New blog...take 2
joeacast
A few years back I had a regular blog rolling. I was faithfully putting up new posts (at least annually, sometimes monthly, and for a short season -- 7 days -- weekly) and starting to attract a small following (my mom, wife and almost two others...plus or minus two). Then something tragic happened. I took a vacation, I didn't blog the entire time I was gone, and the next time I logged in, 12 months had passed. 12 months?! I discovered what few before me had known: 12 months between posts kills your following, even one has substantial as mine. My own mother wouldn't check back in.
Today I'm turning over a new blog-shaped leaf. I will use this site to update my readers (come on mom...give me another chance!) with the latest information from Overboard Ministries. Overboard Ministries represents the heartbeat that my wife and I try to live by. It comes from a story in Matthew 14 where Jesus is out walking on the water. Peter and the other eleven disciples are in a boat when Jesus comes strolling by and Peter says, "If it's you, tell me to come to you on the water". Jesus confirms his identity and Pete is the only other human being in history to walk on water (sorry folks, Chris Angel's water walking was just a trick!).
As the story goes on, Peter looks around at the wind and waves surrounding him and he loses faith -- he sinks. Jesus saves Peter and when the two get safely into the boat, Jesus rebukes him for taking his eyes off of Christ and putting them onto the storm. Most of the time when I've heard sermons, read commentaries and listened to people speak about this, they focus on Peter's failure. Obviously that's a big part of the story. But I like to remember that PETER WALKED ON WATER! Jesus' rebuke was a reminder that with faith in Him, Peter could accomplish anything and Ol' Pete got a small glimpse of that while walking on water during a stormy night on the Sea of Galilee.
However, it's not Peter that's the focus of Overboard Ministries; it's the other eleven men still in the boat. They sat and watched Peter walk on water while they themselves stayed where life was -- at least for that moment -- comfortable. They knew the boat. They trusted the boat. They felt secure with their friends who were also in the boat. But Jesus wasn't in the boat.
Overboard Ministries exists to help people live their God-designed life out of the comfort of the boat, and out on the waters where Jesus is building His Kingdom. I hope that this blog will serve as a mouthpiece for that message and that through the ramblings, information and general musings of this site, you also my grab the sides of the boat and jump out in faith. You will learn about great resources from Overboard ministries including authors, books, speakers, teachers, curriculum, artists, blogs, musicians, performers, preachers and anyone or anything else that helps promote the Overboard life.
Make sure you subscribe so that you can receive notices when updates occur. If things go well, that should be more than once every 12 months. [polldaddy poll=5113434]