I checked. I have over 2,000 blog posts. 2,000. Perhaps not much according to those with a great deal more… maybe slightly impressive to those who are just beginning their blogging journey. One bit of advice … or 2. Make whatever you are saying yours. Don’t listen to critics, naysayers, advice givers or any of that ilk. Once you are ‘established’ then you can listen. Some of the advice is really excellent, some is trash and can easily be discarded. Some will be a kind of ‘hmmm’ some might send you on a rabbit trail. But first and foremost your blog has to be YOU.
Quite honestly, I do enjoy creating blog posts. When I realized that I didn’t have to produce a blog every x number of days I experienced a great sense of freedom. I could now write when I wanted to say something rather than feeling ‘forced’. So that’s my pattern now. I also have a variety of ‘inspirational’ sources to tap into. I find that sometimes my posts are basically tongue-in-cheek (great fun when this is recognized), some I feel have more ‘worth’ because it’s seems to be a message that the Lord is teaching me (presumptuous – don’t think so) – I especially enjoy sharing (in a iron sharpening iron sense – Isaiah) my discoveries, hoping for a dialogue to ensue. Rarely.
I didn’t start out a blogger – have to credit my nephew on his suggestion. And when it came to journaling, I can’t count the number of times I started doing that, which typically lasted about 2 weeks. Rob’s suggestion that I write some of these thoughts (good, bad, indifferent, boring, challenging, etc.) and share them in the format of a blog. After that came a good friend, Todd, who thought I should turn them into books. I did. I then discovered I had absolutely no understanding about ‘marketing’. There are 17 books languishing for want of readers. Ah well.
Bottom line, point: if you are reading this and have gotten this far… do you like to put your thoughts ‘out there’ for others to react to? If you have the gift of teaching, I think the answer is – yes. Blogging will challenge you on everything you think you believe and why. Remember – a challenge only becomes a threat when you view it as ‘personal’. Don’t go there. Let the challenge reinforce what you believe or cause you to rethink or refine. Never stop yourself from growing.
If your gifting is not teaching – you still have a voice and I always believe a voice should be heard… just not the unabridged yelling or a closed mind. A yelling voice always says to me that the ‘speaker’ may not really understand what they are saying … nor why. Never forget the admonition of ‘come, let us reason together’ [Isaiah 1:18 taken slightly out of context]. Voices should always have an ear. And, NEVER say you have nothing to say – we all have a reaction, something to add to the conversation. Never, never silence your voice. If you have no listeners… then blog.
