Like most people, I look to others for advice on things I’m not sure about. So when I received a few opinions about how I could make this blog better, (or more effective) for those who read, it I was happy to listen. After all, I am a novice on all social media, and only recently learned how to upload photos for facebook!  I’m the first to recognize I could certainly use a little help!

But as I processed some of the opinions offered, I became a little overwhelmed with statistics and polls that apparently rate the success of your media out reach based on the constant flow of content. “Content is Currency” they claim and I would heartily say “Yes!” and “Amen!” to that…but they aren’t talking about quality…they are talking about quantity.

They tell me the more often you “tweet” daily, the larger your Twitter audience. The more often you post your blogs, the more people will want to see what you are saying. To me, this seems to be more of a reflection of our society’s 30 second attention span than it is a blueprint to really benefit anyone.

Recent… refashioned …re-evaluated information, products and service. This is what I am told the “cyber-surfs” want. If you want their traffic, you need to give them what they are interested in– quick! They are click, clicking away, spending seconds, not minutes deciding if the site they are on is worthy of their attention.  This bothered me in more ways than I could process in a 3o second window! So I took the week to think about it.

The first thing I concluded was that hopefully, surfing the web is something you do…not who you are! It kind of makes it sound like a sci-fi android movie, when we calculate the motives of cyber-space users to anything less than human.

The next thing I decided was that I don’t really care how many people visit this site. I’m not trying to introduce as many issues as fast as possible, trying to hit upon a hot enough topic to hold your interest.

My goal must always be to present a Relevant, Credible and Effective dialog to discern the Truth, and reflect a genuine witness to that reality. Anything less than that objective is a violation to my relationship with God…and my relationship with you as my reader. On that I will not compromise.

Because of this, I cannot guarantee that I will post often enough for anyone to read or care about what I write about. However, I hope that those who do, will be provoked to search the Scriptures for themselves to better understand God’s will for them and be motivated by love to obey what He has said; for their sake…and the sake of their witness of Christ.

The last (and most important) thing I have decided was that only the right and true opinion matters. …Whose report will we believe? We shall believe the report of the Lord! (Rom 10:16.) The report of the Lord is found in His Word. Not just a verse or two that can be wrapped around my point of view, but the consistent and whole counsel of God.

The trouble is that too many people use the Bible to verify their own opinion, rather than adjust their opinion to the truth found in scripture. Or worse, they do not read and study the Word of God at all.

Absolute Truth is also easy to twist. It is as pliable is our deceptive heart can manipulate. (James 3:13-4:3) If our desires are anything less than purely motivated…we can easily wring out a doctrine to suit our own agenda.

As hard as it is to accept, God allows this to clearly divide the ones who are truly seeking His will…from the ones who are not. It is clear from Scripture itself that He will not interfere with our free will to choose. He will however, make known His will to us and allow us to respond accordingly.

I used to think that as long as you really loved Jesus…everything else would fall into place. The Holy Spirit would teach you Truth, and help you discern the written Word, and all the while, the Father would guard and guide the process of your life-journey until the day you met Him face-to-face.

I still believe this.

Yet…the genuine outcome of this is entirely dependant on which Jesus you love, what spirit you receive, and who your real father is! (Gal 3:1-13,1Jn 4:1-6, Jn 8:13-59)

Jesus is another name for “Savior” Unfortunately; many people put their hope in something other than the True Jesus for their salvation.

These people follow doctrines of men that enable them to trust in deceptions that prevent them from receiving true transformation in their daily lives. They may be active in their churches…but their homes and closest relationships are more likely to resemble graveyards or battlefields. There is no real “fruit” to verify that their faith is genuine.

The longer I walk with God, the more evident I see this in most of our churches. The high cost of discipleship is nearly non-existent, save for the few radicals who believe in various causes worthy of their passion.

In a recent independent poll of young college girls who professed to love Jesus, most stated that “yes,” they would make out with another girl if it would turn on their boyfriend. They found nothing compromising in their faith to make such a statement. We may find that disturbing…and we should! But it is only representative of a culture of “Christians” who believe and hope in different “Christ’s.” Those, whose Jesus’ understand and graciously tolerate modern thinking.

I am hoping that whomever “out there” surfing the web is searching for more than a 30second sound bite that tickles and entertains. I am writing to those who are looking for more than just the answers to their questions, but the real reasons that they ask them in the first place!

I am not writing as an expert, but as a seeker myself, who will not be satisfied with anything less than “true Truth.” I know that there are a lot of opinions out there to what that is…There always will be. But if God is really God, and His Word is really Truth, we can rest in certainty that He will reveal His ways to us through His written Word in ways we can understand and obey.

It is our responsibility, however, to seek to know Him.

That is what we are going to endeavor to do here in this forum.

So here is my question to you dear reader…

“What Gospel (or good news) do you hope in?”

Break it down…look it up…think about it…

“Where are you compromising…where are you unclear?”

“What is it worth to you to gain the freedom of true salvation in every way you can receive it?”

“Who is Jesus to you?”