Blogging is always something I have heard a lot of people talk about but I never figured it was for me. However I am finally breaking down and joining the club. It took my sister years to join facebook because she thought it was a cult and to be honest I did too.... I never thought blogging was a cult or anything but I just never saw myself as a "blogger".
But the more I listen to some of the respected Pastor's, and Christian leaders of our day via podcast I realize that blogging is an incredible equipping tool. A place where Pastors, Teachers, leaders, and whoever else is interested can disseminate information to those they care about and are under their influence. Commonly I use twitter and facebook to cast out into the world of social media a thoughtful insight God has laid on my heart, and I am thankful I have these resources to do so. But the only downfall to these sites is that there is strict limitation on the amount of content one can share with those that follow them or are have befriended them. For instance most are aware that twitter limits tweets to 140 characters which I am most thankful for most of the time. However there are other times that 140 characters is not nearly enough. Thus blogging seems like a reasonable alternative to me.
If my memory serves me right (and most times it doesn't) I want to say that I have tried blogging before and it didn't really work. Because I lacked effort, time and material. Now being out of seminary and well into my second position of ministry I believe there may be a handful of people that will be aided by my choosing to blog about life, ministry, family, problems, politics, and any other random thing or idea God might compel me to write about.
And as I conclude this first of what I hope to be many more blogs, let me further explain the need and ministry I hope my blog will have. Being a student at Dallas Seminary one of the professors I studied under was Michael Svigel who authors a blog entitled "Retro Christianity". He commonly goes into some greater depth on many key issues and situations facing the church and Christians as a whole today. Offering some great counsel to those who read his blog. Now I will admit I do not read his blog regularly in fact I have not even read it since I was required to for his class. Ha! Nevertheless his insight and reflections were helpful and encouraging. They spurred me along in my faith for that I am thankful. And when reading his blog it was almost like you were having a conversation with him. My hope is that my blog will have some of that same dynamic within it. I want whoever reads (most of which I pray will be some of the dedicated parishioners of thbc) to feel like they are having a spiritually centered or spiritually thought provoking conversation with me. It would be difficult to count the number of deep theological conversations I have had with countless friends, pastors, teachers and others that have shaped me into the man God has made into today. And I am eternally grateful for those conversations. Since its difficult to have those same conversations with the many others who may benefit from them at our church my prayer is that this blog would in fact be those spiritual conversations that I can't have face to face with each person I desire to. Will I still tweet? Of course. But again sometimes you need more than 140 characters.
In fact that might be the title of my next blog post. Why we as churches and Christians need more than 140 characters?
BrockBenson
