“Happy Anniversary to me, Happy Anniversary to me, Happy Anniversary – God has blessed me, Happy Blogging Anniversary to me.” Why on God’s green earth am I singing to myself? Well, today marks the one year point for my blogging journey. And since I knew the average person in my circle would be like “no big deal,” I decided it best to have my own small celebration. What better way to celebrate than to write about it?

Celebrations are important in life. As a matter of leadership principle, I’ve learned the importance of slowing down long enough to celebrate the small victories as they arrive. Such short celebrations as this one give Christians time to reflect and thank God for His faithfulness.

What does God have to do with it? For me, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am saved by His grace and I’m daily striving to follow Him. As a follower, I sensed His leading about fifty-five weeks ago to start up a personal blog writing site. I’m so glad that I did. This journey, though still short lived, has taught me more than a few things.

What have I learned? I’ve been reminded that simply placing words on a blank space can be an easy thing to do. However, producing consistently good quality work is hard. There is a need to make blog posts intellectually stimulating, but easy enough for the simplest of people to understand. There’s also a need to produce pieces that are visually attractive and hold the eyes of readers. Also, much like preaching, you can’t forget the shortening. The longer the post, the less likely that it will actually be read all the way through. The average reader in our internet audience has a short amount of time that they are willing to spend and there is a great amount of competition for that time currency.

I’ve also learned that my style and approach to blogging is different from others. I don’t try to write a blog every day. Typically, I’d rather wait until I have a definite sense that I have something of value that first stirs my own heart, that needs to be said (written). I’ve learned in ministry circles that there is a difference between those who feel like they have to say something and those who feel like they have something to say. It’s hard to listen to and remember the former, but it’s easy to catch the passion of those in the latter group.

So today I say, “thank you, Father. Thank you for granting me the time, inspiration, and skills to blog. Thank you for all that you have taught me through this first year of blogging. Thank you for those who have read, and specifically for the ones who have been helped by the words you have given me. Thank you for the widespread audience of readers from thirty-six different countries.” And prayerfully I ask God, “please continue to use this small sliver of the internet super highway to bless others. Don’t let my writing be simply self-therapeutic, but use it to inspire courage in others and point them closer to Your perfect plan for salvation and a grace-filled destiny for their individual lives.”

Lastly, I say thank you (yes, you) dear reader for spending five to ten minutes at a time with me and my thoughts. If you find any joy or satisfaction in “a different perspective,” please consider occasionally sharing this site or individual posts that might help others. Now carry on and make it a great day!