happy birthday to me

i posted my first blog entry one year ago today.  i suppose i owe my techno-buddy, david (he of the “god made facebook” quote), a debt of thanks.  he’s the one that harassed me until i tried it.  i never thought this would be something i’d want to do. then, having started, i suspected strongly that i would soon flake out.  well, here we are, one year later.

i’m still somewhat mixed about the whole deal.  there have been seasons when thoughts piled up and poured out of me.  there have been other times when i had absolutely nothing to say, and had to force myself to write.  nonetheless, this exercise has been therapeutic and i am looking forward to seeing where it takes me in the future.

to be completely honest, this site has had a great deal more activity than i ever thought it would.  over the past year, i posted 186 entries, elicited 433 comments, and have welcomed almost 12,000 visitors (currently averaging 30 first-time visitors per day). i’ve made some great friends and enjoyed some provocative discussions.  i’ve told the story of my ministry path, and the poignant stories of two brothers: one by blood and one by the spirit.  the post that got the most view was “the challenge deepens” (i’ve no idea why), but my favorite (in case you’re interested) was an early one, “proud of my humility.”  i’d say that, in general, my earlier posts were better than my later posts.  i was funnier at the beginning.  lately, i’ve taken on some weightier subjects. 

everybody has been really gracious in their response to my blog and it has occasionally been a source of pride (the sinful kind) for me.  thank god i have “my guys” to help me stay balanced.  it’s been cool to hear from some moderately-famous people that i respect a great deal.  people like mark buchanan, jeff lucas, ben ortlip, dave burchett, pete wilson, and anne jackson (anne and i had a pseudo-argument). many of my close friends and church members stop in every day.  most gratifying by far, though, are the people that contact me to say that this site has impacted their lives in a positive way.  i suppose that’s what keeps me going.

like i say, i’m not really sure where this all ends up.  i certainly hope i will recognize when its no longer useful or viable.  

let me wrap my first year in the blogosphere with a word about the title, “your best life later.”  a lot of people have assumed that i am taking a back-handed shot at joel osteen, and i regret that.  a few others have accused me of trying to draw attention to myself by riding osteen’s coat-tails (untrue, but can you think of a better set of coat-tails to ride?).  the simple fact is that, a year ago, i was disgusted by what i saw as an unhealthy movement among the christian community toward material abundance. there was (and still is) a great deal of teaching and conversation pointed toward making life on earth convenient and comfortable.  i was simply trying to make the point that the best life of a jesus-follower is not on this earth.  its not that we are supposed to be miserable and poverty-stricken…its just that we’re not supposed to care.  an obsession with this life and the things of this life smacks of unbelief.  

i’ll leave you with my favorite scripture and, if i don’t see you again on this side of eternity, i’ll see you at the party at the king’s house.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 corinthians 4:16-18)