Welcome!

Welcome to my first blog. (Yay!)  This is the result of a conversation with my pastor, Tim Lawson.  I don't remember the exact words now, but a few months ago, he said something like, "Jess, you should start a blog."  I think he also said something like "You have a lot of ideas rolling around, and you should get them out there more."  Yeah, something about needing a creative outlet for the stuff in my head.  I'm also hoping that what I have to say will help some other people on their journey.  

In any case, here is what I hope you can expect from me: thoughtful, provocative reflections on God and Christian growth, triggered by books and scriptures I read, movies, songs, and other media, powerful quotes from great thinkers, etc, along with the occasional dose of conviction or just good ideas for practical application.  Or sometimes, just interesting thoughts that make you stop and go: "Hmm."            

See, I think that the "Hmm"s are really valuable, even without immediate application.  If something I have said causes you to stop and really challenge the way you think about life, just for a minute, that change in thinking will ultimately change the way your respond to life at some point.  I think that is often how God transforms us: big encounters combined with lots of little "tweaks" in our thinking.  It is my aspiration to provide a handful of those "tweaks."         

Another thing I hope you can expect from me is a fairly regular schedule.  Here is what I have in mind:   Mondays:  A powerful quote, paragraph from a book or a news article, and hopefully some provocative questions, - or - an apologetics Q and A; that is, a common challenge that is leveled against Christianity (or a scriptural concept) and an answer to that challenge.  Wednesdays: A devotional pulled from my times with God, or something He is teaching me in light of my experience.  Fridays:  a song, a reflection from a movie or TV show, - or - possibly a podcast, video, or sermon I think you might enjoy (it might be serious or just something funny).  In summary, the schedule is: Monday:  something intellectual, Wednesday: something devotional, Friday: something cultural, or media oriented.  This is a rough schedule, I may fail make entries at times, and the lines between these areas are often blurry, but my intention here is to give you guys a blog that is stimulating in a number of ways, and is fairly comprehensive in its scope.

What I would like from you is conversation.  I heartily welcome responses to my articles, even those that disagree with what I am trying to say.  I hope that my blog can be a safe place for healthy discussion.  If you like what I have to say, tell me!  

One more thing: the title.  I wanted to name my blog something that would combine themes of biblical Christianity, devotion, thoughtfulness, and discussion.  Solomon is the biblical embodiment of wisdom, and tradition has that Solomon's Porch was: Attached to the original temple of Solomon was "the porch of judgment" where king Solomon had constructed a large hall 50 cubits long and 30 cubits wide because of the enormous porch in front. Originally there was cedar from floor to ceiling. This was the hall of judgment where the king would make judgments and exercise justice. (From bible-history.com)  Thus, I hope this will be a place of Christian wisdom, thought, discussion, and devotion.

So, again, welcome to my blog, and I'll see you Wednesday!