An apologetic for my blog

I can't believe I'm doing this! I feel kind of dirty in a way, as though I'm violating some sort of deeply held conviction!

Okay, so that's probably a bit dramatic, but I really never thought that I would start a blog. I've always been tempted to think that blogs were kind of narcissistic--a person is basically just throwing their thoughts out there and acting like other people should actually care about reading them! I've never really been much of a blog reader, either. I currently don't read any blogs on a regular basis, and I only have one blog that I check through my Google Reader (that of Pastor Bruce Baker, pastor of Jenison Bible Church).

So let me offer an apologetic (a defense or an explanation) for this blog. I am a recent seminary graduate with a strong "nerdy" streak. During my seminary days, I learned the value of writing as it relates to personal study, thinking, and analysis of a topic. Writing forces you to clearly express your thoughts, which presupposes that you have actually thought clearly about them! In other words, writing is a tremendous aid to clear thinking.

Now that I am out of seminary, I realize that I won't be doing as much writing as I have in the past. But since I want to be serious about the discipline of study, I've decided to start this blog as a way to write about what God is teaching me through Bible study, life experiences, and personal reading.

So I guess this is kind of narcissistic--I'm writing about myself for my own benefit. Sound great, right? Honestly, I hope that this blog may be of benefit to others as well. If your eyes ever glance over this blog again, I pray that God may somehow use the words that you will read to challenge you in your walk with Him and to bring glory to His holy name.