Weekly Blogs Blueprint

Overview:

The craze of the web these days is letting your voice be heard. Whenever it be via a social network such as Facebook or Twitter, forums, posting reviews on ITunes or Amazon, or writing a blog on any topic under the sun—everyone has an opinion and wants it to be shared. The topics are endless: Sports, fashion, movies, hobbies, book reviews, politics, music preferences, memories–you name it. So what’s the difference with the SHOUT IT Ministries blogs from what you’ll find everywhere else? For starters, these blogs are written with you in mind in helping you become who God made you to be. They are not written for personal amusement or just to voice my own personal opinion. Another reason they are written is to open your eyes to the truth–what’s going on in the church and world today, what the Bible really says about current issues, why Christianity corresponds with reality, and how you personally can apply these truths into your everyday life. These blogs are also in-depth, but at the same time not too hard to comprehend no matter where you currently stand in your walk with Christ. If you can’t understand the terminology or jargon I’m using then all the effort put into writing them is in vain. So every effort is made to help you in grasping the truth and how to apply it into your everyday life. Finally, these blogs are weekly and follow a systematic format (grouped in parts)–so you can pick up where you left off and built on your understanding and knowledge of your faith. Here are the core reasons for the weekly blogs:

• To give you a solid foundation on Apologetics(the defense of Christianity)
• Show the truths of the Bible and how they correspond to our everyday lives
• Discuss and educate on current topics in our society and church
• Provide examples on how to apply these truths to your life
• Place a passion in people’s hearts to read, study, and mediate on God’s Word

Topics to Be Discussed

The topics, first and foremost, will deal with the Christian faith in some way or another. This is the starting point of all topics and issues we look at. This doesn’t mean though that there are a limited amount of things to discuss. On the contrary, there is an endless amount of topics and issues that are going to be analyzed, discussed, and studied. Current topics that relate to our society, nation, and the world as a whole will be looked at from a Christian worldview. Also current issues facing the church will be looked at such as false prophets, the wealth and health gospel, TV evangelism, and the emphasis on entertainment over growth. Another large area we’ll dive into is Apologetics; like the evidence for the flood, the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, why evil and suffering exist, the case for a young earth, and the evidence against evolution. Finally, the other large area of topics that will be discussed is Christian living and we’ll cover a huge range of topics: Prayer, stewardship, integrity, relationships, evangelism, worship, reading and studying the Bible, surrender, spiritual disciplines–you name it. So in conclusion, the blogs are going to cover just about everything in the Christian worldview; so there’s no reason to think that we’ll run out of topics to read, study, analyze, and discuss on.

The Theme of Alliteration

If you’re already reading the blogs on a weekly basis or even fairly new to SHOUT IT Ministries you’ll quickly pick up a trend–alliteration in the title of just about blog. Why is this? The answer is quite simple: To entice the reader that this blog is worth reading. A title is like the book cover of a blog–if it isn’t memorable or catchy you most likely wouldn’t be drawn to read the article. What’s more it’s catchy and fun to say which always helps. And who wants to read a blog that has a plain, boring, vanilla title anyways? The ultimate purpose isn’t to manipulate you but to create interest in what you’re reading. Some titles will have rhyming, others will have double meanings–but alliteration will always be the heart of the titles of the SHOUT IT blogs. In the end I want it to be a trademark of SHOUT IT Ministries to separate it from all the other blogs out there on the web. Plus there is alliteration flowing throughout SHOUT IT Ministries in the blogs and content. At SHOUT IT Ministries it’s about creating a colorful culture of creativity!  

What Features Will Be Included?

Every blog will have a title, subtitle, date of publication, inspirational thought at the beginning, pictures that illustrate the concepts, and the entry itself. The blogs themselves will vary in length but compared to most blogs found on the web–they are longer in length. On average it should take you 10-15 minutes to read a blog and if you’re a very fast reader 7-9 minutes. At the end of each blog is the Future Features section which is a personal note to you about what the next blog will be on, books and resources that I recommend for further insight of the material, and other news about upcoming attractions for SHOUT IT Ministries. Below this is the Sources section which is simply the resources I used in writing the blog. I will give credit where credit is due. On occasion there will be a video(s) provided in the blog that relates to the topic I’m discussing. More features include:

Within Shouting Distance

For every new blog there will be a link posted at the top of each blog that can be found in the subtitle found in BLUE and underlined that will direct you to a separate page for the Within Shouting Distance section. This is the subtitle of each blog. Just click on the link and you’ll be redirected to this section of the website.

 Or you can find this section by looking under the Sound Bites page titled, Within Shouting Distance. What is Within Shouting Distance? It’s where you can find a brief summary of the key points, quotes, Bible verses, and the heart of the message all in the one centralized location.

This section is titled, Within Shouting Distance for obvious reasons. The main reason is it’s another expression that uses “Shout” in it and this is after all, SHOUT IT Ministries. When this phrase is used, it’s in reference to being very close to someone or something. In essence that’s what this section is all about. The heart of the message of each blog is there, but it’s not quite “as loud” of a message if you were to read each blog in its entirety. The purposes of this section:

• Don’t like to read lengthy blogs or read at all for that matter!
• Can’t maintain focus or concentrate on reading a computer screen for a long period of time
• Don’t have time to read the blogs in full length
• Need a recap or a place to find the most important points of each Blog

Each section will be organized in the following manner:

• The Title, Date, and Part of Series(if applicable) of the Blog
• The Bible Verses(NIV) with links
• The quotes and song lyrics that apply to the lesson
• The In Summary section that gives you the key points of the blog entry
• The Radiant Reflection questions and the Can You Hear Me Now? challenge

In the future there will be PDF printable pages created for each entry that will help you be able to take the lesson with you wherever you go and to encourage you to answer the questions. This feature is set to be added in April/May of 2012. For certain blogs expect a few day delays in getting entry ready and up after each new blog is posted.

In summary, this section is not to discourage you from reading the blogs! Instead it’s being implemented to address the readers who are struggling on keeping up with the content and to add another dimension to your learning experience. I do realize that my blogs are much lengthier than the average blog found on the web and can be intimidating to read for some. Hope this section assists you greatly in your time spent with SHOUT IT Ministries.

Radiant Reflection

Radiant Reflection has a double meaning. First, we need to reflect upon what we’ve learning in the weekly blog and write it down to commit it to memory. Then we take that knowledge and apply it to our lives. When we do this, we reflect Christ to the world and become a radiant example to others in a dark world. This section follows each Blog entry and is simply a place for personal application to follow up what you learned from each lesson found in the weekly Blog. Each new section will contain 3-5 questions that will pertain to the core message from the Blog. Some questions will be simply retaining facts or information, while others will be much more personal. In the future there will be PDF printable pages created for each lesson to assist you in your learning experience(April/May 2012). I strongly urge you to consider taking the time to go over these questions. You’ll be amazed at how much more meaningful this ministry will be if you do!

Can You Hear Me Now?

“Can You Hear Me Now?” was a popular slogan used by Verizon Wireless that many still associate the cell phone company with. I choose this title mainly because it again ties it with the “Shout It” theme that runs throughout this website. Also I wanted to illustrate the point that we need to live lives that can be heard and are loud enough for everyone to hear. I’m not necessarily talking about the gift of gab; instead I mean living with a sense of purpose, direction, passion, and integrity. Showing God’s love to the broken, embracing our callings, telling others the Gospel message, and living with a reckless abandon for Christ.

Can You Hear Me Now?  is a challenge that pertains to each new lesson for you to carry out each new week. Most blog entries will have a challenge–but not all. This challenge follows the Radiant Reflection questions. Some challenges will be broader and less defined than others. Some will harder and more difficult to carry out. Regardless, I want you to think about each challenge with an open heart and ask God what to take away from each message. Following through each challenge to the bottom line isn’t what’s important here. Instead it’s recognizing what needs changed in your life, the doors God is opening up to you, and the risks that are there for the taking. Simply, getting out of our comfort zones and facing our fears. I dare you to tackle each new challenge wholeheartedly and see how God can use you each new week. Just be prepared to be amazed! These challenges will also be available on PDF printable files in April/May of 2012.

Bible Verses Links

Depending on the material and the blog’s topic, there may be quite a few Bible verses listed per week. Some are written out in full; others are simply referenced. Each Bible verse will have a link to more translations of that Bible verse such as: NLT, KJV, English Standard, and a few commentaries beneath on that verse. There’s also a wide variety of other options on the website we’ll be linking to found at http://bible.cc/ If a Bible verse is referenced you’ll be able to read it without having to grab your Bible or do a separate search later. Just click on the referenced verse (i.e. John 3:16) and you’ll be redirected to the link. This link will open on a separate window page starting in 2012. This is make it easier for you keep your place as you read the blogs.  I also think you’ll find this new feature to greatly enhance you learning experience!

How Often Will Blogs Be Written?

On average, once a week. Unlike some blogging sites there will not be more than one blog written as the norm. Why? For one, it takes a lot of time and effort to write a full length blog with research, brainstorming, and proofreading. Also because having too much material too fast usually results in information overload(and SHOUT IT Ministries provides a variety of content fro you from week to week). Instead I want you to focus on one topic a week and slowly building on what you’ve learned from week to week. Lastly, it’s no secret that most of us led busy lives and don’t have time to read several blogs a week–so having just one per week makes it easy to stay on track and easy to catch up.

Will I write a blog every single week? No. This simply isn’t reasonable or logical. Interruptions happen, holidays come, and every once and awhile I simply don’t have the time. You can expect, though, on average three blogs a month, and occasionally four. When will these blogs be posted? Due to the current schedule there is no set day of the week. You will be notified earlier in the week on the targeted date that a blog is set to be posted in the Loud and Hear section of this website.

Do I Have Any Input in this Ministry?

Yes, but compared to other ministries it’s quite limited at the moment. You’ll be able to provide comments and feedback on your thoughts about a certain blog. You can also voice your opinion on what topics and issues you want to be written in the future via e-mail or Facebook. There will be more features for you to interact on in the future, but for now this is all that’s available.

Final Thoughts:

The Weekly Blogs are the core ministry of SHOUT IT Ministries. It’s what you’ll see on the Homepage every week and most likely the ministry that is intended to reach the majority of the community that comes here. In 2012, we’ll be discussing spiritual awakening to start off the year in mid January and then begin an EPIC series on Heaven, Hell, and eternity that will carry us all the way through the rest of the year! There will be a few changes in store for next year as well!

If you aren’t regular reader of these blogs I encourage you start—not for our sake, but for yours. These blogs are written for you personally for you and it’s our desire for you to grow, mature, and become the person you were made to become. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please feel free to contact me at kylej317@gmail.com. God Bless.