Why I'm going to keep blogging...

     This Thursday, I'll finish my first year of maintaining this blog.  I’ll admit that I started a blog a few years back and posted to it…about 8 times.  Something about it just didn’t stick.  Last year, as I headed into the fall, I felt like it was something I wanted to try again.  I love to write.  I find it one of my greatest joys in life to encourage people.  I’d like to expand my ministry as I continue along in my journey of service for God.  So; here I have been for a year now, trying to accomplish that.  The “audience” for my blog has grown over the course of the year, but I still don’t have a huge list of “followers.”  People have read my blog more than 2800 times this year.  If you compare that with well known bloggers, it’s a pretty tiny number.  But I appreciate all who do read and follow, and some have expressed appreciation for one post or another that challenged or encouraged them.  I’m really glad for that.

     My blog has also allowed me to work toward a couple of personal goals.  I would like to write more.  I’d like to publish a book at some point.  I want to discipline myself in the craft of writing so that I regularly commit time to sitting down at my computer and putting my thoughts into print.  Since I began, I read on Michael Hyatt's blog that this is a good practice for someone who would like to be published some day.  I set out to post once a week and this post makes #56, so I have reached my goal.

     But is it worth it?  Did I follow some personal whim to try and be able to call myself a writer?  Or is there something more valuable happening as I continue to use this blog?

     Here are several reasons I plan to continue writing:

• It challenges me to keep growing.  I’ve got lots of years of ministry left and I want to grow in my own understanding and my ability to communicate with others.
• It challenges me to listen.  When I decided to start blogging, it seemed prudent to read what others were writing too.  I follow several blogs of personal friends or ministry partners.  I also read from much more popular authors.  I have to keep receiving if I hope to keep giving out.
• It challenges me to keep creating.  It’s easy to coast.  Once we’re comfortable with how we do something, it’s easy to simply maintain.  I want to get better and that will require me to go against my natural bent and be creative.  I’m open to suggestions from my readers as to how to make this better…
• It challenges me to be relevant.  Nothing would discourage me more than to put words on a screen just so I can say I did.  I want to speak into people’s lives and be a word of encouragement to them.
• It challenges me to be dependent.  Every time I sit to write something, I'm reminded that lots of people know more than me.  This means that I must depend on God to use my efforts to accomplish something for Him.  That’s why I love 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.  I resonate with the idea of a weak vessel being used by God so He can get more glory.
• It challenges me to keep perspective.  It is good for me to remember that ministry is broader than the specific local context into which God has called me to serve.  I need to always be looking for ways in which God might expand my borders so that I can reach more people for him.

     So; I trust God has used this corner of cyber-space to be a blessing to you.  I suppose since you are still here, it means something.  Let’s keep at it together and continue to grow as we “encourage one another, and all the more as [we] see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25)