Today I have been playing around with my blog and have finally figured out (with the help of my amazing husband) how to create categories on my blog. If you look at my home screen, you may have noticed there are two extra categories after ‘About Ruth Clemence’. All I can say is that I am very excited because I can now branch out and have separate sections on my blog for different things I want to write about.
My Blog is Blue…
Not trying to reinforce gender stereotypes, but my blog is now blue – so… men can open it without being flooded with the previous pink background! And… blue is my favourite colour!
The Gospel (Good News) in the News
Currently, my home page has all my blog posts I have ever written and it is where I will continue to write most of my posts. One of my new categories is called ‘The Gospel (Good News) in the News’. The purpose of this category is to write about current news stories and exposing Jesus Christ in it. There are so many troubling headlines that many question faith, religion and God and find it hard to see good in certain situations. I want to try and see articles through a Christ-centred lens; it will be an examination of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ in a 21st century world. It will be a space of discussion and debate; a place where I can share my own opinion on news-worthy topics. In addition, I will also be looking at news stories that affect Christians here in the UK but also across the world and encourage readers to consider others at a local and global scale – let’s really consider what it means to love your neighbour as yourself, and perhaps on a more challenging note, to love your enemies.
The Cheerful Giver
The other new category is called ‘The Cheerful Giver’. This is a new idea I have had recently on thinking about what it means to be a ‘cheerful giver’, and what giving looks like (e.g. where to give, how to give, what to give, who to give to, when to give, why it is important to give etc.) Some of the questions I would like to address in the coming months include:
1) ‘Should a Christian give and volunteer for organisations that are not labelled as ‘Christian’ – and in what context is this or is this not appropriate?’
2) ‘What does it mean to be a cheerful giver?’
3) ‘Can we be cheerful givers in a recession and when money is tight?’
4) ‘What does giving look like in biblical times and in the 21st century?’
This is not a comprehensive list of questions and I appreciate it is a bit vague at the moment! 🙂
As I have spent several different seasons of my life as a volunteer, I have had some time to think about giving myself to a cause through my time, resources and money. I have volunteered overseas on conservation projects, helped Christian Aid in their regional office and at a festival, gave my time to help at creche at the different churches I have attended, and I am currently fundraising for Oxfam as I continue to be driven to help the world’s poorest communities and to stand by them as we fight poverty and injustice together.
I have become very interested in the charity sector and I would like to start writing more about giving in this context. I will flag up campaigns to be aware of, fundraising events, biblical giving etc. I think in a world where rich and poor live side by side and money is often the driving force behind many of the world’s ills, there is ample to write about and to challenge myself and reader’s to think about money, poverty, and giving from a biblical and godly perspective. More importantly, I believe that God is the greatest giver who gave the most precious gift, and we should look to Him to show us how to be the cheerful giver:
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16 NIV)
This is a new project for me, so let’s see how it unfolds together.
I hope you will enjoy and support my writing as I follow the narrow road with Christ!
An Anchored Hope 
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