There is a great bookstore in Portland, Oregon - Powell's City of Books. If you've been to Portland, you probably know of it. It's the kind of book store you could get lost in, for days. I honestly don't think I could go to Portland without stopping in.I love it.
I also hate it.
As a writer, seeing all those books humbles me. Who am I to think I have an original thought? Who am I to aspire to sharing a shelf with Dickens or even Dixon? Who am I, indeed?
This is the time of year when I teach my little darlings to think about an author's purpose in writing. I show them how identifying an author's purpose will help you make greater connections to the text. First, we learn that most things are written either to inform, entertain, or persuade. Then, we go a little deeper.
Let me give you an example. You are, I hope, familiar with Dr. Seuss's Lorax. This excellent book was surely written to entertain. Yet, it has a very obvious greater purpose. The author served up a potent lesson in an entertaining package. Because of this, we all remember it.
Now, I love to write. But (you may have noticed) my writings often sound a bit like rambling. There really hadn't been a purpose shaping my content here.
A gentleman I know has dedicated his life to helping people "fall in love with God's word." He blogs, speaks, teaches, and writes all to this purpose. In fact, he's got a new book coming out soon that I'm quite excited about. I had a chance to preview it, and it's great (click here for a link to the book's launch page). Any article you read on his blog will be clearly connected to his purpose. You know what to expect when you click that link.
Did you honestly have any idea what to expect when you clicked my link today?
This blog used to be called "(In)significant thoughts." I've decided to take the advice of an old friend and start valuing myself more highly than that. My thoughts are not insignificant. They're just often disorganized, and rather ordinary. Yet, somehow everything I do, everything I am comes back to my relationship with God. Because that's the foundation of my existence.
So I gave the page a makeover, and a direction. This page is just the journal of ordinary girl, living an ordinary life, trying to make sense of it all. It's not my goal to preach, just to share my journey. If you find that even a little entertaining, informative, or persuasive, then I've accomplished my purpose.
God did this so that [we] would seek Him, and perhaps reach out and find Him, though he is not far from any of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being. -Acts 17:27-28
PS: The teacher-stuff is migrating to a separate blog. I'm hoping that will help me keep my focus. If you're a teacher, or into teaching things, check out There are No Mistakes @ http://onlythelessons.blogspot.com/.
