Tuesday, July 29, 2008

6 Reasons Everyone Should Have A Blog


We have a peach tree in our back yard and it has it's own special, unique story. My wife ordered in through the mail. I had never heard of a "mail order tree". When it arrived it looked like a stick, I mean just a stick there is no other way to describe it, it was just a stick. So we stuck it in the ground and for several years it was just what we ordered, a stick and nothing more. Then one year it produced some green leaves and the next year it began to grow, finally it got to be nearly ten feet tall. Then an awful thing happened, wind caused it to split right down the middle, all the way to the ground. That same day my son in-law and I tied it together with a nylon rope and I screwed a bolt through it in hopes that it might live and live it did. It lived to produce peaches. Albeit the squirrels ate them or the bugs got them but nevertheless we had peaches.
So what does that have to do with blogging?
When you start out writing your blog and entering post day after day it kinda feels like that stick looked. It's just a note or letter you write to yourself and it appears that no one knows or cares. But keep after it, in the long run it'll be worth the time.
I have determined that there are at least 6 reasons everyone should create and maintain a blog.
1. It's a great way to communicate to people without them responding the minute you say what's on your mind. You don't have to eat yours words so quickly.
2. If you have a message that needs to get out, you could have the largest audience possible. I means we're talking www, you know the World Wide Web.
3. It's great therapy. Too many people hold in or stuff what they ought to be telling someone. So it's pretty cheap counseling.
4. It's a great way to practice your writing skills. If you fancy yourself a story teller, this is the place to do it.
5. It's like your very own diary, public diary that is. It becomes a window into your mind and soul. People get to see you for who you really are (if you're honest that is).
6. It's cheaper than real mail. Setting up a blog is free.
There a ton of other reasons for creating your own blog and I highly recommend blogging to everyone. You probably won't get famous and you probably won't make a lot of money, but you'll have the time of your life. But who knows someone might see your writing and want to hire you to write for them.
Just like that little stick we put in the ground that grew into a pretty good looking peach tree so might your daily rambling on become a thing of lasting value.
Everyone should try it.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

The Praying Place

Holy Grounds Cafe is a place with a reputation, or at least one person thinks so.
I'm not sure who that one person is but they did us a great favor the other day. Let me tell you what happened:

Holy grounds had what I like to call two couples of "Frequent Flyer's" enjoying their morning coffee and usual fellowship. Today they brought a friend. Things seemed to be normal. Well except for the editor of the state denomination paper who came in to interview me which was way beyond normal but very exciting.

Anyway, then it happened:

In came a black lady in her early fifties and point blank asked, "Is this the praying place?"

Stupid me, I responded, "Excuse me?"

"I have a friend" she said, "who told me there is a place in the mall where they'll pray for you, so am I early?" "Do you have a group that meets and prays over people?"

"No, it's just me", I said.

"Well, I need prayer" she said as we sat down and she began to unload all the baggage from her troubled soul. Her problems where many and very complicated. As she rattled off a series of problems and difficulities, I almost got lost in just setting there realizing that God had directed this lady to me, so I could pray for her. I tried to introduce her to the Master in a personal way, telling her of God's love. But that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted me to "pray for her".

I prayed, she cried, she left, asking "May I come back again for more prayer?"

Of-course you know how I answered don't you?

Simply being available to do God's will has got to be the most exciting thing I have ever done, but then again it seems like something happens every day that tops what happened the day before.

I totally agree with the song that says, "everyday with jesus is sweeter than the day before."