READY? SET... GO!

96 seconds

That's the average amount of time a user gives to a blog post. It is the challenge of any blogger to say something that will engage a user and make it interesting enough for their time and attention.

In preparation for this weekly blog series, I have been studying on what makes a good blog post and I have come to one conclusion.

Bloggin' ain't easy!

Case and point, this particular article has undergone 7 revisions, 4 times rethinking of the topic, and one time where the computer literally ate my work. (Which by the way, was probably the best post I have ever written in my life! Figures...) So as time is ticking down, I am trying my best to come up with a way to introduce the new church website and the very first entry to the New Horizon Blog!

While I figured that it would be a challenge, I never thought blogging would be this difficult. I figured that whatever I posted would be so earth shaking and interesting that anyone who came across the title could not help themselves but stop whatever it is they are doing and devour every word that I post.

(YEAH....RIGHT)

Obviously, I am giving myself way too much credit here. Especially since I have NEVER done this before NOR do I consider myself to be much of a writer. But for some odd reason, as I was creating the website for our church, I had a deep sense that this is what I should be doing.

Why is that? Well, ever since Michele and I have moved to the area we have both been impressed by God that we should bloom where we have been planted. Michele even said that Jeremiah 29:4-7 had come to mind often.

It is where God is talking to His people through the prophet Jeremiah and told them that even though they had lost their homes and were taken away to a land that was not their own, God was with them and He wanted them to make a life for themselves in that foreign land.

Now I just want to say Michele and I DO NOT consider ourselves to be in exile, but like God's people in Jeremiah, we did not think we would end up where we have.

So, like the exiles, we need to be doing what we can to help those within our circle of influence prosper during our time here, however long that may be. We don't consider ourselves to be the great hope for the area, but we do consider ourselves to be servants of the One who gives hope.

I would tell you the story of what caused us to move to Houston, but it is a long one, longer than I have time for today. (I only get 96 seconds remember?) Maybe sometime I will talk about it in a later post.

I had been so excited at the prospect of blogging that I actually came up with 55 topic ideas that concern the Christian lifestyle, but I am beginning to wonder, if this the best thing for me to do? Sure these topics interest me but will they interest those who would visit this website?

So, for my first blog post ever I shall pose a question.

What article topics would you, the reader,like for this blog to cover?

Are there questions that you have about living out our salvation in real life?

Would you like to hear Michele's and my story as to how we got here?

Would you like to hear my own commentary on the previous week's sermon, it could be a great starting point for conversation.

The nice thing about being at the beginning is that there are so many directions we can take this. I look forward to what God is going to do with this in the weeks to come.