[Posted by Paul Lamey, pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Huntsville, AL.]
That wonderful poet, Robert Frost once said, “Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.” When I first started blogging seven years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. At first it was a place to park random thoughts and quotes that I mined from my various reading interests. Over time, it became something more. The great thing about blogging was that anyone could do it and the bad thing about blogging was that anyone could do it. Almost overnight, everyone who had a blog and opinion swarmed like mosquitoes on the bayou. Democracy is great for the Internet age but it doesn’t always promote edification. More than a few times, I found this out the hard way.
I thought to myself “Why not get serious and start something different?” So in 2005 I started a blog called Expository Thoughts. I invited a few friends to join me and over time our readers expanded beyond preacher-types like me to Christians all over the world. When all of this started, Google was trading at just over $300 a share, a quirky thing called Facebook was relegated to the campus at Harvard, and “tweeting” was what birds would do in the morning. Those were dark days.
As social networking has expanded so have the reading habits of on-line Christians. I don't have hard science to back this up but through random observation, it seems that people do not read blogs like they did in those dark old days. There may be many reasons for this, which may include fancy concepts like Balkanization, but I think it’s more straightforward than that. People know what they like. Folks who want to keep a pulse on the happenings of evangelicals know that Justin Taylor is the guy. Others who want to read thoughtful Christian commentary on just about anything know that Tim Challies will not disappoint.
So what is Expository Thoughts? I will more formally introduce my fellow writers and myself in future posts but let me leave you with two thoughts.
1. Good Christian writing matters. Our goal is to engage our readers with the truths of Scripture. We want
to challenge, exhort, and build-up the body of Christ through thought provoking writing that cannot be relegated
to 140 characters on Twitter. Writing is the activity that David McCullough calls, “painting with words.” I hope we
can paint many pictures here that will stand in the hallways of your thinking for many years to come.
2. There is meaning in the Text. We believe that God has spoken clearly in His Word and that He wants us
to read it, study it, memorize it, and live it. A Christian writer who muddles the meaning of the text of Scripture
is not worth reading. I pray that believers will be edified as they study God’s Word with us and think about all
that God is doing in the world for His glory.
I am pleased to announce our new partnership with Christianity.com and BibleStudyTools.com as the new home of Expository Thoughts. I pray that you will join us every week for good discussion, thought provoking commentary, and serious study of God’s Word. Be sure to bookmark this page and stay tuned for more.
