Why Blog?

I love Christian philosopher Edith Schaeffer’s statement: “Whatever form art takes, it gives outward expression to what otherwise would remain locked in the mind unshared…Art in various forms expresses and gives opportunity to others to share in, and respond to, things which would otherwise remain vague, empty yearnings.”

I truly identify with this sentiment. And those yearnings she speaks of—I feel them. That art form, in my case, is writing. One can learn so much about another’s heart and mind through his or her writing. And on the flip side, to be the releaser of thoughts and ideas through writing is freeing.

Martin Luther once said, “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” And then there’s Jesus Christ, who commanded me as a follower of his: “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (Mark 16:15)

I don’t know about changing the whole world. That seems like a pretty big task. But I’ll write for anyone who may stumble across my words and care to listen.

Let me quote another wise man, who just so happens to be my husband Gary. He makes the task seem a little less daunting. “Tend your own garden. Do the work that is in front of you.” So I will tend my little garden; I’ll write for my little world.

But I don’t want this blog to be about me so much; I want it to be about what God is doing in me—through the wisdom of scripture, the power of prayer, the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the counsel of Godly friends.

Why the name “God Lens,” you may ask? Because my life looks different—clearer— when the God lens, that lens of truth, is applied to it—laid over it.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12)

I remember when I was in the fourth grade; I got my first pair of glasses, big and pink as they were. I sat in the back of the classroom at school and could hardly make out the words on the chalkboard. I was amazed at what those new lenses did for me. So this is what seeing is like, I thought to myself.

When my life is filtered through scripture and prayer; truth is revealed, lies are exposed and beauty is found in the mundane. I am beckoned to live transparently. In one of her books, Sheila Walsh refers to Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica; he confessed: “We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8) Walsh says, “That is my template. I believe in the power of the Word of God and the transparency of our own journeys.”

And how does the power of the Word work itself out practically in my own life? That’s what I want to explore here—not abstract theological philosophies that have no bearing on how I live, but how God’s word shapes my days, my attitudes and my actions. How does it transform me from the inside out? What does Christ-life look like for this 34-year-old mother of two when the God lens is laid over it?