Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

• 1 Timothy 1:7

“Here is the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.”

• 1 Samuel 26:22-24

Before I get started, I want to make it clear that this is not a plea for people to click the like button or even visit the site more often.

Note from the Editor:  WordPress, in trying to make changes to let people know they are doing something, has removed the “Visit Post” button from the upper right corner of the post display on the “Reader” page.  If you have not registered with WordPress, you would not get a reader page.  But if you go to the listing of posts by that author, you will find a “Visit” button on the lower left corner, where it was in the past on posts that consisted of only a photo or meme.

Also note that this was written before the statistics summary comparing last seven days with the previous seven days. Ouch!

When this latest change occurred, the visitors and views stats dropped drastically.  I really did not notice the connection until one day I had three likes of my latest post without having anyone “visit” the post.  You see, if you do not actually “visit” the post, the site manager does not see you added as a visitor nor a view of that post.  Hundreds of people might be reading your stuff, but you would never know. And I trust that God has a plan and that someone that needs a bit of encouragement or even a laugh has “visited.”

I have written about how those unseen people are really my target audience, but really it could be anyone.  I write what I feel God is encouraging me to write.  And hopefully what I write encourages and strengthens others. My heart is warmed when an old post catches on fire for a day or two, or the Bible Studies and Philosophy posts get a lot of views well after being posted. Those are references, and I am glad they are being used. Yesterday, I reached 2,500 posts that have been published. They cannot all be gems, but I write them to glorify God.

The focus of this post is not whining about my views and visitors numbers declining, and then only by 10-20%.  The focus is how I react to it.

I follow many of those who follow me.  One is taking a break due to writer’s block.  Another is taking a break due to going on an evangelistic/apologetic mission trip.  And a few others had some issues to work out.  And the two most often followers that make comments are among those mentioned here.

I am writing these posts to glorify God, not glorify myself.  Thus, when I know that others are dealing with something beyond the blogosphere, the way I must react to the drop in “numbers” is to pray for those people fervently.

Lord, there are those with writer’s block.  If it is your will, give them the words they need to write so that others can be encouraged.

Lord, there are those taking a break from their blogging to go on mission trips that will glorify Your Name.  Fill them with Your Spirit.  Give them strength and courage.  Give them wisdom.

Lord, there are those who are dealing with “issues.”  I do not know those issues.  Although one or two I do know, but I won’t say.  You know what those issues are.  Sometimes it is hard to say, “Let’s move on from here.”  Maybe moving on from here means not writing or not reading the blogs of others.  If that is the case, there will be some dear friends that I will sorely miss.  I already know of one who has probably passed away.  And that leads me to another prayer.

Lord, there are those whose health is not that good at the moment.  Just going to doctor visits reduces writing time.  I am painfully aware of that.  But when you spend the weekend in the hospital, and they perform surgery, or at least an invasive procedure, it kicks you in the backside.  From my bout with COVID a couple of months ago, I still have times when I become so exhausted that I do not want to move.  Since my computer is in the basement, I fear that I will not have the energy or the ability to climb back up the stairs.  I don’t know, Lord, there could be an entire village of such people out there that suffer such ills.  You are the great healer.  You can make things better for them.

In Thy Name I pray.  Amen.

When it is not about precious ME or my stats, we see that others have their own struggles.  I chose the first Scripture verse above for it is the only mention of the word “affirm” in the NIV, at least in the Scripture itself.  And the second Scripture is one of only four verses, verse 23, that has the word “rewards” in the NIV.

The stats on our blogsites are indicators.  In doing it for the glory of God, we need neither affirmation nor rewards.  Glorifying God is all that matters.  But when those indicators decline, I must remember the lesson of this post, to spend time on my knees, praying for the people who visit this site.  You are being prayed for, even if I never see any stat.

And since this post was written a couple of weeks ago, some of the mission trips are over and some of the “working issues out” are in the past, although we always have issues to work out, but I still look at the spotty stats, some good days, some great days, and some days like days I had when this blogsite first went up, and I pray for those who have not been reading. I wish God’s blessings upon them, or healing, or strength. And I pray for those that I have never known who visit this site. I pray that God has been glorified and that their heart has been touched.

And as I edit this post, I have had a really bad bout with some sort of IBS issue. If I did not read your posts today, I will try to catch up tomorrow. Until then, may God bless you.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.