As my appetite for reading blogs increases, so does my realization that many Christian bloggers are stuck. Why? Because of the notion that if you have something to say it might be construed as proud or arrogant. This dilemma of false humility leaves the church blogosphere littered with overused terms like "random," "musings," "ordinary," and "simple." Are you, like me, getting tired of seeing another site with the headline "Another Ordinary Guy's Random Musings?"As someone geared toward helping others find clarity, I stand somewhere between frustration and sadness when I see blogs that are stuck.
Now some people will immediately object:
- What if people are not trying to be "famous?"
- What's wrong with being humble?
- Maybe their blog is just for a few friends?
Okay, while these are appropriate concerns and may even justify the existence of "random musings," I see a deeper problem at play. The Christian blogger's dilemma is that false humility creates missed opportunity. By hovering in a state of understatement, the rest of the world misses out what God has uniquely put in you. Is it possible that God wants to make a dramatic contribution through you? If so, then failure to discover and decorate the world with your unique voice, is a subtle way of dishonoring God.
What are some practical next steps if you want to make a contribution through blogging with more clarity and passion?
#1 Start by being honest about false humility. How are you tempted by this form of pride? How does that get expressed in your blog?
#2 Reflect on your unique contribution. Consider the anatomy of uniqueness:
- What unique content can you provide?
- What unique voice or style do you bring to any content?
- What perspective or life experiences create unique value for your content?
- What are you passionate about? How does that drive or flavor your content?
- If you could talk to a 100,000 Christians for 5 minutes, what would you say to them?
#3 Find inspiration by noticing the unique focus of other blogs. Here are a few I like.
- Michael Hyatt is about personal productivity in leadership from a CEO and publishers perspective.
- Tim Stevens is about "leading smart;" a no-nonsense, culture savvy, exec. pastor.
- William Vanderbloemen is about creating connections, a Princeton-trained pastor who focuses on search and staffing in the faith-based arena.
- Anne Jackson is about pursuing health and compassion with a transparent style and heart for the church. (How many female believers talk about porn addiction?)
- Mac Lake is about leadership development with a strong practical bent and multi-site church perspective.
#4 Start researching what others have written the subject. Here is a great post on Finding your Blog Focus by Lorelle that goes deeper and has more links on the subject.
#5 Boil down your contribution into a few words or short phrases. No formula - let your personality express itself in how you express it.
#6 Begin thinking and writing from the portal of your own unique contribution. Start asking questions like: Should I rename my blog? What is a good blog tagline? What do my topics say about my contribution? How can each post carry my unique signature, even in a small ways? How can I write more passionately?
Make 2010 a year to push through random musings to deliver the essence of you. The world will be better when you do!