🕊️ Just A Thought Blog — Complete Formatting & Style Guide

🩉 1. YAML FRONT MATTER TEMPLATE

Every post must begin with this block of YAML between triple dashes --- at the top of the file.

---
layout: post
title: "Your Post Title Here"
subtitle: "Optional Subtitle Here"
description: "Optional meta description for SEO and social cards (1–2 sentences)"
date: YYYY-MM-DD
author: Jeff Thomas III
categories:
  - faith          # or marriage / tech / camping / leadership / culture
  - reflection
tags:
  - tag-one
  - tag-two
  - tag-three
excerpt: "Short teaser (1–2 sentences) for previews and cards."
image: /img/posts/your-post-image.jpg              # Square/rectangular OG/social preview
background: /img/posts/bg-your-post-image.jpg      # Wide hero header background
scripture: "Optional Scripture Reference (e.g., 1 Peter 1:14–16 ESV)"
contributors: [Samatra Thomas]                     # optional list for shared writing credit
series: "Series Title Here"                        # optional if part of a series
series_order: 1                                    # optional for ordering within a series
---

Tips:

• Keep YAML indentation consistent (2 spaces for nested lists).
• Use lowercase, hyphen-separated filenames: Example: 2025-10-07-marriage-as-work.md
• image = social preview (square/rectangle). background = hero header (wide, cinematic). No text on images.

🧱 2. STANDARD BLOG STRUCTURE (MARKDOWN BODY)

All Just A Thought posts follow a structured narrative flow for consistency and emotional pacing.

Structure Overview

1. Hook (1–3 sentences)

   • Start with a relatable story, tension, or question.
   • Avoid announcing the topic directly; let it unfold naturally.

2. Context & Reflection

   • Explain what prompted the post (a verse, conversation, quote, or moment).
   • Introduce Scripture or life observation that grounds the theme.

3. Development

   • Build on the idea thoughtfully.
   • Blend biblical truth, personal insight, and cultural reflection.
   • Use short sections (2–5 sentences each).

4. Resolution or Open Reflection

   • Offer closure or pose a final question.
   • End with the phrase “…just a thought.”

5. (Optional) Reader Prompt

   • Encourage reflection or invite comments.

   • Example:

     What helps you stay grounded when life feels hurried?

Markdown Example

### When the Fire Feels Like Work

It’s funny how love starts as a spark but is sustained by tending the flame.  
When the honeymoon ends, many discover that marriage isn’t effortless—it’s intentional.

R. Kent Hughes once wrote, *“In the fire of new love, marriage seems as easy as falling off a log. Actually, it is as easy as staying on a log.”*  
That line stuck with me. Because staying requires balance, focus, and often, humility.

Marriage asks for more than emotion—it asks for endurance.  
The same heat that refines gold also reveals weakness, and what we do with that weakness shapes our union.

So if you’re in a season where marriage feels like work, take heart.  
That work is the evidence that love is being tested, purified, and made strong.

…just a thought.

---

**Reflection:**  
What part of marriage has taught you the most about selflessness lately?

🪶 3. MARKDOWN FORMATTING RULES

🎨 4. IMAGE STYLE & NAMING CONVENTIONS

Image Notes

• No text overlays.
• Consistent painterly, natural, reflective aesthetic.
• Dominant tones: olive green, muted blue, warm earth, soft gold.
• Save images in .jpg format for consistency.
• Include alt text for accessibility if inserted in body.

✍️ 5. STYLE & VOICE GUIDELINES

🗂️ 6. FILE NAMING & FOLDER STRUCTURE

/_ posts/
  ├── 2025-10-07-marriage-as-work.md
  ├── 2025-10-05-road-trip-vs-destination.md
  └── 2025-09-19-trust-grows-in-the-hard-conversations.md

/img/posts/
  ├── marriage-as-work.jpg
  ├── bg-marriage-as-work.jpg
  ├── road-trip-vs-destination.jpg
  └── bg-road-trip-vs-destination.jpg

🧬 7. CREATION WORKFLOW (RECOMMENDED)

1. Brainstorm: Draft story ideas or reflections.
2. Draft: Write post in Markdown, following structure & style.
3. Refine: Lightly edit for tone and pacing (don’t over-polish).
4. Add YAML Front Matter.
5. Generate Image Prompts & create Image Files.

6. Commit to GitHub:

   • Save under _posts/ with correct filename.
   • Push to main branch to publish.
7. Verify: Check rendering, spacing, and image load.

💡 8. QUICK-REFERENCE SNIPPETS

End-of-Post Line

…just a thought.

Scripture Blockquote Example

> “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”  
> *(Galatians 5:14 ESV)*

Series Note Example

series: "Love What God Loves, Hate What God Hates"
series_order: 2