I’ve been wondering where to go with this blog. What’s ahead for The Long Road to Zion?
Well, there have been a handful of ideas that began with questions like… What do people want to read? How do I get the most readers? Who is my target audience? Can I make money off this thing? Can I come up with enough to continually write about if I’m not hiking every week? As a Christian, do I force any truth into awkwardness versus the beauty it is? Is this just a big waste of time? Should a hobby be crafted into something more? What am I even trying to communicate?
I asked a small group of people a few questions about going forward. I was given several great responses, some of which I would like to share later, but one really stuck out to me. My friend Andy (whose website of trip reports you should definitely read) gave me some really encouraging feedback. Write what I am passionate about. That seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?
At a deep level, I know that I am passionate about my faith, and I know that and cannot sit on it without action (nor do I want to). The problem is not that I don’t want to share that faith. It’s that I don’t want to be fake or corny doing it. Christian culture gives all kinds of input, advice, and even methods to do just that. How to work Jesus into any conversation comes with metrics on buzzfeed-esque “what style of evangelism is yours?” charts. Christians have a lot of noise on how to act and how to be. I do want to talk to you about the Gospel, but I want to do it without any charts or scripts. I want to share how good God is and my hope, not some regurgitated force fed nonsense hoping that you take the bait. That’s ridiculous. That’s what I don’t have any faith to do. Life that resembles a cheesy T-shirt with a ripped-off slogan (you know the type) is not inspiring at all.
So, moving forward. Does that mean more or less hikes, trip reports, reflections, or Jesus name drops per post? Maybe. Maybe not. I will just try my best to be as real with you as I can be, and what comes out will come out. I want to say what I believe is true, in all categories, and not try and sell you a line.
Of all the things I am passionate about, they are all too beautiful to be crammed down your throat.
