Reasons not to blog
In the past year I have been nibbling on the idea of a blog funeral for blogpastor.net. One reason was my burnout. My blog entries went downhill and I wrote less often. My heart was not there and inspiration waned. Another was the temptation to follow the crowd. Many blogs have in recent months idled into the grave. Even popular ones I have followed like Real Live Preacher and Internet Monk. This was disheartening. The buzz also seemed to have migrated to Facebook. Furthermore, I was disturbed by the pleasure I had from online approval. It fed my ego.
Reasons to continue to blog
Today I read Dr Tony Siew’s 10 reasons to blog and I agreed with all of them. Then I asked myself, What are my own reasons to continue blogging? And I found 4 main reasons for me to continue.
1. Its an incredible space to address an audience that’s potentially global. The world is my parish is no longer a cliche. It is made possible by the internet. Readers from 71 countries visited this blog in the last month and this has to be the Lord’s doing for I do not write mind-bending stuff.
2. My blog is a good platform for me to clarify my thoughts, practise writing, and express my personal views. It also acts as a resource folder: insights and lessons, a record of events and experiences and stories, which I sometimes turn to when I prepare talks or do my assignments or just reminisce.
3. My desire is that the posts I write will be to the greater service and glory of God. Promoting unity and understanding among churches and appreciating what is good, praiseworthy, true and just is one way to do this. Another is to help lay people understand their pastors better and increase their appreciation of them. I also enjoy highlighting the glory of the small church and their pastors and the vital role they play in the kingdom.
4. It is also my digital legacy for my children and children’s children. When I became interested about my grandparents all of them had gone and all I had were faded black and white photos and personal anecdotes of unreliable memories of surviving relatives. My digital store will give a more three dimensional picture of who I am and what I believed and what I lived through.
Keep me in your prayers and thoughts.
Joseph, Click on CONTACT and write on the space provided.
Thanks so much Ps Kenny for praying. How do I contact you as I can’t seem to find your email address on this blogsite.
Missionary endeavor and Star Trek!!
http://bolivianbeat.blogspot.com/2011/09/to-go-boldly.html
Hi pastor Joseph,
What you have described is not an easy place to be in. I will be praying for you, and so will some who read this. If you need a listening ear, do contact me.
Hi Pastor Kenny, I stumbled upon your blog recently and have found it refreshing and encouraging. I’m going through an extremely dry and difficult period as a pastor, and a Christian, for that matter. 80% of people in my church have left for a “grace church” and I can literally count the number of my church members with just one hand. So keep blogging! People like me need the Lord’s encouragement through people like you.
Hi Sunny Chong,
“Every club will have their season” but how come Man Utd in most of the last ten years, huh?
Well having you comment every once in a while keeps this blog going.
Yes Stanley, nice to know that you have felt the same way as, like me, you too were smoking the tar with your tyres, and I like what you said about not worrying about quantity and letting the Lord fire the cylinders and set the heavenly wheels in motion.
I’ve been thinking about the same thing too about my blog since I haven’t been writing much for the past year.
After reading your post, I guess I’ll hang on a while more, and just write whenever inspiration hits me, and not be concerned over the quantity.
I’m sure God will lead me to write the right article at the right time to reach the right person 🙂
Pastor,
Keep pressing on man. Although you may have a father and son sending you “condolence” to your favorite club but stand up and don’t give up. Every club will have their seasons, just like my walk with the Lord.M an United got relegated in the 70s and Arsenal has NEVER gone down in the soccer history. That’s an encouragement.
On a serious note, your blog often encourages me and a role model for me to follow. Your love for nature and how they speak to you, make me realise to slow down and appreciate them (Owl).
I feel happy to know the Lord has blessed you through this blog. It does give meaning to what I have been trying to do. Thanks for letting me know this, Caje.
I am unashamed to say that your blog has blessed me countless times without you knowing it. Keep up the good work.
One more reason to keep up blogging : saturate the cyberspace with the too, too, too good news of the Gospel. Word of God will never come back void.
Treat the online aprovals or number of visitors or whatever you want to call them as a positive, that the word of God shared abroad has been active, activating people’s hearts to respond with gratitude, whovever they may be visiting your blog 😀
Hi Pastor
I read your blog and besides enjoying your sharings (eg the sabbatical in Chaingmai) I love all the updates you consciously or unconsciously have been sharing on the kingdom’s advancement. Its been very encouraging to know the work that brothers and sisters have been advancing all around. Who would have thought that India or Thailand or Malaysia could be cracked to achieve all that they did today ? I am heartened and though I am not there in the mission fields, I can pray for them and support them…your blog has been a blessing to me.
Wendy, Thank you for the affirmation. Glad some posts have blessed you and pointed you to needs in the mission field. So another value of blogging is to highlight God’s work in the world.
While looking through my blogroll last night, I noticed a number of blogs that I used to visit have turned secular in their outlook. It’s a pity that the number of Christian blogs, both for the heart and the mind, have dwindled in number. Yet, it is through blogging that you stand out as a light of this world. Countless of people forward your blog posts for they have been useful materials in their walk with God.
You are right, Vee, there is a need for a Christian presence in blogosphere. I have heard of a small group copy and paste some posts for group discussions.
Dear Pastor,
Here’s another reason to blog : Add to the varied voices on the cyberspace. It contributes to the ‘balance’.
Amen! Angela.
Pastor, you are right that we bloggers do get the “high” from the approvals of readers. But I believe those other reasons you mentioned plus others like sharing may inspire others to work for God, non believers may read and learn about God, it is a journal of our Christian walk are more important than negative reasons. I pray that you will continue to blog.
Yes Alwin, both believers as well as unbelievers read and God can use it to move them along their personal journey.