Goals for this Journal

Welcome to the third entry, the one that will probably be the most boring and yawn-inducing of the bunch! But I feel like I should be transparent in my aims with this journal so I'm hopefully not branded as a subversive contrarian... again, keeping in mind I'm probably a little more liberal than many might think :) 

Of course, there's also the more applicable fact that if one does not have goals or aims going into an endeavor, one will never know if they have succeeded or not.

So, my goals for this journal are:

1) To journal every day.
Journal on what you may ask. Well, as part of our journey through The Story, we are encouraging everyone to read through the Bible chapters along with the corresponding chapter in the book. Why? The Story gives us the framework for us to read through the Bible chronologically, and more importantly, digestibly. But, most of our Bibles now have at least some sort of study notes or footnotes; or questions to think about; or other commentary that helps us to understand even more. So, it is on those chapters that I plan to write about. Here's the link to the plan.

2) To add another viewpoint to your discussions.
It is in community that views are challenged, tested, revised, or refined. If I can make you think, question or challenge; and if you can do the same to me, then I'd say this goal has been accomplished!

3) To hopefully strike a good balance between informational and devotional.
To be up-front with you all, I am definitely much more of a thinker than I am a feeler. That will likely mean that I may very much lean towards the intellectual and informational side of the text rather than a more contemplative and meditative stance. That being said, what good is information if it's not applicable or practical (other than to be a contestant on Jeopardy!)? So, I hope to strike somewhat of a balance between those two sides.

4) To ask, and to field questions.
First of all, imagine how long a journal entry would be if I expounded on everything I found interesting! But I plan to really journal on one particular question and then ask some questions at the end. Feel free to answer them in the comments, or just gnaw on them at your own leisure! Conversely, if you have something that you are wondering about, feel free to ask it over on our website, right here! Then, hopefully, every Monday (while you are all reading the chapter of The Story from the book, I catch up on the previous week's questions).

5) To have fun!
If I didn't feel like this would be fun, beneficial to anyone, or if it would be just a plain waste of time, I wouldn't be doing this! So come on in, and let's make this a neat place to converse, discuss, question and answer!