Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

A fellow writer recently published a book titled “Grace Like Snow: Essays from the Heartland.” It “… includes blog posts and personal musings written between 2015 and 2022. [Gayle] Schuck bares memories of family, holidays, writing adventures, and her faith walk. She has a strong sense of place and a deep love for the prairie. Her writing offers hope, inspiration and a dose of wisdom in a good read.”

My own blogs (yes I have multiple. I’ve been writing blog entries since 2006) contain hundreds of entries. Some have (surprisingly) endured the test of time. My more recent ones have even earned some positive feedback. So positive I’ve considered imitating Gayle and publish my own.

I thus decided to put my better entries into a single file and even wrote an introduction. My tentative title is “After God’s Own Mind.” The reason is I tend to search for God intellectually instead of with the heart.

One part of my introduction states (somewhat paraphrased for concision):

“I am nothing like King David who was a man after God’s own heart. I’m instead after God’s own mind.”

Part of God’s mind is his humor, and he loves to show me a mirror to my foolishness through what others might label as coincidence.

The next Sunday after I wrote the introduction, my pastor preached on Matthew 12:22-32. At one point he said, “Knowledge can puff up and cause pride. What we know is only a part of the equation.” He then mentioned 1 Corinthians 13:2 (CSV):

“And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

In short having knowledge (the mind) and love (the heart) in equal measure is crucial.

I don’t disagree with any of that, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the timing of the message (as I’m sure God intended).

Knowledge is fine. Going after God’s own mind is also fine. Yet I must also seek out God’s heart, because, like us humans, his heart is just as important to who he is as his mind is.

Which means now it’s back to the drawing board with my series of entries…

In the meantime, I highly recommend you check out Gayle’s book.