thejakers

This weekend we are launching our annual Missional Community Kick-Off at Praxis Church, which will focus on our vision and passion for growing smaller throughout the Phoenix valley through small communities of people who strive to live life together. More than the traditional model of small groups where people gather once or twice a month to do a Bible study or do a prayer group, Missional Communities are dedicated to living out the gospel and furthering the kingdom of God in their local context through what Ryan Eland, who oversees the Missional Community ministry, calls missional rhythms:

• Eating
• Celebrating
• Recreating
• worshiping
• serving
• investing
• learning

The goal is not to be an insular group of Christians, but a group of disciples that employ the tools the elders and ministry leaders have equipped them with to do the work of the ministry. There is no prescriptive formula to work this out practically. Each MC leader and community is charged with prayerfully considering how they might reach their community with the gospel, whether that be through BBQ’s or theology pubs.

Below is a video my Communications Team put together to promote the event, and you can also hear some stories of those who have been involved in MC’s here. Big props go out to Silas Kyler, David Hildreth, and Adam Watson for their great work on this.

Praxis Church Missional Community Promo from Praxis Church on Vimeo.

This morning we had the big ultrasound for the new baby Johnson. Last night we cast lots on whether it was going to be a boy or a girl. Collette felt pretty confident it was a boy. Liam said he wanted a brother and that he would take care of her – we’re working on the gender confusion (pronoun variety only!). I was leaning towards a girl. Of course, we were excited to have either. Well, it’s official.

We’re having another BOY!

And he has a perfect bill of health.

As soon as the doctor told us, my mind began traveling into the future, picturing great times hanging out with my boys! Rough housing, kidding around, shooting hoops together, watching ball games… the whole lot. I’m very thankful to God for blessing us with another son, and for keeping the baby healthy during development. Plus, everyone else at Praxis Church seems to be having girls. So, little Dylan Thomas (as we are currently calling him) will be in good shape come later in life.

Please keep us in your prayers for continued healthy development, and for a perfect birth.

So, we’re starting a regular blog rotation at Praxis Church. In anticipation, I wrote a primer on 10 tips that make for a great blog post. The following is the first draft, and I’m hoping for some feedback. Comment away.

Introduction

At Praxis Church, blogging is a key strategy for communicating our vision, values, thoughts, and ministries to our community. A simple definition of a blog would be an online post that communicates a message through some combination of words, pictures, and/or video. You can read a technical overview of a blog here.

As we gear up to launching an official blog rotation, I thought it would be appropriate to write a small primer on what makes a good blog post in the context of Praxis Church. The following are tips on how to write a great blog post that will engage our readers and further your ministry.

1. Be opinionated

It’s expected that a blog will express a strong opinion or thought. Strong opinions and thoughts generate reader interaction through comments, which furthers the possibility for an engaging conversation. Monitor the church blog, and feel free to engage our community in the comments section.

2. Clarity

Before you sit down to write, have your points thought out and logically ordered. Nothing loses a reader quicker than a lack of clarity in your writing. A blog that is written in a logical and efficient manner will increase its chance of being read.

3. Make it snappy

Most blog posts should hover around 500 words or so (you can see your word count on the bottom of most word processors). People don’t have time or patience to read much more than that online.

4. Layout is important

Reading on a computer is far more different than reading a printed document. Scanability is important. Try to order your blogs with sub-headlines, much like this document is laid out, and keep your paragraphs as lean as possible. Breaking up your post makes the blog more digestible for reading on a computer screen.

5. Bullet point lists

In the spirit of the last tip, whenever you make a list, use bullet points because:

• It makes it easier to read
• Creates better scanability
• Draws the reader’s attention
• Is a good practice

See how much better that is than: It makes it easier to read, creates better scanability, draws the reader’s attention, and is a good practice?

6. Edit your blog post

Make sure to edit your grammar and spelling. Taking the extra time and effort to ensure a well-written post will benefit our readers and show them that we care. Have someone proofread your post as well.

7. Keep it simple

While it may be fun to write in a flowery or academic style, no one wants to read that in a blog post. Keep your writing style simple and direct. Also, consider the jargon and lingo you use. Will someone who is not a Christian or a member at Praxis Church understand what you’re saying? Frame your words in the perspective of a person new to Christ and the church.

8. Make it personal

Readers respond well to stories that illustrate your points effectively and that communicate your personality and experiences. Part of our blog strategy is to provide a connection for our 1,000 plus members to get to know their ministers and ministries on a personal level. Don’t be afraid to be real and open up.

9. Write a killer headline

Believe it or not, the headline is the most important part of your blog post. It captures a person’s attention and draws them into the body of your post. Ideally, your headline should contain the elements of your entire blog in one succinct sentence. Here is a great blog post on the importance of headlines: http://www.copyblogger.com/magnetic-headlines.

10. Link, and link some more.

Whenever possible, link to other articles and content on the Internet to create an interactive community and to allow readers to gain insight into your thought process. For instance I used this, this, and this to help write this document. If you need a tutorial on using hyperlinks, here is a great resource: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA101659291033.aspx

Final Note

Have fun! If you enjoy blogging, that will shine through in your writing.

And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the people’s toil, that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord! – Psalm 105:44-45

Being an Episcopalian in exile, I generally use The Book of Common Prayer (BCP)  for my morning devotions. The daily devotions laid out in the BCP include a good portion of the Psalms, which I find myself rushing through quite often. The problem isn’t that I don’t like the Psalms – I do. Rather, I find them too demanding for my scattered brain in the morning. I’m constantly thinking about what I have to do, mentally building my checklist for the day. I rarely enjoy the now, relish in the moment, marinate in the Word.

Lately, I’ve been trying to deliberately slow down and really read these Psalms. To dwell on the significance of what they are saying. To mediate on how men thousands of years ago amazingly shared the same emotional up and down wrestling with what it means to live life and follow God.

This morning I pretty much sucked at that. Psalm 105 is:

1. Long

2. A relatively boring (by that I mean, something I’ve heard over and over again) litany of Jewish exodus.

By the time I was about halfway through the Psalm, I realized that my mind had completely drifted off to the day’s cares. So, redoubling, I went back to the beginning and started to read again. And I’m glad I did.

Because the story in Psalm 105 is not just a Jewish story. It is our story. A story of a God who seeks to rescue and redeem his people. A story of a God who is actively involved in better the lives of the people whom he loves. A story of a God who gives his grace and redeeming love unconditionally.

This is no better summed up than in the last verses of the Psalm when the Psalmist, who having just run through the cherished Exodus event, writes: “And he [God] gave… that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!”

God didn’t give because the Jews had followed God’s statutes and laws. He gave so that they would do so out of loving response to God’s immeasurable goodness.

So today, as you go about doing the good works God has prepared in advance for you to do, do so as a response to God’s favor – not as a means to attain that favor. It goes better for us that way.