Spark2Flame

Okay, now that I have your attention and possibly angered search engine users who were looking for get-rich-quick schemes, I have something to talk to you about. I am posting this on both Connecting to Impact and Burn Frequency to make sure everyone sees it. I appreciate and absolutely love all the feedback I’ve been getting about the posts, but I want to encourage you to use the comments!

I know to some, it’s scary to put yourself out there. The first time I commented on a blog, it was a news site where I expressed my opinion and came back later to find 20 people had shredded me for that opinion. Okay, so it was an entertainment news site and my opinion was about a TV show, but it was still scary.

The good news is that here, you don’t have to worry about it because this is a safe place to learn, grow, and express ourselves. We are not here to debate, but to encourage and strengthen each other. And besides that, we’re all Christians and Christians are always warm, friendly, and caring… on second thought, maybe that point is not the best to lean on, but this is indeed a safe place and I will make sure to keep it that way.

Below I’ve listed a few reasons why you should comment so prepare to be blown away!

• Your Momma didn’t raise you that way. Imagine, if you will, you come to my house. I’m so excited that you’re here and can’t wait to find out what’s been going on with you. I welcome you at the front door, but you don’t say a word. I think it’s odd, but I lead you to the living room so we can sit down and catch up. I start telling you all about the wonderful things God is doing and the truth I’m finally grabbing hold of and then ask you about your experiences and thoughts. Instead of replying, you get up wide-eyed and retreat to the shadows, again without a word. I try to coax you out, but no dice. I’m feeling sad and a little lonely so I turn to food to comfort me again. You don’t want that, do you?
• What I write is supposed to be a starting place for conversation. I can get excited and write more than I intended, but what I really, really want is a back-and-forth with you. I’m reaching out here! I believe there is something in each of us that needs to be expressed. Jesus is alive in you like He’s alive in me, and you can encourage others in a different way than I can. On some of the other inspirational blogs I go to, I get encouraged by the author’s words but then someone in the comments just takes it to another level. That’s what I know can happen here. To borrow from the sublime teachings of the Adam Sandler classic, “The Water Boy”—You can do it! I believe in you and you may be able to make a difference in someone else’s life just by putting a simple comment (even if you just make someone laugh or smile).
• I need encouragement and challenging. As I said, I’m looking for that back-and-forth, conversational aspect. I want to encourage, inspire, and challenge; but in the same way, I need those same things and that’s where you come in. You pay $39.95 then get 5 other people to join… oh wait, that's another pitch entirely. The Body of Christ is an amazing and wonderful gift. We learn and grow through interaction. If you agree with something, tell me about it. If you disagree, let me know why. If you have something to add, please add it! I’m the kind of preacher who loves those amen’s and hallelujah’s—in short, feedback is glorious!

I hope I’ve made my case effectively, and you’ll begin to see this blog as a community of people seeking God together, sharing their lives and hearts. Since this post is essentially about getting you to comment and I believe in the principle of "ask and you will receive," I want to ask you to do just that. Am I coming across as desperate? Well, actually, that sounds about right...

For all you technophobes out there, try to keep your heart from beating out of your chest, still those trembling hands, and move your mouse into the white comment box and click inside it. If you don't see a comment box, then you'll need to click on the title of this post and then scroll down. Okay, now type something, anything. Type random letters if you like or better yet, type amen (or if you prefer shouting, AMEN).

Then you have to choose from the “comment as” box and if you don’t have a profile anywhere else, choose “name/URL” or “anonymous.” After that, push the “post comment” button and you should be all set. Simple, right?

I look forward to hearing from you. As for the million dollars, either work really hard, try a pyramid scheme (kidding, of course), or maybe you can get into an Oprah taping, she does stuff like that, I think.

Act now! Don't wait! Get to commenting!