Blogging the Journey of Faith
When we think of witnessing, our first image might be of someone going door to door or handing out fliers on the street. In this age of technology, however, our voice can be heard from the comfort of our own home, and even have a much wider reach.
Bob, a Unificationist living in California, has been doing just that: sharing the message of True Parents by cultivating an audience online. His blog, Leavinglinda.com, shares deeply personal stories of his own journey of faith, as well as present-day activities and observations. The blog’s name comes from his hometown of Linda, California. He and his wife, Maree, who also edits and illustrates the blog, are both passionate about reaching out, especially to other churches and pastors. The blog chronicles their experiences visiting churches, protesting at TEDx events, as well as formative experiences from Bob’s early days within the Unification Church.
These personal accounts and observations are engaging, intimate and often touching. Bob is not only a passionate witnesser but also an adept storyteller, engaging the reader with compassion and even suspense—you can feel the urgency and subtle humor as Bob recounts the story of trying to outrun an angry man who tries to get him kicked out of town for fundraising.
The blog has been an excellent way to reach out to the community, says Bob. “I find it very comfortable to promote my blog to strangers and people I have known for many years.” Most of the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The blog has connected especially with pastors, who are happy to see their church featured. Bob commented: “One pastor read my blog post about their church to his congregation, another pastor phoned to personally thank me for writing about them, and my wife and I have developed a working relationship with a pastor and his wife because of my writing and visits. Each time I published a post about the aforementioned churches, my blog received over one hundred visits.”
Bob hopes that his success can inspire others to share their stories and use their talents and creativity to be a witness to True Parents. “The written word can be so powerful,” he said. “I’ve had over two thousand visits to LeavingLinda.com in the last few months. If only one of those people visiting my blog has been able to change their negative attitude toward the Unification Church and True Parents, then it has been worth it.”