So this is it. I am now officially a blogger.
Let me take a moment to introduce myself, and my blog, to you.
I’m nuts about music, nuts about writing and just a little nuts in general. Also I want to worship Jesus with my dying breath.
If you are into music, writing or worship ministry, you are welcome here. So come on in, take your shoes off and make yourself comfortable. Have a fossick through my blogs and music, check out my social media pages, and connect with people.
But why, you ask, should I bother to read/sign up for yet another blog? What’s different about this one?
Excellent question. My writing, including songwriting, is not what you’d call mainstream. I’ve tried to write mainstream stuff. Truly I have. I’ve turned my hand to praise and worship music, as well as trying out a bit of fiction writing over the years. Do you know what I’ve discovered?
I suck at mainstream.
I am the kind of person that notices the quirky and unusual. (Did you like my thinking chair picture?) I notice the details. I’m a thinker and an introvert. At a party, I notice the one person standing by themselves in a corner. At church, I notice the people who are working hard in the background to make a Sunday service happen. I notice issues, patterns and cultural trends. I notice spelling mistakes in books.
The way I’m wired means that I am at my worst when I try to mimic everybody else. Conversely, I am at my best when I write about the little things, the niche topics, the too-hard-basket stuff, the issues no-one else is writing about.
This blog is different because it is not mainstream. That is what I am offering you: an honest, idiosyncratic, non-mainstream blog. Hopefully it will be of use to you, your friends and your church.
My songs and blogs have a tendency to challenge the status quo in our culture, including church culture. They are not about whingeing or criticising, but rather about naming these cultural issues in order to facilitate discussion and change. Most cultural shifts begin with a willingness to speak about it – followed by a willingness to act.
So if you read a blog or listen to a song and feel challenged, inspired or even encouraged, please leave a comment. Make this page, and these blogs, yours too. Connect with others through this page. You may even find like-minded people here.
Now to the unashamed self-promotional bit. I need help. Seriously. I can’t get my stuff out there if no-one “likes” or shares it. So if you like something that I post here, please “like” me on Facebook as well. Share this stuff with your friends; it’s free. “Follow” me on Twitter, check out my Google+ page. You get the idea.
Perhaps the most important thing of all is to connect with me and others on this page. So please leave comments on my blogs and subscribe to my email list. Subscribing is cool because it means you don’t have to keep checking back at this page for blogs; each new blog will simply arrive in your inbox. Too easy!
My plan is to blog once a week, every Tuesday. Sometimes my blogs will be one-off topics and sometimes they will be part of a series. Sometimes my blogs will update you on my latest song, video or product, so do keep an eye out for those ones. If you have a great idea for a blog topic, leave me a comment and it might just end up in print! With your permission of course.
Finally, thank you for taking the time to read my first blog. I hope to hear from you soon.
P.S. For anyone interested, the chair in the picture above was featured in the 60’s British spy series The Prisoner. Trippy, huh? I’d love a chair like that for my office!