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| this is not a political post, I just think of DC when I think of influence |
For one, I'm not a joiner.
And for two, I made a conscientious choice a long time ago to glorify God in every post I write. See, I firmly believe that Colossians 3:17 is applicable to blogging...
...whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus...
That whatever and all are pretty definitive and absolute.
My immediate goals when I first started to blog, were to keep in touch with out of town family and just to have a creative outlet. Someplace for my words and thoughts to go.
God gave me a clear vision last spring of how my blog could be more than that. Every time I click publish or post or tweet, I have influence. I have influence with people I have never met in real life. I have influence with people I have known for years. With my influence, I can affect people's lives. I can glorify God. My blog can be a ministry.
I think we categorize ministry as serving food to the homeless, or babysitting a new mother's children. We see ministry as leading Bible studies, and as serving in our churches. A ministry is simply any way we are ministering to or serving others. Ministry is the action of ministering to someone. Anyone. I think ministry can be just about anything we do. Everything.
If I see my blog as a ministry, it gives clear purpose to the 10-15 hours I spend on it every week. (yes, I just admitted that. It's practically a part time job-unpaid.) It gives eternal purpose to what I do.
If I see my blog as a ministry, then I see each of my readers as ones to be ministered to. Maybe it is through devotional posts-clearly pointing to God. Maybe it is through sharing easy and delicious recipes to spark ideas for their menus. Maybe it is by sharing humor to lighten their load. Or poetry and hymns to more beautifully define the load. Maybe it is by sharing the reasons why I do the things I do. Maybe it is sharing my fitness and running journey. And maybe I am ministering by sharing how I do the things I do.
But, in my heart and mind-it is all a ministry. It is all to bring glory to God, the One who defines me. The One who redeemed me. The One who put a new song in my heart-praise to my God.
My blog is a trust from God to me. A trust is a confidence placed in a person by making that person the nominal owner of property to be held or used for the benefit of one or more others.
I think no matter how many people read our blogs, be it 1 person, or 10, or 100, or 1000 or even 1,000,000, God has placed this blog trust in our hands. To use for His glory, and for the benefit of others. Not for my glory. And maybe not even for my benefit. Though I have benefited in many ways from writing my blog.
Last fall Mr. Hippie and I set up living trusts for our kids' benefits. We visited the lawyer, listed our assets, and listed out expectations. We listed several trustees who have agreed to oversee our trust in the event something happens to either of us. Our children will be cared for. The trust and it's resources do not belong to the trustees. It belongs to us and then to our children.
Same with our blogs. We are just trustees. We benefit, without a doubt, but we are seeking to reach our readers and to bring glory and praise to God.
So, how can you set up a blog trust?
-write for your readers. Write for those who already are following you, not for people you would like to have follow you.
-write for God. Ask God what He wants you to write. Pray for the right words before you write each and every post.
-be trust worthy. Write good content. Support people who truly have the same core values as you-not just anyone who is willing to pay a certain amount for an ad.
Is my blog and my writing living up to the trust God and my readers have placed in me? Is yours?
