Back -- And Better Than Ever!

Or at least that's what I'm aiming towards. I did have a blog a couple of years ago, but after a year or two, I eventually stopped posting for some reason. Now, I have come back to the blogging community with a few goals in mind.

1. Write about subjects of substance and relevance to both my readers and me. To be honest, my last blog was a train wreck. At least 99.9% of my posts were just words without meaning. Thinking back, it was full of a lot of bragging: my graduation, my science fair awards, my track meet results. Right now I don't know why people even read it. :D This time around, I aim to be not selfish and boasting, but rather selfless and humble.
2. Record "big days" and other memories. This goal is rather silly (and just might be opposing the first one). Recently, I was on the College Board website, filling out this page that would help for future resumes and applications. One of the areas to fill out was awards that I had received in the past. I remembered most of them, but the website also asked for the dates when I was awarded them... Like I had any clue. I just remembered it was in [fill in the blank] grade, and I was pretty happy and content with life. So I pulled up my old blog in my web browser, and lo and behold, I had written about my "accomplishments" and when I was awarded them. Bingo! So it was a good thing I didn't totally obliterate it.
3. Create an outlet. For many people it's sports. Others prefer art. Some just hold it in. For a while, I have been the last person. Going back in time, I realize that all that pent up emotion did cause several catharses. I've come to see it's not a healthy way to live. I didn't really see sports as an outlet; it was more a social thing for me (sorry to all those who hold sports higher in their lives than I do). I found I'm not all that great at any type of art expect for tracing. :P So I tried diaries... They never really stuck with me. I think others will say they did this same drill I did: buy a really cute diary, write in it religiously for a couple days, then forget about it. It's really sad cause my last one was extremely adorable. See for yourself:

   

   Yes, I even bought the bag AND the stickers!

   I just think blogging is better for me, because there is this accountability you have to account for (haha, repetition) when there are others reading it. But don't worry, we won't have any "OMG, he actually said something to me today!" type of writing. ;)
4. Improve writing skills. Sad, I know. Actually using the internet as a way to help my educational career?! The thing is, I'm a pretty slow writer. It takes a while for me to think about subjects enough that I feel comfortable writing about it. (Just ask my English teacher. He knows how slow I am at writing those practice SAT essays.) I think blogging will aid my overall writing skills by improving (or at least using) a larger vocabulary and learning to think quickly and write fast but thoroughly.
5. Learn opinions from teenagers like me. Since I go to a tiny, tiny Christian school (I'm talking approximately 13 people from freshmen to seniors) and live on an island in the middle of nowhere, I don't get many opinions about how Christians should live in this corrupted culture. I think writing a blog like this would encourage others to voice their own beliefs as well. 
6. Challenge and inspire others in their Christian lives. Probably the most important goal... But first, confession time. I find that going to a private Christian school, attending youth group weekly, going through two Bible studies, and listening to a sermon every Sunday doesn't always provoke me enough. Am I the only one who feels this way? I don't know. It almost feels like Christian authorities are too afraid to speak about things that are directly related to how we live because of how involved many of us are in today's worldly culture and how it might scare us away. Or maybe they're afraid of how it'll affect the way that they personally live. It might just be that it's harder for them to communicate and talk about. I'm not really sure. Nevertheless, I would like to have a place that does present that challenge. Just Christian music or not? Only religious books or not? Those are the things that interest me. And who knows? *shrugs* Maybe on the path of finding what God wants for me, I can inspire others to do the same.

Phew! That took a long time to write. Don't worry, my other blog posts will definitely not be this long. Seeing that I'm on spring break, I actually have time to keep blabbing on like this. Speaking about blab, guess what? Reading it over, there are still a whole bunch of "I"s in it... Haha, I should write that down as a goal: Stop blabbing about myself. :P After all, it's not about me; it's about Him. Hope you all have a great day!

Do you ever find yourself annoyed by people who only talk about themselves only to realize that you do the same thing?