A New-ish Blog Beginning

I never thought I’d choose to write. In high school, I complained about English class as I crunched out last minute essays in the school computer lab and in college, I celebrated after taking my last mandatory writing course ever.

But then again, I’ve always written even when I didn’t have to. I’ve “blogged” ever since the days of Asian Avenue (anyone else remember that?) and Xanga (eprops were the pre-Facebook “Likes”).  And though, thankfully, those cringeworthy entries about high school crushes and Jess of Gilmore girls are no longer public, I remember enough of my Xanga site to mentally trace a drastic change in content over time.

Many of you know that I grew up in the church and trusted God as a child, but was awakened to him and the Gospel powerfully in my late teens. As God changed me, it felt natural to share what God was doing in me and as he gave me a new passion for him and his Word, I enjoyed expressing what I learned in writing.

Over the years, I’ve treated this blog as a personal online journal of lessons learned, but gradually, there’s been a shift not in content but style and purpose as I’ve continued to write what I’m learning not just for myself but with readers in mind.

I’m grateful to have joined Reformed Margins as a contributor and for a team that gives me feedback and courage to write. And I’m grateful for friends who have encouraged me to write, reminding me that though there may be plenty of better writers with great material, I have my own unique voice to offer. Because introspection, fear of wrong motives, and anxiety have often contributed to mixed feelings about blogging, I’m also thankful that Jeff urges me to simply focus on writing to bless others.

These days, I’ve been considering how I can continue to hone my writing while encouraging others in their walks with the Lord. To this end, I finally shelled out the 30-something dollars to purchase this domain name and changed the layout a bit.  I also set up a page on Facebook for those who want to keep up with my blog without an RSS reader.

Even though nothing’s really changed, I’m nervous and excited– nervous because this feels like new territory for me, a mini-step of faith, and I’m not sure what it means or if it means anything at all! Excited because I’ve been helped by others who have taken time to convey life-changing truths through the written word and I hope to serve others in the same way.

So here’s a big thank you to those who have read my writing through the years and for your encouragement. I’ve realized lately that it’s no small thing to offer your time and energy to consider someone else’s words. I hope what I’ve written has served you in your walk with God and my desire is to continue to urge us to walk with him in greater hope, love, and perseverance.

To those who are new to my blog, you’ll find that I’m passionate about thinking true thoughts of God and the Scriptures because of the implications of our theology in our everyday lives and worship. You’ll get glimpses of how I process the outworking of truth in my life– in family, ministry, trials, victories, and whatever else God brings to mind! I pray what you find here will be helpful to you wherever you are in your spiritual journey.

So here it is– my commitment to writing more in the hopes of encouraging others and my kind-of-blog-re-launch that may or may not change things in the days ahead!