Beginning at the Beginning

Every blog has a beginning - a reason to start writing. My blog has two reasons for existing.

First, I like to write. It is how I learn. The finished product is not nearly so important as the process of producing. For years I have studied the Gospel of Jesus Christ by reading the scriptures and pondering, and for me, pondering always takes the form of writing. I have produced several volumes of my scriptural ponderings, which I have shared with my family from time to time. Whether they have read my ramblings is somewhat of a mystery, since I have not received any feedback from them. Nevertheless, I have written, and in the writing, the Holy Ghost has taught me.

If the love of writing were my only reason for blogging, I would not bother to blog. I could happily write in my little vacuum and be content with the result. I would be satisfied that perhaps someday after I am on the other side of the veil someone would find my stack of musings and leaf through them and find a few nuggets worth remembering.

However, the real impetus behind initiating this blog is not about writing, but rather about sharing. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am under a mandate from the Lord to share His Gospel. Recently, the General Authorities have been encouraging the members of the LDS Church to create a presence in the digital community and extend their sharing efforts into the realm of social media. People are doing everything these days on the Internet, from buying cars to dating. We need to go where the people are if we are going to share the Gospel, and the people are increasingly on the Internet. So here I am.