Writing is part of the ministry God has entrusted me with. I blog first to pastor my dear congregation, New Life Bible Fellowship, through the ministry of words. My hope is that the three additional touchpoints during the week allow those God has entrusted to me as an under-shepherd to grow in their love for God, their wisdom, and foster unity. I'm grateful for the many who read and aren't part of New Life. I pray that my writing encourages and strengthens you in your walk and your heart for your local church.
I felt called to blog for many years before I finally responded to that call. God was merciful in having me wait. I went through a personal and marital crisis in 2013 (you can read about that here) that took me out of pastoral ministry for two years. I am grateful that God allowed me to navigate my own path of spiritual growth and healing before I began to write more publicly.
In 2017, I began The Bee Hive out of obedience to a call I knew God had on my life, but I wasn't sure who God would use my writing to shepherd. In my first year of blogging, I was encouraged to have 1,767 unique visitors to my website with 3,939 page views. I was glad that my writing was being read and hopeful that it blessed some. I was concerned that maybe after an acquaintance read the blog a couple of times out of curiosity or courtesy, the interest would diminish, and the impact would wane.
That fear was answered in 2018, when I saw the first year's numbers nearly double, with 3,463 unique visitors and 6,398 page views. By God's grace, people continue to read the blog. This year over 31,000 unique visitors read the blog with over 53,000 unique page views.
On top of that are my faithful subscribers (thank you!) who read my posts via email. In a social media world that suppresses the written word, I'm grateful for those of you who allow me to engage with you via email. If you haven't yet subscribed, would you please consider doing so?
Sometimes readers will ask how they can support me. That is a kind question, especially because blogging can be a rather lonely ministry. I would offer four meaningful ways to encourage me as a pastor-writer:
1. Subscribe. Subscribing to my emails lets me know you're in. You might think that you see my posts on social media, but the likelihood is you only see a small fraction of them. Subscribing helps me connect directly with you. You can subscribe at the top of the home page (don't miss that you'll need to hit confirm on the auto-email that is sent to you).
2. Share. It's so encouraging when you share content with your friends that is meaningful to you.
3. Comment. Your words of affirmation mean so much to me.
4. Support. The elders of New Life Bible Fellowship are generous enough to allow me to write as part of my role as pastor. It is for that reason I do not ask for personal financial support. If you have felt blessed by this ministry of New Life, I would encourage you to consider supporting our church. You may do so here.
Below are my seven most-read posts of 2022. It is always interesting to me which of my posts resonate with readers. If any of these posts blessed you, would you share them with a friend?
Please know how grateful I am to you. Thank you for your support and for investing your time and energy in reading The Bee Hive.
"Who wants to play?" was the refrain of my school-teacher dad. My sister and I leaped when my dad arrived home from work and joined us for a football game with our neighborhood friends. I was the envy of my friends; everyone loved my dad. He was gentle and kind, and he loved to play.
I discovered something more powerful than love as I entered my twenties: respect. And I grew embarrassed over my father. He wasn't serious enough. Where was the gravitas? Where was the respect? He was loved…sure. But was he really respected?
"I will become respected," I vowed to myself."
6. Do You Submit to the Bible, or Does the Bible Submit to You?
"What is the Bible to you? A collection of helpful stories? A book of ancient wisdom? Do you think it contains God's word to us?
If that alone is what the Bible is, it is a book worth reading. But it still places us a position of sifting the Bible for what is useful to us and placing us in the position of determining what is true.
There has never been a generation, never a time or place, where Christians haven't had to come to grips with whether they will bow the knee to the prevailing norms or whether they will trust and serve God alone. And how do we know what God wants? His Word to us. When push comes to shove, when the Bible calls me to believe something or act a certain way, will I believe? Will I obey?"
"I want to be part of that impact to my flock. I want to make sure those who come to New Life don't just hear the good news of Christ, but experience Christ through the good news. I want to shepherd by exhibiting our welcoming Savior, and break down any barriers that jeopardize belief in our welcoming Savior. In his first letter, Peter encourages elders to lead not from the stage but from among God's people. He says, "So I exhort the elders among you…shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight" (1 Pet 5:1a, 2a). I pray my pastoring is marked by that "amongness". Like Christ, I want to personally know the sheep in my care by name. Like Christ, I want to smell like the sheep.
So yeah, we're a little strange at New Life. On purpose. I look forward to seeing you at the gate."
"We just visited Concordia University, Irvine, a Lutheran school where our eldest, Camille, was offered a generous scholarship. Camille fell in love with Concordia's professors, mission, and solid theological foundation on the trip. We rejoiced at her finding such an ideal fit. And we mourned her impending departure.
"What is your best wisdom for my college years?" Camille asks.
It is an earnest question from a humble heart. And all of a sudden I felt it. Her question hits me in the chest and my heart drops. What more wisdom can I offer? What bullets are left in the chamber? What gold nuggets are left in the chest? I search and come up empty."
3. Farewell, Sweet Easter Lily
"Our tears of goodbye only make sense on Easter weekend. They only make sense when our tears are enveloped by the Father's grief.
We are all foster parents. There is no child who is ultimately ours, no bond that is stronger than the Father's, no grasp firmer, no love more powerful.
In our unwilling release of Lily we taste in the tiniest dose the bitterness of the release of the Father of his Son. And he weeps with us."
2. What is Heaven? A Place of Learning
"When you enter heaven, how much will you know? Will you have all knowledge as it pertains to your life? Perfect knowledge as it pertains to everything?
Can we learn in heaven? According to one survey, only 18% of Americans believe that people will "grow intellectually in heaven." [i] It makes sense. We should know everything in heaven, right? In the presence of God, won't all knowledge be ours?
I don't believe so. I think that Scripture sides with the 18% who believe we will be learners in heaven."
"If you are considering marriage at some point in the future, let me urge you to consider making your marriage about something bigger than just a great party with friends.
Which leads us to ask, what is bigger than celebrating your relationship? There is one thing bigger: it is celebrating what marriage is really about: Jesus' love for the church. In Ephesians 5, Paul explains that marriage is ultimately a pointer to Jesus' great love for us. He says, "This mystery [of marriage] is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." The most important thing about your wedding (and marriage!) is that it should point to Christ's love for the church even more than your love for one another. Your love for one another should point to Jesus' love for you.
Here are 8 practical things you can do to have your wedding point to Jesus:"
Finally, a word of thanks to the team that supports me in my writing efforts. Thank you especially, Stacy MacLaren, for taking care of all of the technical details and work that go into getting content online and into the hands of subscribers. And thank you to my editing team, especially Dani Clementson, who faithfully and lovingly devoted countless hours to editing dozens of posts that were made better by their input. I couldn't do it without you, and I am so grateful for you.
Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash