Here We Go Again
Starting something new is always hard. It doesn’t matter if it is something you are passionate about or something that you can do really well. New and unknown is always harder than doing something that is known and possibly even comfortable. Even if the task or project itself is hard, there is comfort in knowing exactly what to expect or the feeling of knowing what to do. There is comfort in knowing outcomes and processes.
That is when you start something new. Usually “new” means that you don’t have a track record or any experience. For me, when it comes to writing and even managing a blog, I have experience. I have a few blog attempts under my belt, actually more than a few. I feel as though I didn’t do the blog thing right. What I really have experience in is writing and posting online. Yet, here I am starting what would be classified as a blog, again. Don’t ask me which number this one would be. I lost count after three and I tend to exaggerate on a good day.
So here we go, onto blog number seven hundred and it feels just as new as the first time I published my first blog post years ago. It’s just as nerve-racking and scary as it has ever been. I could even argue that this time is a little scarier because my history is playing in my head, reminding me of all the times I have failed.
If I were to change the setting and context of this story and apply it to any other field or discipline, I would be told by someone to not pursue this. I would be told that it’s a failed venture. Been there, done that comes to mind. I’m pushing ahead anyway, I’m ignoring the past and pressing on to the future. Some of you might be wondering why. Great question, let me explain.
A few months ago I was sitting at church listening to my pastor speak as one does on a Sunday morning. The message he was preaching was about expectations and how our expectations and God’s expectations wind up being very different things. You see, the Jewish people were expecting a savior to save them from Rome. Someone who would stop the Roman Empire. Jesus wasn’t a political savior though. Jesus was busy doing the work to save our souls so we could have eternity with God. Then my pastor asked, “What is your Rome?”
I thought I would share my note sheet from that message (one of them, I had three pages from that sermon) God was already laying the foundation for the upcoming epiphany.
It was like I was hit with lightning. It felt like my brain went off instantly, answering the question and trying to be a good student. However, it wasn’t my brain that was at work. It was the Holy Spirit, guiding me through some truth. My version of Rome was my blog. Do I expect my blog to be a savior? No, absolutely not. I don’t think my pastor was asking us what we were expecting to save us but it wasn’t matching up. Well, now that I think about it, it might have been. However, when wisdom hits you, the intent of the question doesn’t matter, God just works. The thing I put expectations on was my blog. When my blog didn’t match up to my expectations, I decided that it wasn’t what God was telling me to do. God was reminding me that I wasn’t faithful in my blogging. I was never consistent. I was always asking God what to do with my writing but didn’t stay true to what God told me to do in the first place. I was asking a question that God already answered! I kept expecting a different answer though because I had been there, done that, and failed.
So here I am, giving up the expectations and trusting that God will work to do whatever he sees fit for this blog. I am just going to write. I’m going to write like I mean it. I’m going to say yes to God and be faithful to the desire that has been here for so long that I cannot remember a time where I didn’t have it. This is why I am creating Love, Scribe. Welcome to the start of something that I believe is going to be awesome.
The blog is just the start. Each week I will be posting articles on faith and writing. I believe there will be articles for everybody, even if you don’t consider yourself a writer or even someone who needs to know more about faith. My hope is that this blog and the articles can be a source of encouragement, challenge, and growth. Challenges and growth are good things, even though they don’t always feel like it.
There is also the Love, Scribe Curriculum Shop. This is where you can find writing curriculum and bible studies. It’s a small shop right now but everything has to start somewhere. I will be launching more studies and more writing resources as I can.
This is a little passion project that I am trusting God with to see what is coming next. I hope you join me for the journey.
Welcome to Love, Scribe Curriculum.