TAMING A HUNGRY MONSTER

I wouldn't exactly describe my blog as "a hungry monster," although a famous Christian blogger said that about his blog recently. I do understand what he means, however. Meaningful blogging takes a huge hunk of time.

I admire that blogger. He is unbelievably prolific in posting comments about almost everything under the sun including his Christian view of politics and international events with such skill and regularity that it boggles my mind. He must have a hundred thousand viewers! He declared that a blog is very demanding and insists on “being fed daily” or his viewers/readers begin to think there is something wrong with him. Having blogged for ten years, he says that he may be in blog burnout and he plans to try some fresh blog approaches.

Okay, believe it or not, I've blogged for a decade too, but I am small potatoes in comparison. I'm not comparing. I'm certainly not an able commentator on world events and I'm not in his league. On my blog Home Page in the right hand column I tell my viewers honestly what to expect in my blog.

“WHAT MY BLOG IS ALL ABOUT:

I primarily share excerpts from my current writings and books in progress and personal reflections on my life experiences as a Christian. Far from being consistent in my posting, I might offer a number of posts in one mega-productive day and then not even post for awhile due to my writing and publishing schedule and time and energy and family constraints. Some of my posts have found their way into my published books. Depending on the length of the generous bonus life span the Lord is giving me on Planet Earth, and the strength He provides, I'll stop writing when God brings me to His Finish Line! But if He still needs writers and editors in Heaven to help out the Angel Communications Department, perhaps I'll have an opportunity to serve God by continuing to write in His presence in our Eternal Dimension!”

I've pretty well kept up my “feast or famine” posting. Since what I post has its source in what is happening to me or what I am thinking or observing, I don't lack for ideas. I have notebooks and journals crammed with ideas. The problem is that I've also been an editor for a lifetime. I can't simply dash off a raw idea and call it a post. Truly, it takes me too long to craft a post well, edit and polish it. I often spend an inordinate amount of time finding just the right pictorial image to go with the post. I hold myself to a high standard of having something worthwhile to share with my faithful viewers or I don't post.

Of course, I don't really know who is out there in the blogosphere or who decides to check my blog on any given day. I can know how many people view my blog daily, monthly, and yearly. Through the wonders of the automatic blog overview feature, it offers me the running totals. It keeps track automatically on a graph and chart and even tells me what part of the world my viewers are in. For instance, I know that more than 119 people read what I wrote this morning before 11, there were nearly 2,000 views of my blog last month, and 56,000 views for all of my 660 posts since I started blogging. That's still comparatively small potatoes. To me, however, it is GIGANTIC potatoes because it is my God-given ministry for this season of my life. I thank God for such an opportunity to reach people without ever leaving my home. Te Deum laudamus!

Most of my viewers I've never met face to face. The Holy Spirit invisibly networked us together. Usually they have found me in some way. Lasting personal friendships have developed between some of us which may continue into Heaven's dimension. There we'll have the joy of meeting for the first time soul-to-soul! I have a prayer bond with some of my viewers which I treat with great care. I try to be a good steward of each viewer who has chosen to communicate with me for counsel or sharing or prayer.

My posts have typically been only one page long after concise self-editing. However, I'd like to experiment with a new approach and shorten my posts still more into “sound bites.” As a viewer, of course you can't hear them or chew them. What I mean is that I'll throw out a thought or an idea or a quote or a Scripture passage that I've been meditating on but have not fully developed yet. A word-snack, you might call it. Perhaps like an appetizer. In that way I could post more often and not feel that I have to wait until I've invested a lot of time on creative crafting before I post. There may not always be a picture or image with it, okay?

Contrary to some of my peers in our advanced season of life, I love change, variety, risk, and growth. Status quo is not my cup of tea. I believe in continuing to live “full of sap and very green” as David the Psalmist described what those in advanced years should still be like. (Psalm 92:12-15) Shall I try out this brevity posting and let you sample it? Bear with me as I experiment.  

Your feedback is most welcome as I may try feeding my own "blog monster" smaller portions but keep them tasty.