I almost never comment on blogs, though I keep track of quite a few as a form of entertainment and for keeping current on the thoughts swirling through the culture. Commenting feels like extra homework (the same as my requiring my own students to answer the questions at the end of a reading to show that they have read it carefully, which I always do).

That said, one format I would find interesting is a regular feature offering a real-life “what would you do?” situation, and opening it to readers to discuss the wisest way to handle it. Then a follow-up post from you after a few days or weeks synthesizing it all and offering your thoughts. You’d probably need to do some marketing on FB of those particular posts to get a critical mass of people commenting.

One of my favorite bloggers, Rachel Held Evans, does a regular feature that I love called “Ask a ….” she’s had people from all walks of life do a guest post on a life perspective (political, religious, etc). The week before the person posts, her readers put questions they’d like to ask in the comments and vote on each other’s questions. The five or so most popular questions become an interview for that week’s guest blogger. I don’t know if I gain wisdom per se from that but I do gain deeper understanding of a wide variety of viewpoints, and I value it highly. I bet you know a lot of trustworthy people that you consider wise in certain ways that might be willing to do something like that.

I, too, was a monkeybar master. I wasted so much time distracted by soccer and swings, myself. Eventually, though, I could do amazing tricks that I now look back upon with disbelief and a bit of hindsight-fear. I’m sure the things I did on the monkeybars wouldn’t be allowed on the playground today! One trick I did: Standing/balancing on the bar, lowering myself slowly to a sitting position, then flinging myself backward and flipping off from my position five feet above the ground. Holy buckets! What was I thinking? It was so rewarding, though, to challenge myself. I wasn’t doing it to impress a crowd… I just wanted to continue to master new tricks. Alas, 7th grade arrived, and playground time ended. I wish I had persisted through my “old age”.

That makes me think, too, about the fearlessness of youth. Many times, the young doesn’t KNOW that they should be afraid. That can translate into foolish choices sometimes, but more often than not, I think it’s a benefit. The young push and pursue and challenge themselves and others, and really, everyone is built up in the process.

— n
1. the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight

Wow! That’s intense. It seems impossible to achieve. I am thankful we serve a Lord who imparts His wisdom to us when we ask and gives us the ability to walk it out.