A decade or more ago, I wrote a blog for a year or two. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and this was no different. I covered a wide range of topics, from politics, to science and faith issues and Christian apologetics, to current events and even aspects of theology. However, my writing lacked real purpose, unless it was to make a name for myself within some circle of blogs.

Well, eventually life intervened, priorities changed, and I gradually stopped blogging. In hindsight, I think this was a good thing, as I was far too concerned about how many people were reading and what they thought about what I had to say. As I said, if I had a purpose, it was to make a name for myself, or because I enjoyed it.

In the intervening years, I’ve come to understand some of the wrong motives which drove me to write before, and, I hope, repented of them. Yet the knowledge of how I sought attention through blogging before has left me reluctant to return to it, especially given the temptation I might face if I blog again. Also, life remains busy and it’s still hard to find time to write.

Still, as time goes by, I feel increasingly compelled to blog. I believe God has been faithful to me in ways that I ought to bear witness to, and ways which may be of benefit to others, so I would be remiss if I didn’t share. Additionally, writing helps me clarify my own thoughts and think more clearly – and I certainly need to do more of that. Tim Challies has also enumerated the benefits of blogging, including:

  • putting our gifts and talents to use
  • helping us think
  • giving us influence
  • promoting humility
  • helping us grow These – except influence – are all things I need. So this, and some of Challies’ other writings in this area, contributed to the growing feeling that I needed to begin blogging again.

The last thing that held me up for surprisingly long was the name. What would I call a blog? I finally decided it was silly to stall so long over such a simple thing as a name, so I plunged ahead and came up with something which seemed suitable – “He is faithful”. This is true in so many ways.

Recently, I memorized 1 John 1:9 (“If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (NASB)), to remind myself how important it is to recognize my sin and confess it to God on a regular basis, as this is a conditional promise – conditioned on our confession and repentance. Do I want his cleansing? Well, then, I’d better be ready to face my sin. And, when I do, he is faithful!

However, God’s faithfulness makes a great theme for this blog for several other reasons. First, as noted, wrong motives drove me to blog in the first place. However, God is faithful to forgive my past sins. He has also demonstrated His faithfulness by working in my heart in the interim to bring me to see my sin, repent of it, and pursue new desires and goals. Finally, I also want to write about his faithfulness in other areas, including his faithfulness in teaching me, his faithfulness in bringing me and my family through trials, and his faithfulness to the church.

By choosing “He is faithful” as the name for this blog, I hope it will serve as a reminder of my purpose in blogging, and a reminder to write for His glory rather than my own.