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 occaisionally fiesty-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 (the link goes to Jonny Baker’s review of the book, because it’s such a great summary) 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!
Just wanted to be the first to post a comment. Rock on!
a year and a half (or more, actually)
welcome to the blogosphere! i pray your fears are unfounded. i always say that if luther and calvin had to have every thought they ever had about theology instantly criticized by the world we would have a very different church today.
I admire your courage, starting a blog and then linking to it from the YS update! It really opens you up to a lot of potential criticisms. I have a “private” blog that I let like 5 people read because of similar fears, I can say I think it is a great spiritual practice. So blog on!!!!!
ha! i had nothing to do with linking it from YS update!
Marko– I started a new deal this week of going on a number of my friends blogs and reading their first ever posts and commenting on them. After 3.5 years I wonder how much of our original intentions and ideas are still with us. You said this
“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.”
I thought I’d encourage you that in your blog you have wrestled with a lot of these things and allowed your readers to see how it plays out in your life. Thanks for being honest. Thanks for not worrying too much about “Alienating people” Keep writing and publishing because your voice is being heard and your integrity, honesty and leadership speaks well here.