Being a cricket fan from way back, I couldn’t resist the above title. You see, I find it hard to comprehend, but this is the two hundredth blog I have written for this site! I began my blogging adventure in July 2009 and have kept it up every week since then. My thanks to those who have kept on faithfully reading and commenting, either on the blog itself or on Facebook. Those little words of encouragement have inspired me to keep going, even at times when I felt I had little of worth to say.
What have all those blogs and all those hours spent writing them achieved, I wonder. I will probably never know. But I can give you several reasons I have continued to persevere with the whole idea. Firstly, as someone who was previously part of the ministry team of a local church, it is like relating to and encouraging my own little ‘cyber congregation’ at times. Just as I often used to share from my heart through the spoken word in our church, I can now share from my heart via the written word—and I find that such a wonderful privilege. Yes, I still speak in various places, but here via my blog, I have my ‘regular attenders’ who always read and often comment or click the ‘Like’ button on Facebook as well! I like to hear that they are travelling okay and love it when something I write turns out to be particularly pertinent in their lives at that point.
A second reason I have persevered with my blogs is that even though they take time, I still enjoy writing them. And a third is that I think it is good discipline for me as a writer to have to craft somewhere between five hundred and six hundred words each week into a blog that hopefully says something worthwhile and that God can use in someone’s life. Being such a wordy writer, it is good for me to have to limit myself and not wax eloquent for too long!
And yes, I have to admit a fourth reason for continuing with my blogs is that I have been told they are a good way of promoting my books. I’m still not completely convinced, but they do enable me to give my readers little glimpses into my writing world, include them at times in my interesting book selling adventures and let them know when a new book of mine is due for release.
I am aware my blogs would probably be more successful if I narrowed the field and aimed my content either at other authors or at non-authors. However, I cannot seem to bring myself to do this. Each week, I pray and ask God what I should write about. Sometimes the inspiration I seem to receive revolves around writing and sometimes it is simply something I have observed in reading my Bible or in everyday life. But I trust that in it all, God can guide me to write the content someone out there needs at that time and that God can also guide the relevant person to read and receive what is needed. What an adventure to be on with God! And what a privilege!
Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Rev 7:12
Jo-Anne Berthelsen's Blog 
Almost as good as Ricky Ponting!!! Thanks for sharing your heart n His word. Always a blessing or encouragement or rebuke xo
Well, I AM in exalted company, being compared to Ricky Ponting!! Thanks so much, Susan. And I’m glad my blogs have been useful to you in some way–even when they are rebuking! In those instances, it is always something God has rebuked me about as well though, which is pretty humbling. God bless.
Hi Jo Anne, I enjoy your sharing, it’s so real and your gentle, Loving spirit shines through, Hmmmm maybe I better get your Autograph 😀
If you did a Post on Cricket you would have Ron as an attentive fan too, like you he loves it but he is good, he never made me watch it or do I force him to do what I’m interested in, except if it’s important (long story). I was listening to a Minister as he told us how he made his new wife watch 1 hour of Footy with him every week even though she was not interested, I asked him later how his hour of flower arranging was going and was he enjoying it 🙂
I love Blogging it’s my Ministry and I have had the joy of Blogging all over the world with all types of people even Atheists and Cults, although they were hard to endure. To me Blogging is a conversation where we share and encourage each other. I believe as the Body of Christ we need to be always seeking ways to do this as we share the hope we have which uplifts and helps us mature. But Blogging is even more then this to me, as you can see on the link below if you have time to read it. We are all unique but become one in God’s Awesome Son, Jesus Christ.
Blog Post – http://freedomborn.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/blogging-for-jesus/
Jo Anne I’m not receiving your replies just your Posts but my settings are ok, do you know why?
Christian Love from us both – Anne
Congratulations on reaching 200 posts, Jo-Anne!! What an achievement! I look forward to reading them each week and there is always something of God’s wisdom, love and special insight knitted into every one. Thanks for taking the time to share what’s on your heart – and for showing me how to embrace ‘cyberspace’ as a useful part of the writing journey – you’ve been such an inspiration to me.
I don’t think you needed much showing, Kerry! You embraced it all so quickly and well and then just took off! I’m sure that one day when you get time too the same will happen with your own book. Hope you are having a really good break right now though–you deserve it!
I can see I’ll have to weave more references into cricket in my blogs in the future, Anne, so your husband will be interested too! Thanks for your lovely, encouraging comments. I hope you get as much joy out of blogging as I do. It certainly is a good way to connect with others from all walks of life and all parts of the world.
Not sure re blog settings etc though, Anne–I’ll have to ask my daughter. I will try to contact you through your blog and say more but as far as I know, if you subscribe to my blog and get each one as an email, that is probably all you do get. To see my responses, you would need to find them directly below my blog on the site itself. Hope that makes sense! God bless.
What a fantastic effort Jo-Anne, I love the messages I’ve read…although I would like to slow down enough to read them all…still working on getting to that space.
Thanks so much, Sharon! I think you do well in your very full life to get anywhere NEAR reading my blogs! I hope you can find that space soon, Sharon, and that you are very much enjoying your time away, wherever you have got to by now. God bless.
Hi Jo-Anne,
I also look for your blogs every week they are very encouraging and inspirational. Keep them up even just for my sake.
God Bless’
Therese
Thanks so much, Therese–that’s so encouraging! Have just returned from Melbourne and had a lovely time there. God bless.