Currently, I am working on yet another interesting literary project. I have been writing weekly blogs since mid-2009 and have been asked several times whether I would consider compiling these into some sort of book. Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and began to read through them all, in order to select which might possibly be suitable to include in such a volume. This is no light task since it involves reading over 770 blogs, each about 550-560 words long. Nor is it an easy one because I have needed to make all sorts of decisions, big and small, along the way. Yet it has also been fascinating indeed to look at all those thoughts and experiences again and reflect on my journey with God over these past fourteen years.
When I began blogging in 2009, I had written three novels, with two already published and a third about to be. I had also ventured further into speaking at all sorts of events, both Christian and secular. I still had much to learn about writing and about engaging widely differing audiences in a positive, helpful way. And I was still working through much on a personal level as well, particularly concerning my faith in God and my understanding and acceptance of who God had created me to be. Perhaps you can imagine then what an interesting and sometimes exhausting journey it has been as I have ploughed through all those blogs and watched myself grow and struggle and stumble and pick myself up and grow some more. I have re-lived many events I had almost forgotten about, some happy and some sad. I have revisited various ideas and understanding of Scripture I included in these blogs and allowed God’s Spirit to speak to me afresh about it all. I have reflected long and hard once again about many things—and I am not done yet.
You see, once I had selected out the various blogs I considered might be most suitable to include, I now need to read each one carefully yet again on various levels. Will the particular blog topic still appeal to a wide range of possible readers? Is the blog itself clearly and well written? Is it too short? Is it too long? Is it too personal? Do names of people or events need to be removed? Are the Scripture verses quoted appropriate and correctly used? Once these decisions are made, I then need to edit each blog carefully or, in some instances, almost completely rewrite it.
At this point, I am still a little unsure whether this whole project will in fact end up in book form. Yet, whether it does or not, I believe all my efforts have already been so valuable because they have shown me yet again the utter faithfulness of God in my life. Through so many varied times of joy, of grief, of hope, of disappointment, of challenge, of fulfilment, of change, God has been there, guiding and guarding me, comforting me and rejoicing with me. God’s loving arms have held me close through it all, even when I was unaware of this—and I am blessed indeed.
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
Jo-Anne Berthelsen's Blog 