The Third Anniversary of WLF

Flashback: Then.

“In the same way, when you obey Me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”
– Luke 17:10

Three years ago, a High-School-aged Samuel James pressed the ‘Publish’ button on WLF. His site was poorly designed, utterly basic, and incredibly unprofessional. Yet every week, he would publish a new blog post. Through Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer, he kept at it. Week by week, year by year, he slowly got better.

His goal was to change others through his writing. He wanted to draw them closer to Christ. Little did he know that the person most impacted by WLF would be himself.

Flashforward: Now.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
– Galatians 6:9

God is at work in my life. He’s using me, in all kinds of ways, to glorify Him. One of the areas He’s called me to serve Him in is Writing, Life, Faith. What started as a simple blog in 2023 has gradually transformed into a full-fledged site with multiple media outlets. God took my tiny “Yes” and used it to help change my life as I wrote about His goodness.

Many writers can attest that writing lets them process their thoughts. This summer, it was absolutely true. Writing is powerful. It transforms others, and it transforms me. It can change others’ lives, and it can change mine. It can be shared with my family or with the entire world. God has used writing to magnify His name since Genesis.

One of the devil’s recent temptations has been for me to quit WLF and surrender to the ‘AI Revolution.’ Why would I write anything when AI can do it faster? Well, because God says that as His creation, I’m more valuable than AI. God doesn’t care what AI says about Him. He does care what His children say about Him. AI can’t pray or communicate with God. AI can’t experience the joy of campers accepting Christ. AI can’t develop a work ethic or be a Lifeguard at the waterfront.

AI can’t feel anything because it isn’t real. I may not have the most vibrant emotional dynamic range, but it’s miles ahead of Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, God has called me to use my gifts to create and bless others (not the internet’s “gifts”). Sorry AI, but I serve the Highest Power. I won’t settle for less.

Here’s a quick recap from the past year on WLF. I’ll reiterate that this is 100% God’s doing. I’m just along for the ride, being used by Him.

Summary: 2025 & 2026.

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”
– Luke 16:10

After camp last summer, I started spotting areas of my life where God wanted to develop me. So I published a series called Growth Points, which challenged me to dedicate my entire life to God. It also got me interested in the spiritual disciplines.

After that, I used a play on words for a Christmas series about The First Advent-ure, looking at Jesus’ birth from four perspectives. I wrapped up the year with a recap post and launched WLF Devotionals. People had asked me for shorter, practical, and Scripture-centred pieces of writing for when they were doing their devotions, and this was the solution God led me towards.

2026 dawned with an ambitious project: a 24-part series on the life of every king of Judah. The series, Life of a King, stretched for six months. Throughout that season, I learned how human nature always repeats itself. The only solution is Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers.

Leading into this summer at camp, I wrote a three-part series about the Trinity. This was partially inspired by the series my church is doing on the Holy Spirit. Also in June, I had a guest post about Canada published on The Remnant.

And then it was back to camp. This summer, God challenged me to surrender the things I cared about and submit to His authority. I wrote about these experiences in The Staff Handbook.

Meanwhile, I produced weekly podcast episodes, narrating my written posts. I also wrote four devotional series, which you can read on the Devotionals page.

All that doesn’t begin to describe the work God did in my life through writing. You can read about many of the lessons I learned and my God stories in the posts. I find that when I pray and surrender my work before the LORD, He uses it to help encourage others. That’s the power of submission to God.

Going Forward.

“Above all, you must live as citizens of Heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then… I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.”
– Philippians 1:27

Writing isn’t easy. I don’t wake up every day feeling motivated to write. But I keep going. I choose to do what God asks of me, even when it’s hard. I can’t make any promises related to what the coming year will hold, because that rests in God’s hands. I’ll continue with WLF as long as He asks me to continue.

I’ll close off the summer with an exercise straight from last week’s post. (I encourage you to read it.) For the coming year, I want to share my mission, medium, and means for WLF.

The Mission.

I want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. I want to lead us into a deeper relationship with Him, and I want us to study His Word, pray, and serve others. I want us to become proactive Christians who seek to be discipled by Jesus as they learn to love Him more. I also want to grow in the spiritual disciplines, not because they’re a goal or a benchmark, but because they lead us closer to Christ.

The Medium.

God has blessed me with the time and resources to run WLF. He’s given me a computer, editing software, a website, a blog, a podcast, devotionals, real-world connections, and more. I want to steward these things for His glory.

The Means.

God has set up my schedule so that if I’m intentional, I can make time for WLF. He’s given me gifts and talents to communicate, write, design, and leverage technology. I’m choosing to use these gifts for His glory.

God has blessed each of us in different ways. He also requires us to selflessly use those gifts to serve His Kingdom. Even when we find it hard. Even when we don’t want to do it. Even when the comforts of this world pull us in the opposite direction. A quote by Billy Graham convicted me on this point. He said, “All too often we are more afraid of physical pain than of moral wrong.”

This year, I aim to chase godliness and Christlikeness. Doing what’s easy and comfortable doesn’t matter. Jesus is my focus, not the things of this world. I won’t be anywhere close to perfect, yet I know where I’m going. I want to persevere, no matter what comes my way.

I invite you to join me. It’s great to look back on what God has done, but it’s more important that we fix our eyes upon the prize and continue to run our race. Will you join me as we each serve God in the mediums where He’s placed us?

At camp, I was inspired by dozens of young people living for God’s glory. They were selfless, caring, hardworking, and passionate about Jesus. On that note, I’m starting a new series next week. It’ll be about the lives of godly young people in the Bible. How did God use them, and what characteristics set them apart? At the same time, you can check out my new devotional series about God’s heart for Israel coming Out of Exile.

As always, please leave a comment or reach out if you have thoughts or suggestions about my content. Thank you for reading and supporting WLF this past year! I pray that you’ll see God at work in every part of your life this Fall.

For His glory, always.

~Samuel James

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.”