How preachy most of them are

It is funny to me how "preachy" most Christian blogs are. Obviously the clear and correct exposition of Scripture is very important and I am all for it. But there is something to be said about reflecting on a life and how it is lived out in light of the Scriptures. That is what, initially, drew me into the faith. I saw and heard people that had a vital relationship with Christ and how deeply that relationship affected them. I did not have that at the time but I wanted it so desperately. God produced a longing in me for Him when I saw what He produced in others.

Of course I could not articulate that at the time but that was exactly what was happening. I can clearly remember the night on the Summer retreat between my Junior and Senior years in high school when, one by one, the teachers at Cardinal Mooney sat in front of us and told stories of closeness and intimacy with God that I never knew. He set a fire in my heart that night and I was changed. I can't say that I was saved, but I was set in pursuit of Him unlike any time in my life before that.

It would be the clear preaching of God's Word that would help me realize the work of God that I had to do to be saved (i.e. belief in Christ as my leader and forgiver - John 9:2-4) so thanks be to God for that. Without those teachers showing me what a love relationship with God looked like I would not have been in the place for the Word to be preached.