So, What Am I Doing Here?

Header of blog

After publishing and maintaining a bi-lingual blog for 14 years (2004-2016), I would think that doing a blog now should be a matter of course, old hat, so to speak.

But in case you hadn't noticed, a lot has changed in terms of social media since the early days of 2004 when my blog (link here) was first set up on Blogspot. When I thought about setting up a new blog and went back to my Blogspot account, the whole setup process had changed so much, I gave up, and started looking for other options. But this time I was looking for more than a blog...in fact, I was actually trying to publish podcasts.

As I pondered ways to continue providing teaching for the church in Funchal we had started, I thought about recording video lessons. During the height of the Covid pandemic, I did just that for several months, sending the link to the church each week. But a pastor friend had suggested I do a podcast. Not only had I never listened to one, I had no clue what a podcast was. That was 3 years ago. It has taken me that long to learn about podcasts, beginning with Step 0 - What is a podcast anyway? From there it's been a slow climb, from figuring out the technical process of recording podcasts, to finally getting them published. Having done that, I realized a further step was in order: I needed my own website.

A new challenge

But the difference between producing a blog on Blogspot for 14 years is a far cry from building and maintaining my own website. For over a month I've been making, re-making...and making it again. Two steps forward, one back, some steps sideways, and even having to start certain stages of the process all over again. By repeated trial and error, I feel I now understand what I would like to see as a final product, and although I'm far from being a professional, I'm more comfortable in using the technological tools at my disposal to achieve that goal. There's a lot more to learn yet that I have no concept of, but, hey, I'm persistent, if nothing else. I do not give up.

Back in the early years of trying to establish the first Baptist church on Madeira Island, opposition to our work was strong, albeit subtle rather than open persecution. The first 10 years produced few visible results. At one point, a friend of our daughter Rachel commented, "Your father just doesn't give up, does he?" Often, the key to "success" is simply perseverance. In the words of Thomas Edison, "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

The elasticity of almost

Once I get a goal in mind, I will pursue it, but it usually takes a lot longer than I want. Speed, however, is not my major concern. Why hurry to get where you don't want to go? There's no use in running fast in a race, if you're running the wrong direction. I feel like I'm almost at the finish line on this project, but it's probably still further out there than I envision at the moment. "Almost" is a very elastic concept. No problem. I'll get there. I don't give up.