I was twenty-eight. I spent my whole life up to that point living for myself, and I finally decided that I was going to start living for Someone Else. It’s a cool story, and I’d love to tell it to you in greater detail sometime. What I’ll say now is that making this decision has been the single biggest life-changing decision I’ve ever made.

It’s funny. Sometimes you know that your decisions and actions are going to be important. But you can never really recognize the true impact until years later when you look back and see how it’s affected everything else in your life along the way.

Deciding to follow Jesus has become the foundation upon which all other decisions are built. (Click to tweet.)

I was like a sponge during the first few years after making that decision. I dedicated myself to not just reading, but deeply studying the Word. I got serious about spending time with God, whether it was alone, or in community with other people. And I served. I served in any way I could. I wanted to try different things as I searched for my place in the Church.

If I’m going to do this faith thing, then I’m going to have to sell out to it. Jesus deserves it. (Click to tweet.)

And that’s where this website started. It grew from this idea that Christians should be ordinary. Through our devotion to the Word (READ), prayer and worship (PRAY), and ministry (SERVE), we become extraordinary. It’s through these three things that we become everything that God wants us to be. It’s through these three things that we experience everything that God wants for us.

The best part is… I know that I’m not alone!

The community I’ve found here online has been nothing short of incredible. This has become a sacred place for me. It’s a place where I (and many others) have come to express ourselves. We work out ideas and talk about what God is doing in our lives. People from all kinds of backgrounds, denominations, and nations… all in one place creating a sort of virtual quilt with our words and images.

It’s this community that’s driving a new initiative here at BibleDude.net. Basically, we want to help you tell your story. We’re looking for writers to share in the all new feed designed just for you…

I AM BIBLEDUDE. (#iambibledude on Twitter)

If you want to add your voice to the conversation, then check our “write for us” page. Then write. Put together a piece that enhances the conversation in this space. If you’re wondering what to write, then try something in the following categories…

1. READ.

• theology (study of God through His Word)
• bible literacy (getting better at reading and interpreting the Bible)
• authentic christianity (applying the Word to our lives)
• worldviews (understanding and dealing with differences between the Christian and secular worldviews)
• book reviews (umm… kinda self-explanatory)

2. PRAY.

• spiritual practice (the disciplines of connecting with God)
• for reflection (devotional)
• life of worship (walking with God in an attitude of worship)
• music (songs, singers, songwriters, and more)
• creativity and art (expression of the Beauty within us)

3. SERVE.

• activist faith (dealing with the issues in which the Church should be active)
• engaged in culture (understanding the societies and cultures in which we serve)
• ministry (on working inside the church)
• outreach (on working in our local communities)
• missions (on working globally)

And then get one of the blog badges to display on your website. Wear it proudly.

I pray that this would continue to be a place of spiritual growth for both the writer and the reader. I pray that the ideas and perspectives that are discussed here would continue to drive change for many in the church who feel stagnant and know that there’s got to be more than what they’re currently experiencing. And I pray that as we work on this “quilt” together, God would meet us here and that He would feel honored and blessed by what we do to bring glory to Him. Amen.

So… you in?