I just found out that you can find out what the top posts are for your blog for different periods. Here are this blog’s top ten posts of all time:

1. Jeremiah 29:11
2. NLT Study Bible Reviews Roundup
3. Scripture of the Day
4. Five Bible Verses You Would Pray in the Morning
5. ESV Study Bible Reviews Roundup
6. Psalm 23 …your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
7. Mark Driscoll’s “New Calvinism”
8. Bible Commentary Lists and Reviews (Updated)
9. HCSB Bible Translation Web Sites
10. What Is Revival?

You can see Jeremiah 29:11 is very important to a lot of people. It’s nice to know that people are interested in Bibles. Scripture of the Day is popular because a lot of people search for that and this blog comes up high in Google for that phrase. What Is Revival was in response to the Todd Bentley shenanigans although I don’t think people got that’s why I posted it.

The August Experiment is going well. Posting more has its pluses and minuses. A plus and minus are the comments. When there are a lot it can be a lot to keep up with. But it’s the comments that I learn from and is part of what makes blogging worthwhile. I would always rather have too many than not enough.

Another plus is posting more helps me come up with even more ideas for some reason. I don’t know how that works.

I also have been posting with a little more of my own personality mixed in, hopefully without getting self-indulgent which I think is a good thing for a blog.

I’m learning that too many substantive posts are too much for both the writer and the reader. This month is unusual for the writer because I prepared a lot of the posts in late July and also took some posts from my other blogs and modified them or expanded on them. But it’s also a lot to expect of readers to want to read that much. I can’t get myself to post complete fluff (not that there’s anything wrong with that) because it goes against the purpose of this blog. So I always want to tie in Scripture or something related to Christianity with each post.

Although it was never a goal to increase stats because I don’t care much about them, they haven’t gone up, so more posts doesn’t seem to equal more visitors although it’s only been two weeks. Every now and then I try to do a post that will benefit people who come in from search engines. A post on Jeremiah 29:11 is by far the most popular post coming in from people searching on it.

I would like to sell more books from people clicking on Amazon links but that hasn’t happened either.

There are quite a few posts I want to do that would take some time. 1 Peter 1 is one of them among many others. I’m going through France’s commentary on Matthew so I don’t want to spend a lot of time on writing longer posts but will at some point because it’s beneficial to me.

So there you have it. I will try to keep it up for the rest of the month. Maybe I can make myself post fluff but I don’t know if I muster up the strength. This post has gotten too long so I will sign off for now. Thanks for reading. If you have any thoughts let me know.

Are you using Jeremiah 29:11 as a platitude? Consider all of what the Bible has to say:

HT: New Leaven via DesiringGod.org

For the following, I apologize if what’s shown is overly upsetting to anyone. YouTube shows a snapshot of what’s halfway through any video. The whole thing isn’t like that.

Article:
The Real Prosperity Gospel
God’s ways may be hidden, but his purpose for us is not.
John Calvin with Knox Bucer-Beza at Christianity Today

I don’t like writing about myself but thought this might be a good way to describe the purpose of this blog for those who are too lazy to read the About page. <smiley would go here>

This subject has been going around the biblioblogosphere.

Rule 1) List three reasons for your blogging.

1. To record what I’m learning and cement my thoughts.
   • Writing things down often prompts me to look up more Scripture and do a little more research than I normally would.
   • When I read commentaries, I usually post the things that stuck out to me about a month after I read them. This helps me to better retain what I learn.
   • I’m going through the NT by reading carefully and reading commentaries to clear up misconceptions, false teachings or find Scripture for true teachings and (try my best) to develop sound doctrine.
2. To have a repository for what I learn and for quotes, articles and blog posts that I collect.
3. Hopefully others can learn a little with me.

This may sound the oppostite of altruistic and it is, partly because I don’t claim to be able to offer any new scholarly insights.

I would love to learn from others by their posting comments to this blog. The problem with that is my blog is a “tween-er”. I’m not a scholar and am not scholarly enough for scholarly people to want to read and post to this blog. (Although I do get an occasional gem from Estaban and others.) And this blog may be a little much for those who are casual Bible readers but come across it doing a search for something like Jeremiah 29:11 (link) or free will.

I’m so blessed in that God has given me a zeal for Him and His Word. I want to learn and grow more and more* in all spiritual knowledge and wisdom.

we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Colossians 1:9 b NRSV

*possibly a future post

I write this post with fear and trembling. This verse is a favorite for a lot of people and I have had it memorized for many years.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

But looking at it in the context of the whole paragraph puts it in a new light.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD , “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD , “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

God is speaking here to Jeremiah regarding Israel. I don’t know if this necessarily means the premise is invalid but I think there is other Scripture that may be more appropriate like Habakkuk 3:17-19, Matthew 6:33-34, Romans 8:28, Romans 15:13 etc. We need to “be prepared to endure everything with patience while joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light” which may be subject matter for a future post. (Colossians 1:11-12)

During my hesitation to post this I came across this review of The Purpose Driven Life which gives further perspective. I try to stay away from direct criticism of others on this blog because I want to stick to Scripture and because there are a ton of other blogs for that stuff. But I think this quote is beneficial.

‘First we will examine promises Warren says apply to all Christians. One clear example of this is Jeremiah 29:11 which he uses multiple times in the book. On page 31 we read “Wonderful changes are going to happen in your life as you begin to live it on purpose. God says “I know what I am planning for you…’I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future’.” When read in context we see that this verse is not written to apply to all Christians. It is a promise given specifically to the Israelite exiles. By Warren’s logic Jeremiah 44:27 should also apply to all Christians. It reads, “I am watching over them for harm and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will meet their end by the word and by famine until they are completely gone.” A pastor once told me “that verse wouldn’t sell as many plaques at the Christian book stores.”’

http://www.discerningreader.com/review/the-purpose-driven-life/

Also see:
What Jeremiah 29:11 Is Not About