It’s March 2023 and I’m starting the last month of my initial investment in this blog. If I keep going, I will have to renew a plan with my hosting company in the next 30 days.

When I started this blog on April Fool’s Day 2020, I wrote:

I’m launching daveolsson.com today without much fanfare but with a specific end in mind: becoming part of our national conversation about culture and politics. …

1. I have a point of view that I think is under-represented in the national conversation. As a politically conservative evangelical Christian, not only is my point of view unappreciated by the culture at large, but the loudest voices seem to be openly hostile to such a viewpoint.
2. I believe that whether or not my voice is “winning” in the marketplace of ideas, more citizens like me need to speak up. I’m nobody special; just a guy with a love of God and country who has a keyboard and an Internet connection. But there’s a lot of us out here and we need to be heard.

Over the years I’ve learned to be candid about what I think. Some people like it, some people don’t. For me, it’s too much work to make sure everybody’s happy. What you read here is one guy’s take on our shared American life as one nation, under God.

Here are some quick random notes about my experience off the top of my head:

• I feel like after three years, I’m (finally) finding my voice, and my rhythm, as a blogger.
• My audience size has remained modest (eh … relatively small). That’s okay because I knew it would take a while to build a following. Thanks to all of you for being a part of getting this project stood up — you’re like founding members or something!
• When a reader provides feedback on the blog, either in the comments or offline, it is very encouraging because, on balance, it’s been a solitary effort without many cues to guide me. Is it making a difference? Is it having an impact on how people think?
• I originally thought I’d do more long-form essay writing, but I’ve found that’s not practical since I can only blog in my discretionary time (which is limited). I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon.

Essentially, the blog is my running commentary on faith, culture and politics, using reports from a variety of sources as my slush pile. There is so much outlandish thinking and behavior in our country that I never seem to be at a loss for something to respond to.

One of the things I’d like to increase is the connection between what I’m reading and what the Bible has to say about it. Sometimes it’s obvious, but other times it’s more subtle. Eventually I’d like to start more often than not with a biblical theme and show how we ignore or honor it in our culture.

◦◦◦◦◦

All that to say that I’m thinking seriously about extending the life of this blog and would love to hear from you, my readers and subscribers. Tell me what you value about it and where you think I can do better.

While I never expect to make a living doing this, I’m considering adding a donation link (some blogs call it a “tip jar”) to help keep the lights on by covering the minimal costs of running my daily rag. Even a $10 donation per year from a reader or $2 per month would be a vote of confidence in the value of my work. Super affordable! Put a few of those donations together and suddenly it feels like a group effort.

Let me know if you’d entertain such an opportunity.

I’m proud of having done this for three years, making my best effort to write five days a week. I’ll be making a decision soon on whether to keep going.