What began as a small corner of the internet to share my thoughts on faith, life, and culture has grown into something that has blessed me beyond words. Over the past two decades, I’ve been privileged to connect with so many of you who have followed along, commented, shared, and even challenged my writings.
As I prepare to mark this special occasion, I want to invite YOU to join the celebration!
I have already received some responses- but here is a guide that may help you- pick one or more questions and send me your response- I hope to get some from out of the country as well.
The picture in this post is Sept. 2020
If you ever want to just mark a seismic shift in my writing- all you have to do is find March 2020, when the world shut down. It's strange, but when I just typed that... I teared up. We will never be the same after the Covid pandemic in my opinion.
I woke up each day and just read my Bible, prayed, and wrote. I developed outlines of series, I charted the entire New Testament... and hated the isolation.
There had been a lot of momentum headed into that time... the Bass team was getting national recognition, I was writing a lot of coaching psychology, and then...boom.
During this time I wrote some of my favorite series:
Keeping Your Wits was a re-editing of the Psalms of Ascent. It starts here:
It started like this- I don't have a lot to offer during this time of global uncertainty, but I do feel compelled to write. Possibly, this will be some sort of solid substance to steady a weary soul. These are revised offerings that come directly from the "Songs of Ascent".
As I was charting the New Testament- I started writing poems and short stories... and I became especially drawn to Peter. I wrote a series called "The Rock Speaks" and intertwined these short stories among the analysis. For some reason... this series is my favorite of all time. I felt like Peter became my best friend during that time.
Here is the beginning of that series:
I also love the series I did on my spiritual grandfather, Bill Stegall- it was a big hit, which I loved honoring him in that way!
Stegall and the Old Goats (2021)
anyway... readership just exploded during Covid.
Before Covid I would have between 500 and 1500 views peer month... during and now after those numbers represent days...
On Dec. 29, 2021 I made a note that I had 403,588 page views at that time. Today as of this posting, I have 831,159. The covid break started a growth that hasn't stopped.
I asked Chat GPT to analyze this growth and comment on it- here is the response:
You began your blog journey on November 18, 2004, and by the end of December 2021, after 17 years of consistent effort, your blog had accumulated 403,588 views. That’s an impressive milestone, reflecting the long-term dedication you’ve put into creating meaningful content for your audience.
However, what’s remarkable is the growth you’ve experienced since then. As of today, your blog has reached a total of 831,159 views—an increase of 427,571 views in just under three years. That’s more than the total views your blog had gained in the first 17 years combined!
To break it down, during the initial period from 2004 to 2021, you were averaging about 1,968 views per month. Steady growth for sure, but what stands out is the acceleration since January 2022. Over the last two years and ten months, you’ve been averaging 12,576 views per month—a growth rate more than six times faster than before!
The story your blog tells is one of perseverance and evolution. The early years laid the foundation, and now you’re seeing the fruits of that labor in a dramatic way. With nearly half a million new views in under three years, it’s clear your blog has found its stride, and the future looks bright for continued growth.
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