Why Start A Blog?

Welcome to our blog, Public Stories!

I am so excited that we are launching our blog, and I wanted to start by thanking Lily Scott for doing a lot of behind the scenes work to make this dream a reality.

The obvious question you may be asking is, “Why?” Why would we add a blog to what we already do?

Our number one goal is to create a conversation during the week that allows us to come together and encourage each other as we embrace the journey of following Jesus. We hope that you all look forward to the blog, and we pray that Jesus uses the blogs to encourage, challenge, and inspire you!

Our second goal is to display how Jesus is moving through Public Church in ways that we may not discuss during our Gatherings. Some of our authors will be business women and men, medical professionals, food industry workers, parents, coaches, athletes, teachers, church planters, and accountants. As all of us engage with their thoughts and hear how they strategically engage to point people to Jesus in their sphere of influence, we hope that you connect with them and are inspired to do the same in your everyday life. 

Another question you may ask is, “What is my role as part of the audience?”

We mention this question because our goal is to create a two-way dialogue rather than talking at you. Consequently, your role revolves around one word: engage. Even as I write this, I’m the author of this blog, but I will be the audience for another. All of us will have an opportunity to engage at some point to foster the dialogue, and we can do this in a variety of ways. Feel freedom to comment and let us know how you are processing the blog. We can also continue the conversation beyond this platform by talking to our family, friends, or co-workers about what Jesus is showing us through what we read. We can also refer other people to the blog so that our community can grow. 

One final way to engage is applying aspects of the blog to our specific lives. For me, I read a blog about a particular leadership role in a church, and I was so moved that I shared it with our Elders. Prior to that blog, we had a plan for hiring and a preferred order for what roles we would hire, but that blog led us to change our entire strategy towards hiring and the order of roles we are looking to hire. In other words, Jesus used that blog to change the trajectory of Public Church! That’s a huge impact on our church, and I hope that real change occurs in all of our lives so that each of us can say that Public Stories has made a huge impact on us. 

I’ll end with one of my favorite Scriptures that I pray often over Public Church. In addition, my wife Whitney and I have recently welcomed our son into the world, we have been praying these two verses over him. Just as we have prayed over Public Church and our son, I invite you to join me in praying Ephesians 3:20-21 over Public Stories. (I slightly altered the verses to say them as a prayer.)

Father, you are able to do far more abundantly that all that we ask or think through Public Stories, according to the power at work within us, so may YOU be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen.