It’s Been One Year!

Well, well. It’s been one entire year of blogging. And what a year it has been! And somehow, blogging seems to have had very little to do with making it the year it’s been! But to celebrate and commemorate, I decided to write a special post summarizing this year in blogging.

First, The Story Behind the Name

My Mom, who hosts several very professional and very fun blogs, had been telling me that I should start a blog. “What would I say?” I always said. I don’t know how long she told me, “You can talk about anything; you can share all sorts of stuff. And it will be so easy; I will help you!” Finally, in August, we got together and while I tried to come up with a name, she searched to see if it was available. I tried several names, but I don’t remember what they all were. I didn’t have one particular subject that I knew I would talk about, so it was a little tough. All I knew is that it would be where I talked about things close to my heart, shared missions stories and information that I had found through long and hard searches, Bible studies, funny videos, or interesting happenings in life. I thought about names like, “This Earthen Vessel,” or “One Candle,” or “Scraps,” but finally I said, “Hey, what about As In a Mirror?” Mom looked it up and found it was available. “Cool!”

Okay, now if only I could come up with a username.

I tried a couple totally spontaneous goofy names, but either they wouldn’t fit or they were taken. The only simple one I could think of to describe myself was “Pilgrim.” But, of course, it was taken.

So I was thinking hard over the next couple of days to come up with some sort of name that would make sense, and that would stick. What username would fit with “As in a Mirror?…….”

Then I had an absolutely crazy idea: Alice! No, not THAT Alice; the OTHER Alice. It made sense and it stuck. (BTW, I know nothing about THAT Alice; only that she was the main character in a book called, “Through the Looking Glass.” That’s all I know, for real! So I authored the name I am now known by on the internet by. Sheer. Ignorance. But it stuck!)

The Story of the First Year in Posts

So I posted my first post, introducing myself and my new blog. As In a Mirror.com officially started on September 2, 2009. That day I also did my first post in participation with the Word for Wednesday meme, hosted by akaGaGa.com. I would say that my continuing (though sporatic!) participation in this meme has been the most significant part of this blog. How much we benefit from being able to study the Word of God, and how wonderful it is to share with other believers and learn with and from each other! If all I ever did on this blog was Word for Wednesdays, I think it would be worth it! Sharing the Word of God helps us to learn better, I think.

What I immediately set out to do on this blog was share information I have found only through long and hard research and study. It’s information that is not usually easily attainable. Most of it has to do with missions, and by far it has to do with the story of Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and Operation Auca– the story made popular by the book Through the Gates of Splendor, the documentary Beyond the Gates of Splendor, and the movie End of the Spear. The story changed my life forever; I have found out things about this story that are not well-known, that make it even more wonderful. Thus it really blesses me to know that so many people have ended up at my blog while searching for information on that story. I even decided to create a dedicated “Operation Auca” category, as you can see on my sidebar. One of the most incredible things I found out I shared in a post called Choirs of Angels. That post has become my third most popular post. I tell you, I would have started a blog just to share that story!

I also shared photos of the tribe discovered in Brazil in 2008 here. That got it’s share of popularity, and I feel glad about that. I just feel unrest in my spirit about one thing: who will reach them first? Somebody with God’s Word? Some humanist anthropologist? Those greedy crooked companies who want their land and resources? Lord, help us.

Over the course of this year, my most popular post has been my review of Hillsong’s Faith+Hope+Love Album. Actually, that surprised me! It wasn’t a post I worked incredibly hard on, or was even the most excited about. However, I wrote it to hopefully get attention to Hillsong Live’s music, knowing that a review of their most recent album (at the time; it was the 2009 release) would be most relevant. I thought, “Well, somebody’s got to write a positive review for the sake of some genuine seeker out there!” Most reviews I have read on Hillsong albums are actually pretty negative. I didn’t understand how it could be, but the main complaint is that worship music is just too “boring.” No, I’m not kidding. And yes, I did write a long rant. I left it in the “Drafts” bin because it is such a controversial subject, I guess, and because of other things going on in my life I didn’t want to attract the other kinda people who do internet searches… looking for someone to accuse.

I love inspirational books, not so much teaching books; I learn a lot better if I see a principle in action in a situation or in somebody’s life. Thus, I read a TON of biographies and similar books. Some of my favorite authors have been Elisabeth Elliot, Corrie ten Boom, and Geoff and Janet Benge. I love Ray Comfort’s writing so much, but I actually have not gotten any of his books; how I would love to! Anyhow, I tried to post a book review every month for a few months, but afterward lost almost all time to read any books, let alone write reviews! Hopefully I will be able to continue later on. We’ll have to wait and see! My most popular review has been of Brother Yun’s The Heavenly Man. This makes me so happy, because Brother Yun has been attacked pretty fiercely, and I am afraid not many have really heard of the mighty work the Holy Spirit is doing in Brother Yun’s homeland of China.

Early on, I joined a weekly meme hosted by my bloggy friend Miss Szymanski, who hosts In Defense of the Christian Faith. We share Inspiring Stories of God at work! Actually, I did my best to be faithful in this meme, but, unfortunately, as with every other meme so far, my participation has dwindled for the time being, because life away from the computer for me has been totally consuming and draining. I do wish it weren’t so; reading stories and sharing stories is so beneficial, but I lack the time to put them together. However, Miss Szymanski, I haven’t given up entirely! Lord willing, I’ll be back!

In December, my brother The Brick Buster created the Story Challenge, inviting anyone who so desires to write a story on his or her blog, in weekly updates if need be. When he mentioned it, I was reminded of an idea for a story I had a while back. The theme had resulted from a burden God placed on my heart regarding taking the gospel to those who have not yet been told. There are a lot of people groups in isolated wilderness who categorize here. There are also a lot of people within the Western world and even the Christian church who categorize here. I wanted to present the real struggles a missionary faces, as well as to challenge young people, especially young men, to be who God’s called them to be no matter the odds or the cares of life. This generation is the one that has not known true leadership or true fatherhood. They have not known who God is. I also wanted to show that our mission field may not be the deep and dark jungles of Africa, but all the people right in front of us. I also wanted to get the word out about indigenous missionaries and the incredible potential they have beyond the reaches of the “white man.” I wanted to show in a story that God wants young people to seek Him; He wants to use us for something greater than ourselves. I wanted to produce a story that young people could pick up and not only understand, but identify with; for them to see the struggles going on inside other young people while they observe the works of God around them, as well as the fearful and heartrending things. People seem to cry out for reality; I want to show them the reality of the gospel at work, that they can be a part of it. I knew this would work if I presented multiple characters with multiple personalities, so I minimized to four, while “zooming in” on one. I actually wasn’t sure that I’d post this story; but when my brother showed his support and then my other friends did as well, I started asking God about it again. After a little while, I believed that it was indeed time to let this thing out of my heart, though I was not sure how often or how quickly I would be able to work on it. So far, I have posted a whopping 5 updates on my story so far. It really is an intense project, and I honestly don’t know what kind of time the Lord wills that I put into it. Many, many little things have led me to believe that this really is from Him; the main thing is that the story itself is the result of several burdens the Lord has laid on my heart. They are godly burdens, and I think this story, though fiction, is one that needs to be told, because it collects the truth of so many different real-life situations. However, my own life has kind of come to a halt for a little while, but I do believe that these other things I have temporarily let go of will come into play again. So, that is the “story” of another hugely significant thing that has happened to me because of this blog. Thanks, brother!

I’ve always liked to keep things categorized and simple; you can probably tell from my blog template. All the categories I’ve posted under are listed on the sidebar at the top.
Of course, there’s got to be an “Uncategorized” category; the stuff I didn’t know where to put. It’s not boring, though! You can find some fun and nifty stuff in there!
All the categories describe the various stuff I post about here; my original purpose has always been to present and discuss very deep things, the immaterial stuff that matters so much. I like to think outside of the box, to evaluate and weigh “the vast and lasting scale of things.” Out of all that goes on in life, what’s going to last forever? What do we do with the little time we have? The image in the mirror will become clearer.

I also post things of interest to me personally. I love music! I have found some really great stuff by following Jay’s blog. Actually, I think I link to him a LOT. I also love photography! I do so love art and the beauty of God’s creation. I love perspective and effect; I don’t just like to listen to music or observe art and photography, I like to MAKE music happen and I like to MAKE artwork and to TAKE a camera to show you not just what I see, but the way I want you to see it! That’s another thing; I recently joined my friend Renee‘s meme Something Beautiful. She has a very similar passion for beauty, and this meme allows us to share the simple, beautiful things that God puts in our lives. Out of four weeks so far (wow!) I have only missed one! That’s purty dern good for me! And believe it or not, I’ve got a real quirky side. As evidenced in the way I spelled that word in my Categories sidebar. I’m creative!

I also love MISSIONS! No better news than the Good News, and news about how it is reaching people who have never heard it before, from the jungles to the United States. Two blogs that I follow are by missionaries in Borneo, more specifically, Kalimantan, Dave and Joy Forney. Dave’s a missionary pilot and Joy is his incredible missionary wife who raises and homeschools their five kids! They are people who obviously love what they do, and the stories and the pictures they share are totally amazing; you can see on the internet what real missionaries are doing! If they or the churches in Indonesia need prayer, they will tell you and you can find out the day they do! I also closely follow the work of Living Waters, Ray Comfort‘s ministry. What I have found is that they are incredibly generous people who love the Lord; they literally let nothing stand in their way when it comes to preaching the gospel and reaching lost people, whoever they may be. They’ve got guys who every weekend will preach at street corners, at traffic lights, in town squares, at schools, at courthouses, or to individuals (all within the boundaries of the law). They sell materials to help you do the same– and they sell them below production cost! They work very hard to strategically get the gospel into the hands of people in the U.S. and elsewhere who have never heard. They work just as hard to help Christians to share their faith without fear. They do most of this through the Ambassador’s Academy and the School of Biblical Evangelism. And that’s just it; they don’t preach the “Try Jesus” gospel; they preach the Biblical gospel, and they are prepared to give answers to genuine seekers about support for the Christian faith. Check them out!

Basic Summary of the First Year

One year it has been, and I’ve never joined a blogroll, never wrote a sponsored post, never counted any more followers than could fit on my hand, and yet I’ve had people from all over the world come to my blog searching for things that probably could not be easily found. Out of my few faithful followers, whose thoughtful and heartfelt comments have blessed me so much, six of them I know personally! That actually amuses me quite a bit. It’s pretty much what could have been expected; I’ve never been a social bug or a geek. But thank God for geeks, otherwise I would not know how to run this blog! BTW, my Mom’s The Older Geek! Check her out!

At any rate, I think of all the people who came here who had searched for “Nate Saint angels,” “Brother Yun,” “Operation Auca Life Magazine,” “Martyred missionaries south america 1956,” “Jim Elliot foreigners singing in the trees,” “the heavenly man,” “grain of wheat quotes,” and I pray that though I heard nothing from these people, that they were touched and blessed.

One the amusing note, some searches that have led people to my blog make me laugh. My favorites:
michael tait’s mom
stature of joel houston
images on living waters dollar bill tracts

Don’t know how those first two people got here!

I have received two awards; my first being the Superior Scribbler Award from my Mom at New York Renovator. I got a real kick out of this award! It was my FIRST AWARD!! And I love the name. Then Renee awarded me the Sunshine Award! To let me know that I am sun-shiney! And then my brother, the Brick Buster, gave it to me again, and then another young Adventures in Odysey blogger gave it to me again! I was so flattered that Marvin liked my blog actually. He’s 13 years old and he likes my blog! How cool! And one of the reasons he likes it is because we both like Hillsong United! Cool again!

Blogging is nice; it’s not a huge part of my life, and I don’t expect it to be, but it’s a great place to share deep things, quirky things, interesting things; it’s a great vent. Uh, I mean, I don’t really want this to be a place where I put off my steam, but it’s been a great place to get the deep things out of my heart that I have difficulty getting out through my mouth.

The Highlight of the Year

I mentioned above that I haven’t found myself with many followers, but a lot of visitors. Some leave a comment, but most don’t. However, I was not long ago blessed by what has been probably the most exciting happening on this blog to me. A man stopped by and left a comment on one of my Word for Wednesdays. His name is Robert Lloyd Russell. Here’s what he said:

WOW!! I stumbled upon your blog accidentally (actually providentially) and found it heartwarming, factual, and inspiring! This article hits the mark and is close to my passions (I wrote a book – “THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH: Understanding God’s Will for You”).
Then I started looking at the rest of your site and found all the information about the 5 missionaries! I lived with Jim Elliot when I was a small boy. Recently, I released a book containing transcribed messages of his. These were wire recordings (a forerunner of magnetic tape). The first two of the messages are directly about the Christian life and were addressed to to 7th and 8th graders (“JIM ELLIOT: A Christian Martyr Speaks to You”).
May God richly bless your blogging, all of your ministry, and your life and service for Him.
In Him,
Robert Lloyd Russell
ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???!!!! How cool is that! I was so honored! I do feel so humbled when an older person commends me, and especially when they say, “Wow!” And he left me with such an awesome benediction. Mr. Russell is an author who also runs a very inspirational weekly blog of topics in the Word of God. His presentation is very simple and systematic and I have loved it! To top it off, I feel that I practically “met” over the internet… somebody who knew Jim Elliot!!!!! To me, that is REALLY incredible. Only God knows how much Jim Elliot’s witness has meant to me; he is a real Father in the Faith to me. I feel it is like a dream come true. Maybe this seems a little over-enthusiastic, but I am really stoked, because this man has blessed me beyond what I think anyone else could know. To think, fifty years after he died! He had no idea! Thank you so much, Mr. Russell, for your kind words! An AUTHOR (that’s a guy who writes books!) who is a CHRISTIAN who has been around for a while who KNEW JIM ELLIOT visited and liked my blog!!!!!! How happy am I!

So by the grace of God, here be I! And He has given me so much. I thank Him for all He’s given me and my family; I would also like to thank Him for blessing this blog, such a small thing, really. Thank You, God, for blessing everyone who came by here. Thank You for bringing me thus far, thank You that this time has helped me to see that image in the mirror a little clearer. Thank You for helping me through everything else in my life, and I ask that You would be my guide through this next year, on the blog and elsewhere. I have been so encouraged by Your precious children through this blog; keep them, Lord. Your will be done for this next year!

Y’all, thank you for celebrating with me; thank you for coming through with me this year; thank you so much for your thoughtful comments! Have a great next year!