When I was a young adult, contemplating 20th anniversaries of anything was beyond my comprehension. I was still 19 years old when I first began this blog, only turning 20 years old a month later. (OK, I think I just leaked my current age. Oh well.) I began this blog on a whim, and in large part because two people that were important to me at that time had already begun their blogs and, in my eyes, were becoming pretty prolific in their writings. There was a third person who I knew blogged (I didn't know him well but I had met him a few times), and he blogged prolifically, including during a time when the internet (and even the concept of web-logging) was new.
I'm sitting here, not only 20 years after I started but also roughly 30 years after the first blogger began blogging, and I find myself amazed that not only am I still here (yes, I did walk away for six years, and I do believe that that time away was indeed necessary for me, on multiple fronts), but that I've also stepped into that "prolific" role that younger me once saw in all three aforementioned bloggers. It's only by the grace of God. I didn't set out to blog every day, but I've had seasons especially over the last couple of years where that is precisely what has happened.
So, why do I still do this? And perhaps even more pointedly, why am I now doing this with far greater frequency than I did previously? The honest truth is, like with my music-writing, my blog-writing has gotten to a place where it is a vehicle for my relationship with Jesus, not only privately but also with sharing Him publicly. Sure, I hope to maybe turn over a good portion of these posts into a published book, but that is still at a dream stage right now.
(Disclosure: a few weeks ago I saw an ad in my email from a Christian publishing company basically stating that anyone who feels God nudging them to write a book but still on their duff, should reach out to this particular publisher and take that step of faith! I did reach out, asked for information, and now and sitting with it. I've not gotten any further discernment on what moving forward looks like, or if it even is a step to take, but it is something in my queue of life/dream things to consider. I would love to also publish the music that God and I have written, but I don't think this is the publisher for that. (Well, OK, I could try...))
It began with my first girlfriend in 2019 encouraging me over Lent that year to use this blog as a space to create ad hoc devotionals / reflections (I had just returned from my six-year absence), and I took that to another level in June 2019 (plus the end of May) when my then-church went through a full month of prayer and fasting ahead of their new pastor's arrival. However, it wasn't until 2023 when, during an extended season of struggles, that I needed to use this space not just for me to share my faith, but for me to spend time in my faith and relationship with God out of necessity and desperation, that my blogging frequency really increased. And this was independent of anything my then-fiancée/now-wife had said (unlike my ex, my wife doesn't have a strong opinion about my blogging, and that's OK).
My intention now in 2025 is to stay the course until God or life interrupts and redirects me. That happened in 2020 and 2022 when I began and resumed school, respectively, and I took a few whole months off from blogging in each instance. This is probably why I use Ecclesiastes 3:1 as this blog's tagline:
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
To a degree, I can argue that I have choice regarding the frequency of my posting, as well as seasons when I blog vs don't blog. But, at this point I do feel I have a two-fold responsibility with this page:
1.) preach the Gospel of my Lord, King, and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:16-20)
2.) minister to myself to ensure that I am right with God in mind, heart, soul, and spirit. This is a version of what King David made a habit of doing which led God to call him a "man after [His] own heart." (1 Samuel 30:6B) (Acts 13:22)
The adventure continues. I'm grateful to God for it and for the privilege to continue doing this.