April 26, 2011

Barely There


This is my favorite coffee mug in the whole wide world.  I permanently "borrowed" it several years ago from the employee lounge at Second Go-Round.  (Yes, I worked there.  It's okay.)  Espresso is certainly my drug of choice, these days.

In three weeks, the semester will be over, and my wedding will be one month away.  This is quite remarkable!  In the midst of the busyness (and my steadily disintegrating social life), this blog has been neglected, and I am sorry.

Remember when I wrestled with the question, "Are bloggers narcissists?"  I am unconvinced that my brief post resolved the issue satisfactorily.  Why do I continue to blog, and why do you guys read this stuff?

When I created Sojourn of Faith last summer, I promised myself that my posts would not be spiritual vomit.  This is would not my personal journal.  I would not write emotional, run-on sentences for the sake of "finding myself" (and simultaneously boring my readers).  I promised myself that Sojourn of Faith would be a fun, virtual scrapbook.  It is, I believe.

I now worry that my seemingly picturesque life has become packaged for idle consumption.  It seems that readers visit the blog, glance at the photos (occasionally leaving a comment or two), and leave the page empty-handed.  Artistic photographs and personal updates are benign, of course, but if my words do not provide challenge or encouragement, then Sojourn of Faith is a meaningless exercise for me, perhaps even an unwise unveiling of privacy.

What do you think, readers?  Why do you blog?  Why do you read blogs?  What should or should not change about Sojourn of Faith?

12 comments:

  1. You need to do it about what you want, nothing else. I love personal blogs, falling in love with that person, what they do and the people around them. I started blogging as an outlet, like most and it turned into so much more. x hivenn

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  2. Faith I love reading your blog because you take the time to acknowledge beauty and truth. As I approach the half century mark I find that one of my deepest longings is finding balance between those two. Is the time I spend creating and appreciating beauty wasteful or can I turn it into a form of worship? A hike in the woods or a thoughtfully prepared meal can restore our souls. The truth part for me comes in acknowledging who we are as humans and who God is and the grace that is our common ground.

    Your blog (the only one I follow) is something that encourages me in pursuing the ever shifting balance and keeping focused on Him. jrm

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  3. I have totally struggled with this issue. I see people who are so self absorbed in their blogs and I think that I don't want to be like that. But I do want to be honest and fun and like you said, a virtual scrapbook. I just finally had to realize that just like life is a balance, so is my blog. My relationship with God is EVERYTHING to me, so why would I not write about it, and often? But I'm also a wife, a student, and a human who has lots of interests, so I should write about those as well!

    From what I've seen, you have such a lovely balance of both of those things!

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  4. Faith, I really enjoy your blog because it is very ballanced. I love seeing your perspective on life through the lense. I would love to hear more of your thoughts, what God is teaching you and things like that. I read blogs mostly of other Christians. It is rare to find others who are sold out for the Lord around me, so it is encouraging to find them and connect with them online. Blogging has definitely been a blessing to me.

    Have a great day girl!

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  5. I follow your blog mainly because I admire you and your accomplishments. Some people stalk their favorite actors and musicians, but I stalk the people I think are pretty awesome.

    As for changing anything, I don't think you should! It's your blog, so do whatever you want with it, dangit!

    And why do I blog? I like to feel like my opinions on random things are important, so I gave my thoughts a webpage haha! It's also a way for my friends to keep up with me apart from Facebook with has a character limit on statuses. :)

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  6. To me, blogs are a way to connect in a vast level that new technology has provided. I read blogs for all sorts of reasons, and different blogs for different purposes. Sometimes I read it for pure entertainment. Sometimes I read it for inspiration: Whether it be to inspire creativity, deepending my faith, activities, fashion, it depends on the blog. Certain other blogs I read for the sense that I'm not alone... not the only Christian young woman, not the only sexual assault survivor, not the only person navigating a romantic relationship, etc etc. Blogging may or may not be a bit self involved, but it's sharing stories and pictures and ideas back and forth.... and isn't that something we all do in person, anyway? So I guess what's the difference in doing it virtually?

    I'm glad your blog exists, and I'm thankful you write for it.

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  7. Such a great question, and one I've also struggled with. I started my blog two years ago and wrote for nobody but myself. And by that I mean, I didn't tell anyone I had a blog. Over time I started sharing bits and pieces and posting my link on facebook, etc. In doing that I found that I was able to connect with strangers in this weird wonderful way. I was able to share things going on in my life, struggles with friendship, personal challenges...that other people were able to relate to. They offered me support and encouragement along the way, reassuring me that I wasn't the only person struggling with certain things. It became my voice, and even a way to communicate honestly with friends and family, as opposed to sending mass e-mails every time I wanted to share a thought with someone close to me. But it was actually just last week that I received a comment that made me say, "THIS is why I blog"....it was on this post: http://wheremyheartresides.com/2011/04/22/the-one-where-i-get-personal/ and it's the anonymous comment by "NotMe" - it was the first blog comment I ever received that made me cry.

    And now, I suppose I'm the one being self-absorbed hogging all this comment space and talking about myself! I guess what I'm trying to say is....if other people feel encouraged by your blog, and you feel encouraged in return, why would you stop? And if those feelings don't exist, why would you continue?

    I for one, have felt encouraged by your blog. And by the looks of these other comments, I think other people have to ;)

    *the end*

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  8. first of all, i love this photo, and i remember feeling so busy i could burst in the month leading up to my wedding.

    and second of all, this is something i think about periodically too. i've had my blog for two years, and i've revisited this same question several times over those two years. it's usually at a time when i want to throw the towel in. usually, just asking myself the question brings me back to a place where i like blogging again. ultimately, i blog to keep a record of my life. i blog because i like it. i blog because it gives me a creative outlet. and i blog to remember.

    thank you for giving me the opportunity to say these things "out loud." :)

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  9. I read your blog because your a Christian truly living for Christ and seeking HIM. I love that you have an aesthetically pleasing layout (i can't lie, aesthetics are something I look for lol) and you have a heart for the LORD. I think I started following because I read past posts and saw that your relationship with CHRIST was a personal one and with that comes attraction because nobody enjoys reading about a dead faith someone has. I think you should write about whatever comes to mind knowing that CHRIST is the center of your life and no matter what you purpose to achieve through this literary outlet CHRIST will always shine. It is the inevitable folly of a believers life to represent CHRIST even without trying and moreso when not focusing on it. Don't know where that came from but I FOLLOW YOUR BLOG BECAUSE I LOVE IT.

    I often wonder the same things about my blog.

    ♥cheche

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  10. I originally started blogging as sort of a replacement to scrapbooking, to keep a record of my family and thoughts. Now I have made so many amazing friends that it has become a way to record life and have "conversations" with these other amazing women. I think we all have a lot to offer each other.
    I'm a fellow faithblogger, nice to meet you!

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  11. Ah, sounds like you watched the episode of "House" about the blogger? Interesting episode. . .

    I love your blog. It is fun way to keep up with you. You also have great pictures of food! Which reminds me, by the way, you should never again use the word "vomit" in your blog, even if it only refers to verbal spewing. That's just wrong. Aside from that, your blog is real and uplifting and joyful. Not everything has to be spiritually weighty to be spiritually worthwhile.

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  12. such a lovely blog! hope you'll check out my blog too and maybe follow if you like it:) thanks
    xoxo Sienna
    http://fashion-sienna.blogspot.com

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Thank you!