To Blog or Not to Blog, That is the Question

It is obvious that I have not been posting as frequently as I would like to. The reasons for that are varied, and some of them will be covered in a later post. There are many times my lack of blogging can be very discouraging, and I can see no point in it. Yet I feel a strong desire to share my heart and life in this way. I see it as such a remarkable venue to reach people, both saved and lost. I have recently had people come to my blog by doing a search on my first name, Lora, on MSN. They have come from India, Germany and here in the US. It is extremely encouraging, and humbling, to realize that someone from another country, who hasn't been exposed to Christ, may find out about Him by reading on my blog.

I have found many blogs that I enjoy visiting, which are listed in my Blog Roll. Some of them are simple, quick thoughts the author shares, and others are deep, challenging thoughts. My favorite is the blog of
Dr. David Allen Black. I find his blog challenging my thinking and encouraging me to stretch my thought process. Too much in today's world is shallow and requires little thinking. I don't find that to be the case with Dr. Black's blog or his articles. Here is one of his posts from Wednesday, which I found very encouraging and which summarized many of my thoughts and feelings.

6:18 AM “What would Jesus blog?” is a question being raised in cyberspace these days. Indeed, I have often asked myself, “Why blog?” or “What should I blog today?” (Some are surprised that yours truly blogs, but that’s a post for another day.) Personally, I view my blog (and website) as a ministry of encouragement to the church at large. That is, to the extent that I am called to participation in the church, I am called to ministry, even costly ministry. In other words, I am only a minister. By “minister” I do not have in mind a title of clout and authority. The word minister is not a title of power but a designation of servanthood. I am reminded of what Jesus said to His disciples about honorific titles such as “Rabbi” and “Teacher.” He said, “Don’t be called Rabbi, for one is your Master, even Christ, and you are all brothers” (Matt. 23:8). Of course, this does not mean that I am not a teacher by profession and calling. It means that the basic relationship between me and other Christians is that of brother and brother. I do not desire a “following” – God forbid that anything like that should ever happen! We who minister via the Internet must be careful not to stand in the place of God to other men. I am but a fellow-creature. But as God’s creation I must be where He wants me to be, doing what He wants me to do.

But back to blogging. I used to think that ratings and rankings were important. We all tend to emphasize big works and big numbers. Nowhere more than in America are we caught up with the syndrome of size. But this emphasis is not of faith. To think in such terms is to return to the old, self-centered flesh. Not only does God not say that size and importance go together, He even reverses this and tells us to be very careful not to choose a size that’s too big for us (Rom. 12:3). More subtle still is the tendency to make one point of doctrine central. I can reason, for example, that since I am a Reformed Baptist the doctrine of the sovereignty of God is to be emphasized on my website above all. Yes, this doctrine is important to me, but some of my friends have stressed it so much that this dogma, not God, has become the center of their ministry. This can be done with any doctrine or interest we may have. As soon as we do this, it is like a flat tire that makes the whole car bump. KSMilmaid reminds us that blogging is like singing. If you have a song in your heart it is difficult not to let it come out. Whether you are a good vocalist or a lousy one matters little. Though it is important how we labor for the Lord, our basic mentality should be this: I am by choice a bondservant, and it is my Master who is central, not me. When this is not our mentality we have lost our way, whether the cul de sac involves blogging or some other activity.

Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden light. That’s how blogging is for me. I would like to think it’s because I am co-yoked with Jesus. It is a matter of sharing what He puts on my heart to share. It's just that simple. The Holy Spirit (dare I say it?), not some supposed inner strength or psychological integratedness, is the source of the overflowing rivers of living waters. The waters are not to be dammed up until they become a stagnant pond. They are to be a flowing river.



Dr. Black's article hits on so many of my favorite "hot buttons", one of my major ones being the equality of the bretheren. Not equality between men and women, for I feel God designed two specific and seperate roles for men and women, but between believers. God gifted us all, only differently. Paul goes into great detail to discuss how we are made different from one another, yet we all are called to similar purposes. The first purpose of any Christian should be the furtherance of the gospel. Sadly, too few see this as their resposibility, which is another "hot button" of mine. Many say that they are called to this or that ministry and that evangelism isn't their responsibility. But if we look in Matt 4:19, when Jesus called Peter and Andrew, He didn't say, "Come and let me show you how to have a mega church or how to start some really great programs." He didn't even say, "Lets find a building, let me heal some sick people, and then we'll wait for the people to come to us." He said, " Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." How many fish have you ever caught while sitting in a building waiting for them to come to you? You have to go to them, and you have to be prepared with the right "bait." Most people today don't have a clue how to witness to others, and they have bought into the false teaching of lifestyle evangelism. This teaches that if you just live a "good life" you can lead others to Christ, and that you should only tell people about the love of Christ. I feel the best way to learn how to evangelize is by following the teachings of Christ. He never told a proud hearted man or woman about the love of Christ, he would confront them with the 10 Commandments. You may be thinking I've fallen off a turnip truck, but it's there, in black and white. Look at the story of the rich young ruler(Mark 10:17-22) and the woman at the well( John 3:7-42). He confronted both of them with the Law. These thoughts may be new to you; if so, please check out my husband's mini-book, "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire", at his website GNN Katy.

You may not blog at this point, but I pray that God helps you to realize that He has things for you to share with others. To you they may not see like much, but for the person you share yourself with, it may just mean the difference in where they spend eternity.