Recently I was debating whether it was time to stop writing or keep working. The numbers have been down this year as far as the total visitors and readers. This is the first time the numbers have declined in six years. As part of my soul searching and prayer, I came to this one big question, “Why do I have a blog anyway?”

While there may be several small answers to that question, there are four big things I hope that my writing and ministry do.

1. Teach. I want to teach people everything I know. I hope to primarily teach people about the Bible, its characters, and what it means to live by faith.
2. Lead. There are some topics that are not covered in the Bible, and yet are essential to know if you are part of the body of Christ. I want to share my insights from study and experience to benefit others.
3. Challenge. One way to grow is to challenge yourself. If you want to get better at a sport, you are better to get a tough coach who pushes you to do your best. As a pastor, I want people to move beyond shallow faith and into the deep water of spiritual maturity.
4. Encourage. I pray that my words in some way touch the soul of people and give them a bit of strength for their journey. I don’t just want to be out in front of people showing the way, and I also want to stand beside them when they need hope or possibly a friend.

These are the big goals for my writing. I make no pretense that I am an excellent writer or that I am putting together any ground-breaking original context. My hope and prayer are to help people on their spiritual walk with Jesus. As long as my words are helping one person, I will keep on writing.