Diary of a Wimpy Blogger

New ministries start out with high ideals and lots of energy. We forget that any work worth doing will have some challenges. How quickly we turn into wimps*! Read how it happened to me.

    February 20, 2011

Dear Diary, Megan and I are talking about writing a ministry blog. I like the idea of getting our ideas out there without too much commitment.  We decided that, of course, our blog must:

1. Be well written. Don't contribute to more cyber space junk.
2. Pay attention to web design principles. The words are like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
3. Contain short posts so people take the time to read it. Jakob Nielsen said, "The average page visit lasts about 30 seconds." 
4. Show real truth. Apply the truth of the Bible to the reality of ministry life.
5. Not expose the failings of close friends and relatives who do not want their sins to go viral. Some details are better left alone and offline.
6. Make a difference. Aim to help, encourage, convict, inspire or cheer women in ministry.
7. Have a following. A blog is not worth doing if the blogger's mother is the only one interested.

July 20, 2011

Dear Diary, I haven't written for five months because we have been busy with the ministry blog. Boy, was I ever wrong about the commitment level it requires! In reality, a blog is:

1. Time consuming to write. Blogs do not fly off the keyboard into the RSS feed. And, split infinitives always get in the way.
2. Technologically frustrating without CSS and PHP fluency. Couldn't we allow people to make a simple comment without asking for a retinal scan?
3. Difficult to keep short while being real, truthful, considerate, worthwhile, fresh, relevant and varied. Is my personal goal of 400 words or less even possible?
4. Making me divulge more struggles and shortcomings than I thought I had. Example: I just admitted to being a wimp!

Sometimes in blogs and ministry, the ideals and the reals do not match. But, I know that God equips me to do what He wants me to do. I will keep at it. Maybe you are having a wimpy ministry day (or week). You are not alone. I encourage you to keep at what God wants you to do, as well.  And, I did it in exactly 400 words!

*A person who is regarded as weak or ineffectual (Yahoo! Education)