Happy New Year!

At the start of every new year, there's a tradition practiced by many people of telling a big, fat lie called a “new year's resolution.” I say it's a lie because the failure rate on these resolutions is abysmal. Many don't even make it past the first week. Most don't last the first month. I read one survey that showed only 13% of people keep their resolution the first year. To me, it sounds like maybe they need to look up the definition of “resolution” because it seems like most of them weren't very resolved to begin with.

I tend to not make resolutions. Another thing about resolutions is that they are usually things people should have already been doing anyway. A popular resolution, for example, is that a person will try to lose weight. Usually what happens, then, is that the person eats like pig between Thanksgiving and Christmas with the intention of starting a diet after the New Year. If you think you need to lose weight, just start trying to lose weight now. Continuing a practice you know you should change simply for the sake of waiting for the New Year doesn't make a lot of sense.

Having said all that, I have been considering what types of changes I might need to make for my blog this year. It's not a resolution; it's more like just a reassessment of what I want to accomplish and how I'm going to get there. I'm tempted to say I'll blog more but that's one of those things I doubt I'd be able to keep. Still, there are some things readers of my blog can expect to see this year:

More Scripture

Regular readers of my blog know that I trust the Bible above the opinions of any man or scientific consensus. I put Scripture ahead of my own personal feelings. However, new readers who happen upon a single post, might get the impression that I am using “science,” “evidence,” or philosophical arguments as though they are more important than the Bible.

I will try to include at least some Scripture in every post. No one should be able to read more than a few of my posts without knowing all of my arguments are scripturally sound. Ideally, visitors will not leave my blog without having a chance to hear the gospel.

More links

I sometimes critique arguments I find on the web. I also often quote other people. When I do this, I have always been careful to provide links to the source. However, I think I should start providing links to support some of the points I'm making as well. Perhaps I might add footnotes. Hmmm. I think doing this will help show my arguments are a little more researched and not pure opinion. Oh, and I'm going to start providing links to the sites where I've found the pics I use for my post.

Finally, after each article, I'll try to provide links to past articles I've written that might relate to the subject at hand.

More social media

I already have FaceBook and Twitter accounts with a few thousand friends/followers. I need to become more practiced in leveraging those mediums to reach more readers. You may start seeing hashtags at the end of my articles. I'm even toying with the idea of starting a YouTube channel! Yikes.

There are hundreds of millions of people using social media. It's the mission field of the new millennium.

Fewer series

If you picked up a best selling book, how interesting of a read would it be to read a random chapter in the middle? It might make some good points but, without reading the whole book, it's going to lose something. That's how I've come to feel about writing a series. For new readers who visit my blog in the middle of a series, it's like they're starting an interesting book in some middle chapter.

If I can't make a point in a single post, I may stretch it to two but that's going to be my limit. Furthermore, each post has to make its own point so that it could be read as a stand alone piece.

Longer posts

I had made the decision long ago to limit my posts to 2 written pages (about 1,000 words). I thought people would get bored with pieces that are too long but maybe 1,000 isn't quite long enough. I want to make sure I cover my arguments thoroughly and if I need more words, then I'll take more words – especially if I'm going to write fewer series.

Broader content

I know I write a lot about evolution and creation but that's not really my mission. Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). He also commanded His church, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20).

The Great Commission is to preach AND teach. My blog has been read in places I could never have gone otherwise. It has been read on every continent including Antarctica. I want to use it to equip the saints and challenge the lost. With that in mind, I want to devote more time to posts about theology, defending the faith, rebutting atheists, and offering a Christian perspective on politics and social issues.

If my visitors have any suggestions about things they'd like to see on my blog, please comment. Thanks to everyone who visits. God bless and have a great new year!!

RKBentley