to understand the faith more deeply, and that means being willing to listen and learn widely.

The Catholic tradition, the Catechism, and Church teaching are important parts of my study, but my shelves are hardly Catholic-only. I also read and listen widely. That includes Protestant and Orthodox writers, pastors, theologians, podcasts, and other Christian voices. I do not need to agree with someone on everything to learn something from them, and sometimes the differences themselves give me another question worth exploring.

Bible translations

I usually study with more than one Bible nearby. The translations I use most often are the RSV-2CE and NRSV, and I regularly compare other translations when differences in wording, textual tradition, or verse numbering raise something worth exploring.

Scripture previews on this site use the Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV) where available, with the Old Douay-Rheims (ODR) as a fallback. Both are in the public domain and are rooted in the Vulgate tradition, making them particularly interesting alongside older Christian writings, though the ODR retains an older style of English.

Linked passages also provide tools for comparing translations, reading annotations, and exploring commentary from the Church Fathers. Verse numbering occasionally differs from that found in other Bible translations, so references shown in previews may not always correspond exactly to the numbering used elsewhere.

Why “Following Imperfectly”?

The name is a reminder of what this site is really about. I am trying to follow Christ more faithfully, but I do so imperfectly. I misunderstand things, change my mind, struggle, learn, and begin again.

What is written here should be read in that spirit: not as the final word, but as the work of someone trying to understand the faith he has received and, more importantly, trying to live it.