A couple years ago, I experimented with a new blog called “Shade for the Shepherd: Helping Pastors Endure in Ministry and Avoid Burnout.” I abandoned the project pretty quickly and decided to stick with my current blog “Pinch of Clay,” which allows me to write more broadly on many topics that interest me including church leadership, theology, family news, and even hobbies like astronomy and hiking.

When I first started writing a new blog to encourage pastors, I asked, “Why am I starting a blog? Who am I trying to reach?” Although I closed down that site, I think the answers to those questions still guide me as I decide what and when to write here. Three reasons came to mind:

The Need for Encouragement. Pastors need encouragement, and one of the chief ways they can be encouraged is by other pastors who know what it’s like to be in the trenches. The Apostle Paul talked about mutual encouragement in the opening verses of Romans. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:11-12). Someone might read this blog and wonder if it’s some kind of cathartic exercise or cry for help. By God’s grace, I do not struggle deeply with depression, but I know pastors who do. I have never contemplated suicide, but I had a friend who not only considered it, but carried it out. I’m quite familiar with the labors and dry seasons of ministry. A healthy dose of encouragement would help more ministers finish strong. A few years ago, Warren Wiersbe passed away. Some knew him as “The Pastors’ Pastor.” Jerry Vines says, “He encouraged and taught, by example, thousands of pastors and multiplied thousands of laypeople in the convention to do biblical exposition.” That title “The Pastors’ Pastor” always stood out to me, even as a kid. Perhaps it was God already tugging at my heart to pursue ministry and teaching me that pastors have a difficult job in shepherding, and should never go it alone. It is a sad reality, but relationships inside the church often deplete a pastor’s energy. A pastor must also cultivate relationships that renew, invigorate, and sustain.

The Joy of Writing. Writing is both art and science. It is a discipline of soul that takes your accumulated knowledge, marries it to your personality, and ignites it through imagination. Actually, writing is closely related to preaching. Most ministers would become better preachers if they would do more writing. This is one of the benefits of college and seminary — they teach you how to write. Tim Challies has blogged nearly every day since 2003 and says there’s still a need for more Christian blogs. “I am convinced the church will be healthier and those ministry sites will ultimately have better material to share if we continue to have a thriving Christian blogosphere.” For me personally, the dual disciplines of journaling and blogging (albeit sporadic) have made me a better writer and clearer thinker. I have written hundreds of posts already and wish to focus even more on pastors and aspiring pastors. I still have a long way to go in learning to write. But I enjoy the process, and hopefully along the way I say something that helps someone else.

The Providence of God. Nothing happens by accident. God uses every conversation and every circumstance to conform us into the image of Christ and make us a sharper instrument. I pray my gifts and experience could be used by God to encourage others. I spent my childhood years as a “PK” (pastor’s kid), went through church splits and drama, was blessed with a great theological education and broad ministry training, have countless godly role models, have been trained as a pastor coach, have weathered several family health and church unity crises, and have nearly 20 years experience as a pastor. These are no cause for boasting. My heart is grateful that God would use me at all. But these life lessons and experiences become a kind of stewardship. Young pastors often say they wish they had more mentors. I hope to make a small dent by providing an encouragement and example, and connecting them with others who can continue the conversation.

I prefer to write a couple times a week and have more ideas on topics such as rest, peacemaking, endurance, family time, prayer, productivity, book reviews, and pastor interviews. Out of curiosity, what are you looking for in a blog? What topics are missing? What do you enjoy reading the most? What has been most helpful to you in the past, and what would you like to see more of? Please subscribe and join the conversation!

I first began blogging with Myspace, then migrated to Google Blogger, and eventually here at WordPress. I’ve always enjoyed this medium, and have been blessed by power bloggers such as Tim Challies and Justin Taylor. I’ve also had some great conversations with friends right here on this blog. But I think my greatest roadblock to blogging more frequently is that I’m afraid it might not be polished enough.

I wonder if this fear runs against the very purpose of a blog (web log), which according to Google, is “A regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.”

My creative side wants to blog more, but my perfectionist side wants to polish a post so much that, frankly, I don’t end up blogging very often. Would I write more if I was less concerned about polish?

Last October, I attended a technology seminar by Carlos Whittaker at the CSBC who described social media phenomena such as Instagram and Snapchat as “disposable media.” They are like styrofoam cups, which were never intended to be kept, but rather were designed to be consumed, then thrown away.

Instagram and Snapchat are certainly different media than a blog, which is a more permanent record stored somewhere out there in the world wide web. Nevertheless, a blog is still meant to be different from a book or periodical. Now, some bloggers are professional writers and their blogs are full blown websites. But for most of us, blogs are meant to be just plain, ordinary journals, with nothing particularly power or profound. If I’m not mistaken, they are supposed to be instant and disposable. Or as Google says in the definition above, “informal or conversational.”

And I think that’s where I’ve gone wrong. I’ve treated a blog too much like a formal publication, rather than disposable media. In today’s post, I limited myself to writing this post in just ten minutes, then going back and editing it for another ten minutes.

I wonder, is it better to write better, content-rich posts less frequently (more like an article)? Or rougher, stream-of-consciousness style posts more frequently (more like a journal)? I suppose it depends on the author and his or her industry or platform. But for most of us, blogging should represent quick thoughts from the heart. I’ll see if I can do a better job in the year ahead.

So now, even though I could no doubt do more to editing, expanding, and refining, I’m going to click “publish” on this post. Let’s take this thing live…

Clay. The land of Israel is littered with it. Millions of shards of pottery that whisper of ancient people and their everyday lives. Could there be any better metaphor for something brief and ordinary?

Yesterday, as I was preparing for Wednesday Night Bible Study,  I came across a verse in the Book of Job I’d never seen before. Elihu says, “Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was pinched off from a piece of clay” (Job 33:6).

You and I are nothing but clay. Humble, fragile, and quickly forgotten. But in the hands of a Perfect Potter, we become useful, dignified, even priceless.

I’d already been thinking of changing things up on my blog, and when I saw this verse, I knew it was time.  My heart still beats for church revitalization and leadership development. But looking at my schedule, I can see God has not called me (at this stage anyway) to spend a lot of time blogging about ministry training and leadership development. There are other sites such as 9marks.org and practicalshepherding.com that tackle the subject far better than I could.

So I’m closing up shop at my old blog, “Pass the Cloak.” All those articles have been copied over to this site and are still available to view. This blog, however, returns to the original meaning of a “blog.” It is a “web log.” A journal, of sorts. Simple thoughts from an ordinary pastor, serving the Great Potter. Nothing too polished or refined here. Just the sort of thing you’d expect from a pinch of clay.

If you’re reading this post, then congratulations, you’ve successfully navigated over to my new blog site! I’m sorry for the inconvenience in switching. Change is always easier said than done.

My new web address is a bit easier to remember (http://stephen-jones.blogspot.com). But the title of my blog was the main reason for switching. I’ve always wanted a title that was a bit “catchier” than The Desert Chronicle. Finally, I decided on “Life Under the Sun.” I think it fits exactly what this blog is all about.

The phrase “under the sun” comes from Ecclesiastes. Solomon uses it a total of 29 times in his book. It is a major theme and first appears in his opening question, “What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?” (Eccl. 1:3). Here are my two favorite occurrences of the phrase:

Ecclesiastes 5:18 Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.

What does the expression “under the sun” mean?

“This phrase (also translated as ‘under heaven’ in Eccl. 1:13; 2:3; 3:1) describes life lived here on this earth, as God has been pleased to place us. In these two verses (Eccl. 1:2, 3), the Preacher has established one of his principal ideas: Life may seem pointless because it is quickly passing. It is the burden of the rest of his book to help the assembly of the wise understand how to truly value life because it does indeed pass so very quickly.” (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary).

“This phrase is synonymous with ‘under heaven’ and ‘on earth.’ Paul’s equivalent is ‘this present evil age’ (Gal. 1:4). The energies poured into earthly kingdoms are often of no value to the kingdom of heaven (Mark 8:36). By contrast, the work of the Lord is not in vain (John 6:27–29; 1 Cor. 15:58)” (Reformation Study Bible).

And that’s really what this blog is all about – the pain and pleasure of following Christ on this earth. The complexities of life and leadership, where God has been pleased to place us. This is not merely a chronicle of events by a desert-dwelling pastor, but a quest to love God, love people, and find meaning in this quickly-passing life “under the sun.”

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Well, it’s taken me a while, but I finally got around to starting a blog. I hope to post new blogs about once a week to begin with.

The big news in my family’s life right now is that my son is scheduled to have open-heart surgery in a couple weeks. We are praying for God to heal our little guy, and for us to stay faithful to the Lord through this whole trial.