If you have been following my
feed at all over the last week, you will have noticed that I have blogged
twice, which is exceptionally rare for me. There have been a number of times
that I have pledged to myself that I would blog consistently. Just looking at
the blogs attached to my Gmail account, which I have started and stopped over
the years, makes me question my intentions to take up the mantle again. But
here we go nonetheless…
No worthy mission is undertaken
without having a clear mission, intent, and plan. That is what I am going to
attempt to do through this post.
Why Am I Blogging?
*Begin Philosophical
Monologue*
The free and open exchange and debate of ideas is in the
best interest of everyone involved. The writer is forced to systematically
analyze his opinions and the arguments used to defend them. The reader has the
opportunity to explore and address questions big and small in an environment
designed to foster intellectual honesty. Though this may seem to be a high
minded idealism about how people interact, in the limited space that I can
control – my blog – it may just be able to become an actuality rather than a
dream.
*End Philosophical
Monologue*
Before I get charged with being philosophically arrogant,
allow me to bluntly say that this blog also serves very selfish desires. There
are issues – federal and state, religious and political, philosophical and
light hearted – that I am passionate about. A blog gives me an outlet to share
my opinions and voice my concerns. And as I mentioned in my philosophical
introduction, it gives me a chance to analyze my opinions and ask the ever
important questions of What do I believe,
and why do I believe it?
But in all seriousness, I want this blog to be a place where
minds are free to explore. For some that will read my thoughts it will be a
reiteration of their own beliefs. For others it could be a fresh opinion that
maybe has not been considered before. Regardless, the entire exercise could be
exceptionally positive.
What I Will Be Blogging
In the past, I have named and
intended for blogs to be about a very specific set of issues. At one point I
started a blog to document my inner discussion and debate going through high
school. More recently, I started a different blog to express my beliefs about
certain religious questions, especially in the modern secular society. By
choosing very specific topics, I was locking myself into something entirely
unsustainable. I couldn’t write what I wanted, when I wanted. I got stuck and
bored easily which defeated the entire purpose of my efforts.
I debated with myself over how I
would organize this new effort. Free for all? Organized structure? At the end
of the day I am conflicted over jumping into something without a plan and the
pressure of writing the same thing each time every day. So here is what I
decided….
*Drumroll Please*
For each day of the week, I have
chosen a fairly broad topic and given it an alliterative title (yes, I am that
much of a nerd):
Military Mondays: Though my time in the
military has been brief, and I am by no stretch of the imagination any sort of
expert, this will give me chance to share some of my observations about
experiences I have and the military culture at large.
Tuesdays in Texas: I tell people that I
didn’t realize I was a Texan until I got to Texas, and it is absolutely true. I
fell in love with the Texas political scene during my time interning in Austin,
and this will give me a chance to talk about it. It may be a person – the race
for Lt. Gov. is going to be interesting. It may be an event – like my posts
last week about the filibuster. It may be an issue – gun control or abortion;
whatever happens to be important at the time.
Wednesdays in Washington: In a very
similar vein to the Tuesday topic, this will give me chance to talk about
issues happening and being discussed on a national level.
Throwback Thursdays: Stealing the
name a little, but this will be your weekly history lesson. Being a bit of a history
buff, I sometimes like to let out my inner nerd. That is what this column will
be about. It is a bit open ended, so we will see where this one goes.
Fitness Fridays: This is probably the
post I am most nervous about. I have always been interested in the fitness
world. However, it has only been recently that I have begun to really research
and better understand it. I am by no means and expert, but this will give me a
chance to share some of the things I am learning.
Saturday’s Sermon: This will be my
weekly “sermon”. It will be my religious blog of the week. It may be a
theological subject I am digging through, a book I recommend, or just my take
on my time in the Word during the week. Why Saturday? Because I would love a
day off, and the Lord commanded that we rest on the Sabbath. What better way
than to Jesus Juke my way out of blogging on Sundays?
So there you have it. That is the
plan. I will fail. There will be days that I just can’t get a blog posted.
However, I am going to try very hard to get it done each and every day. There
will also be days what I will write out of order, talking about a topic on the
wrong day. That’s okay – its my blog, I have that prerogative.
If you have any recommendations
or requests for what you would like to see me write about, shoot me a message
or leave a comment and I will see what I can do. If you have actually read this
far in this post, give yourself a high five because at this point I am tired of
writing it.
Useless Fact of the Day: Dueling is legal in Paraguay, as long as both
participants are blood donors.