A New Year’s Resolution (Promise)

Grace, mercy, and peace to the saints, “Live long and prosper” to the pagans, and a “Happy New Year” to all.

I don’t like to make New Year’s resolutions, because if I do, it must, of necessity, follow that I will neither do what I resolve to do, nor complete those resolutions I manage to begin.  Therefore, instead of making a resolution, this year I have made a decision: I have decided to become a real blogger: that is, to blog more frequently. 

I want to do this, not only because blogging is supposed to be a frequent activity (which is why blogging is not for everyone, including me), but also because I must do so if I want this ministry to be effective.  Often I will read a passage of Scripture and instantly a teaching will come to mind, while at other times I will come across something from a secular source that validates Scripture or illustrates a particular teaching in the Bible.  I want to share these things with the body of Christ, but because producing a teaching usually involves hours of research and writing, which entails time and energy that I just don’t have, I will file it for later use.  Consequently, I have several teachings that I have been developing off and on for quite some time, while others are ideas that have been sitting in an Evernote notebook for literally months, waiting for me to develop them.  In short, much of what I want to write hasn’t yet been written.  Moreover, being an English major and an editor by nature, I usually obsess over anything I write before and even after I post it. 

This behavior, as you can probably guess, is diametrically opposed to blogging. 

This is not a good thing; for we have come to realize that this blog is important to many individual Christians as well as a vital ministry for several bourgeoning churches in the U.S. and especially overseas, where there is a dearth in the land for the pure undefiled Word of God and for sound Bible doctrine and sound Bible teaching.  So it is important that we continue to enable the workers in the vineyard to reap the harvest and the pastors to feed their flocks.  We want to ensure that we are constantly getting information out to the body of Christ and getting you to think, because that is what we must do to overcome Satan’s myriad deceptions in these last days. 

In order to do this, I am going to start posting more of my thoughts to the blog, which will not all be fully developed teachings, but instead the raw material on which a teaching can be based.  When I see something that I think would edify the body of Christ, rather than trying to develop a teaching out of that thought, I will merely post the Scripture reference (or a secular reference or example with an accompanying Scripture reference) followed by a brief commentary demonstrating its importance to the body of Christ.  When God lays something on my heart that deserves a more thoughtful and involved exposition, I will present it in a fully developed teaching.

In this manner, we hope to enable our readers to conduct their own research and develop a teaching that they can use for their own edification or for their personal ministries.  We feel this will also help us to fulfill another purpose of this ministry: encouragement.  You may have noticed that it has been over two years since we posted any devotions.  We would like to revive this activity as we have gotten many positive responses to them.  The time saved from the other activities may help us to do this.

We also hope to launch a website this year, where the more popular and edifying articles from this blog can be found for quick reference.  We will also link it to the podcast, the YouTube channel, and other resources.  We will continue the blog, as we have found it to be indispensable for getting our thoughts out to you as well as for getting your feedback. We are considering discontinuing the other two blogs, as we have not posted anything to them in quite some time.  We may solicit input from our readers to keep those blogs going.  If we do, we will let you know.

I will also do my best not to pay as much attention to the finer points of writing as is my custom.  The grammar, therefore, may not be the best.  The spelling may be a tad off.  And my reasoning may seem somewhat circuitous.  But I resolve…er…promise…to do my best to get the information out to you. 

As always, we covet your prayers for this ministry.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

 

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