Happy Birthday


Today is the 1st birthday of my blog. Yea! I made it to a milestone marker and I’m proud of myself. Many bloggers start and stop within a few months but I’ve been pretty consistent, posting an average of 3 new posts a week.

Like anyone who writes on a public blog, I wanted people to read what I was writing and initially I was obsessed with checking my blog analytics and stats and creating an online presence. It didn’t take too long for me to realize I didn’t have time to do everything I’m supposed to do to grow my blog readership and I gave up. Not writing, but gave up trying to write for the people and instead I write what God puts on my heart.

Not since my first post, The Appointed Time, have I written about why I write. Mostly, my posts are a reflection of what I’m working through in the moment. I’m an external processor so blogging is a great outlet.

Psalms for Sundays, a weekly post, is a side-step from my normal writing style. I started writing them about the same time as I started blogging. It’s an exercise in intimacy with the Father. When I write, I close my eyes and type or I am describing visions I’ve had while in worship. Sometimes, when I’m writing, I feel as if my heart might actually burst. His heart and my heart beat together to make an incredible rhythm; the frequency of the beats overwhelm my spirit. The writing is not excellent but it’s authentic.

It’s not a surprise Americans make up the bulk of my readers; most of them are in California. Canadians are 2nd and Russians are 3rd ranked, although the majority of Russians who find themselves on my blog are actually searching, “XXX”; for that reason, Psalms for Sunday - XXX is one of the Top 10 viewed posts for the past year.

The tweet that received the most clicks to link was for Messy Church; every time I tweeted the link for the post, it receive more than 75% clicks to link. I was grieved by the massive response to Messy Church post – too many church goers can relate and that’s a terrible indictment of the church. However, one of my favourite posts, Isn’t She Lovely, offers a response to how we should respond to messy church situations.

Strange how my favourite posts are not even listed in the Top 10 posts, but here’s a list of my Top 10 posts (not listed in any particular order):
  1. 5 Ways my Dad Taught Me About my Father
  2. A Child – No More, No Less 
  3. I Am What is Right with the World 
  4. Why Heaven Isn’t for You 
  5. Hold On for the Blessing 
  6. Psalms for Sunday, XVII 
  7. If You Want Fire, Burn the Cross You Still Carry 
  8. Garden Party with the King 
  9. Love, Actually 
  10. Lies Christians Believe #4
Through my blog, I’ve met some great people who encourage me and give me things to think about. I’m grateful to the Lord for the journey; the blog is going strong, and I’ll continue to write as long as the Lord gives me words to say.

Thanks for being part of the journey. Be blessed.

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