today, april 24, 2009, is the 4th anniversary of ysmarko.
as a little hat-tip to history, here was my first post from four years ago:
so. people have been bugging me about blogging for a year or more. and i’ve wanted to. i’ve almost started many times. here’s been my two primary concerns: i don’t want a cheesy blog that’s just a marketing front for Youth Specialties. i keep seeing organizational leaders are starting blogs simply for this reasons (of course, there are great exceptions). i could easily write laundered, sanitized, and even occasionally feisty-but-well-aimed thoughts in a organizationally-promoting way. not interested (as much as i love promoting YS).
But the rub has been this (and my 2nd reason for a year of hesitancy): if i blog about what i’m really thinking, i stand to alienate a reasonable portion of the YS crowd! i don’t really want to do that either.
so, i sat and stewed about it for a year.
about a month ago, i decided, “crap, i have to do this.” then, this past weekend, i was reading (WAY overdue reading, i might add) Kenda Dean’s Practicing Passion on a plane, and kept thinking, “ooh, i wish i could blog about that!”
i want to do this as a sort of spiritual discipline. i know this will help me work things out — whether they be personal issues, faith issues, church issues, youth ministry issues, whatever. if you choose to read, so be it.
here we go!
and this one cracked me up — my 7th post:
sorry this blog looks so lame. more to come…
in light of that post from four years ago, a new look for ysmarko is just around the corner!
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
happy blog birthday, marko. i’ve really enjoyed reading for the last several years. one of the things that i’ve found most challenging & helpful is the way that you’ve handled conflict. i think of issues like the racial skit apology & the convo’s with Ron Luce among others. you’re willingness admit when you’re wrong, to be open, honest, and humble while also having strong opinions & thoughts has been a deep encouragement to me. thanks for modeling the pursuit of Christ so well.
not gonna lie…read “Practicing Passion on a plane” as one thought the first time through…glad I reread.
I hope so, you haven’t mowed the grass in forever. :)
Marko -
Happy Anniversary!
While it may be simple looking (or “lame” as your post said…)
It’s wonderful – and I’ve come to really enjoy reading your blog, and about you and your life.
Thanks – and thanks for all you do. :)
well, the “lame” in that 7th post four years ago was referring to the fact that at that point, i didn’t know how to add photos or videos, i had nothing on the sidebars, and it was seriously bare bones! now i’d just say it’s “clean”, and growing a bit “stale” (especially since my graaphic template is just one i found on a free wordpress templates site, and i’ve seen it used by many others).
It’s been a way fun ride Marko.
I’m going to miss the grass a little. Truly, no one rocked the benevolence theme quite as well as you did. Every time I saw it on another blog I instantly thought, “why did they rip off Marko?”