Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The reach of this blog: something to pray about

I have often said that one of the most tantalizing things about ministering on the internet, including blogging, is that one literally never knows who is dropping by. I know I have maybe 800 visitors a day, up or down. Who are they? What are they going through? What is their life-situation? Are they atheists, pantheists, Mormons, Moslems, Roman Catholics, Hindus?

I get enough email feedback that stokes the curiosity and rewards the hope... such as the woman in a difficult marriage who was challenged and helped by the article addressed to wives, the pastor who needed a last-minute sermon aid when caught by surprise, the fellow finding his way back to Christ.

Only eternity will tell. That's the tantalizing element.

I got the tiniest (but sweetest) foretaste at the last Together for the Gospel, when again and again complete strangers stopped me, thanked me for the ministry of the blogs, had a kind or encouraging word... then went their way.

You pastors, who support missions: do you see the missionary potential of a blog. If you found that someone in your congregation regularly bore witness of Christ to people from all the continents except Antarctica would you want to be involved, at least make that ministry an item for prayer? Wellsir, that's this ministry, by the grace of God.

Look at the map of visits from 3/7/2009 - 3/7/2010:


There are dots from left to right, and from up to down.

I can't detail all the specifics; there are too many. But they include: Singapore (1460), Phillippines (1048), Soughh Africa (650), India (640), Indonesia (398), Hong Kong (365), Republic of Korea (337), Israel (150), and other countries such as Romania, Japan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Greece, China, Kuwait, Lebanon, and literally dozens of others. Places my feet will almost surely never go, but my fingertips have borne a witness there, praise God.

It is a fruit of a search I've been on for literally decades: the most fruitful way to give what the Lord's given me. I still look for other ways, particularly for a way to be able to do it fulltime. But what I've got, these blogs and the web site give me the opportunity to disseminate. And they in turn have birthed other opportunities such as conferences and guest preaching and books.

Now, this blog is far more eclectic in content than Pyro. I wish I could find the quotation from a commenter who absolutely nailed the designed difference between the two: Pyro is like listening to a pastor preach or teach, BibChr is like hanging around with a pastor, hearing about what interests him and what he thinks about things. Who knows who clicks on a movie review (we get many visits from IMDB's movie reviews), and ends up with a witness to Christ? Or who comes because of a silly article, but reads further, or checks out How Can I Know God? or Pyro?

That map will change shortly. They archive it and start over after a year, so it doesn't turn into a big red smear. But Lord willing, the flow of visits will continue.

Pray for them, and me.

And thank you for being part of the flow.

And now to you I say, don't underestimate the impact of your labors! You will never know who might stumble across your blog, or your comments here; and your words will be just what the Holy Spirit uses to do a good work in their hearts!


Sow well, sow generously, pray, trust the harvest to God.

25 comments:

Truth Unites... and Divides said...

God bless your ministry, DJP. May he bless it abundantly.

Brad Williams said...

*sigh* I used to have a cool blog. And visitors. Those were the days. I should write more consistently over there or something.

JackW said...

Are you sure that all those red dots are not just places that Phil Johnson checked out your site during his travels?

DJP said...

Oh... hadn't thought of that....

Andrew said...

Well, you can be sure that a few of the Brazilian ones are from me.

Aaron said...

I'm sure some of those mappoints were from my travels too, Australia and the Philppines being among them. However, I have many "electronic" friends from xbox or other social media. A few of them I have sent text messages, etc. with links to your How to know God. It's helpful because sometimes a person is not willing to listen to me evangelize at that moment but I hope that at some point they will click on the link. I consider it to be the electronic version of handing out a tract.

I've also met Christians and others during my travels that I try to refer to your blogs.

Persis said...

Keep blogging, brother. Your ministry has been a help to me - both here and at Pyro.

GZimmy said...

Horrors! I just realized I didn't have Biblical Christianity posted on my blogroll!

Fixed it!

Rebecca Stark said...

Oh, I see my dot! And Phil hasn't been here so that one's genuine. :)

Mike Westfall said...

I appreciate your blogging, Dan! Thanks for the work you pour into it.

Jon said...

Well, I thought this blogger was different, but then he delved into the gross sin of Twittering...

Oh wait... that's not a bad thing. Keep up the great work Phil!

Death or Glory Toad said...

I didn't have you on blogroll either. Most disappointing since I read BC every day. Thank you for the good reading. More than entertainment!

Anonymous said...

Dan, as the writer of a blog with significantly less reach than yours (OK, so "reach" is probably a stretch when referring to my breadth of readership), I thank you for this encouragement. I have often, and even recently, been ready to just drop the thing and close up shop. When I think and pray and study and put forth something I think is edifying and useful and Christ-honoring, and then see 2-3 visits per day reading it, I think "what's the point"? But I also have visitors from across the globe on a regular basis, coming to my blog from a Google search on things like "praying for God's grace", or "the supremacy of Christ". And then I'm encouraged that my little corner of the cyber-frontier may be of some use to the Kingdom. And so I continue.

Just thanks for reminding me of that again. And bless you for your continued blogfulness. And I'll again be one of those people at T4G and BoB shaking your hand and telling you how much it's appreciated.

Penn Tomassetti said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gregg Metcalf said...

Great post, thank you! I love my blog and have dedicated to God for HIs glory and the good of all people through Jesus Christ. Yet, it gets discouraging sometimes when there are so few who see it and no comments are left. You wonder if you need to change, stop, or whatever.

But you are so right. It may be one thing, one day, for one person that makes an eternal difference in their lives.

After all, it is His church, and it is His blog to use as He sees fit.

Thanks again!

Gregg Metcalf said...

Great post, thank you! I love my blog and have dedicated to God for HIs glory and the good of all people through Jesus Christ. Yet, it gets discouraging sometimes when there are so few who see it and no comments are left. You wonder if you need to change, stop, or whatever.

But you are so right. It may be one thing, one day, for one person that makes an eternal difference in their lives.

After all, it is His church, and it is His blog to use as He sees fit.

Thanks again!

Stefan Ewing said...

In light of all the places where there are red dots, are all the places where there are not red dots, which seem to correlate with places where:

(a) Internet access is not readily available, or heavily monitored or censored by the state; and/or...

(b) There is a de facto or de jure absence of religious freedom.

Penn Tomassetti said...

Your posts on dispensationalism have been comforting to me. Your blog is one of the few I know of where I can read about reformed dispensationalism.

I say keep up the good work by grace.

Thank you

CR said...

Keep up the great work.

mikepettengill said...

Hey...what is going on? There are no little red dots in Honduras. I know you have at least two regular readers in Honduras.

We have you on our blog reader and read every post.

wouldn't miss a one.

threegirldad said...

May God continue to bless you and this blog, and widen your reach for His glory.

Moon said...

I definitely appreciate your blogging mr. Phillips! and I pray that the Lord may use it to reach the lurkers and regulars that have yet to know the Lord and also that the Lord may use it to build up all of us Christians who read it as well.
God bless you!

Herding Grasshoppers said...

I read far more often than I comment.

Many thanks, Dan, for the encouragement you bring. And the unique DJP humor.

It makes the conviction easier to take. You know, a spoonful of sugar...

Thanks, bro.

Susan said...

Well, I now have your blog set as a fave...on my phone. :) And just for you, I also became a Twit, although a silent one! The things this blog makes me do....

DJP said...

That's sweet, Susan, and I thank you.