After a long hiatus from writing blogs, which I truly enjoy by the way, I’ve decided to jump back in with both feet. I don’t have the words to tell you how many years I truly wanted to write a blog. In 2016, I moved to Monticello and things were in place for me to step into the batter’s box and swing away. I started off okay. People were actually reading Onmarksmind. People were kind. I was humbled to pieces. Our church’s Media Team encouraged me often to keep at it. Yet somehow, someway, I got marred down in the mud of life and a pastor’s schedule and somehow lost my grip on one of the things I truly enjoyed. I wish I had a list of people to blame…but this is all on me. Looking back on my last few blogs, nearly all of them begin with apologies, followed by promises to do better and write more frequently. Needless to say, I failed miserably in my noble quest. Just for fun, I checked the etymology of my first name. Apparently, Mark comes from the Latin word, Mars. The meaning(s) of the word are “warlike, warrior, or famous counsel.” I was kind of hoping the name meant “big liar”…maybe that would have helped me to feel better about my blogging failures. I don’t think anyone who knows me would think of me as a warrior of any kind…or anything close to warlike. As for famous counsel, well that’s just hilarious. My middle name, Allen, fairs a little better. It is derived from the Celtic word, alun, which translates to harmony or peace. I can live with that.

My fifteen minutes of etymology mining was interesting if nothing else. I know a little more about Mark Allen than I did 30 minutes ago. The truth is only a handful of people on this earth have ever called me Mark Allen. Most of those folks are on my mom’s side of the family. Mark Allen stuck on that side…not so much on my dad’s side…which was ok with me. Occasionally my wife will use it. Regardless, the origins and meanings of Mark Allen do not tell you who I really am. Relationships built over time with highs and lows, great moments and bad moments, happy times and sad times, wins and the losses, mountain top celebrations and valleys of despair, giving advice and receiving suggestions…that’s how you get to know me. In short, even if parents spend thousands of dollars trying to find the perfect name for their child…their child will always be more than their name. It’s a rule…maybe not written down in a handbook anywhere…but a rule nonetheless.

What I thought I would do to get back into the swing of writing again would be to do a series of blogs on people in the Bible we know…but we don’t know their names. Some will be fairly popular…others not so much. My prayer is that you will think about these folks in a new light…and maybe not only appreciate them in a deeper way, but also search your own soul and find reasons to be grateful for the life God has blessed you with. I’m excited about this idea. Just the idea that God has used so many throughout Scripture whose names are not recorded for us is an amazing thought in itself. Some are heroes. Some were healed. Some provided aid. Some were miserable and were in need of a touch from the hand of Jesus. What’s important is that they were real and God saw fit to include them in his inspired Scripture for us to have. I’ve thought about this for months. I’m mad at myself and tired of making excuses. I know our Media Team wants to sell me to the same caravan of Ishmaelites that bought Joseph from his own brothers. I don’t blame them. 🙂

My first nameless person from Scripture will be posted within a week. My plan is to look 6 or 7 of these. I hope and pray you will give me a second chance and read them. I also have plans for a second series if this first one goes well. Thank you for your grace and patience. Today is Wednesday, March 5, 2025. The first blog in this new series will be posted by March 12th. Blessings to all of you.

Pastor Mark